Mission

The Teachers Paycheck Protection (TPP) Project has been underway since 1996, and was initiated at the request of teachers who called themselves "Teachers for a Responsible Union." These teachers were concerned that their union dues were being used to support political candidates and initiatives with which they did not agree. The Evergreen Freedom Foundation came to the defense and aid of these teachers and began the TPP Project.

This project has two simple goals: 1) protect the First Amendment right to political free speech of Washington state teachers and workers and 2) advance responsible and representative government that fulfills the obligations of Initiative 134—public disclosure of election influences as well as paycheck protection from union officials wanting to use dues for lobbying purposes contrary to the politics of the union payer. Because accomplishing these goals could bring a stop to the political might of the Washington Education Association (an affiliate of the giant lobbying organization, the National Education Association), the TPP Project has faced extreme opposition from the union.

Washington was the first state to enact a law requiring unions to obtain annual written permission from workers before using their payroll deductions for politics. Initiative 134—adopted in 1992 with 72 percent support—is based upon the constitutional prohibition on compelled political speech. Not surprisingly, more than 85 percent of teachers chose to not support the Washington Education Association's politics once the paycheck protection law was adopted.

Not willing to release the reins of control so easily, the WEA took steps to circumvent the law. By the 1996 election, the union collected less than $10,000 per month from voluntary sources, but nonetheless executed an aggressive $2 million political plan.

The battle is not yet over for the teachers and other workers who are exploited by union officials' political appetites. State enforcement authorities have proven unwilling to stop the unions' practice of skimming from mandatory dues for their political war chest.

The mission of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation is to advance individual liberty, free enterprise and responsible government. Our efforts center around providing public policy research and alternatives in the following areas: state budget and tax policies; welfare, health care and education reform; and citizen and governance issues.

Timeline

Contact Us

Evergreen Freedom Foundation P.O. Box 552, Olympia, WA 98507 Phone: (360) 956-3482, Fax: (360) 352-1874 Email: effwa@effwa.org