Kenosha, WI (June 9, 2014) – A lawsuit filed by current and former Kenosha public school teachers has prompted the Kenosha Unified School District and School Board to declare their collective bargaining agreements with several unions null and void. The recently agreed-upon settlement also requires the District and Board to refrain from forcing nonunion teachers and other staff to pay union dues or fees as a condition of employment.

The lawsuit was filed for one current and one former teacher with free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation and the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty. The lawsuit challenged several bargaining agreements between the District and the Kenosha Education Association union, the SEIU Local 168 union, and the AFSCME Local 2383 union. Those agreements required teachers and other District staff to pay union dues or fees to keep their jobs.

Under Wisconsin’s 2011 Act 10 labor reforms, most public sector employees cannot be forced to join or pay dues to a union as a condition of employment or accept unwanted union representation for matters other than base wages. In November 2013, however, the Kenosha School Board approved bargaining agreements with the unions covering numerous subjects Act 10 prohibits, including a provision that allowed union officials to collect dues from all District employees, including nonmembers.

On November 21, 2013, the teachers filed a lawsuit challenging those bargaining agreements in Kenosha Circuit Court with the help of Foundation and WILL attorneys.

“We’re happy to report that a settlement has been reached with the District and Board that requires them to respect the rights of teachers who wish to refrain from joining or financially supporting a union,” said Patrick Semmens, Vice President of the Foundation. “This agreement reaffirms the principle that no public school employee should be forced to pay union dues to get or keep a job.”

“Unfortunately, Wisconsin private sector and public safety employees still do not enjoy the same workplace rights as those covered by Act 10,” continued Semmens. “Wisconsin should build on the success of Act 10 by passing a full Right to Work law, which would ensure that no employee can be forced to pay union dues to get or keep a job.”

The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization providing free legal aid to employees whose human or civil rights have been violated by compulsory unionism abuses. The Foundation, which can be contacted toll-free at 1-800-336-3600, assists thousands of employees in about 200 cases nationwide per year.