THE CASE FOR FAIR SHARE
The Facts
CTA is one of the largest, oldest and most effective unions in the country.
151 Years of
Advocacy
CTA has been successfully advocating
for all students—regardless of color,
nationality, gender, ethnicity, language,
orientation, disabilities, or poverty level.
325,000
Members
1 Powerful
Voice
Our union is the most powerful,
effective student-centered, memberdriven union in the nation.
CTA’s collective power has led to
countless successes.
OUR MISSION
The California Teachers Association exists to protect and promote the well-being of its members; to
improve the conditions of teaching and learning; to advance the cause of free, universal, and quality
public education; to ensure that the human dignity and civil rights of all children and youth are
protected; and to secure a more just, equitable, and democratic society.
151 Years of Proven Success
The more we succeed, the more we are attacked by those
that seek to weaken public education by silencing our collective voice.
Free School for All
First legislative victory establishes
free school for all students—
including non-white students.
First Fair Dismissal Law
Won a State Supreme Court ruling
establishing due process.
Created Teachers Retirement
CalSTRS created by legislature
just 3 years after CTA’s State Council
called for it.
Protest Japanese Internment
One of a few organizations to protest the
internment of Japanese-Americans at the
beginning of WW II.
Won Bargaining Rights
1866
1890
1913
1940
1975
1988
2005
2012
CTA-sponsored Rodda Act passes, making
K-14 educators the first public employees
in California to win collective bargaining.
Minimum School Funding
Wins passage of Proposition 98
guaranteeing a minimum amount of
funding for K-14 schools.
Defeated Anti-Union Slate
Led coalition to defeat slate of ballot
measures to cut school funding, strip
teachers of due process and silence the
union.
Passed Prop. 30
Won the largest tax increase in the
history of California stopping cuts
and bringing in $47 billion in new
money.
The Union Makes Us Strong
“Strong unions mean a
strong middle class,
which means a strong
economy.”
Robert B. Reich
makes the case for
strengthening unions.
Attacks are Economic and Political
The judicial system is becoming the new frontier for attacks on the middle class and unions.
At the Ballot Box
In the Courts
Opponents have long sought to
silence teachers and limit the
role of unions through misleading
initiatives. California voters have
agreed with educators sending a
clear message that they don’t
support the corporate agenda.
In the Legislature
Every year, CTA members take
positions on hundreds of bills
that can help improve student
achievement or destroy the
learning environment.
Not having much success at the
ballot box or in state legislatures,
many billionaires are hiring highdollar legal teams and PR
agencies to attack long-standing
union protections.
Billionaires Club
Billionaire like the Koch Brothers
and Eli Broad are spending
exorbitant amounts of money to
undermine unions—ultimately
seeking to turn public schools
into profit centers.
The Latest: Friedrichs v. CTA
At the center of this lawsuit is the constitutionality of Fair Share, often called Agency Fee.
Skill
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Freidrichs seeks to eliminate the “Fair Share” provision CTA
and other unions offer to educators not wanting to be full
members, yet still reaping the benefits of the contract.
SCOTUS granted cert on Tuesday, June 30.
Perform
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We expect the Court to hear the case next winter and to issue
a decision toward the end of its term, likely at the end of June
of 2016.
Why is Fair Share Under Attack?
To limit our voice and rights as educators.
To undermine (and ultimately privatize) public education.
What is Fair Share?
Let’s take a closer at what Fair Share is and what it is not.
1
Fair Share is a
common-sense way
to ensure fairness
and protect equity,
individual rights, and
the pocketbooks of
educators.
2
Every educator who
enjoys the benefits
and protections of a
negotiated contract
should, in fairness,
contribute to
maintaining the
contract.
3
Fair Share fees are not
used for political or
ideological activities.
4
Fair Share does not
force individuals to
join CTA. In fact, Fair
Share protects the
individual rights of
educators to choose
whether to join the
Association.
5
Under Fair Share, all
members enjoy the
benefits, rights, and
protections of the
bargained contract,
but the similarities
end there.
By visiting www.cta.org/LeaderResources you can download this presentation as well as more information about Fair Share
that you can use when talking to members or potential members.
Consider This
If Fair Share is ruled unconstitutional, what will that mean to our union and our profession?
A Strong Union = Quality Education
What would your local look like without
fair share (agency) fees?
• Quality Education Investment Act: An 8-year project providing
additional funds to implement proven reform for our most at-risk students.
• Increased and Targeted Funding: Passage of Prop. 30 is paying
Who are the current members most
likely to drop membership (and stop
paying dues)?
back schools and colleges from years of cuts and is providing the monies
needed to implement the LCFF, built on the same principles as QEIA.
