August Their arrival causes familiar feelings for teachers like us… Butterflies in the stomach. The urgency to squeeze in a few more summer adventures with the family before the scramble to the first day of school.
For members of our state’s largest teachers union, the Connecticut Education Association, August also marks the time for an important personal decision: stay or leave as dues-paying union members? August is the “escape window” of the CEA. Teachers can leave by sending a letter by post to reach Hartford later this month.
Last winter, a few teachers in Connecticut started an informal Facebook group called State Educators Constitution to connect with fellow teachers who are reconsidering the costs and benefits of union membership. Since then, hundreds of people have joined us and we’ve hosted Zoom Q&As attended by teachers from districts across the state.
Miquel Costanza
In a recent op-ed in this space, CEA leaders scorned those who would suggest leaving the union. In emails this spring, they berated teachers for even thinking about attending our online sessions. And lately, the CEA has resorted to having its lawyers make phone calls to teachers who have sent out letters.
Ironically, for some teachers this is the most attention the union has ever paid them.
The CEA’s panicked reaction, while disappointing (and legally questionable), is predictable given the money that will be lost if teachers continue to walk away and take their $800-$1,000 a year with them. Instead of berating or trying to scare teachers, however, the CEA would do well to listen to them. Union leaders might wonder WHY teachers are walking out.
Instead, the CEA is self-soothing, rationalizing that nefarious, rich outsiders must somehow trick us teachers into leaving. Does the union really think so little of its own members? Is it too much to ask—of a union, especially—to respect teachers’ intelligence and rights to make their own best decisions?
We’ve found that Connecticut teachers have a variety of sincere reasons for leaving the union and find little joy in doing so. Sometimes it’s overwhelmingly one-sided political spending or the politicization of the classroom. Many are upset with unions’ encouragement of school closings and pandemic mandates forced on teachers and students. Some, after years of faithfully paying union dues, almost lost their jobs, or know colleagues who did, while the union stood by and watched. Teacher workloads continue to increase, our creative freedom continues to diminish, and yet fees continue to rise. Meanwhile, some teachers are exasperated with locals who are too nice to school administrators, who play favorites, or who are lazy or absent when teachers need them.
This diversity of reasons makes union choice even more important.
To this end, with Constitution Educators of the State we hope to make clear five facts that the CEA – for some strange reason – often neglects to mention.
Union membership is 100% optional. If you want to leave, we can provide you with a letter template. Teachers who leave the union cannot be required to pay union dues of any kind. This has been the case since the 2018 Janus decision of the United States Supreme Court. Every teacher is fully covered by their school district’s contract, whether they are union members or not. Unions have a legal duty to fairly represent all teachers, including non-members. . Simply put, because unions claim exclusive bargaining power on behalf of all employees, they must fairly protect all employees under the contracts they negotiate. Teachers who have lost faith in unions are free to join non-union professional associations.
This year we invited two non-union associations to Zoom with Connecticut teachers: the Association of American Educators (AAE) and the International Association of Christian Educators (CEAI). Both offer liability insurance and workplace legal protection for much less than union dues, and are open to any W-2 employee of educational institutions from pre-K through higher education.
The CEA calls them “imposters” who seek to please economic interests, but these claims are reminiscent of pot and kettle. After all, unions enjoy the same spending freedoms as big corporations – anyone remember Citizens United? According to the NEA itself presentations with the U.S. Department of Labor, the union spent $66 million on political activities in 2020-21 compared to just $32 million on membership representation. This despite getting $377 million from their teachers. If the union wants to complain about David’s sling, it should stop promoting himself like a partisan Goliath.
In the meantime, Connecticut teachers are free to move on. Many have found AAE and CEAI to their liking. But don’t just take our word for it. Check out their websites. call them Get to know them like we do. Weigh the pros and cons. Decide for yourself.
The choice is yours and yours alone.
Michael Costanza is an elementary school teacher in North Stonington. Their views are not related to or reflect those of their employer. He is the founder of State Educators Constitution.