News Notes: Employers Not Liable For Union’s Inadequate Notice

Nonunion public school teachers are required to pay “fair share” union fees in return for benefits they receive from collective bargaining. In return, the union must give these teachers a written explanation concerning the basis for the fee. Eight nonunion teachers who did not receive an adequate fee notice sued school district superintendents, claiming that the district illegally deducted fair-share fees from their paychecks. Now the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that the deduction of fees from the teachers’ paychecks was proper because the school districts had no duty to ensure that their employees received proper notice from the union.