TN Teachers’ Union Abandons Lawsuit for Paycheck Fee Deductions

A Tennessee ⁤teachers’ ‌union has made the decision to dismiss a lawsuit ​it filed against⁢ a new state law. This law prohibits the ‌union from ‍deducting association fees from teachers’ paychecks.

The Tennessee ​Education Association, ⁤representing over 45,000 teachers, chose to⁢ dismiss the lawsuit after a three-judge panel denied their motion to temporarily​ block‌ the law.

Following the union’s voluntary offer to⁢ dismiss the ⁢suit, the court ordered its dismissal without prejudice.

The ⁣law not only⁢ prohibits ​paycheck deductions but also raises the minimum salary for⁤ teachers to $50,000 by the 2026-2027 school year.

Prior to the union withdrawing its ‌suit, the court ⁤ stated ‍ that the union’s⁤ arguments were ​unlikely to succeed.

“We hold that the Plaintiffs are unlikely to succeed on the merits of either claim,” ⁣the court said. “Plaintiffs have failed to show that the Act substantially impairs​ either ⁤set of contracts implicated by the change in the payroll deduction process.”

Initially, the union argued that the law was unconstitutional.

“Sliding a⁢ payroll ‌dues deduction ban in a bill ⁢to raise the minimum pay was a ‌cynical‍ attack on Tennessee teachers,” expressed Tennessee Education Association ⁣president Tanya ⁤Coats⁣ in ⁢June. “The ban‍ was ‍mean-spirited, and the ⁣way it‍ passed was unconstitutional.”

The union has invested ⁤millions of dollars in​ political lobbying. J.C. Bowman, the executive ⁣director⁤ of a non-partisan⁢ teachers’ association called Professional Educators of Tennessee, stated that the majority of the funds go towards supporting left-leaning causes.

“Teachers’ unions consistently rank among the top spenders on ​politics,” Bowman told ⁢ the Tennessee Star. “Their goal is not improved public education,⁢ but rather power, money, and⁤ influence. Most of‌ those dollars go to candidates on the left. It is easy to observe that teacher unions ‌have donated​ millions‍ to political campaigns, mostly ‍going ​to ⁤Democratic candidates and committees.”