
Competing Education Associations
Because competing “professional associations” are generally the beneficiaries of such campaigns, an examination of their efforts is worthwhile. Such organizations in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia are loosely bound in the Coalition of Independent Educators Associations (CIEA).1
At one time, the Association of American Educators (AAE) had ambitions to become a national competitor, but today it has affiliates only in seven states. Individual state affiliates operate in Arkansas, California, Colorado and Kansas, while the Northwest Professional Educators Association purports to serve members in Washington, Oregon and Idaho from an office in Meridien, Idaho, the address of which is a UPS store. AAE also partners with charter school associations in Georgia and New Jersey. The AAE Foundation sponsors TeacherFreedom.org, which provides state-specific information and opt-out support, as well as links to some of the state-based organizations mentioned below.
Individual educators can also join Christian Educators Association International (CEAI) for liability insurance and spiritual community. Chapters are scattered across 12 states, most of which also have affiliates of either AAE or CIEA.
There are also groups such as Virginia Professional Educators that appear to be truly independent.
Whether affiliated or independent, these groups promote membership primarily by highlighting their non-union status and their lower-cost liability insurance. The rhetorical denunciation of NEA and its affiliates is left to other organizations within their respective states, and to national groups engaged in state campaigns.
National Adversaries
The Freedom Foundation, for example, actively promotes resignation from public sector unions in Washington, Oregon, California, Ohio and Pennsylvania, and also operates OptOutToday.com, which offers an interactive map and links to state-specific opt-out support. Other Freedom Foundation strategies include legal challenges to drop windows, and support for disaffiliation of locals from their state affiliate. The Clark County (NV) Education Association is cited as an example, as well as local unions in Florida, Hawaii, Indiana and Tennessee.
1 Although some competing organizations were created in response to the mergers of NEA and ATA affiliates, that aspect of these organizations is not addressed in this issue.
OPPOSITION REPORT: DROP CAMPAIGNS
While not necessarily directly involved in drop campaigns, the Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity (AFP) supports them indirectly. To mark the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year, AFP reminded educators of their rights to maintain the salary and benefits negotiated on their behalf even if they drop their union membership, and urged them to exercise their choice of whether to support a union.
State affiliates of the State Policy Network host similar websites and issue repetitive messages based on the advice of SPN experts:
Connecticut CTWorkers does not disclose its connection with the Yankee Institute.
Illinois Leave My Union is operated by the Illinois Policy Institute.
Michigan The Mackinac Institute supports Worker’s Choice, in which workers who opt out of the union represent themselves in individual contract negotiations, and the union is relieved of its duty to represent free riders. Like others, it assures educators that Resigning From a Union Won't Affect Seniority, Tenure, Pay and Benefits.
Mackinac also operates the national MyPayMySay.com, which provides state-specific opt-out form letters.
Minnesota Educated Teachers Minnesota is a project of the Center of the American Experiment, which also issued weekly reminders during the September drop window that leaving the union will not affect salary or benefits, teachers don’t have to meet in person with their local union rep to resign membership, and “You are not selfish for exercising your rights.”
Nevada Like CTWorkers, Nevada Teacher’s Choice fails to disclose its connection with the Nevada Policy Research Institute.
New York New Choice NY is a project of Americans for Fair Treatment, which is affiliated with Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Foundation.
Ohio WorkersChoose is a project of the Buckeye Institute.
Pennsylvania Americans for Fair Treatment is affiliated with the Commonwealth Foundation
Virginia Virginia Teacher Choice is supported by the Thomas Jefferson Institute, and offers links to VPE, AAE, and CEAI.
National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation
In a class by itself, the National Right to Work Foundation has been dedicated to undermining organized labor since 1968 and has a staff of attorneys continuously testing new legal strategies. Special projects include the Charter School Initiative, the Freedom of Conscience Project, and Concerned Educators Against Forced Unionism. Since 2018, NRTW has also sponsored the “official” Janus page: MyJanusRights.org, which consists of a portal to an opt-out form letter.
OPPOSITION REPORT: DROP CAMPAIGNS
NRTW supports litigation challenging the existence of drop windows as well as efforts to seek reimbursement of agency fee payments made prior to the Janus decision.
Because the most effective drop campaign is one that eliminates the union entirely, the National Right to Work Foundation actively promotes decertification campaigns, and compiled relevant state laws to facilitate such campaigns.
As a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), NRTW has been instrumental in developing model legislation designed to minimize unions and maximize “the freedom of businesses and employees to negotiate their own wages.” These include the following:
The Union Recertification Act would require a certification vote every two years.
The Public Employee Rights and Authorization Act would require annual affirmative consent for dues deduction.
The Public Employee Choice Act would eliminate exclusive representation as well as the duty to represent non- members,
The Comprehensive Public Employee Freedom Act would recognize the right of public sector workers to represent themselves in negotiations with their employer.
These bills are part of a suite of “labor reforms” collected in a set of state fact sheets that was distributed to ALEC members this year, and obtained by the Center for Media and Democracy. Each fact sheet summarizes public sector union density, and the political and legal opportunities to enact further union-crushing legislation. These documents should be reviewed and evaluated in terms of potential challenges in 2021