The Freedom Foundation is constantly looking for new ways to expand its footprint as we continue weakening the stronghold government unions have on our state government. In Oregon, that has recently entailed growing our target audience to now include members of Oregon School Employees Association (OSEA).

This is the same OSEA that’s seen a 30 percent decline in membership since the U.S. Supreme Court last summer in Janus v. AFSCME banned mandatory dues and “agency fees.” And the same OSEA that sponsored HB-2643 to attempt to make up for those losses.

This past week the Freedom Foundation decided to make the classified school employee’s union a point of emphasis. During their spring break, we sent tens of thousands of OSEA members information on their constitutional rights to opt out of union membership.

This effort has already shown results.

In addition to opt-outs, the mailing also produced a direct response from OSEA’s Chapter 8 Co-Presidents Renni Ferguson and Erika Fuller, who dispatched an email to all OSEA members the very next day.

Their message included the standard pro-union talking point sprinkled with a few lies about our mission and objectives. The email concluded by encouraging members, “(D)on’t silence your voice.”

The Freedom Foundation seconds that sentiment, and would simply note that it’s the unions, not us, whose every move is seemingly calculated to muzzle its members and suppress theirs.

The fact of the matter is that if the OSEA had spent their time providing benefits to their membership rather than focusing on their political agenda then people would not be so fast to leave.

We urge union members to stand up and speak up against union’s bullying tactics. And there’s no better way to do so than by opting out today.