SPOKANE, Wash., June 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Northwest Professional Educators (NWPE) today applauded the anticipated ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in favor of a group of teachers in the combined cases of Washington v. Washington Education Association and Davenport v. Washington Education Association. The court unanimously determined that the First Amendment rights of the state's largest teachers' union did not outweigh the First Amendment rights of the non-union member teachers who had brought the case.
"The Supreme Court today has validated the idea that teachers should not have to pay for politics they do not support," said Cindy Omlin, executive director of NWPE. "This ruling is a tremendous victory for teachers who have waited 15 years for a final decision."
The case centered on the constitutionality of Initiative 134, which states that non-members' fees may not be used in political contributions made by the union without first giving their affirmative consent. The WEA argued that the law caused an "undue administrative burden" for the union to have to obtain this consent, while the state argued that the teachers had already opted out of union politics once by refusing to join, and should not be made to opt out a second time.
Many of the teachers who choose to opt out of union membership then join NWPE, an independent professional teachers' organization. NWPE represents 300 teachers in the state of Washington.
"This is a triumph for all teachers who feel that they should not have to pay for the union's politics," said Omlin. "Their voices have been heard."
Northwest Professional Educators is a nonprofit, non-union, professional educators' organization focused on students as educators' highest priority and improving the professionalism of education. NWPE welcomes educators of any education entity including teachers, administrators and support staff, and provides members with liability insurance, legal services, professional development resources, teacher scholarships/classroom mini-grants, and a voice on education issues. NWPE is an affiliate of the Association of American Educators. http://www.nwpe.org/.
Northwest Professional Educators
CONTACT: Cindy Omlin of Northwest Professional Educators,
+1-800-380-6973, info@nwpe.org
Web site: http://www.nwpe.org/
http://www.aaeteachers.org/
