Last September, union president Michael Mulgrew sent a letter to his members that included a warning and a reminder.

"The Janus case is paid for and brought to us by people who want to destroy unions so your benefits and rights can be taken away," wrote the United Federation of Teachers chief, referring to the Supreme Court-bound challenge to mandatory dues. "As we brace for this challenge ahead, remember that all of us together are the union."

Mulgrew’s audience presumably values its benefits. But past patterns in union activism — as well as recent anecdotal reports — suggest that even after months of outreach and despite its potential implications, a surprisingly large number of teachers aren’t familiar with Janus v. AFSCME. The case, brought by an Illinois child welfare worker, challenges the constitutionality of agency fees — what unions charge non-members for their share of collective bargaining costs — on the basis of free speech.

The awareness level is likely to get a bump in coming weeks as the UFT works to consolidate support in a crescendo of protest leading up to oral arguments on February 26. But so far anxiety about a threat Mulgrew has called the UFT’s "number one issue," and for which the leadership has been preparing since an earlier high court challenge in 2015, apparently hasn’t seeped far into schools.

Read the full article about the lack of knowledge about Janus vs. AFSCME by David Cantor at The 74.