Ambassador program builds a road to freedom using workplace friendships

Ambassador program builds a road to freedom using workplace friendships

Ambassador program builds a road to freedom using workplace friendships

At the Freedom Foundation, outreach is a serious business. But there’s no reason it can’t be enjoyable, too, and by listening intently to the teachers and other public employees whose yearning for freedom is the reason we exist, we’re able to develop strategies that are not only creative but highly effective, too.

The voices of those who’ve grown disenchanted with their union representation are currently shaping our most promising strategy to date. The Freedom Foundation’s outreach team is in the process of identifying ambassador candidates — public employees who have successfully opted out of union membership and dues and whose experience can benefit co-workers anxious to do the same.

We are empowering these leaders to be a voice of reason and transparency in their workplace.  

Though still in its formative stages, the ambassador program is already showing signs it will be among our most successful and popular outreach efforts.

To cite a recent example, the Freedom Foundation was contacted by a Columbus maintenance worker who had completed all the steps necessary to get out of AFSCME 8 within the union’s specified two week annual opt-out window. He reached out to us to double check his actions and ensure the unions would have no grounds to decline his request.

Asked how he found the Freedom Foundation, the employee said, “You helped my buddy at work do this over a year ago, and he helped me. I wouldn’t have known otherwise.”  

His words validated our methods. The time spent on the phone with public employees and teachers, helping them over the hurdles erected by unions to suppress their rights, is invaluable.

And it creates an opt-out ripple effect in government offices and schools.  

Workplace relationships can be a difference-making weapon in the war against union oppression, and they serve as an important tool to get the truth out about optional dues and union membership, especially in workplace situations where unions have created a contentious environment.  

People who care about one another and work together closely in the trenches have a common interest in weakening the grip unions over their lives. We’re privileged to hear from these people every day, asking us to put a stop to the bullying and intimidation.

The Columbus worker ended our conversation with a sobering reminder of why our work is so critical. “I have three small children,” he said. “They need my dues money far more than the union does.”  

And who better to help put it back in their pockets than a trusted friend?  

Ohio Director
lbowen@freedomfoundation.com
Lauren is a lifelong Ohio resident and calls Cincinnati home. After earning a master’s degree in international politics from Wright State University in 2014, she led an innovative, first of its kind, digital government accountability and transparency project, called the Ohio Checkbook. Through that leadership experience Lauren developed a fierce determination to undermine government corruption. She has since joined the Freedom Foundation as State Director to fight union tyranny and oppression. In her spare time Lauren enjoys collecting early American antiques and trying new restaurants with her husband.