An organization that monitors unions nationwide is alleging that thousands of teachers have dropped out of their union due to controversy over the handling of COVID-19.
Some 4,000 teachers have opted out of United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA), California Teachers Association, American Federation of Teachers, California School Employees Association, and some other smaller local teacher unions since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, according to The Freedom Foundation.
“This pandemic has triggered a mass exodus of teachers from the union because it has caused them to see the true colors of the union,” said Rachel Wiegel, California outreach director for the Freedom Foundation. “People are upset about the vaccine mandates or they wanted to save money while the pandemic was going on. Some people who were upset about the mask mandates, and school closures.”
A report issued by the Congressional Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus titled, Interim Findings: Union Officials Wrote Key Portions of the Biden Administration’s School Reopening Guidance Crisis, found that the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) had more influence than previously thought over the CDC’s decision to close schools.
“Documents and testimony…show that Director Walensky downplayed the degree to which the CDC departed from past practice to allow AFT to affect the policymaking process,” the March 30 report states. “In fact, CDC allowed AFT to insert language into the Operational Guidance that made it more likely schools across the country would remain closed after February 2021.”
As a result, Wiegel says teachers feel betrayed that they were not able to go back to the classroom for the 2020-2021 school year.
“Their union is there to protect them, protect their job but it actually went and worked against them with the CDC,” she said. “First of all, the American Federation of Teachers has no virology experience. They have no medical degree. They have no insight into health and medical safety. But what the American Federation of Teachers does have is campaign dollars and we know they are very closely tied to the Biden administration.”
The Freedom Foundation has been hosting round tables for teachers across the country where details of the 11-page congressional report are shared.
“We share with them the highlights, quotes, and PowerPoints and the other thing we share with them during these round tables is information about where their money is going,” Wiegel added. “Most teachers don't really know where their union money is going. A small portion goes towards their benefits but the vast majority of it is going to the national level of the union where it’s spent on political candidates and activist organizations.”