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Your rights as a teacher in Indiana

 

Public School teachers have rights as individuals and professionals which they are entitled to exercise their right of representation under Indiana law. However, many teachers are not aware of their rights when dealing with the teacher unions.

 

What can teaching professionals who disagree with union activities and agendas do about it?  Indiana law protects the rights of individual teachers. Teachers cannot be forced to join or financially support a union.

 

Regardless of whether a teacher is a voluntary member or was misled or coerced into joining the union, that teacher has the right to resign and sever his/her membership with the union.  If a union official tells the member that he/she is not free to resign, that is untrue.   If the union refuses to accept or obstructs a member's resignation, the union is violating your rights under the law.

 

Many local union by-laws or constitutions contain member resignation provisions that require WRITTEN notification to a union officer in a very specific window of time.  Teachers must find that very specific time in either the union by-laws, constitution or the school-union local contract. 

 

How often have you heard union reps call non-members  "free riders"?  The correct term is "captive passengers".  

Indiana Law now says that a union member CAN resign from the union AT ANY TIME without penalty.  You only need to submit in writing (letter or email) to your employer to stop deductions immediately.   

IC 20-29-5-6(c)(1)

Right to Work

Indiana became a Right to Work state for teachers in 1995.  

 

In February, 2012, Indiana became the 23rd Right to Work state in the nation - for all employees.

 

Visit www.nrtw.org for more information about the National Right To Work.

Serving on Committees

In the past, many teachers who did not belong to the union were not "allowed" to sit on school committees.  IPE members were denied the opportunity to serve their community because they were not "union".  

 

Indiana law now requires that only a certain percentage of a committee may be filled by union members.  The other seats may be filled by non-union members.

FAIR SHARE

 

Thanks to the efforts of Jane Ping and IPE, Indiana law prohibits requiring teachers to join or pay any fee to a union or teacher organization by any other name in all contracts entered into after July 1, 1995.  If your local school/union agreement continues to have "fair share" provisions included on a retroactive basis, if and when the teacher unions are able to amend or repeal prohibition law in force, please know that THESE FAIR SHARE PROVISIONS ARE UNENFORCEABLE!  Read your local school/union contract!

DO YOU KNOW?

 

Do you know that Indiana Public School teachers cannot be required to join any teacher union (local, state or national) and can't be legally forced to pay ANY fee as a condition of employment?

 

Do you know that teacher unions at the national level spends member dues on social issues such as abortion, legalization of marijuana, gun control, busing and religious beliefs?

 

Do you know that teacher unions use members' dues to support candidates from one political party almost exclusively?

 

 

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