Two Teachers Take on Their Unions

Faced with discrimination, abuse and an unfair system of payments, two Californian teachers sued the California Teachers Association that could bring about massive reform when it comes to unfair unionization. According to the Washington Post:

Ten California teachers and the Christian Educators Association have sued the California Teachers Association in a case that could eliminate public employee unions’ right to collect fees from all workers. Many observers believe that the case, to be argued before the Supreme Court this fall, could seriously undermine public sector unions nationwide.

So who are the teachers who want to take down their union?

One of them is Rebecca Friedrichs, the lead plaintiff in the case, Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association. She also is a 28-year veteran of elementary-school classrooms in Orange County. Another is Harlan Elrich, who teaches near Fresno and has been teaching for nearly 30 years.

Both of them say that they decided to become plaintiffs because they don’t want to support a politically powerful union with which they frequently disagree. Current law allows them to opt out of paying for the union’s political activities — about 30 percent to 40 percent of annual dues. But they must continue to pay “agency fees,” which support the union’s collective bargaining activities.

The plaintiffs are asking the Supreme Court to strike down public sector unions’ right in California (and 25 other states) to collect agency fees. Unions say that doing so would create a class of “free riders” who benefit from union representation but don’t pay for it.

“We feel strongly that they should pay their fair share for their representation that they’re receiving and continuing to take advantage of,” said Frank Wells, a spokesman for the California Teachers Association.

Friedrichs and Elrich each agreed to interviews with The Washington Post; they were interviewed separately. Their responses have been edited for length and clarity.

[…]

What have your experiences been with your union?

Friedrichs: When I was a student teacher in 1987, I was being trained by an outstanding master teacher, but next door to us was a teacher who had become, in my opinion, abusive to her little first graders. I would witness every day as she would be lining them up outside the classroom. She’d grab them by the arms, she’d yank them over, she’d yell right in their faces. I asked my master teacher, “What can we do about this awful situation?” She sat me down and she said, “Today is your lesson on the teachers union.” She told me about tenure and that districts really struggle to rid themselves of these teachers. And I was shocked.

At that point I was really soured on union representation.

In my third or fourth year of teaching, the whole idea of vouchers came up here in California. We had to go to mandatory staff meetings, and during those meetings the union would come in and basically tell us how they want us to vote and be boots on the ground for their side of the campaign. They came in telling us about the evils of vouchers.

I started studying up on it.

At the next staff meeting, they were passing the paper around to sign up for phone banking and going door to door. When it came to me, I tried to be respectful. I said I’m leaning toward vouchers, they might be a good idea.

 

My union rep right there in front of everybody called me a radical right winger for daring to not stand against vouchers. I was trying to follow my conscience and I was abused for that. That whole school year I was shunned and treated like a second-class citizen.

Elrich: I never even gave the union a second thought up until a number of years ago. I was a member of the union just because in California you always are. Then I received a call from someone in the union prior to a major election. They were doing a survey of educators, asking if the election was held tomorrow, would you vote for so-and-so. Every single issue and candidate I said no.

At that point I started wondering, what does the union represent and what am I putting my money into?

I realized much of what the union does goes against my beliefs.

Recently in California they had the vote on same-sex marriages. I am against same-sex marriages, and from my understanding the union put a lot of money into supporting them. And they have put money into many Democratic candidates, all the way up to presidential elections — candidates I do not support.

I never knew I could opt out until a few years ago.

[…]

So at what point did you decide that you weren’t going to be able to change the union the way you wanted to?

Friedrichs: I think it was 2008 or 2009, during the big crash of our economy. There were these outstanding newer teachers in our district. The kids loved them, the parents loved them, they were good teachers, doing an outstanding job. They weren’t tenured yet.

We find out that these teachers are all going to be pink-slipped, which means they’re going to lose their jobs. At the next meeting I said look, the economy is tanking, the parents in this district are losing their jobs, they’re taking huge pay cuts. I said I think that we should consider going to our district negotiations and offering like a 2 to 3 percent pay cut. I think our community would appreciate it. I also thought we could save the jobs of these teachers.

They looked at me and said oh no way, the teachers will never go for a pay cut. I said how do you know if you don’t ask them?

They would not go to the teachers. They would not put out a survey, would not even ask them would they be willing to take a pay cut.

This is what I was told by our union leader: Rebecca, don’t worry about those teachers losing their jobs. The union is going to offer a seminar on how they can obtain unemployment benefits. I swear my jaw dropped. I said are you kidding me? They’ve been paying $1,000 a year to this union and that’s all we’re going to do for them?

That’s when I decided to become an agency fee payer again because I knew from personal experience that no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t make a difference, even with a voice.

Hopefully these two teachers are successful in their lawsuit against their union. It’s unfair and irresponsible to force workers to pay dues to an organization that not only hurts them but acts against their political interests.

Source: Washington Post