This is the third piece in a series examining why so many Washington educators feel trapped, silenced or misrepresented by the unions that claim to speak for them.
The job of a labor union is simple: represent members’ interests with respect to wages, hours, benefits and working conditions.
That’s the bargain. That’s the mission. Everything else is mission creep that fractures unity rather than building it.
And yet unions like the Washington Education Association have drifted so far to the left that many educators barely recognize the organization attached to their name.
Instead of focusing on classrooms, pay, and professional respect, WEA has planted ideological flags on some of the most volatile cultural issues in America; these issues include graphic sexual content in K-12 curriculum, highly controversial books for minors, and battles over parent notification in schools.
Right now, the WEA, through its support of the Washington Families for Freedom coalition, is actively campaigning against two citizen-initiated measures to the Legislature filed by Let’s Go Washington. The first (IL26-001) would restore broader parental rights in public schools by repealing recent legislative changes to the original Parents’ Bill of Rights. The other (IL26-638) seeks to protect fairness in girls’ athletics by requiring biological sex verification and barring students defined as biologically male from female competitions.
Supporters turned in far more than the number signatures required to qualify for a spot on the ballot, 416,201 for IL26-001 and 445,187 for IL26-638, on Jan. 2.
Reports of harassment and threats against signature-gatherers surfaced repeatedly during the process, yet overwhelming public support prevailed.
Both measures have been received by the Secretary of State and are now before the Legislature for consideration. Absent legislative approval prior to next fall, they are expected to appear on the November 2026 ballot (pending final signature certification).
National polling consistently shows strong majorities, often 70% or more, oppose biological males competing in girls’ sports. On parental rights, the public demand for transparency and involvement remains clear and support continues to grow.
Washington families land on one side. The union lands firmly on the other, with educators caught in the crossfire.
But, the real problem is not any one singular issue. It’s that the union is engaging in ideological warfare at all.
A union cannot demand unity while pushing politics that divide its own members. You cannot credibly claim to represent everyone while knowingly alienating a large share of the people whose dues fund your operation, and whose voices you speak for under exclusive representation.
The consequences are now visible inside classrooms.
When an educator publicly characterizes parents with different beliefs as a threat to his or her safety and demands policies to avoid teaching the children of families who hold differing views, that’s not labor representation. It is turning the public classroom into a political battleground.
When such extremism is tolerated, or even amplified rather than immediately condemned, it reveals how far the culture has drifted.
At some point, staying silent stops being neutral. It becomes surrender.
It’s easier to keep your head down, pretend that none of this matters, and hope it blows over. But silence does not make the union neutral. It simply allows the union to keep speaking on your behalf.
Your name. Your profession. Your dues.
All used to advance a political agenda many educators never agreed to fund, and that non-members forced into exclusive representation do not support.
This is not about left versus right. It is about the basic expectation that a union should represent teachers, not attempt to reshape the culture of an entire state.
Every educator still has choices.
If you want to speak publicly, speak. If you value privacy, you still have a voice. You can resign membership, keep your existing job protections, and remove your financial support from politics you do not endorse.
You can stop paying to be misrepresented.
When a union abandons its core mission, members are the only ones who can pull it back. No court will do it for you. No leader will volunteer to surrender power.
Silence is easy. Integrity takes work.
Washington’s educators deserve a union that reflects their profession, not their politics.
The Teacher Freedom Alliance offers a real alternative: professional development, liability protection and community without the political baggage.
Visit us to learn how to opt out and take control.
Matthew Hayward is Director of Strategic Outreach at the Freedom Foundation.
