Workers for Opportunity Condemns Reported “Spying” on Parents by California Teachers Union

SAN DIEGO, CA—News that the California Teachers Association conducted opposition research and reportedly “spied” on parents during the 2021 school shutdown has renewed controversy about union practices. Workers for Opportunity, which defends the rights of teachers and other public employees against union coercion, spoke out today condemning the union’s actions.

“While educators were struggling to teach students during the height of COVID, the union was diverting resources to target parents concerned about school policies,” said Workers for Opportunity Senior Director of Marketing and Communications Jarrett Skorup. “This is just another example of unions prioritizing politics over the needs of their members. We see again why it’s important that teachers know how to exercise their right to leave the union and stop subsidizing unions’ political agendas.”

According to reports, the California Teachers Association tasked a researcher with digging up information on local parents who voiced support for reopening public schools. News about the effort broke Tuesday, just days after the National Assessment of Educational Progress reported historic declines in reading and math scores for the nation’s fourth graders.

“The headlines tell the story,” said Lindsay Killen, vice president for strategy for Workers for Opportunity. “Unions are failing students and antagonizing parents, and they’re doing it on the dime of hard-working teachers and school employees. It’s understandable why so many members are choosing to leave the union behind.”

In 2018 the U.S. Supreme Court’s Janus v. AFSCME decision began allowing public employees to freely resign from and stop paying unions. Since then, Workers for Opportunity’s employee outreach effort, My Pay My Say, has seen approximately 25% of California public employees opt out and refrain from paying unions.

Workers For Opportunity is a project of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. WFO’s goal is to advance the liberty of employees across the country and protect their First Amendment rights by ensuring they have a full and informed choice in union membership.

 

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