The Center for Union Facts (CUF) today launched an aggressive national campaign, claiming that teachers unions protect incompetent teachers, demoralize good teachers, block reform, and ultimately hurt our public education system.

The million dollar advertising blitz features full-page ads this morning in USA TODAY as well as the New York Times, and a television commercial airing on CNN and Fox News.

The ad in USA TODAY announces CUF’s “Ten Worst (union-protected) Teachers” contest, which will be further publicized by a seven-story billboard going up in Times Square later this week.

The contest will allow anyone 13 and up to nominate the worst union-protected teachers in America.

Once CUF has identified the ten worst, it will offer each of them $10,000 to quit the profession forever. The purpose of the contest is to encourage teachers known to be incompetent to quit the profession because it is too difficult to have them terminated, according to a press release.

The ads also announce a new website called TeachersUnionExposed.com, which features original, previously unreported research about the union’s stranglehold on America’s schools. The site also highlights 20 cities for which we have obtained detailed information about how protections insulate against turnover despite poor student achievement, according to a press release.

“Teachers unions are failing children all over the country by protecting incompetent teachers and fighting to maintain the status quo,” said CUF Executive Director Richard Berman. “Worst of all, teachers unions hurt all of the amazing teachers in America by treating them exactly the same as incompetent teachers who shouldn’t be in the profession.”

Berman continued, “This campaign is an effort to shine a bright light on the damage inflicted on our education system by self-interested teachers unions. Furthermore, we are advocating on behalf of all the great teachers who deserve better than to be subject to old-fashioned union rules that deny them merit pay and other incentives to continue their excellent work.”

To learn more visit: www.TeachersUnionExposed.com. For further information or to arrange an interview please call Sarah Longwell at (202) 463-7106.

TeachersUnionExposed.com is a project of the Center for Union Facts. CUF is a non-profit organization supported by foundations, businesses, union members, and the general public.