Staff attorneys at the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation sent out a special legal notice to over 20,000 Chicago Public Schools (CPS) teachers who were impacted by the strike planned by Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) officials on October 17.
The legal notice informed rank-and-file CPS teachers of the rights CPU bosses won’t tell them about. These rights include the right to stay at work and support their families despite being caught in a union-sponsored strike. The notice details why workers nationwide frequently turn to the National Right to Work Foundation for free legal counsel during such circumstances.
“This strike raises serious concerns for employees who believe there is much to lose from a union-ordered strike,” the notice said. “Employees have the legal right to rebuff union officials’ strike demands, but it is important for them to be fully informed before they do so.”
The full notice can be found here.
The notice is clear in detailing the process that teachers should abide by if they want to exercise their right to return to work while a strike is taking place and avoid retaliation from union bosses. This notice comes with sample union membership resignation letters and also reminds teachers of their First Amendment rights as public employees under the Janus v. AFSCME Supreme Court decision to stop paying union dues whenever they want. In the notice, teachers are encouraged to turn to the Foundation if their Janus rights are infringed upon.
The Foundation has recently helped various employees who have been victims of union boss rights violation around strikes. Foundation staff attorneys recently came out victorious in two Massachusetts grocery workers who were intimidated and harassed during a notable April 2019 strike on Stop & Shop that United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) bosses.
“CTU bosses appear intent on attempting to shut down Chicago schools with a strike in order to flex their political muscle, even if leaving children out in the cold achieves nothing for the rank-and-file teachers,” declared National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “Chicago teachers must decide for themselves whether abandoning their students at the behest of CTU officials is really what is best for them, and Foundation staff attorneys stand by to assist those teachers want to continue teaching their students and provide for their families.”
