My Education Policy Center friends truly have done it this time. They produced a 4-minute video about a Colorado school employee’s story that highlights an unjust policy:

Thank you, Colorado teachers unions. From the YouTube summary:

Due to family medical hardships, non-union Pueblo school employee Becky Robertson missed an annual deadline to opt out of union fee paycheck deductions. The union rejected her appeal. Though she had chosen not to be a union member, Becky ended up paying the union hundreds of dollars that could have been used for medical bills and other expenses. Why do Colorado laws allow this type of abuse to continue?

So let me get this straight. This nice lady didn’t belong to the union and couldn’t afford to pay for it. She had two immediate family members with serious medical situations. She missed a deadline at the beginning of the school year to send in a certified letter to the union to tell them not to take fees out of her paycheck. Yet despite her pleas, she got stuck with paying a year’s worth of union fees!

Yes, it’s true. Colorado law allows it to happen, and it goes on in seven different school districts. You can find more details on deadlines and procedures at our Independent Teachers website.