Dear Colleagues,

some of you may have received an unsolicited postcard from the Freedom Foundation (also known as Opt Out Today) or a similar group encouraging you to resign from the Faculty Federation and its parent organization, the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts (AFT MA). An example of the postcard is attached to this email.

The Freedom Foundation is a well-funded political project supported by wealthy, right-wing donors, like the Koch brothers, whose goals are to undermine public-sector unions because they fear the power that workers gain through collective bargaining, and the impact that power has on their profits and unchecked wealth. This outreach is part of a broader effort to diminish the role of collective bargaining and the influence that faculty and other public employees can exercise through organized representation.

While the messages you will hear from the Freedom Foundation and like organizations are framed as protecting “individual freedom”, the real objective of their efforts is to weaken the collective voice of faculty. When that voice is diminished, the consequences are clear: less influence over curriculum, diminished role in governance, and greater administrative control over teaching, research, and working conditions. By contrast, the Faculty Federation exists to safeguard faculty independence. The collective bargaining agreement negotiated between the Union and the Administration protects academic freedom, supports faculty governance, and ensures that professional expertise – rather than external pressures – guides our work. When faculty stand together as part of the Faculty Federation, we protect not only our compensation and our benefits, but also academic freedom, shared governance, and the integrity of our profession.

Membership in the Faculty Federation is voluntary. Following the 2018 Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME, public-sector employees cannot be required to join a union or pay dues. At the same time, unions remain legally obligated to negotiate and enforce contracts that benefit all members of the bargaining unit, regardless of membership status. As a result, every negotiated salary increases, every improvement in workload protections, and every defense of academic standards and due process rights apply to everyone.

Ultimately, this is a matter of professional commitment and collective strength.  When faculty, librarians and professional technicians stand together as members of the Faculty Federation, we secure better conditions for ourselves, for our students, and for the academic mission as a whole. The working conditions, benefits, and salary structures currently in place are the result of sustained faculty collaboration and advocacy over the past 60+ years. Should members resign from the Union causing its membership to fall below a critical numberthen the University could move to have the Faculty Federation decertified. The Federation’s collective bargaining agreement , with all its job protections, limits on workload, and guaranteed benefits then becomes meaningless. Everyone becomes an “at-will” employee who can be dismissed at any time, for any reason.

If you would like to let the Freedom Foundation know that you recognize and appreciate the work that the Faculty Federation does on your behalf, Stacey in the Union Office has stickers that say “I ❤️my Union” that you can use to obscure your personal details on the post card so that mailing it back just wastes the Freedom Foundation’s prepaid return postage. It also sends the message that we’re inoculated against their propaganda. 

In Solidarity!