Podcast: Teachers on Union Exploitation – Part 1

Julie Raab and Keith Williams are speaking out about how union influence affects their teaching jobs.  They, and many teachers across the state, are fed up with Pennsylvania's unfair system that exploits teachers like them—and taxpayers like you—for the sake of private political organizations.

Both Julie and Keith are long-time public school educators in central Pennsylvania. We met them through Commonwealth Foundation's project to empower educators, called Free to Teach. 

Keith teaches high school English in Conewago Valley School District in Adams County and is a 14-year veteran of the district.

Julie is a librarian in the Central Dauphin School District, and was formerly a 3rd grade teacher for 18 years.

They were kind enough to sit down with us to discuss what it's like to be a teacher who doesn't want to join a union, but must still pay the union just to keep their jobs.

That's how things work in Pennsylvania, and the teachers call it “un-American.” 

Keith's school recently went “closed shop,” meaning Keith now has to choose between paying union dues or a lesser “fair share” fee if he wants to keep his job. A friend of Keith's reacted to this union takeover and being forced to pay his “fair share” saying, “It's funny to find out after teaching for 14 years, I've been a free-loader.”

Julie has tested the waters of union membership but found it didn't benefit her, and she objected to the political activities her union was engaged in. Here's how she describes the relationship between unions and teachers in Pennsylvania: “kind of a parasitic situation where the unions just kind of feed off of the teachers.”

Julie and Keith's stories are surprising, but they really shouldn't be. How would you feel if you were forced to support an organzation that worked against your own beliefs and values or lose your job? Probably outraged—teachers are no different.

Listen to part one of our two-part conversation and hear their compelling stories and perspectives on union politics in our latest BOX podcast. Click here to listen.

And watch out for part two coming next week!

Note: Part 2 is now available here.