Commentaries
The Fairness Center represents clients in both the court of law and the court of public opinion. We have helped our clients tell their stories in local, state, and national news and opinion outlets to help them accomplish their goals. Read and share their stories below.
Opinion: How Public-Sector Labor Union Officials Feed Campus Anti-Semitism
By Nathan McGrath | The Wall Street Journal
“The experiences of Mr. Lax and Ms. Yaniv expose a structural problem for Jews at public universities. Join the union and face harassment and discrimination, or leave the union and lose any voice in the workplace. When CUNY and UC Berkeley officials appear before the House Education Committee, they should explain how they plan to resolve this Catch-22.”
Colorado Public Employees Deserve The Truth From Their Union Officials
By Nathan McGrath | The Colorado Sun
“The growing rift between Polis and organized labor shows that union officials are willing to cross their own… when their influence is threatened. That pattern doesn’t just stop at the Capitol. From Pueblo to Denver, union officials are stretching—and possibly breaking—the law to protect their power, undermining the rights of the very rank-and-file public employees they claim to represent.”
Opinion: All Colorado Public Employees Should Know Their Union Rights
By Nathan McGrath | The Denver Gazette
“With the examples of Pueblo and Denver—and those in other states—in mind, Colorado employees would be wise to educate themselves on their rights under state and federal law regarding union membership and representation. With lawmakers determined to expand union power, it may be up to employees to ensure union officials are also held accountable to the law.”
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Defenders Are Massive First Amendment Hypocrites
By John Grande | The Hill
“As a recently retired teacher who was a member of the union for decades, color me skeptical of the union’s commitment to the First Amendment. When I spoke against a union-approved DEI program and came under fire from school officials for my opinion, the union hung me out to dry.”
Why Teachers Should Support the Effort to Dismantle Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
By Isaac Newman | Los Angeles Daily News
“Enough. Teachers are consistently ranked among the nation’s most trusted professionals. It’s time to validate that trust by standing up to school administrators, teachers’ union officials, and others who put DEI above the classroom. What can teachers do? Three things: investigate, litigate, and campaign.”
Why Trump’s Anti-Semitism Crackdown Should Worry UC Berkeley Union
By Karin Yaniv | The Orange County Register
“Following President Trump’s executive order to combat anti-Semitism came reports that his administration has opened investigations at five U.S. universities—including at UC Berkeley…But investigators would be wise to also examine the role unions have played. My own lawsuit…should be enough to raise alarm bells.”
Opinion: Elk Grove, ca. Teachers’ Union Gets Civil Rights History Lesson
By Isaac Newman | The Sacramento Bee
“As a history teacher in Elk Grove Unified School District, I try to ensure that my students don’t learn the wrong lessons from the struggles of American history. But I taught my latest course on civil rights to adults in a courtroom, not students in a classroom.”
Opinion: Don’t Ignore Teachers’ Union’s Role in Campus Anti-Semitism
By Jeffrey Lax | The American Spectator
“The PSC—which promotes BDS and defends anti-Semitic statements—also represents me and hundreds of other Zionist Jews in collective bargaining, even if we have resigned from, or never joined, the union…Still, New York law says I must accept the union’s representation anyway—even if its leaders overlook or aid those seeking to drive me from campus.”
Josh Shapiro Rescued Me From Anti-Semitism, Can Continue Fighting for Jews
By Avraham Goldstein | The Jerusalem Post
“But Shapiro is the kind of leader who ‘lean[s]’ on his ‘faith’ and doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer – especially when he knows he’s in the right. How do I know? When he was just six, he launched a years-long campaign that helped my family escape Soviet antisemitism. Now, I’m facing antisemitism in America, and by supporting my cause again, Shapiro can double down on his advocacy for victims of hate – and steer others in his party to do the same.”
Opinion: New York Union Officials Should Live Up To Their stated Values
By Amber Welch | The Fairness Center
“I joined the union, which represents over 200,000 New York employees, as a dues-paying member in 2011. On its website, the union lists values like ‘full participation,’ ‘open communications,’ and ‘accountability’—values that I also subscribe to. But after a few years, I noticed some things that didn’t sit right with me.”
How we exposed corruption in Pennsylvania’s corrections Officer union
By Chris Taylor and Cory Yedlosky | Huntingdon Daily News
“To do our jobs as corrections officers well, we have to trust that our colleagues will be there when we need backup…Likewise, for years, we trusted our union to have our backs…But…state police arrested five former officials on felony theft charges. For many, this was a shocking betrayal of trust. But for us, it was no surprise.”
Opinion: Standing Up When My Pennsylvania Transportation Union Let Me Down
By Mindy McFetridge | The Center Square
“As a single mother, I’ve built my life around my daughter and her evolving needs […] I’ve become accustomed to overcoming obstacles at work and at home. My latest challenge involves both—defending myself from a union that made me choose between my daughter’s medical needs and my job.”