TEACHERS
AND THE POLITICS OF
EDUCATION UNIONS
This article shares a perspective on union spending by Pennsylvania public school teacher, John Cress. We share it because it helps
to illustrate the dilemma many teachers have who work in public education - teachers dealing with the politics of education
unions which often support political agendas in direct contradiction to their personal and Christian values.
J
OHN’S STATEMENT WAS CLEAR: “Union Dues
Backing Political Groups Prompted My Resignation.”
John has been a middle school math and special educa-
tion teacher for six years. After nearly all that time in
the union, he decided last year that he’d had enough of
financially supporting an organization that funded abor-
tion groups.
“The Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA)
may claim that dues do not support such ‘politics,’” he
says. “True, dues money cannot be used for the direct
election of candidates. But that counts only for political
action committee (PAC) money.”
In fact, dues can be used for a variety of political and
ideological causes apart from political action committees.
According to the NEA’s (of which PSEA is part) disclosure
report to the U.S. Department of Labor, $1.15 million in
donations went to the AFL/CIO and another $15,333 went
to the SEIU, which both donate to Planned Parenthood.
In 2012, the PSEA alone reported spending $3.2 million
of member dues on “political activities and lobbying.”
“If my dues to the union at the local, state, and national
level do not fund political activities, then why is the NEA
reporting that these activities are funded? If one follows
the money, part of my pay funds abortions. As an adop-
tive parent, I should not be required to give one fraction
of one cent towards abortion and will not be forced into
doing so.”
John continues, “There is a difference of approximately
35 percent in being a fair share payer, instead of a full-
fledged union member. Obviously, this 35 percent has to
go somewhere.”
“Often, I receive e-mails, flyers, and communica-
tions from the PSEA telling me who to vote for. The 35
percent difference in dues vs. fair share largely pays for
these communications, like an anti-Corbett ad which
solicited members to donate directly to PACE. Dues pay
for marketing of the union’s political agendas. Another
example is the $30,000 that the NEA disclosed was given
to the Daily Kos, a very liberal-slanted blog. If I want to
donate to a political cause, I can as a free citizen do so
and as a teacher have the ability to research these issues
independently.”
John summed up his position by stating, “My employ-
ment conditions should not include funding groups such
as the Daily Kos and Planned Parenthood. I should not
have to prostitute my beliefs and values to teach and
refuse to do so. This is why I resigned from my union and
became a fair share payer.”
John Cress is a Public School Math and Special Education Teacher in
Lawrence County, PA. We applaud him and others who stand against
union influences that crush individual and religious liberty and bring
a corrupt agenda to the education of our children. Renewanation is
committed to promoting education that leads to the formation of a
Christian worldview.
Used by permission and adapted from an article that first appeared in
Free to Teach, a project of the Commonwealth Foundation. The Com-
monwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives is a Pennsylvania
free-market think tank advocating for free markets and countering at-
tacks on liberty.
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