GROUP FILES LAWSUIT OVER CTA FEE.Byline: Harrison Sheppard Sacramento Bureau SACRAMENTO - As voters weigh a similar measure on the November ballot, a legal foundation filed suit Thursday to prevent the California Teachers Association The California Teachers Association (CTA), initially established in 1863 as the California Educational Society, is by far the largest teachers' union in the state of California. It is considered by many to be the most powerful union in California. from collecting an extra fee to fight Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's special election package. The lawsuit by the Virginia-based National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is a non-profit, independent and charitable organization. It provides free legal assistance to employees whose civil rights have been violated by compulsory unionism. The National Right to Work Foundation was established in 1968. seeks an immediate injunction to prevent the CTA An abbreviation for cum testamento annexo, Latin for "with the will annexed." from using or collecting a $60 fee it recently imposed on its 335,000 members to fund opposition to the governor's special-election ballot measures. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of teachers who said they don't want their dues going to the campaign. While they acknowledged that there is a process to refund the money, they said it takes too long and is too difficult. ``It means that I will have to give them a forced loan,'' said Judy Liegmann, a fifth-grade teacher from Sunnyvale. ``They get to use my whole $60 to fight a political battle that I don't necessarily believe in.'' Liegmann is not a full CTA member, but under state law pays dues to the organization for representation in collective bargaining collective bargaining, in labor relations, procedure whereby an employer or employers agree to discuss the conditions of work by bargaining with representatives of the employees, usually a labor union. . The CTA is considered one of the leading groups in the anti-Schwarzenegger effort and has already contributed about $23 million to the effort. Full union annual member dues are $603, including the $60. The lawsuit was announced as the CTA is leading efforts to fight the ``paycheck protection'' measure, Proposition 75, on the Nov. 8 ballot. Schwarzenegger endorses the measure, although he was not directly involved in crafting it. Proposition 75 requires public employee unions to seek annual approval from each member to use a portion of the member's dues on candidates and campaigns. Currently, members are allowed to opt out, but they are not asked on an annual basis. If they take no action, the money is withheld and used for political purposes. The lawsuit also names as a defendant the California Faculty Association, a smaller and less politically active group that represents college and university educators, that imposed a similar fee on its members. The foundation and several teachers it represents held a news conference to announce the lawsuit on the sidewalk A Microsoft service that was launched in 1997 to provide online arts and entertainment guides on the Web for major cities worldwide. In 1999, Microsoft sold Sidewalk to Ticketmaster, which continued to provide guides, ticketing and other information to the MSN network. in front of a CTA office in Sacramento. Foundation vice president Stefan Gleason said he and the teacher plaintiffs would not let themselves be bullied bul·ly 1 n. pl. bul·lies 1. A person who is habitually cruel or overbearing, especially to smaller or weaker people. 2. A hired ruffian; a thug. 3. A pimp. 4. by the tactics. ``In the spirit of silencing dissent An explicit disagreement by one or more judges with the decision of the majority on a case before them. A dissent is often accompanied by a written dissenting opinion, and the terms dissent and dissenting opinion are used interchangeably. , they came out to try to intimidate in·tim·i·date tr.v. in·tim·i·dat·ed, in·tim·i·dat·ing, in·tim·i·dates 1. To make timid; fill with fear. 2. To coerce or inhibit by or as if by threats. the teachers who were trying to assert their constitutional rights,'' Gleason said. ``It didn't work.'' |
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