The Freedom Foundation creates teachers’ union alternative
By Tom Joyce
The Center Square
A free-market think tank launched a teachers' union alternative for public educators.
The Freedom Foundation announced the creation of the Teacher Freedom Alliance (TFA).
The TFA is a free-to-join organization created for teachers frustrated with the direction of public education, specifically those who feel teachers' unions have politicized the classroom.
“Public employees are leaving their unions in record numbers, frustrated by the funding of radical agendas driven by union bosses,” Freedom Foundation CEO Aaron Withe said in a news release.
“The Teacher Freedom Alliance offers an alternative for pro-America educators who seek to restore traditional values in the classroom and provide students with the high-quality education they deserve– free from political influence and union control.”
A goal of the TFA is to make teachers' unions obsolete, the release said.
Another is to promote traditional values in school rather than controversial teachings about gender and race.
"TFA is committed to promoting traditional educational values, providing teachers with superior resources, and fostering a school culture where educators are empowered to advocate for themselves and their students with an emphasis on excellence in the classroom over radical ideologies," the release said. "With teachers increasingly disillusioned by the agendas and reckless political spending of union leadership, TFA offers a much-needed alternative.
"As an alternative to traditional unions, TFA offers pro-America educators a place to find support and comradery in an organization dedicated to restoring the broken education system – without any additional cost to those who choose to join," it added.
Since 2023, TFS has educated over 500 educators from 35 states about their First Amendment rights for union representation and the resources they have available to them.
The 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees makes such a union alternative viable nationwide. In the case, the court ruled public sector employees nationwide cannot be forced to pay union dues as a condition of employment, even in states that lack right-to-work laws.
In the four years after the landmark decision, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees saw 200,000 members stop paying dues.