SOME TEACHERS ANGRY OVER DUES OBJECTORS REFUSE TO PAY UNION FEES.

Byline: Jennifer Hamm Staff Writer

GLENDALE - A group of Glendale teachers say union leaders have violated the new contract and acted in bad faith by refusing their request to be exempt from paying union dues.

District officials say as many as 20 teachers have been denied a ``principled objector exemption,'' a provision of the contract between the Glendale Unified School District and the union that allows teachers to donate money to charity in lieu of paying dues.

``I was shocked and infuriated,'' said David Platt, a physics teacher at Crescenta Valley High School whose request for an exemption was denied. ``It goes against the flavor of the contract.''

District officials say they are in discussions with Glendale Teachers Association leaders to resolve the matter. In the meantime, teachers have not yet been required to pay the union dues.

Some district officials say they are concerned about the union's recent actions because it was a dispute over this issue that stalled negotiations for a year.

The union argued that all teachers in the bargaining unit should be required to pay dues because they all benefit from the raises and benefits negotiated by the organization.

But school board members opposed the so-called agency fee, arguing that teachers should not be required to give money to an organization against their wishes.

As a compromise, the union and school district agreed to exempt teachers with a principled objection, allowing them to donate money to one of a list of approved charities.

To qualify for the exemption, teachers must have a ``personal, fundamental principle'' objection to joining the union.

Platt said he applied for the exemption because ``the principled objection for me is the way I view the world.''

``Personal autonomy and individual liberty is the highest standard to me,'' Platt said. ``The unions are about being a group.''

Teachers Association President Ken Niemeyer refused to comment on the issue.

But in correspondence with Platt, he wrote, ``The letter you submitted requesting objector status provides evidence that you did not file objector status request in good faith.'' Some district officials say they are upset by the union's recent actions.

``Some of us feel very betrayed because this agreement would not have happened if we did not believe in the good faith and integrity of the union and its representatives,'' said school board member Chuck Sambar. ``We may have been naive.''