Judge Dissolves Injunction in Michigan Dues Suit

Michigan Education Association officials, desperate to keep forced dues rolling into their coffers.  Brian Smith has the story at mlive.com.

A federal judge  signed an order Wednesday dissolving a preliminary injunction which blocked the state of Michigan from enforcing a law prohibiting schools from collecting dues for teachers’ unions.

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled in May in a 2-1 decision that the injunction should not have been granted in a lawsuit brought by the unions after Gov. Rick Snyder signed a 2012 law prohibiting schools from collecting dues on behalf of the unions through payroll deductions.

As a result of the injunction, the state had been barred from enforcing the law, which was targeted specifically at teachers’ unions. Snyder said in 2012 that the legislation would promote transparency and “ensure that public resources are used solely for their intended purposes.”

The Michigan Education Association had argued the law unfairly targeted teachers and could increase costs to schools. The law does allow schools to continue collecting dues until collective bargaining agreements expire or are changed or extended.