• Local Control Accountability Plan: This is giving local educators a
larger role in determining what is best for the students in their districts.
Who knows better what your students need than you?
What activities does your local focus
most of its time and resources on?
What does your chapter currently do to
recruit members and build them into
advocates?
• Instructional Leadership Corps: CTA is collaborating with the
Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE) and the
National Board Resource Center at Stanford University to develop
instructional leaders in implementing new standards.
• Think Tanks: A program from the IFT that invites educators into the
room to share innovative ideas and build upon what works.
Our Union. Our Voice.
CTA’s Long-term strategic plan took nearly 2 years to build and involved feedback from more than 30,000 members.
Quality Public Education
Building a Strong Union
CTA’s members are the heart of
the union and determine its
strength and vitality. The primary
goal of building a strong union
rests squarely on this shared
belief.
CTA members first and foremost
are educators. Helping children,
guiding their learning and being
part of a profession that creates a
better society and future for all of
us are the reasons most members
give for choosing to become
educators.
Structure & Governance
All structures and entities within CTA
must be aligned to support the
implementation of the strategic plan
and to retain CTA’s long-standing
commitment to a strong system of
representational democracy.
Resources about the long-term strategic plan can be found at www.cta.org/ourfuture.
Our Advocacy Agenda
The Public Education All California Students Deserve is student-centered and educator-driven.
Download the full document and learn more about CTA advocacy agenda at www.cta.org/ourfuture. This is a great one to
share with educators to start a conversation.
What’s At Stake?
This isn’t about individual rights, this is about weakening our voice to advocate for students and our profession.
HIGH-STAKES
TESTING
CLASS
SIZE
SCHOOL
SAFETY
EDUCATIONAL
EQUITY
SALARY,
HEALTH CARE &
A SECURE
RETIREMENT
We can’t afford to be silent. Plus, it’s not our style.
What Do We Do?
We are 325,000 strong and when we work together great things happen.
ORGANIZE
ORGANIZE
ORGANIZE
Timelines
CTA has been educating leaders for over a year about the potential loss of Agency Fee.
Workgroup Formed
A staff workgroup was
formed in 2014 to pull
together a plan of action to
educate staff and leaders
about Freidrichs v. CTA.
The workgroup was also
charged with researching
and recommending
membership engagement
ideas and materials—like
this PowerPoint.
Training Leaders
CTA has and will continue to
spend much of 2015
educating staff and leaders
about the challenges we
face and set the stage to
begin to build local
engagement plans.
Building Plan
The next phase has local
leaders working with staff to
build engagement plans
tailored to their membership.
Think of it like the LCAP for
engagement—the LEAP.
Local
Engagement
Accountability
Plan
Plan in Action
All chapters should have a
Membership Engagement
Plan in Place to execute at
the beginning of the 20162017 school year.
Our New Resource Center
As a leader you have to know and share a lot of information. We just made that easier.
www.cta.org/LeaderResources We know that being a leader can be busy and demanding. That’s why we
have launched a Leader Resource Center designed to initially deliver you all the resources you will need to recruit and
engage members. We will be adding to it throughout the year to include information, trainings, documents and forms you
need to be the best leader possible.
It’s Really Your New Resource Center
Let’s take a closer look at all that you can find at www.cta.org/LeaderResources.
Fair Share Awareness Toolkit
Membership Engagement
Chapter Operations
PowerPoint Presentation, Talking Points, Sample
Responses, NEA Fair Share Guidebook…
Customizable Flyers, Bulletin Board Materials,
Member Benefits Toolkit, Advocacy Agenda…
Presidents Guidebook, Treasurer’s
Training, CTA360 Information…
Community Engagement Toolkit
Organization Documents
Forms Center
Coming Soon! Community Engagement Team
trainings, Chapter-Community Assessment tools…
Organizational Handbook, Elections
Manual, State Council Minutes…
Reimbursement, Conference Report,
Voluntary Membership Contribution...
This center is designed to help our leaders find what they need quickly. Some areas will require a login.
#ourvoiceourunion
The California Teachers Association exists to protect and promote the well-being of its members; to
improve the conditions of teaching and learning; to advance the cause of free, universal, and quality
public education; to ensure that the human dignity and civil rights of all children and youth are
protected; and to secure a more just, equitable, and democratic society.
QUESTIONS?
The California Teachers Association exists to protect and promote the well-being of its members; to
improve the conditions of teaching and learning; to advance the cause of free, universal, and quality
public education; to ensure that the human dignity and civil rights of all children and youth are
protected; and to secure a more just, equitable, and democratic society.