ANAHEIM, Calif. – School starts this month for millions of students across our nation. While many students will excitedly embrace new skills and friendships, many of their teachers will be burdened by the conflicts associated with forced unionism.

Millions of American teachers, like myself, are forced to fund unions whose politics and politically charged collective bargaining practices are contrary to our own moral and political views.

Although “membership” is not required, we’re obliged to pay fees, which average $650 annually, to cover unions’ coerced “representation.” Meanwhile, we have no vote and no voice in the collective bargaining process.

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Regrettably, unions tell the American people that they’re providing America’s teachers with huge benefits and that those of us who would prefer not to fund their “benefits” are “free-riders.” But for many teachers, the unions’ financial benefits aren’t worth the moral costs.

For example, unions push for tenure and protect teachers who are no longer effective – and some who are even abusive – at the expense of vulnerable children. As Americans are beginning to understand, thanks to tenure rules, dismissing an ineffective teacher often requires years of administrative documentation and can cost a district hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The unions pressure the Legislature to provide “Cadillac” defined-benefit pension plans for teachers at the expense of our local communities. According to a 2014 report by California Controller John Chiang, California had an unfunded public pension liability of $198.2 billion in 2013.

The unions use teacher monies to defeat a plethora of commonsense education reforms that could improve student outcomes and save taxpayer dollars. Currently, in Anaheim, a majority of low-income parents at Palm Lane Elementary are trying to use a “parent trigger” law to reform their children’s school, which has been underperforming for a decade.

Incredibly, the teachers’ union is standing against these reform-minded parents, who simply desire an outstanding education for their children. A judge ruled in favor of the parents and called the district’s behavior “procedurally unfair, unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious.”

Many teachers have a moral dilemma with this sort of union “representation.” A 2011 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll found that nearly half of all Americans believe unions have hurt the quality of public education. A 2014 Gallup poll found that 82 percent of Americans agree that “no American should be required to join any private organization, like a labor union, against his will.”

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Teachers have the right to opt out of the 30 percent to 40 percent of dues that the union says it uses for purely political activities. Sadly, many teachers have no idea that they have even this restricted right. To make teachers aware of their opt-out rights, a group of approximately 100 grass-roots groups in 42 states sponsored “National Employee Freedom Week” this month to educate union members on how to exercise their workplace rights.

In our view, the First Amendment protects teachers’ rights not to support the union at all. No American should be forced to support the union’s collective bargaining efforts, which are just as political and controversial as the union’s overt lobbying.

The time has come to restore the voice of America’s teachers, so we can speak out on behalf of our students and ourselves. Ending compulsory unionism could prove to be America’s greatest education reform and provide America’s kids with real hope for change at the start of their next school year.

Published with permission