Teachers rally at Arizona Capitol to speak against multiple bills targeting teacher unions

Dozens of unionized teachers rallied at the Arizona Capitol Wednesday in protest of several bills at the Legislature targeting their conduct.

Senate Bill 1435 would make it illegal for teachers and librarians to refer minors to any books or media with sexual conduct.

House Concurrent Resolution 2040 would bar school resources from being used for union purposes.

House Bill 2313 would make it illegal for teachers to strike or engage in an organized work stoppage.

House Bill 2575 would bar teachers from engaging in antisemitic conduct. But it would allow any member of the public to submit a report to open an investigation into teachers.

The Arizona Education Association says the bill would weaken liability protections for teachers.

Marisol Garcia is president of the Arizona Education Association. She says the bills would curb union members’ ability to meet and weaken protections for educators.

"This should be a non partisan issue. We’re workers who meet after school and before school using our first amendment rights who want to be part of an organization," Garcia said.

All four bills have gained momentum at the Legislature, each of which passing their respective chambers.

Gage Skidmore/CC BY 2.0