NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Finn Laursen (CEAI) 888-798-1124

P.O. Box 45610 • Westlake, OH 44145 • http://www.ceai.org

April 30, 2013

Teachers’ Union Confronted to “Set My People Free!”

Los Angeles, California, April 30, 2013--The Center for Individual Rights (CIR) with Jones Day partner, Michael Carvin, serving as lead counsel has filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Central District of California against the National Education Association (NEA) on behalf of Christian Educators Association International (CEAI) and its California members. NEA is the largest teachers union in the nation. CEAI is asking the courts to stop the NEA and its local and state affiliates from forcing educators who choose not to join the union to pay fees in their support.

“The NEA and its affiliates support issues that many of our members do not want to invest in such as abortion and same-sex marriage and the union opposes other issues many of our members support such as school choice and other forms of school reform,” said CEAI Executive Director Finn Laursen.

In California teachers can opt out of the union, but are still required to pay union fees unless their objection is religious. As such they must go through the cumbersome process to become a religious objector in which case fees must be surrendered to a charity approved by the union. CEAI is simply asking the courts to free its members from being forced to contribute financially to support a union agenda they do not agree with or to be compelled by the union to financially support a charity.

“Forcing our members to financially support a union they choose not to belong to for the opportunity to practice their profession seems contrary to the principles our forefathers penned into our Constitution. We are not questioning teachers’ rights to form or join unions, the rights of unions to collective bargain, or the practice of unions promoting liberal agendas, political issues, or candidates. We are simply asking that teachers be set free from being forced to financially support the union and its activities,” explained Laursen.