We Stand in Solidarity with N.C. Teachers and School Employees

For Immediate Release

Contact: Jeremy Sprinkle, 336-255-2711 / [email protected]

Statement by NC State AFL-CIO President MaryBe McMillan in Support of the “Respect Public Education” Advocacy Day

“Our students deserve better, and by standing up and standing together, we will ensure they get better.” -- MaryBe McMillan

(RALEIGH, May 16, 2018) -- “The unions of the NC State AFL-CIO join with teachers, school employees, parents, and students in demanding that our legislature invest more in public education,” said MaryBe McMillan, president of North Carolina’s labor federation, about the tens of thousands of teachers, education workers, and other people expected to attend the “Respect Public Education” Advocacy Day at the state legislature today.

“North Carolina students deserve better. Our state lags behind the rest of the country in per-pupil spending and in pay for teachers and other school employees. Our students deserve safe schools with modern textbooks and technology. They deserve well-trained and compensated professionals instructing them in the classroom, driving them on the school bus, and taking care of them in the infirmary.

“Invest in our public schools—that’s the message echoing around the country from West Virginia to Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arizona and now North Carolina. For too long, lawmakers have prioritized tax breaks for corporations instead of raising resources for our schools. Enough is enough. Our students deserve better, and by standing up and standing together, we will ensure they get better.”

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The North Carolina State AFL-CIO is the largest association of unions of working people in North Carolina, representing a hundred and forty-five thousand members, working together for good jobs, safe workplaces, workers’ rights, consumer protections, and quality public services on behalf of ALL working people. PO Box 10805, Raleigh, NC 27605