NEW BERLIN, Wis. – As an educator in Wisconsin and advocate for teacher freedom of choice, I was thrilled to hear that the U.S. Supreme Court will take up the Rebecca Friedrichs vs. California Teachers Association (CTA) case this fall.

Their decision could send shockwaves through the teaching profession and once and for all empower teachers to make educated decisions about union membership.

Rebecca is a true freedom fighter for choice. A veteran teacher in California, her lawsuit challenges the CTA’s ability to force education employees to pay union fees as a condition of employment. She maintains that all union activity is inherently political and teachers should never be compelled to pay a private organization to maintain a job in the public schools.

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I’m grateful that Rebecca is standing up for this cause. As a public school teacher in Wisconsin, I too experienced years under compulsory unionism prior to Act 10. My journey has been similar, and I’m proud to stand behind Rebecca and the thousands and thousands of teachers who are not interested in paying high dues to a hyper-political industrial-style labor union.

I never wanted to be a union member.  As a reform-minded teacher, I never felt the union represented me as a professional. I once asked a union representative for the union constitution. I was floored. Not only was I apparently “the first person to ask for” the documentation, I found shocking resolutions that dealt with abortion and nuclear disarmament. Regardless of your politics, how does throwing support behind these issues help classroom teachers?

The hoops I had to jump through to become an “agency fee payer” in a forced union-Wisconsin were cumbersome and downright insulting.  While I did receive a small refund, the year long process of certified letters, fuzzy deadlines, and intimidation was incredibly degrading. Are these the tactics of a professional organization that I wanted representing me?  Absolutely not.  The fact that I should have to move mountains just to NOT be a member was extremely frustrating.

Unfortunately, my story is far too common. Compulsory unionism and forced dues are serious business for the teacher labor unions nationwide.  In 2010 alone, teachers’ unions collected $2 billion in union dues.  $1.3 billion of those dues came from the 22 states and the District of Columbia, where teachers are required to pay. What’s more is that union dues are highest in states where there is compulsory unionism – sometimes twice as much as compared to states where teachers have the option not to join the union. Here in Wisconsin, teachers pay upwards of $1,000 a year. Interestingly enough, dues have gone down since 2011 when the law changed and WEAC nearly folded.

I passionately believe that teachers should be able to decide for themselves, without fear or coercion, whether or not to join or fund a union. As college educated professionals, we deserve ultimate control over our hard-earned paychecks.

During my personal ordeal, I found a non-union professional alternative to WEAC/ NEA, called the Association of American Educators (AAE), an organization that truly represents their members’ views.  As a member I was able to participate in a recent national membership survey that found 98% of teachers supportive of teacher freedom of choice. Interestingly enough, another 68% of teachers were interested in negotiating their own contract.

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Similarly, National Employee Freedom Week (August 16-22, 2015), a national effort to inform employees of the freedom they have regarding opting out of union membership polled the public about these same issues. Nearly 1 in 4 union members would leave the union if they could. This is particularly important for America’s educators, who have the unique opportunity to exercise their right to choose a non-union association that best serves them and their profession.

The fact is Friedrichs is a simple case that will have a lasting impact. Let’s put teachers in the driver’s seat and hold all organizations accountable to their members. Teachers deserve freedom of association.

Authored by Elijah Grajkowski, a public school teacher in Wisconsin.