After Janus

By Larry Sand
11/21/2017
If the Janus case is successful, will it be the first of many shoes to drop?  Janus v AFSCME is due to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court early in 2018, with a decision announced in June. If the lawsuit is successful, no teacher or any public employee in the U.S. would have to...

TAGS: Act 10, collective bargaining, Forced Unionism, Janus v. AFSCME, Larry Sand, Mike Antonucci, Mike Petrilli, Rick Hess, Right to Work, Scott Walker, teachers union, wage compression

The political aftermath of Janus v AFSCME

By Larry Sand
11/07/2017
The case is pretty cut-and-dried, but the ramifications are anything but. Janus v AFSCME is due to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court early in 2018, with a decision announced in June. If the lawsuit is successful, no teacher or any public employee in the U.S. would have to pay money to a union...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Janus v. AFSCME, Larry Sand, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, Rob Weil, teachers union

Worker freedom: The Janus edition

By Larry Sand
10/03/2017
With another right-to-work case headed to the Supreme Court, union lies and chicanery are in high gear. Among the greatest myths in recent history include the belief that Che Guevara was a freedom fighter, that China in the 20th Century was a “People’s Republic” and “If you like your health care plan, you can keep...

TAGS: AFL-CIO, Education Next, Friedrichs v CTA, George Leef, Janus v. AFSCME, Larry Sand, Liberty Justice Center, Mark Janus, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, National Right to Work Foundation, teachers union

NEA mob rules

By Larry Sand
07/11/2017
The yearly NEA convention was replete with the usual bogeymen, rah-rah talk, weird new business items and a bit more angst than usual.  This last year should have been a pip for the National Education Association. Antoni Scalia’s death killed Friedrichs and kept forced unionism alive and well in half the country. And the inevitable...

TAGS: Andrew Coulson, Betsy DeVos, charter school, Janus v. AFSCME, Larry Sand, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, Mike Antonucci, National Education Association, Rebecca Friedrichs, school choice, teachers union, Trinity Lutheran Church v. Pauley, voucher

Trailer trash

By Larry Sand
07/04/2017
Forced unionism may soon be illegal, but a mandatory union propaganda law is now on the books in California. The public employee unions, especially the teacher union variety, are very jittery over the prospect that the Janus case, if successful in the U.S. Supreme Court next year, could free government workers from paying forced dues...

TAGS: AB 119, Association of American Educators, California Federation of Teachers, California Teachers Association, Janus v. AFSCME, Joshua Pechthalt, Larry Sand, Steven Greenhut, teachers union

Will Janus open the right-to-work door?

By Larry Sand
06/13/2017
A lawsuit on track to be heard by the Supreme Court could free all public employees from paying forced union dues. The Friedrichs lawsuit should have done the trick. The case, which would have made belonging to a public employee union optional as a condition of employment nationwide, was set to pass muster with the...

TAGS: "free rider", F. Vincent Vernuccio, Forced Unionism, Friedrichs, James Sherk, Janus v. AFSCME, Jason Hart, Larry Sand, Mike Antonucci, National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, Right to Work, teachers union

My Dear Randi,

By Larry Sand
06/06/2017
My Dear Randi, (This is the third in a series of open letters to American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten. The prior missives can be seen here and here.) It has been almost two years since my last contact with you and boy, a lot has gone down in that time! My goodness, flowing...

TAGS: American Federation of Teachers, Blaine Amendment, Greg Forster, Janus v. AFSCME, Kevin Chavous, Larry Sand, Patrick Wolf, Pell Grants, Randi Weingarten, school choice, tax credit scholarship, teachers union, Trinity Lutheran Church v. Pauley, vouchers

Right-to-Work on the Move

By Larry Sand
01/31/2017
Since November, Kentucky has joined the right-to-work club and four new employee freedom cases have emerged. On January 7th, Kentucky became the 27th right-to-work state in the nation. The term “right-to-work” (RTW) very simply means that workers don’t have to pay dues to a union as a condition of employment. In a few short years, the movement...

TAGS: F. Vincent Vernuccio, Forced Unionism, Janus v. AFSCME, Jason Hart, Larry Sand, Liberty Justice Center, Mackinac Center, National Education Association, National Right to Work Foundation, Rebecca Friedrichs, Right to Work, student spending, teachers union, Tom Gantert, worker freedom