Photo: National Education Association headquarters – Washington, D.C.jpg; author: AgnosticPreachersKid; Lic.: CC BY-SA 4.0
Phyllis Schlafly’s 1995 essay “The Republicans’ Most Urgent Task” delivers a powerful and incisive critique of the teachers’ unions, specifically the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Phyllis argued that they are the single most powerful force in the Democratic Party. Still today, these organizations have a pervasive influence on the government.
The NEA and AFT are staunch supporters of high taxes, big government, and total control of education policies. They align consistently with Democratic candidates and oppose any market-oriented reforms such as parental choice, contract schools, and homeschooling. Phyllis noted that at the 1992 Democratic National Convention, “one delegate out of eight was an NEA or AFT member”.
Phyllis recommended we eliminate taxpayer subsidies that the teachers’ unions currently enjoy and end the NEA’s plush tax exemption for its Washington, D.C. building. This exemption dates back to 1907, a time when the NEA was a small, voluntary education association, not the powerful union it is today.
State legislatures should prohibit school districts from making payroll deductions for union dues and Political Action Committee funds. This privilege greatly inflates union revenues. Phyllis pointed out that this preferential treatment enables unions to raise substantial political funds effortlessly. Removing such subsidies would cause union revenues to plummet, leveling the playing field for those who oppose union policies and candidates.
This is a constitutional matter. Phyllis raised the question of whether government entities should be allowed to participate in fundraising for political candidates backed by special interest groups.
Phyllis’s essay is a clarion call for Republicans to act decisively against the entrenched power of the teachers’ unions. By removing taxpayer subsidies and curbing their political fundraising advantages, Republicans can take a significant step towards reducing the size and spending power of big government, thus advancing conservative principles and ensuring a fairer political landscape.
This post originally appeared at https://www.phyllisschlafly.com/family/education/republicans-must-take-on-teachers-unions/
