Dom Giordano Talks With Brittney Parker, Community Liaison Of The Commonwealth Foundation
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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --Brittney Parker, Community Liaison with the Commonwealth Foundation, explained their Free To Teach Initiative and how they are available to guide teachers who want to leave their unions.
Parker explained to Talk Radio 1210's Dom Giordano how the effort was born a few years ago.
"It actually grew out of a 2012 pilot project that the Commonwealth Foundation undertook when several teachers from Agora Cyber Charter School came to us because others were trying to unionize the charter school and they didn't want to be unionized. That's how the project started and over the years the initiative just really grew because Pennsylvania is not a right to work state, so teachers face a very complicated process in order to leave their unions. Many teachers aren't sure of what their options are because the unions aren't telling them and there are lots of complicated barriers to resignation for teachers who are already in the union, so many of them feel like they don't have any options."
She stated the initiative is assembling a list of rights teachers working with them would like to assert moving forward.
"The Teachers Bill of Rights isn't actually the Teachers Bill of Rights. It's something that we crafted after discussing with teachers across the state what they think they would like to see as their rights as teachers and that includes t.he right to associate professionally as they choose...A lot of educators want employee freedom. Others want to be rewarded based on job performance."
Parker said the Commonwealth Foundation is available to assist teachers thinking about leaving their union or who just want to understand more about the process.
"We will answer teacher's questions, help them go over their collective bargaining agreement, and figure out when their resignation windows are. We can help them find a voice and be that voice for teachers who just want to be able to make decisions that are best for their own lives."
