Candidates Rake in Money From Parents’ Enemies

Politicians Side with Lockdown-Happy Teacher Union Bigwigs

For many parents, the COVID-19 pandemic years shed light on an unfortunate truth: 

The union officials who wield monopoly control over teachers and the school system often don’t have children’s best interests in mind. 

Even by the standards of union bosses, whose capacity for greed and opportunism is well established, teacher union officials’ callous disregard for students’ well-being during the pandemic was shocking. 

Union bosses were demanding that school closures be perpetuated, even when polls showed the overwhelming majority of parents wanted schools to return to full or partial in-person instruction. 

Long after there was scientific consensus that COVID-19 posed no significant threat to school-aged children, union bosses like American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten were pushing aggressively to keep students out of the classroom. 

Ms. Weingarten even pulled strings in Washington to change Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines to reflect AFT bosses’ wishes. 

Union Bosses Brush Off Concerns Over Pandemic Learning Losses

Now students who have finally returned to school face the daunting task of making up for lost learning. One national analysis concluded that K-12 students are five months behind in math and four months behind in reading. 

Students who returned to class sooner face no such setbacks: union boss-demanded remote “learning” is the main culprit.

While parents are concerned about their children’s falling behind, union bosses have other priorities. 

Rather than work to correct the problems they caused, union officials are pouring immense time and energy into safeguarding their monopoly-bargaining privileges and their ability to teach an array of radical theories in the classroom. 

Cecily Myart-Cruz, president of the United Teachers of Los Angeles, has made her feelings about learning loss clear: 

“It’s ok that our babies may not have learned all their times tables. . . . They know the difference between a riot and a protest. They know the words insurrection and coup.”

Parents who disagree with Ms. Myart-Cruz’s assessment of the relative unimportance of fundamental math skills, and who demand accountability and transparency from Big Labor-dominated schools, have been demonized by union officials for daring to meddle in their own children’s education! 

All this raises the question: Why would any politician choose to associate with union officials whose blatantly self-interested actions and rhetoric alienate the voting parents of school-aged children? 

The hundreds of federal politicians whom teacher union bosses have supported this election cycle are playing a dangerous game, making potentially deadly alliances with organizations hostile to their constituents in exchange for campaign cash and electioneering services.

Politicians Risk It All For Big Labor Payouts

Teacher unions like Randi Weingarten’s AFT and the National Education Association are unloading tens of millions of dollars into races around the country, and mobilizing armies of union agents to provide ground support. 

Candidates are eager to benefit from that largesse, even in Virginia, where just last year gubernatorial favorite Terry McAuliffe went down in flames after he received full-throated teacher union boss endorsements and bluntly declared, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.” 

Virginia congressional candidates Elaine Luria and Abigail Spanberger have already collected thousands of dollars in teacher union campaign money, undeterred by voters’ growing anger over union boss-created problems in schools. 

They’re hardly alone.

The National Right to Work Committee is working to shine the light on politicians who back union bosses’ special privileges in exchange for campaign funding. 

The Committee’s 2022 candidate survey is informing parents which of their candidates for public office have sided with Big Labor, and which have pledged to protect workers from union abuse. 

“Big Labor used the pandemic to flex its power over the school system, forcing extended lockdowns that left students woefully behind academically,” said Committee Vice President John Kalb.

“In their fight to close the gap and make up for lost learning, conscientious teachers are getting no help from their supposed union ‘representatives,’ who are too busy waging war on parents who disapprove of their radical politics.

“Teacher union bosses would be terrible political allies were they not able to throw around tens of millions of dollars’ worth of their members’ dues money. But candidates should think twice before they seek union-boss support. 

“Parents increasingly understand how union monopolies hurt America’s children. National Right to Work will ensure they know which of their candidates want to address the problem, and which are willing to make it worse in exchange for union dues money.” 

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