Posts tagged Freedom Foundation
Is AEA in compliance with state payroll deduction law? National non-profit Freedom Foundation has doubts
March 5, 2026 // Over the last several weeks, representatives from the group whose mission is to “liberate public employees from political exploitation” have been in Alabama to introduce themselves to lawmakers and like-minded groups. One of the problems they’re ready to address is what they describe as a loophole or problem with the way the AEA uses money collected through payroll deductions for political purposes. “The loophole is the fact that paycheck protection, payroll deduction ban, whatever you want to call it, relies on the Alabama Education Association certifying that they do not take any portion of that money, dues, and use it for political fights. That is absolutely false,” Freedom Foundation's Rusty Brown told 1819 News in a phone interview.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis backs a new bill targeting unions; those who support him won’t be affected
March 3, 2026 // In 2023, the Florida Legislature passed Senate Bill 256, a measure designed to attack public sector unions by making it harder for them to collect dues, while simultaneously forcing them to show that at least 60% of their members were paying their dues. Any union that failed to meet that 60% threshold faced a decertification vote.
Taxpayer-backed teacher unions receive $390M in dues
February 19, 2026 // Since 2022, the NEA and the American Federation of Teachers have together contributed $43.5 million to political organizations, including The Trevor Project, according to a report by the nonprofit Defending Education.
Op-Ed: Contentious union politics eroding Washington’s classrooms
January 29, 2026 // Right now, the WEA, through its support of the Washington Families for Freedom coalition, is actively campaigning against two citizen-initiated measures to the Legislature filed by Let’s Go Washington. The first (IL26-001) would restore broader parental rights in public schools by repealing recent legislative changes to the original Parents' Bill of Rights. The other (IL26-638) seeks to protect fairness in girls’ athletics by requiring biological sex verification and barring students defined as biologically male from female competitions. Supporters turned in far more than the number signatures required to qualify for a spot on the ballot, 416,201 for IL26-001 and 445,187 for IL26-638, on Jan. 2. Reports of harassment and threats against signature-gatherers surfaced repeatedly during the process, yet overwhelming public support prevailed.
Editorial: Those Lying Teacher Unions
January 20, 2026 // A recent lawsuit against the Utah Education Association is a long-overdue gut punch to the smug, self-righteous teachers union machine that's been lying to its own members for years.
Op-ed: I Beat My Union in Court. Did Oregon Forget?
January 6, 2026 // Unions are bleeding members. Workers are exercising their rights by resigning, keeping their dues money in their own pockets instead of funding political causes with which they don’t agree. Instead of making themselves more appealing to workers, unions lobbied the state government to criminalize speech and the rank-and-file’s desire to exercise their freedom of association. Oregon says the Freedom Foundation’s mailings “confuse” workers. What’s most confusing is why a state would make it illegal to tell workers about their constitutional rights while allowing unions to send unlimited recruitment mail.
Oregon Punishes the Freedom Foundation
December 30, 2025 // The censorship is masked in the good-government language of fighting fraud, but don’t be fooled. The Workers Fraud Protection Act, which takes effect Jan. 1, makes it “unlawful to falsely impersonate a union representative” and imposes punitive fines. The law cites a definition of fraud that includes merely giving a “false impression” of union matters. The bill was written specifically to give unions a cudgel against the Freedom Foundation. The nonprofit sends mailers informing workers of their right to decline union representation. Unions say the Freedom Foundation misleads workers by using union colors and logos to make the mail seem as if it is coming from the union itself.
Op-Ed Aaron Withe: Public-Sector Unions Have a Transparency Problem
December 18, 2025 // California takes it a step further. State law actually prohibits public employers from informing workers of their constitutional right to opt out. The Freedom Foundation is challenging these “gag rules” in court on behalf of Shasta County. The government actively prevents workers from learning the truth because it serves union financial interests. If unions provided valuable services that members wanted, they wouldn’t need to ensnare people through intimidation and bureaucratic obstacles.
A third of Colorado Springs School District 11 teachers strike
October 8, 2025 // "CSEA is throwing a temper tantrum because they've lost power," said Jason Dudash with the Freedom Foundation, "Most teachers are still in the classrooms, they're happy with this new arrangement not being any longer beholden to the union." Counter protestors argue that if the teachers on strike cared about the students, they would be in the classroom.
Americans for Prosperity Leads Employee Rights Act Coalition
September 8, 2025 // Protect workers’ right to a secret ballot in union elections. Preserve flexible self-employment career-paths across American industries. Protect small businesses that operate as franchises and vendors for other businesses. Give workers control over their personal information during union campaigns. Allow workers in Right-to-Work states to opt out of union representation. Require opt-in consent for union political spending. Prohibit mandatory DEI mandates in union contracts. Ensure only citizens or authorized workers vote in union elections.