Commentary
Op-Ed: Teacher Sues Union That Demands He Pay Dues For Almost A Year After He Resigned
Originally published in The Federalist.
The U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 told public employees who don’t want to pay for union political activity they oppose that they have a friend in the U.S. Constitution. Defending individual worker’s free speech rights, the court ruled in Janus v.AFSCME that government employee unions cannot force fees onto those who are nonmembers of the union.
Yet the leadership of the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) teachers union and its local affiliate, the Abington Heights Education Association (AHEA), are trying to force fees on teachers who have resigned their membership.
Despite Janus outlawing public-sector union fees as a condition of employment for nonmembers, key provisions of Pennsylvania’s labor statute allow “fair-share fees,” which are fees charged to nonmembers.
Unions have made…