Search
Login
Register

Veteran teacher changes professional focus

Cites objection to union political involvement

Thu., May 25, 2006

When Chris Card began his teaching career 13 years ago, no one ever told him he wasn’t required to belong to the Michigan Education Association.

Chris Card, music teacher at Webberville High School, resigned from the Michigan Education Association, citing a religious objection.

"If I had known then what I know now, as the saying goes," Card said from his classroom at Webberville High School, east of Lansing. "As a new teacher coming out of college, they just sign you up. No one tells you your options."

Those options, under state and federal law, include not joining a teachers union. Card said he was never told that.

"I had to do all this research on my own," he said. "I did a lot of digging. It wasn’t until last year that I fully understood it."

Card began his career as a music teacher in Cadillac, where he spent seven years. It was there, during the 1998 gubernatorial campaign, that Card began to question the Michigan Education Association’s activities.

"They were backing Geoffrey Fieger for governor, and I’m thinking ‘this is my union?’" Card said. "They are so far away from the grassroots teachers in the classrooms."

He then taught in Byron Center for three years, where he was classified as a "fee payer." Under such status, he did not pay dues to the National Education Association, and only had to pay the portion of his MEA dues that the union could show went toward collective bargaining.

“That’s where it really matters,” he said. “The local does the negotiating, our salaries, benefits; that’s the kind of thing unions are for, not all the political stuff.”

Now, as a religious objector, Card pays the full amount of MEA and NEA dues combined, but it goes instead to a charity.

"This isn’t about money," he said. "I’m not doing this to buck the system. I pay more now than I paid under fee status, but it goes to a local food bank, and I’m so glad they get that money now. I’m really happy for them."

According to the MEA’s Web site, the combined MEA-NEA dues for an individual teacher are about $570 per year.

Card makes it clear that he does not have a problem with his local union. He remains a member of the local and pays dues to support it.

"That’s where it really matters," he said. "The local does the negotiating, our salaries, benefits; that’s the kind of thing unions are for, not all the political stuff."

Card said he even applied to be part of the local’s negotiating team next year.

"We’ll see how that goes," he laughs. "That will be an interesting election."

Card said he cannot "in good conscience" pay money that he believes the state and national unions use for causes to which he objects on moral grounds.

"The MEA and NEA make me sick," Card said bluntly. "I finally decided to take a public stand."

At a hearing last fall, Card had to show that his religious objector stand was at odds with MEA membership.

"Their representative tried to portray me as being very narrow minded," Card said. "She said the Bible doesn’t say anything about my faith not allowing me to be in a union. But I said it does mention that I have to worry about who I associate with."

Card said the MEA/NEA has a "strong liberal agenda" that he thinks does not fairly represent teachers, nor does it have much to do with education.

"When they (the unions) get involved in all these political issues, how does that benefit kids?" Card said. "The stuff I’ve seen the MEA push for has nothing to do with teaching."

The months since his victory have been difficult, but Card does not regret his decision.


How to resign your union membership

Union membership is not required by Michigan law. Most collective bargaining contracts require members to resign from the union only during a specified time period, usually August. If you are interested in resigning from your union, make sure to check the exact requirements of your current contract.

The following steps should be followed if you wish to become a nonunion employee – at no risk of losing your job – and become what is commonly known as a “fee payer.”

1.   Draft a letter of resignation revoking any authorization for payroll deduction of membership dues and authorize only those fees legally chargeable for collective bargaining purposes.

2.   Make three copies of the letter and mail the original, by certified mail (with signature requested) to your union.

3.   Mail one copy to your district’s superintendent.

4.   Keep one copy for your records.

If you encounter any difficulty in this process, you may contact the Michigan Employment Relations Commission at (313) 256-3540. You may also want to consult the National Right to Work Legal Foundation, www.nrtw.org, or contact the Labor Policy Initiative at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

If you wish to resign from your union for religious objector reasons, you may do so at any time during the year, although a formal hearing will be held. Contact Landmark Legal Foundation at www.llf.org for more information on that process.

"The union has filed two grievances against me, both of which were found to be without cause," he said. "They even wanted to reduce my salary. Have you ever heard of a union wanting to reduce a teacher’s salary?"

Card said some fellow staff members refuse to speak to him, months later, no matter how cordial he is to them.

"It’s really petty," he said. "But you can’t pin down exactly why. You can’t go to them and ask why they behave this way. I just have to hope they respect my rights as I respect theirs."

Card is in his second year at Webberville, which means he will be eligible for tenure at the end of the year. Tenure is not transferable between school districts. He admits this made his decision more complicated.

"I’m totally vulnerable," he said. "It was a real risk, but now it’s all about my performance. That’s what it should hinge on. I’ve never received a poor evaluation."

Card said a few other teachers have approached him in private, asking about his research into the issue. About 680 teachers in Michigan have "fee payer" status, which was Card’s first move in severing ties to the union.

"This may not be right for everyone," he said. "But I would do it again in a minute. For me it’s the right thing. I don’t necessarily disagree with being in a union, but where people have rights not to be, they should be allowed to exercise those rights."

