Giving Compass' Take:

• The upcoming ruling of the Janus case may allow members who disagree with union activity to opt out of membership. Carolyn Phenicie at The 74 reports that many unions are cutting their ties with state and national affiliates to save local memberships ahead of the expected decision. 

• This ruling will have ripple effects across our education system, and those involved in school-based initiatives should prepare to adjust strategy based on what happens next. Beyond the labor implications, how will public institutions be affected?

• Read more about the Janus case and union opt-out rules.

The Supreme Court’s pending decision in the Janus case has the potential to decimate the clout and size of public-sector unions by allowing members who disagree with the union’s activity to opt out of membership.

But another path to maintaining membership in local unions may be emerging: a split from the more divisive and politically charged state and national affiliates that turn off many of those disaffected members.

Local unions in Florida, Tennessee, and Indiana have split with state and national affiliates in recent years. The most notable break came earlier this year in Nevada, where teachers in metro Las Vegas broke from the Nevada State Education Association and the National Education Association in late April after questioning how their $6 million in annual dues were being spent.

“The teachers who pursue that are usually feeling under-supported by the state and national unions. They are aware of how much they’re paying in dues to the state and national unions and aware of what they’re getting back in services,” said Colin Sharkey, executive vice president of the Association of American Educators, a California-based, nonunion professional organization that says it promotes excellence and collaboration “without a partisan agenda.”

The group has assisted about a dozen local groups across the country to learn more about dissolving their association with state and national groups, he said, including referring them to local attorneys to help with the process.

Read the full article about the Janus ruling and teacher unions by Carolyn Phenicie at The 74.