The Los Angeles teachers union and school district are being sued by a teacher who claims union dues are being deducted from her paychecks in violation of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
Irene Seager seeks class-action status for the lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court against United Teachers Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Unified School District. She was identified by the Los Angeles Daily News as a teacher at Porter Ranch Community School.
Negotiators reached a contract agreement the same day that resulted in the end of a teacher strike, with educators heading back to classes Wednesday.
The lawsuit states that the union says Seager can only revoke dues authorization deductions during a 30-day annual period.
The lawsuit also says Seager signed a dues authorization card on April 6, 2018, when it was a condition of employment to either join the union or pay union fees as a non-member.
The Supreme Court ruled in June that government workers can’t be forced to contribute to labor unions that represent them in collective bargaining.
In July and August, Seager notified the union in writing of her resignation from UTLA and that she no longer consented to dues deductions.
The union and district did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment on the lawsuit.