Allentown Taxpayers Challenge Teacher Union Official Time

Allentown, Pennsylvania taxpayers are challenging the practice of footing the bill for union officials who work outside the classroom on union business.  This practice has been negotiated into thousands of monopoly bargaining agreements and has allowed union officials to save millions of dollars by not having to pay for their employees to work for the union hierarchy.  Matt Fair has the story in Law 360.

The suit, filed in the state’s Commonwealth Court on behalf of former school board member Scott Armstrong and city resident Steven Ramos, challenges the $1.3 million in district funds they say have been used to pay the salary and benefits of Allentown Education Association presidents since 2000.

“It’s absurd that Allentown taxpayers are being forced to pay a union employee’s salary along with health and pension benefits,” Ramos said in a statement. “How many students could be educated with the more than $1 million the district has given to a private organization? This misuse of public money must end.”