Michigan Education Daily
"Michigan voters could see an education funding question on the ballot this year if the state Legislature doesn't take action on the issue." >>
"In an apparent flap over who is allowed to book time on the school board agenda, the Novi Education Association said that if it can't bring in a representative from the Michigan Education Association to speak at a board meeting, then it will hold a community meeting of its own." >>
"More high school students than ever are taking Advanced Placement tests, but the failure rate is increasing as well." >>
"Nine southeast Michigan school districts paid $25,000 each to be named a "top school district" in Michigan by a Detroit-area public relations firm." >>
"Two former Detroit Public Schools employees accused of defrauding the district of $400,000 in a payroll scam pled guilty in federal court." >>
"Students rallied outside Pontiac High School last week to protest the layoffs of 15 teachers, but comments made by one student suggested that the youths also disagreed with teacher seniority rules." >>
"In a bid to reduce state spending by up to $450 million, Gov. Jennifer Granholm has proposed modifying the pension and health care plans for future school and state retirees, but also would offer an incentive to any who retire this summer." >>
User Comments
Is it true that young ones today are losing interest on these subjects? Obviously, the White House is promoting programs that will help students on coping up with math and science subjects. But, The federal government thinks that the quality of math and science education can repair credit with the scientific community and improve US education with a few <a rev="vote for" title="U.S. Government Spends $250 Million on Science and Math" href="http://personalmoneystore.com/Payday-Loans/ ">payday loans</a> of sorts. In reality, it will take far longer to accomplish than they might think – US educators can't even get students to accept that "irregardless" isn't a word, and the difference between their, they're, and there – our students can't even learn their own language! It's a noble aim, to be sure, but throwing money at it may not work in the long run. >>
I am a teacher in the same county who is presently trying to quit the union. Like Caldwell, I strongly disagree with the MEA.

This article was timely.

Rob Olson
Pittsford Area Schools

>>
I agree this is a change worth making. I describe some of the uneven effects of the idea on my blog at http://rickolson.blogspot.com/2009/08/statewide-health-insurance-plan-for.html which you may also wish to read.

The devil will be in the details, so this is one we will need to monitor closely.

Rick Olson from Saline, former school Business Manager >>

Nowadays, saving money is very crucial and properly investing the money can keep you and your family away from the effect of the financial crisis. The sad news is that a lot of the options for short term funding have been drying up. Short term funding is a necessary thing to have around, and going through traditional channels such as banks isn't an option for a lot of people anymore – basically it's only open to Ken Lewis. Installment loans are an option, but some people, including senior citizens, have been thinking about raiding their retirement fund. Getting into your pension retirement plan or 401(k) funds is the last thing you want to do if you don't qualify for any withdrawals yet. The penalties are substantial, and you'll end up needing installments loans to pay them if you use retirement funds for <a rev="vote for" title="Installment Loans Reliable Option As 401(k)s are Dwindling" href="http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/2009/05/17/installment-loans-reliable-option-401ks-dwindling/">short term funding</a>.


>>
I AGREE >>
Godfrey-Lee on the west side of the state has been running all-day, every-day kindergarten for several years. >>
We have a problem in Detroit Public School, their system had cash flow problem for years now. And honestly it getting worst in terms in progression with more children leaving to charter their schools almost every year. The state decided to give the Detroit school districts cash advance of $70 million so they would meet the schools expenses, as well as payment for teachers. Robert Bobb, the newly appointed emergency financial manager, requested the funds early in order for him to get the house in order before he had to start panicking. President Obama has been giving out large sums of money for troubled school districts, perhaps that’s where a generous portion of the aid came from. Getting Detroit Public Schools in working order is a worthy cause.

LINK TO READ FOR MORE INFO:
http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/2009/03/10/state-advance-detroit-public-schools-70m/


>>
I am all for school choice and think its great that charters are finally moving forward. However, I'm wondering if the research accounts for a playing field that is not level. I can't take my school buildings and move them anywhere I want, nor can I simply slap up a pole building and make it a school. If anything, public schools need less state regulation and oversight so we can play by the same minimal rules charters do. If you want public schools to compete to improve, remove the barriers to doing so. I will gladly except less funding per pupil if the playing field is level.
>>
The purpose is to encourage non excercising children to excercise but my daughter's highschool gave her an improper body fat percentage and made my healthy daughter who trains 20 hours a week in tap jazz and ballet believe she was overweaghit instead of a person with muscles.
I believe the public schools do not have the right to make the diagnoses with these kids because they are using one measurement and recording it from their arms that they have a certain percetnage of body fat with one arm caliper test.
Does any one have feed back?
>>
Specifically, 81 percent of students in religiously affiliated schools and 82 percent of students in other private schools have parents who report being "very satisfied" with their schools, compared to 55 percent of students in assigned public schools and 63 percent of students in chosen public schools.

High levels of satisfaction among private school parents also extend to opinions about their children's teachers, academic standards of the school, order and discipline at the school, the amount of homework assigned, and interactions with school personnel.

http://fitt.in >>