Free Republic

In the wake of Labor Day, there might be at least one union we want to bid farewell to. The California Teachers Association (CTA) does little to protect its most vulnerable members, former CTA member Rebecca Friedrichs averred in an appearance at the Heritage Foundation last month. Friedrichs is currently a fellow at the State Policy Network. When novice teachers get laid off under the "last in, first out" rules that the unions pressed for, the CTA does nothing more than show these unemployed teachers how to file for unemployment benefits. Moreover, the smallest portion of the union dues that...

When the media deigns to cover a landmark Supreme Court case involving education, reporters should cultivate sources outside of the educational establishment, lest they run the long-term risk of being caught flatfooted by the ruling and the short-term risk of sacrificing fairness, balance and, yes, accuracy. "Yesterday’s troubling oral argument in the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association has prompted a flurry of doom-and-gloom stories in the media about the potentially devastating consequences for the union movement of a decision by the high court to overturn 40 years of precedent and outlaw 'agency fee'...

The presidents of America’s two largest unions have vowed to fight tooth and nail against a lawsuit now in front of the U.S. Supreme Court which, if successful, could strike down a California law permitting mandatory union membership. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit assert that the mandatory-dues law forces teachers to finance union political positions. Thus, the plaintiffs say, the law violates the First Amendment rights of teachers who disagree with the union’s politics. The Supreme Court granted certiorari for the suit, Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, on Tuesday. “We are disappointed that at a time when big corporations and...