Teachers believe they should be able to join or quit a union at any time

Union membership is a personal decision. And a majority of U.S. teachers believe they should be able to make this decision whenever they want to.

According to a national poll of 1,003 teachers conducted by YouGov on behalf of Teacher Freedom, 84 percent of teachers agree they should be free to join or leave the union at any time. Sixty-three percent of teachers strongly agree.

But teachers who are union members are bound to resignation windows set by their union that limit when they can leave the union. For Minnesota teachers, their opt-out window was recently expanded from seven days in September to all 30 days of September, which falls during their busiest time of the year.

The expansion is good news, but the window still places an unnecessary burden on teachers looking to exercise their choice regarding union membership. This unreasonable burden, however, must be ruled on by a court of law, changed by the legislature, or recognized by the union before teachers’ civil rights are fully restored.

In the meantime, if teachers believe union membership is not the best choice for them, the most effective way to resign is to opt-out during the September window. Thankfully, there are resources to assist you in the process. EducatedTeachersMN will help you prepare your resignation letter in advance so you can enjoy the summer and focus on your students in the fall.

Visit EducatedTeachersMN.com to learn more about union membership options and sign up for an email reminder to send in your resignation letter during the opt-out window.