Max Page: Describes importance of public-sector unions

Last month’s coverage by the Gazette of the challenges facing Bridge Street School in Northampton underscored the vital importance of teachers who advocate for the needs of their students.

We should further notice the essential role that the teachers’ union plays in making this possible.

Labor unions not only provide an organizing mechanism but also offer legal protections, without which teachers and other workers would be far more vulnerable and far less able to speak out.

The greater social good — from the funding of our schools to the safety of our bridges — depends on the ability of public employees to organize and advocate in the public arena.

As our public-sector unions face increasing attacks from the right wing, we all have a stake in recognizing the significance of the labor movement.

Unions have never been more important. If we support them, they will continue to offer one of the most robust vehicles we have for pursuing social justice in all its forms.

Max Page

Amherst