Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/619098
WHO IS BEHIND THIS? Money and Power This case is backed by corporate special interests who want to reduce wages for working people to fund tax cuts for the wealthy and large corporations. Weakening unions enables those with purely profit-driven motivations to get their hands on the billions of dollars that are invested annually in public education. Who are the monied interests against Fair Share? The Center for Individual Rights (CIR) is a Washington-based public interest law firm whose mission is "the defense of individual liberties against the increasingly aggressive and unchecked authority of federal and state governments." CIR has sought to ban affirmative action legislation, including California's Proposition 209. Its funders include: EQ JUS U N L A See cta.org/friedrichs for the latest information about the Friedrichs case, including key points, summaries of CTA and others' respondents briefs, summaries of amicus briefs and media coverage. For an interactive PDF of this report, as well as a printable poster of these pages, see cta.org/friedrichs. • Charles and David Koch of Koch Industries. The brothers, whose personal wealth is estimated to be $42.3 billion each, have supported numerous ultra-conservative political candidates and causes; in 2012 they spent millions in an unsuccessful attempt to defeat California's Prop. 30, the tax initiative to increase education funding, and another initiative (defeated) to deny workers the right to contribute to political causes. They have announced they intend to spend $900 million on the 2016 elections. The brothers are associated with the American Legislative Exchange Council, which has pushed for privatization of public education and eliminating school employee unions, and modeled legislation to eliminate teacher rights in the classroom, certify non-credentialed individuals as teachers, and promote private voucher programs. • Koch-linked groups known to have made grants to CIR, according to the Center for Media and Democracy, include DonorsTrust, Donors Capital Fund, and the Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation. Groups that receive either direct funding from Koch entities or are linked to the brothers' funding network filed amicus briefs in favor of the Friedrichs plaintiffs. They include the Cato Institute, National Right to Work Legal Defense Fund, and the Mackinac Center, a major force behind the 2012 anti-union legislation enacted in Michigan. • Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. One of the largest and most influential ultra-conservative foundations in the United States, it supports privatizing education and was instrumental in the legisla- tive attack on labor in Wisconsin. • John M. Olin Foundation. Now closed, it provided funding to develop anti-environmental, pro-business legal advocacy organizations. • F.M. Kirby Foundation. It disperses grants in areas of education, health and medicine, civic and public affairs, and other areas. • Sarah Scaife Foundation. It has given millions to anti-worker, conservative think tanks and funded several initiatives in California to eliminate worker rights. • Carthage Foundation. It gives to conservative organizations such as the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which was designated an anti-immigrant hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. • Christian Educators Association International (Friedrichs plaintiff) provides support for initiatives that undermine LGBT rights in schools and efforts to make schools safe for students and educators. $ 40 cta.org