THE CASE FOR FAIR SHARE

CTA has been successfully advocating for all students—

regardless of color, nationality, gender, ethnicity, language,

orientation, disabilities, or poverty level.

Our union is the most powerful, effective student-centered, member-driven union in the

nation.

CTA’s collective power has led to countless successes.

The FactsCTA is one of the largest, oldest and most effective unions in the country.

151 Years of

Advocacy

325,000Members

1 Powerful

Voice

OUR MISSIONThe 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

Won Bargaining RightsCTA-sponsored Rodda Act passes, making K-14 educators the first public employees in California to win collective bargaining.

Defeated Anti-Union

SlateLed coalition to defeat slate of ballot measures to cut school funding, strip teachers of due process and silence the union.

Minimum School

FundingWins passage of Proposition 98 guaranteeing a minimum amount of funding for K-14 schools.

Free School for AllFirst legislative victory

establishes free school for all students—including non-white

students.

Created Teachers

RetirementCalSTRS created by legislature

just 3 years after CTA’s State Council called for it.

First Fair Dismissal

LawWon a State Supreme Court

ruling establishing due process.

The more we succeed, the more we are attacked by those that seek to weaken public education by silencing our collective voice.

Passed Prop. 30 Won the largest tax increase in the history of California stopping cuts and bringing in $47 billion in new money.

Protest Japanese

InternmentOne of a few organizations to protest

the internment of Japanese-Americans at the beginning of WW

II.

1866

1890

1913

1940

1975

1988

2012

2005

“Strong unions mean a strong middle

class, which means a strong economy.”

Robert B. Reichmakes the case for

strengthening unions.

The Union Makes Us Strong

Attacks are Economic and Political

In the LegislatureEvery year, CTA members take positions on hundreds

of bills that can help improve student achievement or

destroy the learning environment.

Billionaires ClubBillionaire 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.

At the Ballot BoxOpponents 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 CourtsNot having much success at

the ballot box or in state legislatures, many

billionaires are hiring high-dollar legal teams and PR agencies to attack long-

standing union protections.

The judicial system is becoming the new frontier for attacks on the middle class and unions.

The Latest: Friedrichs v. CTAAt the center of this lawsuit is the constitutionality of Fair Share, often called Agency Fee.

Why is Fair Share Under Attack?

To limit our voice and rights as educators. To undermine (and ultimately privatize) public education.

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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.

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.

What is Fair Share?Let’s take a closer at what Fair Share is and what it is not.

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.

Fair Share is a common-sense way to ensure fairness and protect equity, individual rights, and the pocketbooks of educators.

Every educator who enjoys the benefits and protections of a negotiated contract should, in fairness, contribute to maintaining the contract.

Fair Share fees are not used for political or ideological activities.

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.

Under Fair Share, all members enjoy the benefits, rights, and protections of the bargained contract, but the similarities end there.

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Consider ThisIf Fair Share is ruled unconstitutional, what will that mean to our union and our profession?

What would your local look like without fair share (agency) fees?

Who are the current members most likely to drop membership (and stop paying dues)?

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?

A Strong Union = Quality Education

• 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 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?

• 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.

Resources about the long-term strategic plan can be found at www.cta.org/ourfuture.

Building a Strong

UnionCTA’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.

Quality Public

EducationCTA 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 & GovernanceAll 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.

Our Advocacy AgendaThe 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.

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What’s At Stake?This isn’t about individual rights, this is about weakening our voice to advocate for students and our profession.

We can’t afford to be silent. Plus, it’s not our style.

CLASSSIZE

HIGH-STAKESTESTING

SALARY, HEALTH CARE &

A SECURERETIREMENT

SCHOOLSAFETY

EDUCATIONAL

EQUITY

What Do We Do?We are 325,000 strong and when we work together great things happen.

ORGANIZEORGANIZEORGANIZE!

TimelinesCTA 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 EngagementAccountability Plan

Plan in Action

All chapters should have a Membership Engagement Plan in Place to execute at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year.

Our New Resource CenterAs 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.

Fair Share Awareness

ToolkitPowerPoint Presentation, Talking Points,

Sample Responses, NEA Fair Share Guidebook…

Chapter OperationsPresidents Guidebook, Treasurer’s

Training, CTA360 Information…

Membership

EngagementCustomizable Flyers, Bulletin Board Materials, Member Benefits Toolkit,

Advocacy Agenda…

Community Engagement

ToolkitComing Soon! Community Engagement Team

trainings, Chapter-Community Assessment tools…

Forms CenterReimbursement, Conference Report,

Voluntary Membership Contribution...

Organization

DocumentsOrganizational Handbook, Elections

Manual, State Council Minutes…

It’s Really Your New Resource CenterLet’s take a closer look at all that you can find at www.cta.org/LeaderResources.

This center is designed to help our leaders find what they need quickly. Some areas will require a login.

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.

#ourvoiceourunion

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.