District 220 welcomed new educators for the 2023-2024 school year this week. We suggest they take a few minutes to read and share what follows.
When a union executive board member told long-time Rockford-area teacher Brian Harty how his union dues were being spent, he had questions.
“That is when I began to see just how little the union had to do with the students and how much it had to do with politics,” said Harty.
“During my time on the [union’s negotiating] committee, I learned that nearly 70% of my union dues were going to political activists – told to me directly by a member of the executive board – and had nothing to do with education in the classroom or anything at all to do with teaching.”
Harty isn’t the only public school employee in Illinois to question his union – and take action. Nearly 23,000 public school employees have chosen not to affiliate with their unions since 2017.
This August, more teachers and other public school employees can choose to opt-out of their unions and stop paying dues. Alternative associations like the Association of American Educators make that choice easier.
Common questions about opting out of the union:
- Do I have to be a member of the union to keep my job or benefits?
- What about liability insurance and job protection coverage?
- What if I still want to support my local affiliate?
Learn the answers to these questions and more here.
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