By any measure, Nathan Strenge is an outstanding teacher. Accepted into the Gate’s Foundation’s Teacher Advisory Council, he’s won national teaching honors and been nominated as Minnesota’s Teacher of the Year. But the enormous skill and dedication that earned such recognition were not enough to move the union Nathan financially…
Linda Hoekman loves teaching and says she can’t imagine doing anything else. As a high school physics teacher, she loves seeing the joy in students’ eyes when they finally grasp a challenging concept. She assumed that’s what motivated every teacher but learned that not all teachers are determined to give their…
Because of a recent Supreme Court ruling, government unions have an opportunity to reboot for the better, but they are faced with a choice: Will they continue prioritizing a political agenda unrelated to meeting the needs of their members? Or will they be more attentive and responsive to professional interests?
We are pleased that the paper reported that rating agencies continue to warn Minnesota that it has much more work to do on pensions, and that if it does not reform pensions, Minnesotans will pay more to borrow money for building schools and building roads. But it would be better if reporters did not rely on biased sources for articles, especially union officials and politicians who cut the deal.
The national teachers’ union (NEA) convention is in Minneapolis this year. While the rest of America is celebrating Independence Day, the teachers’ union is conducting a day of business at the convention center.
If teachers want to influence their union, they have to spend time away from their families and…
The High Court ruled last Wednesday that employees who are nonmembers of the union now must give their affirmative consent before any fees may be deducted from their paycheck. Nonmembers by definition have not given their affirmative consent.
Fair Share Fee Payers. This means that employees who declined to join…
The United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of Mark Janus, a child protection specialist for the State of Illinois, in Janus v. AFSCME.
The Court overturned a 1977 decision called Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, holding that public employees do not have to pay agency fees to a…
In a landmark decision for First Amendment rights, the U.S. Supreme Court today ruled that public employees cannot be compelled to pay union fees as a condition of employment. The 5-4 ruling in Janus v. AFSCME restores the First Amendment rights of freedom of association and free speech to more…
I was in my office again this morning waiting for the High Court to issue opinions starting at 10:00 AM EST; the Court did not release the Janus opinion this morning. We will, however, hear sometime this week.
I got a sweet note from Mark Janus this morning. He is…