Some California Teachers Suing over Politicized Union Dues Spending

California's Proposition 32, which would have blocked companies and unions from automatically deducting money from employees to use to fund campaigns or candidates, died at the polls in November. As Reason's Jesse Walker once argued, there are serious civil liberties issues with getting the government involved (well, more involved) in what should be a private relationship between employers and employees. If union members don't want their dues to be used on certain political campaigns, it's up to them to fight for change.

Now a small group of teachers in California are doing exactly that. They want out. The Associated Press reports:

Ten California schoolteachers filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the politically powerful California Teachers Association to escape paying union fees that they claim violate their free-speech rights.

The teachers — represented by the conservative Center for Individual Rights — are taking aim at laws that allow unions to collect certain fees from workers who don't want to join. The lawsuit argues that the fees end up supporting union lobbying and political activity, not contract negotiations as intended.

A CTA spokesman responded apparently unironically that the lawsuit was an attempt to dilute workers' rights.

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