We must demand more from our lawmakers

As a public-school teacher, I strive to be the best that I can be for my students. I consider it an honor and privilege to serve as an educator, and I take my responsibilities seriously. I want my students to have opportunities to excel and grow, both academically and socially. The same holds true for other teachers in the state. In our classrooms, we create a climate of fairness and respect so that we can empower our students to achieve their goals and reach their potential.

We should expect the same of our lawmakers, who have a sworn duty to represent their constituents’ interests fairly and effectively. A vital part of this responsibility involves holding public hearings on issues that are important to their constituents, such as workers’ rights.

Instead, during the current legislative session, Connecticut lawmakers chose to side with unions over the public-sector employees whom they supposedly serve, by refusing to hear two proposed bills that would make great strides in protecting the rights of public servants in this state.

Unions have concocted a narrative that they speak for the working class, and many lawmakers apparently believe it. The truth is that unions are intertwined so tightly with the Democrat Party that they no longer speak for teachers and state employees. Rather, they speak for progressive politicians and the increasingly radical policies for which they advocate. Look no further than the way that unions spend their members’ dues and you will see where their priorities lie. For instance, during the 2020-2021 school year, the National Education Association (NEA) spent $2 on politics for every $1 that it spent on actually representing its members.

Given this, it comes as no surprise that the Democrat-controlled legislature refused to hear two bills that would take power away from Big Labor and put it back into the hands of dedicated, hardworking public servants. On such important matters, the General Assembly should hear directly from teachers and other public employees, not from union lobbyists behind closed doors.

Though we were never given the opportunity to testify on the proposed bills, here is what we educators might have expressed:

We teach our students about the democratic process and how it ensures that our leaders are accountable to their constituents. Most members of public-sector unions never voted for the unions that represent them; and once a union is certified in a Connecticut workplace, members are never given the chance to vote for a new union, one that might better represent their interests. This practice violates a central component of good governance, which is key to the success of our state and country.

House Bill 5343 would restore democracy for public unions in the state by giving public employees the ability to hold their unions accountable. The bill would let union members vote, on a recurring basis, on whether to continue representation by their unions. These “recertification elections” would mean that unions are not guaranteed representation of union members in perpetuity. If a union were to perform well, it would presumably be recertified by its members; however, if it were not to represent its members’ needs sufficiently, the members could choose a more effective union. Ultimately, recurring recertification elections would strengthen unions by requiring them to put their members first and to fight for the honor and privilege of continuing to serve them.

Unions also are stronger when their members are not coerced into membership. House Bill 5183 would clearly notify public-sector employees of their right to join a union or not. Over the course of my career, I have seen firsthand the unnecessary confusion surrounding union membership rules. To combat this, some of us formed a Facebook group last year called Constitution State Educators to inform teachers of their rights and options regarding union membership. Too often, teachers have no idea that union membership is entirely optional.

Union membership cards are often lumped in with onboarding paperwork for new teachers, which confuses them into thinking that membership is mandatory. Once teachers sign the paperwork, unions like the Connecticut Education Association (CEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) often trap them into membership until an unreasonably short window arrives when teachers are allowed to withdraw. Notifying teachers of their right to join, or not join, a union would ensure that membership is consensual. It would also prevent them from being trapped into representation by an ineffective union or by a union whose beliefs and priorities might profoundly conflict with their own.

These two bills offer straightforward, common-sense ideas that we have come to expect in our election processes and contract laws; yet with Democrats in charge, the bills were dead on arrival.

Progress is attained through opportunity, democracy, and fairness. It is the story of America. The preamble of the U.S. Constitution reminds us that government power resides in us, We the People, but state lawmakers chose the status quo over progress by refusing to consider bills that, if enacted into law, would fundamentally improve the lives of Connecticut workers. While disappointing, it is unfortunately nothing new for the Constitution State.

We must demand more from our lawmakers and all learn to work together, in good faith, for the well-being of our state and its citizens.