Opting Out

Teacher Opt-Out Window Ends Monday, Know Where the Dues Go

Minnesota educators, don’t miss your once-a-year-only opportunity to resign from union membership. If you have decided that union membership is not the best choice for you, go here to get started. Education Minnesota—the state’s teachers’ union—will honor your opt-out letter if it is postmarked by September…

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Minnesota Teachers: Last full week of opt-out window

Educators, we hope the new school year is going smoothly so far! Now that your classrooms are set up and lesson planning is underway, it’s time to think about your options regarding union membership.

If you already created your opt-out letter, you can submit it today…

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Union members, where do your dues go?

On Labor Day, the Minnesota State Fair’s afternoon parade included a number of union floats. Being Labor Day and all, unions were seizing the opportunity to highlight their “pro-worker” mantra.

But very little of union members’ dues go toward representation. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, less than 25…

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‘If I leave my teachers’ union, who will defend me?’

Educators weighing their options regarding union membership are often presented with misinformation on what happens outside of belonging to a union.

“The union is the only way you will be legally protected!”

“Only the union protects you from a principal who doesn’t like you!”

“Only the union provides in-person support!”

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‘Freeloader’ claims disparage public employees unions fought to represent

As teachers maneuver through the many challenges and burdens that come with the teaching profession, it’s important they feel supported. This support must include respect for their personal choices regarding union membership.

Just as educators encourage their students to be independent thinkers and hold true to themselves, so too should…

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Teachers, here are four misconceptions about your rights outside of union membership

Myth:

If a teacher chooses to opt-out of the teachers’ union, the terms of the negotiated agreement no longer apply to that teacher.

Fact:

Because the union fought for—and won—the right to exclusively represent both members and non-members, the union must represent all employees in good faith and all employees…

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“Am I a bad colleague if I leave my teachers’ union?”

Many teachers are concerned about how their co-workers will react if they decide that union membership is not the best option for them and their families. But union membership is a personal decision. And teachers are deciding to resign from the union for a variety of reasons. Having choices empowers…

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Teachers unaware of union options

This op-ed first appeared in the July 26 print edition of the Dassel-Cokato Enterprise Dispatch. 

For over a year now, teachers have had the freedom to choose whether to financially support a government union. Their freedom to choose was reinforced on June 27, 2018 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled…

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National Teachers’ Union Fears Competition, Locks Down Local Unions Looking for an Exit

The recent trend of local unions cutting ties with their national affiliate (the National Education Association) has prompted the NEA to lock local unions in with new rules, according to a Wall Street Journal editorial by Americans for Fair Treatment Director Keith Williams.

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