Teacher lawsuit against California Teachers Association and others dismissed
Published: October 14, 2015
Last week, a federal district court dismissed a law suit filed by four California teachers who are union members against the California Teachers Association and other state and national teachers' unions. The plaintiffs alleged that the unions, operating under the color of state law, compel teachers to join the union because of the various benefits the unions provide to members, including disability insurance and legal representation. According to the plaintiffs, this results in a violation of their First Amendment and state free speech rights because the unions use member dues to engage in political and ideological activities. The judge dismissed the suit, holding that the plaintiffs' complaint lacked “state action,” a basic requirement for establishing a violation under applicable federal law.