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Janus v. AFSCME decision, whether favorable or not, will have wide-ranging implications for public-sector union employees and education at large

(Washington, D.C.) – On Monday the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments in Janus v. AFSCME. The significance of this case cannot be overstated; the decision could potentially restore the freedom of public employees to choose how they want their hard-earned paychecks spent, and might put decisions about voluntary union membership back into the hands of the employees themselves.

According to the Manhattan Institute, the decision can affect 5 million public workers across 22 states including California, Illinois, and New York.

The case results will also have implications for the quality of education we deliver to our children. The teachers’ unions fight hard to protect mediocrity, even in failing schools, and support policies that keep ineffective teachers in the classroom, a taken-for-granted practice which in turn discourages more quality entrants to the profession.

Union demands for teachers to all behave and comply with fixed rules about how schools are run stifle innovation.

The largest teachers’ unions in the U.S., the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, are also among the largest political donors of all time, together spending the second most in political donations nationally. Many of the policies and politicians they support, and programs they seek to have implemented prevent children from escaping failing schools and deny parents their due power to determine which education best meets the needs of their children.

Leaders on both sides of the argument will be at the Supreme Court Monday. CER and its leadership will be on site to arrange interviews, and CER Founder & CEO Jeanne Allen will be available for comment. For more, contact Christina Mazzanti at (202) 750-0016 or [email protected], and for information on-location Monday contact Patrick Korten at (202) 288-4307 or [email protected].