Oregon teachers bust NEA-affiliated union, form new group to ‘put students and our community first’ 

Oregon teachers have overthrown their costly and bureaucratic union in favor of an independently run, student-centered alternative. 

The Powers Education Association (PEA) – an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA) – was recently ousted after a year-long effort by frustrated educators.

“We just wanted a union that put our students and our community first,” said Gabe Shorb, president of the newly formed Cruiser Educators Association. “No politics, no top-down bureaucracy. Just real, local representation by teachers for teachers to better serve students.”

For years, teachers’ unions have become more politicized, donating millions to Democrat campaigns and lobbying for pro-LGBT, pro-abortion and other radical-left policies in contract negotiations.

Now, even public-school teachers are getting fed up with the antics of their unions.

Teachers in Oregon’s Powers School District began working to decertify the PEA in 2024 and voted unanimously in September to oust the NEA affiliate.

Unlike its predecessor, which cost teachers $1,100 in annual dues, the Cruiser Educators Association won’t charge educators a single penny.

“This is a perfect example of what happens when educators realize they don’t have to settle for a union that doesn’t serve them,” said Aaron Withe, CEO of the Freedom Foundation, which helped launch the new union.

“The Powers teachers chose independence, accountability and transparency – and we were proud to help them every step of the way.”

The Freedom Foundation’s mission is to fight entrenched public-sector unions by helping employees assert their rights.

“Public employees who are fed up with their incumbent union are realizing they can replace it with a self-governed, independent local association,” explained Freedom Foundation’s labor policy expert Allison Beattie.

“Instead of these entrenched unions that bleed money from members and provide little or no services, public employees like the teachers of Powers deserve independent unions that are directly responsive to their members and cost far less.”

Unionization in America has hit a record low with only 9.9% of American workers belonging to a union in 2023. By comparison, 13.4% of workers were unionized in 2000. In the 1950s, it reached a high of 33.5%.

In recent years as unions became more politicized, some states have passed policies, such as paycheck protection, to prevent unions from taking advantage of employees.

Meanwhile, Florida recently passed a law requiring unions to have 60% membership to maintain their certification. Subsequently, over 30 Florida unions lost their certification because so many of the workers they claimed to represent didn’t want to be members.

Even when states don’t have such policies, employees such as the teachers of Powers are showcasing alternative options available to the public.

(Image credit: Pixnio)