Oklahoma bill to prohibit school officials from pressuring teachers into union activities advances

A new Oklahoma bill advanced by the Senate Education Committee aims to prevent school officials from exerting pressure on teachers to engage in union activities.

“I want to emphasize that we should treat our teachers as the professionals they are,” said Sen. Julie Daniels, R-District 29, the bill’s sponsor.

Under Senate Bill 1513 school officials would be barred from coercing district employees to engage with employee organizations or statewide professional educators’ associations.

The measure includes restrictions on distributing union materials and granting preferential access to union leaders over other employee organizations.

Opposition to the bill came from state Sen. Carri Hicks, D-District 40, a former teacher and union member, who criticized it as a solution to a non-existent problem.

“I’ve never seen anything that would lead me to believe that folks in school buildings are being coerced to listen to presentations,” Hicks said, according OCPA.

However, Daniels countered, citing personal experiences and instances where teachers were forced to attend union presentations.  

“I certainly have a personal example some years ago with a family member working for a particular school district where they were required – even though they were not joining an employee organization – to be present and listen to presentations from that organization,” Daniels said. 

The bill, supported by Republicans and opposed by Democrats, passed the Senate Education Committee with an 11-2 vote. 

It now awaits consideration on the floor of the Oklahoma Senate. 

Stories of district employees being coerced to meet or communicate with teachers’ unions isn’t isolated to Oklahoma.  

In December, the United Teachers of Dade (Florida) was accused of sending organizers into county public schools to pressure two teachers into joining the union. 

According to the complaint, one teacher alleged the vice principal of the school called her to the teachers’ lounge during work hours, where the organizer was waiting to ask about a union membership. 

“I used to be a UTD building steward, and I was so disgusted with the union that I left it,” the teacher responded, according the New York Post. “Why would I want to pay dues?” 

The second complaint alleged an organizer made “loud and shaming remarks” about a teacher trying to “verbally pressure” her into paying union dues while she was using the restroom. 

Days later the teacher was approached again in the hallway where she was asked to fill out a form authorizing payment of union dues. She denied again. 

The complaint stated the organizer “bullied and belittled” the teacher.