Friedrichs FAQ

  • What happens if we win?

The decision will go into effect immediately. Teachers who are not a member of a union will not receive a refund for agency fees paid in the past. Going forward, teachers will not be required to pay agency fees or dues unless they choose to join a union.

  • Can’t you already opt out of the political portion of dues? Can’t you just check a box?

Yes. Teachers can already opt-out of fees that support expressly political activities. However, our argument is that all the unions do, especially in collective bargaining, is political by its very nature.

In collective bargaining, unions push for policies on teacher tenure, hiring and retention, and public pensions. All of which are hotly debated issues of education and fiscal policy. Teachers should not have to check a box to clarify that they do not wish to send money to an organization they are not a member of.

  •  Aren’t you funded by the Koch brothers?

Neither of the Koch Brothers or their foundations supports CIR or are supporting the litigation in Friedrichs v. CTA.

  •  What will happen to unions?

Union business will continue unchanged. Over half the states and the federal government do not force workers to pay an agency fee. In those environments, unions are ably performing their stated goals and thriving. Many have even attracted new members and swelled their ranks. Eliminating agency fees will not cripple unions. It will simply give teachers and other public employees a choice.

Read this report from the Buckeye Institute to see how unions are alive and well in states without agency fees.

  • If Rebecca Friedrichs doesn’t want to support her union, shouldn’t she have to forfeit the benefits?

Rebecca Friedrichs and other non-union teachers forfeit their insurance and right to representation when leaving their unions even though the union continues to take $600.00 out of their paycheck. In the words of Justice Kennedy, the alliance between state governments and the unions have made these teachers “compelled riders” to an agenda they did not sign up for.