Today, lawmakers in Michigan approved Right-to-Work legislation by a 58-51 vote. The controversial saga over freedom of choice for workers is drawing not just national attention, but also thousands of union-led protesters to the Capitol grounds today. Governor Rick Snyder is expected to sign the measure this week.   Continue Reading...

Shadowbosses, released this week, tells a story of intrigue, drama, and corruption and reads like an organized crime novel. Amazingly, it is actually a true story of how public sector labor unions (including teacher unions) are spending member dues and controlling the political process.   Continue Reading...

“Are teachers or anyone in the private sector experiencing those increases in times of financial hardship?" AAE Executive Director Gary Beckner featured in FoxNews.com article about union boss salaries being nearly 10 times that of the average teacher:   Continue Reading...

According to one Las Vegas teacher, "The fat lady has sung" and he is washing his hands of union membership. Frustrated by years of hostile negotiations, massive lay-offs, exorbitant dues, and partisan politics, Nathan Warner is advising his fellow educators to drop union membership this week during a small resignation period– July 1-15 – which just might be the best kept secret in town.   Continue Reading...

While most Americans were enjoying a festive Independence Day last week, the National Education Association was holding their annual conference in Washington, D.C. Beaten down after another solid year of negative press, declining membership, and legislative and legal battles, the NEA convention took on a somber and partisan tone in 2012.   Continue Reading...

Compulsory unionism and the ability of teacher unions to forcibly collect union dues from teacher paychecks has been a hot topic in recent years. From Wisconsin to Ohio, education stakeholders have debated the topic in high-profile legislative and legal battles with clear national implications. Just last Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court made it more difficult for public-employee unions to extract special fee assessments from non-members for expenses such as ballot battles in a clear step forward for teacher freedoms.   Continue Reading...

As recently reported on the AAE blog, teacher union public approval and membership are hitting record lows. Following a decline of 150,000 members in the past two years and a projection of an additional 200,000 member loss by 2014, the National Education Association and its state affiliates are in extreme financial distress. According to a report by union-watchdog Mike Antonucci and the Education Intelligence Agency (EIA), as the NEA national budgets are being slashed, aid to state affiliates has risen to keep certain state affiliate operations afloat.   Continue Reading...

With education and labor issues being hotly debated across the country and the rise of "super" Political Action Committees (PACs), insiders have predicted that 2012 election spending will reach record levels. Beaten down after over two solid years of negative press, declining membership, and legislative and legal battles, the National Education Association is seeking to come back with a vengeance in 2012. The nation's largest union is currently being tracked as the 4th largest national super PAC contributor.   Continue Reading...

As reported recently on the AAE blog, despite record-breaking growth among non-union teacher organizations, local AAE recruiters and state partners have experienced tremendous hurdles in establishing equal treatment among competing associations in states across the country. Whether it is the inability to attend a new teacher orientation or access to payroll deduction services, non-union associations are constantly passed over in favor of powerful teacher union interests. Despite this climate, there is renewed hope for teachers seeking options in Colorado, as House Bill 1333 was recently introduced to promote fairness among teacher associations and union and non-union teachers alike.   Continue Reading...

In 2011, Wisconsin's fight over collective bargaining was the number one domestic story. From protests at the capitol to high-profile lawsuits, the battle to close budget shortfalls and curb union power is still gaining headlines in the state. In the latest development, WEA Trust, the health care insurer that has covered as many as two-thirds of Wisconsin school districts under strict collective bargaining agreements, has seen its revenue decline almost $70 million after a new law gave school districts the freedom to switch health care insurers to save funds.   Continue Reading...

A recent report by the union watchdog group, the Education Intelligence Agency, sheds new light on the financial disclosures of the American Federation of Teachers in the 2010-2011 fiscal year. The analysis reveals that the AFT spent an astonishing $7.8 million of member dues on a wide array of left-leaning advocacy groups, charities, and big labor organizations–more than triple the amount spent last year.   Continue Reading...

In the wake of last year's labor battles in Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio, 2012 is shaping up to mark a new era in curtailed teacher union power. While it might seem difficult to believe that the National Education Association and its state affiliates, at their peak a $1.5 billion annual powerhouse, could be suffering from money troubles, new evidence suggests deep trouble for the NEA and state affiliates.   Continue Reading...

Yesterday, Indiana made history as Governor Mitch Daniels signed Right-to-Work legislation into law, making the Hoosier State 23rd in the nation with the provision—the first new Right-to-Work state in over a decade. Interestingly, Indiana is also the first state in the "Rust Belt" of the Midwest and Northeast to adopt the measure that protects workers' freedom of association when it comes to union membership, in the public and private sector.   Continue Reading...

The Education Intelligence Agency, a popular education research blog run by union-watchdog Mike Antonucci, has analyzed the NEA's 2010-11 financial disclosure report and discovered that the largest teachers union in the country has given nearly $19 million of teacher dues, some collected by force, to advocacy groups and primarily left-leaning causes. Up $5 million from the previous year, the NEA has increased their advocacy spending despite a climate of declining membership and harsh budget realities.   Continue Reading...

A new report by the Center on Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington sheds light on the status of charter school unionization nationwide. In a climate where charter schools laws are changing dramatically and teacher union membership is declining, the prospect of charter schools unionizing has become a very real threat to the flexible, innovative environments these schools were meant to cultivate. This report attempts to analyze the status of unionization by examining why teachers unionize and the diverse collective bargaining agreements of unionized charters, however it misses the mark in addressing the disconnect between the charter movement and bargaining agreements in general.   Continue Reading...

What started in February as a battle over budget shortfalls and forced unionism has grown into a full scale ballot referendum in the key swing state of Ohio. The question known as "Issue 2" will ask voters to either accept or reject a sweeping collective bargaining law that Governor John Kasich signed in March, less than three months after his election day. Tomorrow, Ohioans will go to the polls to vote on the referendum, a case study in the near nationwide debate over union power and the sustainability of the current collective bargaining system.   Continue Reading...

In the wake of unilaterally negative press and legislative and legal battles across the country, the National Education Association is undoubtedly coping with new fiscal realities. According to its latest financial disclosures, the NEA has lost over 100,000 active members since the 2009-10 school year. While non-union groups, like AAE and its partners, are experiencing tremendous growth: nearly 30% during the same time frame.   Continue Reading...

2011 is shaping up to be the year of education and labor reform nearly nationwide. In March, 48 states were considering labor reform bills on the heels of major Republican gains in state legislatures across the country. What started as legislative progress and meaningful education reform in states like Indiana, Florida, and Idaho, has yielded an unprecedented backlash from unions who are literally fighting for their very survival in long drawn out court battles that are leaving many commonsense policies in limbo.

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In light of the labor battles brewing across the country, compulsory unionism has become a hot topic among education advocates and teachers nearly nationwide. Gaining national headlines lately is the traditionally union-friendly state of Michigan, and their new "Right to Teach" legislation that seeks to end forced unionism for public school teachers.   Continue Reading...

This week we look back on another Labor Day gone, and the hope and promise of a new school year ahead. While most Americans see Labor Day as a long weekend marking the end of summer, it is critical to not only recognize the history and hardship of the workers of over century ago, but recognize the state of labor today.   Continue Reading...