Archive for April 2015

Heritage Foundation Research Fellow James Sherk testifies before the Nevada legislature on how monopoly bargaining ignores teacher excellence and undermines representative government. Collective bargaining in government takes away the final say on public policy from voters’ elected representatives. It forces them to negotiate a contract with union leaders, excluding all other citizens and potential workers from the bargaining…

National Education Association (NEA) membership numbers have declined considerably since 1994.  Mike Antonucci explains how this has occurred. In 1994 the National Education Association had 2.2 million members. In the years since, the union has increased its numbers by 800,000. During a period of time when the number of full-time equivalent classroom teachers grew by 553,000 it…

While Illinois teacher union officials fight to keep teachers paying forced dues and enduring unwanted union membership, Governor Rauner is considering giving teachers their freedom.  Seth A. Richardson has the story in The State Journal-Register. Gov. Bruce Rauner on Wednesday said he wants to end “fair share” dues for teachers unions in the state.Rauner said he’s…

Teacher union officials in multiple Washington state districts have forced teachers to make the decision:  strike or cross the picket line.  Union president Larry Delaney makes it clear teachers want to put students first.  Victoria Cavaliere has the story on reuters.com Nearly 3,000 teachers in nine school districts were taking part in the strikes, which forced…

Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) officials are having a fire sale on dues.  After Act 10 in Wisconsin granted teachers Right to Work privileges, to choose or refrain from union membership, the race began to retain their membership as many teachers refused to pay union dues.  Mike Antonucci questions the drastic reduction in dues dollars. 2009 membership in…

Holly Rehder, Republican State Representative for Missouri’s 148th state district, writes about her decision to support a Right to Work law on semissourian.com. I am proud to have been a part of the House majority that voted in favor of Right-to-Work in February, and I’m looking forward to the Senate adopting their own version of…

Or are they modeling themselves after Saul Alinsky?  While California teachers struggle to free themselves from mandatory monopoly bargaining and forced dues, the Los Angeles teacher union president looks to Karen Lewis, head of the notorious Chicago Teachers Union, as a role model in fighting education reform.  His particular interest seems to be in fomenting strikes…

A third lawsuit in as many years will once again challenge exclusive representation and the power base of the California Teachers Association and the California Federation of Teachers.  StudentsFirst.org, an organization established by Michelle Rhee, filed Bain et al., on behalf of four public school teachers.  Michelle Rhee, while Chancellor of the District of Columbia public schools, defied…

The Executive Director of the Ohio Association of Public School Employees’ salary is paid not only by teachers, but taxpayers and other public employees.  This is not unusual.  Neither is the fact that many of these employees have been forced to join or support the OAPSE, and consequently, Rugola’s lavish salary, which is far higher than most of…

A former Pennsylvania teacher union president and regional director for political action, Lisa Barrett, was convicted of embezzling $60,000 from her union.  Pennsylvania allows teacher union officials to force teachers to join or pay forced dues.  Now she has written a book on how to survive in federal prison.  Steve McCarsky has the story in…