Public education is supposed to model reason and maturity. It is supposed to show students how to disagree without losing control.
Yet every time the Freedom Foundation informs public workers of their constitutional rights, a vocal fringe of union supporters reveals exactly why so many educators feel trapped in silence.
Most teachers respond with curiosity or appreciation. Some ask questions.
And then there’s the militant crowd. The ones who send death threats because they can’t handle the idea that someone might think differently.
Their messages drip with rage. Profanity. Fantasies about violence. Wishing death on our staff because we dare to tell people the truth.
These are the same voices that lecture everyone about creating a safe space in the classroom. The same activists who preach about bullying while behaving like the biggest bullies in the building.
They demand respect from everyone else, yet explode the moment they encounter speech that doesn’t align with their worldview.
Their commitment to free speech ends the moment the speech isn’t their own.
Too often, their peers cheer them on in private group chats and comment threads. Union leaders may not always be the ones who type the threats themselves, but they encourage the culture that produces them.
They know this intimidation keeps people compliant. It protects the steady flow of dues, and it ensures educators who might want to opt out stay quiet lest they become the next target.
This is why many public employees describe their union as a protection racket. They’re not paying for representation. They’re paying to be left alone.
They’re paying, so the same militant activists who scream threats at us won’t turn on them.
When the loudest voices are the most unhinged, everyone else learns to keep their head down for the sake of personal safety.
No teacher should have to work beside people who behave like this. No public servant should be pressured into financially supporting an organization that tolerates it.
If a business owner encouraged this culture, customers would walk away without hesitation. If a police officer sent messages like this, the badge would be gone by sunrise.
Yet in the union world, it’s treated as normal – admirable even.
This is what happens when an organization relies on coercion rather than service. The culture rots.
The professionals don’t set the tone. The deranged activists do.
The good teachers get drowned out by the bullies. The leaders look the other way because fear keeps people paying.
And anyone who dares remind workers that membership is a choice is attacked as though they committed a crime.
Most teachers want no part of this. They care about their students. They care about their craft. They want to be respected as professionals.
They don’t want to be associated with militant activists who behave like partisan political operatives instead of educators.
They know this is not healthy for any workplace, especially one built around children.
The Freedom Foundation won’t stop informing public workers of their rights.
The First Amendment doesn’t disappear because a union activist throws a tantrum.
If anything, these threats confirm exactly why our work matters. They reveal a culture that punishes dissent and calls it solidarity.
A culture that stifles free speech and calls it unity. A culture that bullies its own members while preaching the language of compassion.
No one should have to be tied to that. Not a teacher. Not a parent. Not any public employee who believes in integrity and respect.
And if the most radical defenders of the union behave like this, maybe the problem was never the Freedom Foundation.
It’s the culture inside the union itself.
The good news is that the Teacher Freedom Alliance is here to assist teachers directly, helping them deal with union bullying and earn professional development credits without having to go through union indoctrination centers.
We’re bringing an alternative to the corrupt teachers’ unions and the toxic culture they create.
If you’re an educator or know someone who is, send them to TFA and get connected.
Together, we will fight back against the suppression of free speech and a woke agenda that supports a protection racket.
Matthew Hayward is Director of Strategic Outreach at the Freedom Foundation.
