BOISE, ID – The Freedom Foundation filed legal complaints against multiple Idaho school districts last week alleging illegal collection of teachers’ union dues.
The complaints come weeks after the House passed a bill that would bar public school districts from giving union presidents paid leave for their duties and prohibit members of a teachers’ union from paying their dues through an automated payroll dedication system.
The Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy group founded in Washington, argued that Idaho districts are violating both state ethics and labor laws when they use taxpayer-funded payroll systems to collect union dues because part of those dues pay for electoral political activity. The Freedom Foundation is not affiliated with the Idaho Freedom Foundation.
In a statement, the Idaho Education Association said they do no use member due to fund political activity as defined in Idaho code.
“This is simply a publicity stunt from a desperate out-of-state lobbyist bankrolled by out-of-state, anti-union, anti-public education billionaires. These easily falsifiable complaints are lazy attempts to intimidate Idaho school districts into compliance with their extremist ideology,” IEA’s statement reads. “They are an attack on Idaho Education Association members, who are hard-working Idahoans dedicated to protecting public education and the well-being of this state’s children.”
The foundation filed complaints with prosecutors in Bonner, Bonneville, Canyon and Kootenai counties on Thursday, according to a news release. The foundation said 52 of the 82 Idaho school districts with active teachers union collect dues through their payroll system.
The group filed complaints against 12 school districts.
The foundation pointed to the Public Integrity in Election Act (PIEA) and the Right-to-Work Law, arguing both in different ways prevent public resources from being used for political activity or advocacy.
The complaints were filed despite House Bill 98’s passage in the House with the foundation citing concerns that the bill will not get a hearing in the Senate State Affairs Committee.
Sponsoring Rep. Judy Boyle, R-Midvale, argued last month that unions were getting a free ride.
“Many of us didn’t realize that this was being done, and that the teachers’ union was getting a free ride for many, many years while the districts were paying for things,” Boyle said.
Rep. Lori McCann countered that it was “disingenuous” to say that taxpayer dollars are being spent when teachers “check a box” in a payroll system electing to deduct union dues from their paychecks.
“That is their money,” said McCann, R-Lewiston.
McCann called the Freedom Foundation, which help craft the bill, an anti-union think tank.
Rep. Soñia Galaviz, D-Boise, a public school teacher and member of the Boise Education Association, said the bill unfairly targets teachers while exempting other public-sector unions.
“If there’s a concern that taxpayer funds are being used for union-related activity, it is curious that other public-sector unions were exempt in this legislation,” Galaviz said during debate over the bill.
She and her fellow Democrats were joined by 20 Republicans in opposing the bill.
Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org. Reporters Ryan Suppe and Kevin Richert contributed to this story.
