Posts tagged abortion
While NAEP scores hit 20-year lows, teachers’ unions were debating ethical veganism
July 16, 2026 // Recognizing ethical veganism as a protected philosophical belief; glyphosate has no place on student food and beverages; opposing merging US military operations, intelligence, and/or defense technology with those of any foreign military; comprehensive immigration reform; banning the use of AI in the decision-making process for the use of nuclear weapons; investigating fires for evidence of microwave energy attacks through the use of “direct energy weapons”; prohibiting weather modification to be injected into the stratosphere; calling for the impeachment of Trump before the November election, at a campaign cost of $5.2 million; and ending the war in Iran. For an entity that cloaks itself in sanctimony for defending the rights of teachers, it seems very much that the welfare of average union members might not be the C-suite’s top priority.
Explosive report unearths prominent union money trail labeled a ‘stunning betrayal’ of MAGA members
June 22, 2026 // The union allegedly sent more than $441,098 to "left-wing" organizations, including the Center for American Progress, a leading progressive think tank; more than $100,000 to the National Democratic Club across multiple years; and the National Teamsters Hispanic Caucus, according to the report. The report said both the National Democratic Club and the National Teamsters Hispanic Caucus are known for their stances against the Trump administration’s immigration policies. The report further examines the Teamsters' Democrat, Republican, Independent Voter Education (D.R.I.V.E.) PAC, which BMWED-IBT joined after its political action committee merged into the PAC in 2004, saying the PAC heavily favored Democrats in its political spending by donating about $13.76 million to Democratic Party committees compared with about $729,846 to Republican committees.
LTE: Unions Place Culture Wars Front and Center
June 22, 2026 // Instead of focusing solely on issues like wages and benefits, union representatives demanded that the company allow different pronoun pins. They also demanded that the company cover abortion and gender-affirming care in its health plans, which the company already did. I expected the union to focus on more important issues. In 2025 the union demanded the store become an Immigration and Customs Enforcement sanctuary. If the Faster Labor Contracts Act, which the U.S. House recently passed, was the law of land, government arbitrators could look at other union contracts or union demands like those I saw and force them on workers at other companies.
Social conservatives split over abortion and transgender medicine in union contracts bill
June 16, 2026 // Beck said he believes abortion and transgender medical coverage would be “an easy thing” for arbitrators to use as a bargaining chip to reach an agreement on the three-person panel. “It’s going to be easy for the arbitrator to say, ‘OK, employer, I’m not going to make you pay the high wages that the union is demanding,’” Beck said as a hypothetical. ‘“But what I am going to make you do is I’m going to make you give generous health benefits and give very generous access to abortion on demand and give very, very generous access to so-called gender-affirming care.”
Opinion Editorial Board ‘Ha! She has been supporting the thing she despises this entire time.’
May 4, 2026 // Adding to their contempt for Carter, the union continued to fight her in court. Finally, last week, the case came to a close when Carter received almost $950,000 in damages from Southwest and the TWU. Carter was only able to afford this lawsuit because of pro bono representation by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. How many other Southwest flight attendants have had their money used for political activism they oppose by a union that hates their beliefs?
Report: Government unions spent $915 million on politics in 2024
December 17, 2025 // The Commonwealth Foundation’s most recent report found the top four public sector unions: the National Education Association, American Federation of Teachers, Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees spent over $915 million on politics during the 2023-2024 cycle. The unions spent $755 million on federal elections and policies while their state affiliates spent $160 million on state races and policies.
Op-ed: Stanford’s Graduate Student Union Tries to Stifle Dissent
September 4, 2025 // At the University of Chicago, graduate students in a similar position have taken their union to federal court, arguing that forced support of the union violates their constitutional rights. In Graduate Students for Academic Freedom v. Graduate Students United, the plaintiffs—including Jewish students—say they are being compelled to fund a union that promotes the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel, a stance they view as antisemitic. The graduate unions at both Stanford and Chicago are registered as local chapters of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, a national union that funds progressive activism.
EXCLUSIVE: Bill Cassidy To Introduce Bill To Stop Left-Wing Investing From Taking Over Retirement Funds
September 27, 2024 // “Asset managers should prioritize helping Americans achieve the best return for their retirement, not funneling their clients’ money to fund a left-wing political ideology,” Cassidy, who serves as the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee, said. “This legislation protects 152 million Americans who depend on a strong retirement to live after their career is over.” Under current Department of Labor rules, administrators of employee retirement plans are allowed to consider ESG factors when choosing between investment opportunities they have determined to be of equivalent quality. If a retirement fund determines multiple investment options are of equal value under Cassidy’s bill, it must document how it made that determination and then choose at random between the options.
Chicago Teachers Union Pushes Progressive Ideology in Negotiations
June 27, 2024 // Critics, including the Illinois Policy Insititute, scrutinized the CTU’s agenda, highlighting a focus on progressive causes rather than educational priorities or teacher welfare. The union’s demands include mandates for a 100% electric bus fleet, adding solar panels to facilities, and going “carbon neutral” by 2035, all in the name of “climate justice.” Additionally, the union advocates for policies that would prevent teachers from sharing students’ gender identities with parents and require all school wellness staff to complete annual training on LGBTQ+ issues. The union pushed for the district to provide 100% coverage for abortions (including out-of-state travel if Illinois restricts abortion), allocate $2,000 for each student seeking asylum, and use schools as homeless shelters. Brigette Herbst, senior organizing director at AFFT, believes there are more relevant issues facing Chicago Public Schools that the union should address instead. “In 2023 only 27% of Illinois students were proficient in math. 90% of schools in Illinois report staffing shortages. These are real issues that should have the focus of the union and the school administration,” said Herbst. “Perhaps it’s time the union starts putting the obvious needs of students and teachers first instead of this constant focus on social issues and politics.”
CTU president suggests new teacher contract could cost taxpayers $50 billion
March 7, 2024 // The Chicago Teachers Union is preparing for collective bargaining talks with the city, and the union's president suggested the new terms would cost taxpayers $50 billion. “We are asking you to give us an opportunity to tell our story. It will cost $50 billion, and three cent,” CTU President Stacy Davis Gates said Tuesday at the City Club of Chicago this week, setting the stage for upcoming negotiations with the city. "And so what? That's audacity."