Ahead of Janus, union haters are collecting teacher names.

Is a group with connections to the conservative Catholic group Opus Dei using FOIA to gather names of union teachers in Illinois?

In a memo that was passed on to me, IEA locals around the state are being asked to closely monitor any FOIA requests.

The state union is warning local leaders that it is an “urgent” situation since the Supreme Court could rule on the Janus case as early as May. Janus would deprive unions of the right to fair share and agency fees in exchange for the right to due representation of members. If the court rules against teacher unions, it would be a devastating blow.

The IEA memo mentions a shadowy group called the Parents Foundation for Education as the one filing the FOIA request.

PFA has ties to the conservative Opus Dei.

This is to let you know that the Parent’s Foundation for Education has sent a FOIA request to a significant number of Illinois school districts asking for:

·  Campus (or office building name, for staff)

·  First Name

·  Middle Name

·  Last Name

·  Position

·  Grade Level(for teachers)

·  Subject Area taught (for teachers)

·  Certified in Area of Instruction (for teachers)

·  Any state certifications such as “LBS1, LBS2, ELL, etc.”

·  Home Address

·  School Email

·  Personal Email

·  Personal Phone Number

·  Gender

·  Race/Ethnicity

·  Hire Date

·  Years of Experience

·  Current Salary

Some of the districts received these requests as early as September 2017 and they are continuing across the country.  Because of that, the IEA is recommending the following:

1.       Find out from your district if they have received the request, and if so, ask for a copy of the request and the district’s response.

2.       Ask your district that it give you notice immediately after such requests for member information are made and provide you with a copy of the request.  Check your CBA for any language already mandating your district to provide your local with such information.  If your CBA has such language, make sure the district complies with the contractual obligations.

3.       If you determine that such requests have already been made or are made in the future, you should take the following actions:

a.       start 1:1 campaigns, in which every member is talked to by a local leader/supporter;

b.      conversations should include the value of their locals-IEA-NEA and unions in general;

c.       in these conversations, share that “Out-of-state” groups or “In-state” groups, such as the Illinois Policy Institute, affiliated and funded by out-of-state groups will likely be contacting them about dropping their membership;

d.      point out that these groups are funded by billionaires who are making decisions about their profession(s);

e.      talk about how these groups want to take away their freedom to join whatever professional groups members want to join;

f.        implicate corporations which want to harm working people who devote their careers to helping people;

g.       explain that these groups want to take away their pensions, paychecks, benefits, and voice in their workplace and before state policy makers;

h.      do NOT use the terms “right wing” or “conservative” to describe these groups.

These steps need to be taken now.  There is no time to spare.  These groups are ready to attack your membership as soon as the Janus decision is issued, which could be as early as May.