Teacher Freedom Alliance launches union for pro-America educators

A new alternative to mainstream teachers’ unions launched on Friday for teachers with “American values.”

The Teacher Freedom Alliance (TFA) is an initiative of the Freedom Foundation, which has fought what it calls radical teachers’ unions that pull government strings to advance their own agenda.

“We’re launching the Teacher Freedom Alliance to be the alternative to the teachers’ unions when it comes to the ‘benefits’ they provide,” Aaron Withe, CEO of the Freedom Foundation, told The Lion.

“We want to be better than them, and we want to give teachers something they can be proud of, something they can be proud to be a part of, something that we can grow in scale to undo the teachers’ unions’ monopoly.”

The TFA will be open to all educators whether they come from public, charter or private schools. Withe expects 500 members to register within the first week and hopes to reach four-figures by the end of the first year.

He expects TFA teachers will share “American values which we think is most public-school teachers.”  

“What we’ve found is that teachers, especially in public school today, are sick and tired of the teachers’ unions and their woke ideology,” Withe explained. “They’re sick and tired of paying all this money to a union receiving very little benefits. And then at the same time those dollars are being used to advance a political agenda that they don’t agree with.” 

Teachers’ unions – both local and national – have come under criticism over advocacy for far-left issues such as abortion, illegal immigration and what critics call the alphabet soup of LGBT, CRT, DEI, SEL and BLM. 

Even teachers who only join their local or state union are still ultimately funding the agendas of the national unions, which spend tens of millions on political lobbying. 

In contrast, the newly formed TFA won’t charge its members any dues and promises to stay away from radical ideologies. 

“We aim to be apolitical – pro-America, pro-capitalism. They should not be ideological issues,” Withe told The Lion. “But the teachers’ unions have made a lot of these issues political. 

“The left and these teachers’ unions – that’s where they are today. They’re about critical race theory, they’re about DEI, they’re about Black Lives Matter, they’re about transitioning minors, and sex ed. These are issues that the vast population does not agree with and certainly teachers are a part of that.”  

The Teacher Freedom Alliance will use donations to fund its programming and resources.  

Member educators will have access to free financial services, professional development credits, and alternative curricula. The Freedom Foundation will also provide liability coverage at cost.  

However, the alliance will not engage in contract negotiations or bargaining. 

Oklahoma’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters spoke at the TFA launch event and criticized old-school unions for harming teachers.  

“They tried to kill those signing bonuses we gave,” Walters said. “They tried to kill the merit pay that gives up to $120,000 per year for a teacher that’s high-quality. And guess what? I’m proud to announce that our teachers’ union membership is at a 30-year low in Oklahoma.” 

Walters and Withe both noted unions are failing to address student behavioral issues and making it more difficult for teachers to discipline students effectively.  

And union membership isn’t just down in Oklahoma.  

The National Education Association – America’s largest teachers’ union – lost over 12,000 members during the 2022-23 school year, the Freedom Foundation previously reported. 

And in the 2021-22 year, the NEA and the American Federation of Teachers lost a combined 59,000 members.