The Freedom Foundation’s legal team turned up the heat on the California Teachers Association (CTA) after the CTA crafted a roadblock to prevent teachers from opting out following the Supreme Court’s decision that public employees have a First Amendment right not to pay union dues.
Any teacher that sent an opt-out letter to the California Teachers Association received a stale response stating that one must opt out directly with the local chapter.
While it may seem like a simple request, finding the minuscule local chapter and its address can be an insurmountable task. There are 1,100 local chapters in the state of California and many of them do not have an online presence. Some have tried calling the local school districts but to no avail. If anyone is fortunate enough to find the address for a local chapter, the letter is often returned because it is undeliverable to that address.
It’s puzzling that the CTA headquarters can only process membership authorizations but not membership cancellations.
Freedom Foundation’s legal team rolled up their sleeves and wrote letters on behalf of four CTA members and threatened litigation if the CTA would not process their opt-out letters.
CTA counsel responded to the Freedom Foundation’s letter that it would opt all four teachers out of union membership and stop deducting dues. Four California teachers are now experiencing their first taste of freedom from forced unionism.
For the Freedom Foundation, the work is not done until every California teacher can freely exercise their First Amendment right to opt out of union membership.