• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts

The Educators Room logo

  • Start Here
    • Impact Statements: Teacher Expertise
    • Newsletter
  • Browse Topics
    • Content Strategies
      • Literacy
      • Mathematics
      • Social Studies
      • Educational Technology
      • ELL & ESOL
      • Fine Arts
      • Special Education
      • Popular Topics
        • Teacher Self-Care
        • Instructional Coach Files
        • Common Core
        • The Traveling Teacher
        • The Unemployed Teacher
        • The New Teacher Chronicles
        • Book Review
        • Grade Levels
          • Elementary (K-5)
          • Middle (6-8)
          • Adult
          • New Teacher Bootcamp
          • Hot Button Topics
            • Menu Item
              • Principals' Corner
              • Charter Schools
              • Confessions of a Teacher
              • Interviews
              • The State of Education
              • Stellar Educator of the Week
            • Menu
              • How to Fix Education
              • Featured
              • Ask a Teacher
              • Teacher Branding
              • Current Events
  • Podcasts
  • Courses
    • Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout- An 8 Week Course
    • Becoming An Educational Consultant
    • Teacher Branding 101:Teachers are The Experts
    • The Learning Academy
    • Books
    • Shirts
  • Education in Atlanta
  • Teacher Self-Care
  • The Coach's Academy
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts
×

February 18, 2015 Current Events in Education

Why I Favor Fair Share

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Jake Miller

Mr. Jake Miller is the 2016 National History Day Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year, a 2017 NEA Global Fellow to China, and a former candidate for county-wide office. Miller has written more than 500 articles, most of which have appeared on The Educator's Room. He's the opening contributor to TER's book When the Fire Is Gone. Learn more about Jake at www.MrJakeMiller.com
  • The Student-Teaching Model Is Outdated: Here's How We Can Do Better - September 15, 2021
  • Visualize: How Seeing What's Coming Changed My Teaching - August 16, 2021
  • 10 Lessons About Teaching from My Youngest Son - June 24, 2021
  • Ending the Epithet “Try-Hard” Once and for All in Classrooms - June 18, 2021
  • From STEM, Let's Pivot to the BRANCHES of the Humanities - May 25, 2021
  • Would Education Collapse If Teachers Stopped Working for Free? - May 20, 2021
  • 10 Ways to Teach Like Ted Lasso: Part II - April 21, 2021
  • 8 Tips So Your Substitute Plans Don't Suck - April 14, 2021
  • 10 Ways to Teach Like Ted Lasso: Part I - March 12, 2021
  • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teachers: Habit 3 - First Things First - February 26, 2021

On Monday, February 9th, 2015, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner told the Chicago Tribute that he felt "government union bargaining and government union political activity are inextricably linked," causing him to sign an Executive Order eliminating fair share policies for unions across the state. And for this, he is fundamentally wrong. Let's explore a few questions to understand why:

What is fair share, anyway?

Fair share is a fee that applies to anyone in a union with a fair share clause. Any non-union member in the collective bargaining unit will have to pay a fee - usually somewhere around 80% of the cost of union membership - for the benefits that the union has guaranteed for them.

What is a collective bargaining unit (CBU)?

A CBU is pretty much what it reads to be. It's a group of people (collective unit) that bargain a contract together. For most school districts, it involves the teachers, school nurses, counselors, psychologists, and occupational therapists. In some circumstances, it includes paraprofessionals, too.

So not everyone has to join a union?

Never.

Why do some people choose not to join a union?

For some people, it's the political, religious, and personal reasons that Gov. Rauner referenced. Many union members see themselves as bastions of the left; I've argued that we need to refocus on education issues (and education issues only) to win back these non-members into our ranks.

Wait, didn't the governor say that unions take money from non-members and apply them to political causes?!

That's 100% completely false. Unions cannot use dues for political causes. We have separate funds for that in a political action committee (PAC). If this were political fraud, don't you think the IRS would've been on to public sector unions by now?

What other reasons do people use to not join unions?

For most people I've spoken with, they claim it to be the cost of dues. Dues can be pretty expensive, so it's difficult to argue. However, the solidarity of the union is what you pay for. Not belonging to it has certain costs, too. In some cases, the non-members are denied benefits of union membership.

What benefits are guaranteed for union members?

Most union leaders will quickly point out several items that all members of the collective bargaining unit are provided: a written out contract that is used as a constitution for the workforce, ensuring fair labor laws, the right to a grievance for wrong accusations and punishments, representation at meetings with management, right to reschedule meetings with management, the right to negotiate salary, discounts on goods and services, and more.

So what do non-members get?

Non-members don't get all of what is mentioned above, but they are able to receive most of it. However, in non-fair share workplaces (like mine) they're enjoying the benefits of a system without paying for it.

So why would a union leader would have to help non-members?

It's all about non-discrimination (the employer cannot discriminate a union teacher vs. a non-union one), setting precedence, and benefiting all involved in the collective bargaining unit.

How have you helped non-members?

Though our union membership is approximately 80%, at least 40% of the meetings I've had questioning job performance have been with non-members of our union. I have to attend those meetings so that I ensure the expectations / punishments placed upon those teachers are fair, as they'll set a precedence for future ones.

That seems strange. What else prompts the argument for fair share?

This past summer and winter, I was on our negotiations team. That was, by far, the most difficult endeavor I'd encountered in education up-to that date. When we secured a pay increase for our teachers, it was for all of our teachers. The strangest thing happened afterward: a few of the non-members of our bargaining unit sent me gift cards as a token of appreciation. They realized what we've done for them, and it was nice to show that they appreciated our bargaining agreement. But those who choose not to be a member get that at the incredible price of $0.

How is that fair?

It isn't fair. That's why there should be fair share systems in place throughout union workplaces across not just Illinois, but the nation. Even non-union members will realize the benefits of union membership. Some just don't want to pay for them.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailTeachers on Trial: Vergara v. CA 10 Myths and Facts about Teacher Unions Friedrichs v. CTA - Supreme Court Hears a Major Education Case Teaching in a Post-Union World
« Prepare for Next Week's Forecast: Snowy, with a Chance of School
Providing An Anchor In Learning »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

The Educator's Room was launched in 2012 to amplify the voice of educators. To date, we have over 45+ writers from around the world and boast over twelve million page views. Through articles, events, and social media we will advocate for honest dialogue with teachers about how to improve public education. This mission is especially important when reporting on education in our community; therefore, we commit our readers to integrity, accuracy, and independence in education reporting. To join our mailing list, click here.

What we do

At The Educator's Room, we focus on amplifying and honoring the voice of educators as experts in education. To date, we have over 40 staff writers/teachers from around the world.

Popular Posts

  • No, Slavery Was Not "Involuntary Relocation"
  • One Team, Separate Experiences
  • Mr. Courtney's Publicly Funded Snake Handling Divinity School
  • Chalkboards and Beats

Featured On

Buy Our Books/Courses

How to Leave Your Job in Education

Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout

Using Your Teacher Expertise to Become an Educational Consultant

Check out our books on teaching and learning!

The Learning Academy

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Services
  • Media Kit
  • FAQ

 

Copyright © 2021 The Educator's Room.