Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/556394
While the suit concerns CTA and educa- tors and their ability to advocate for students and schools, it has larger implications for all public employees. "The people who come together in C TA a r e a b l e t o u s e t h e i r c o l l e c t i ve voice to stand up for their students and schools," says CTA President Eric C. Heins. "Firefighters, nurses, first respond- e r s a n d o t h e rs w h o c o m e t o ge t h e r i n unions are able to push for better public services and better communities. "The Friedrichs case is an attack on unionism, workers, their families and our future. We must all stick together to protect and build our future." Heins was one of several education and union leaders who issued a joint statement following the Supreme Court's decision to accept the case on June 30. (See sidebar.) The court will consider whether the First Amendment prohibits fair share fee arrangements in the public sector and, if not, whether these fees may be collected through an opt-out procedure. What is fair share? Fair share fees help ensure that all employ- ees equitably share the costs of negotiated benefits. A fair share fee payer is a worker who chooses not to join the union, but is still fully covered by the union contract, with all its rights and benefits. The fair share principle ensures that these individuals do not get a "free ride" at the expense of the contributions of others. Importantly, no educator is forced to join CTA. Members can opt out of having their dues money used for political pur- poses. Fee payers can submit an objection t o t h e f e e a n d r e c e ive a r e f u n d o f t h e portion of the fee that does not support bargaining representation. Full membership in CTA, however, has powerful advantages, including: • Having a voice in the association. • A d d i n g s t r e n g t h t o C TA' s c o l l e c - tive voice in advocating for students, schools, and school employees. • Access to professional development opportunities, scholarships and finan- cial savings. • Legal representation if you are treated unfairly or unjustly accused. Strong unions benefit all Strong unions benefit everyone. Professor of public policy and former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich says that a prime reason America was "far more equal" in the 1950s and 1960s than now is that unions we r e s t r o n ge r t h e n . T h r o u g h u n i o n s , Reich says in his video "The Big Picture: Strengthen Unions," workers had bargain- ing power to improve wages and working conditions for everyone. M o re t h a n a t h i rd o f a l l p r iva te - s e c - t o r wo r ke r s b e l o n ge d t o u n i o n s i n t h e 1950s; that proportion has dropped to less than 7 percent today. "The decline o f u n i o n m e m b e r s h i p h a s m i r r o r e d almost exactly the decline of the middle class," Reich says. "Strong unions mean a s t r o n g m i d d l e c l a s s , w h i c h m e a n s a strong economy." Unions and workers are also weakened by right-to-work legislation, in which employ- ees in unionized workplaces are not required to pay unions for the cost of representation. (California is not a right-to-work state.) The Economic Policy Institute published updated research in April of this year that showed union and nonunion workers in right-to-work states have lower wages and fewer benefits, on average, than comparable workers in other states. 2014 2015 Dec. 5, 2013 The District Court grants CIR's request to enter judgment on behalf of the defendant unions, meaning the case proceeds to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals without discovery or a trial. Oct. 3, 2014 CIR submits motion asking the 9th Circuit to promptly rule against Friedrichs so the case can move quickly to the U.S. Supreme Court. The court grants the motion on Nov. 18, 2014. Jan. 24, 2015 CIR files petition asking the Supreme Court to review the case. June 30, 2015 Supreme Court agrees to review the case in its session next year, with a decision expected in June 2016. Stay tuned… " The decline of union membership has mirrored almost exactly the decline of the middle class. Strong unions mean a strong middle class, which means a strong economy." —ROBERT REICH, Professor of Public Policy and former U.S. Secretary of Labor 37 V O LU M E 2 0 I S S U E 1 Advocacy