ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Legal Newsline) – Six current and former teachers in Alaska have filed a suit against a labor union over paying agency fees.
Tracy Crockett, Kathryn McCollum, David Nees, Carol Carman, Dolores McKee and Donn Liston, on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated, filed a complaint on Aug. 2 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska against NEA-Alaska; Matanuska-Susitna Education Association, et al., citing the Declaratory Judgment Act.
According to the complaint, the plaintiffs are current or former public-school teachers and allege their rights were violated because they were forced to pay "agency fees" to NEA-Alaska and affiliates as a condition of their employment. The plaintiffs are suing on behalf of four classes: agency fee payers, religious objectors, those who chose to remain a union member dispute opposing the union's activities, and non-union teachers who wish to negotiate their own terms of employment.
The plaintiffs seek a declaration that they and class members have a right to decline to join or financially support the union, award of costs, attorneys' fees, and grant all other relief that the court deems just, proper, or equitable. They are represented by John B. Thorsness of Clapp, Peterson, Tiemessen, Thorsness & Johnson LLC in Anchorage, Alaska.
U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska Case number 3:18-cv-00179-JWS