Proposed Arizona ballot referral would block teachers unions from organizing on campus

PHOENIX – Arizona voters might be asked to ban school districts from using public money and resources to support teachers unions.

The Arizona House approved a ballot referral on the subject, House Concurrent Resolution 2040, on Tuesday and sent it to the Senate. Republicans control both chambers of the Arizona Legislature, which can put questions on the ballot without the governor’s signature.

Marisol Garcia, president of the Arizona Education Association, said the measure would prevent teachers from communicating on behalf of a union during school hours and on school property.

“It would block educators from meeting in their own schools to discuss workplace issues. It will override existing agreements and contracts between school districts and employees and ban payroll deduction for union dues, while allowing it for things like insurance companies,” Garcia said during a press conference last week.

Teachers union leader says proposal would hurt students

The Arizona Education Association is the state’s largest teachers union. Garcia said it provides more than 20,000 educators with services that help them grow in their careers, support them in the industry and encourage career retention.

She said restricting teachers’ ability to organize would end up hurting students.

“We lift up issues that our students are facing. Whether it’s economic issues, whether it’s class-size issues, whether it’s resources issues, we’re the ones that raise our hand to say, ‘Hey, there’s something wrong in my classroom. We should talk about it.’ By taking away our collective voice to do that, you’re actually hurting the work and the interests of the students in our schools,” she said.

Additionally, discouraging educators from participating in union collaboration could have an effect on retention in a state that is struggling with a teacher shortage, she said.

The Republican lawmakers behind the resolution did not respond to requests for comment.

Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.

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