Goldwater: Tucson Teachers Union Makes Illegal Strike Threats
The Goldwater Institute, a leading free-market public policy research and litigation organization, has taken issue with the largest teachers’ union in Tucson, Arizona. The union, known as the Tucson Education Association, recently adopted a “strike-ready” resolution. This resolution aims to increase the union’s membership from a mere 33% of Tucson public school teachers to 66% by next year. The purpose? To wield the threat of walking away from schools and students if their demands aren’t met. However, this approach is illegal under Arizona law, which prohibits government employees from going on strike.
In response, the Goldwater Institute has sent a letter to the Tucson Unified School District, seeking answers to several critical questions:
- Aiding Striking Employees: Does the district plan to aid striking employees in any way, including closing schools until a strike ends?
- Disciplining Teachers: Will the district discipline teachers who breach employment contracts by refusing to fulfill their public duties, as state law requires?
- Ensuring Access to Education: What steps is the district currently taking to ensure that schools remain open and students continue to have access to education in the event of a strike?
The resolution’s open threat to the school district and parents—essentially, “give us what we want, or we won’t teach”—is a violation of the law. The Goldwater Institute emphasizes that all school employees sign contracts agreeing to work specific days for a certain amount of money and benefits. Refusing to honor these obligations until additional demands are met should result in appropriate discipline. While private-sector businesses can go bankrupt, governments cannot, making public employees’ actions impactful. As Franklin Roosevelt once noted, a strike by public employees obstructs government operations and is both unthinkable and intolerable1.
Source: Goldwater Institute
