Contact: Marsha Richards, Communications Director
(360) 956-3482

Attorney General files suit against NEA

OLYMPIA, WA - Washington State Attorney General Christine Gregoire filed a lawsuit against the National Education Association late yesterday afternoon in the Thurston County Superior Court.

The suit charges the NEA with illegally spending fees taken from nonmember teachers* to advance political causes, and stems from a complaint filed by the Olympia-based Evergreen Freedom Foundation, a non-profit public policy research organization.

The case was referred to the Attorney General this week after being investigated by the state’s Public Disclosure Commission, a campaign finance enforcement agency. Commissioners found the NEA guilty of “apparent multiple violations,” but felt their maximum fine of $2,500 was not sufficient for the magnitude of the case. The Attorney General can request fines of up to $10,000 per violation.

A similar lawsuit against the NEA’s state affiliate (WEA) resulted in a $400,000 fine last year, the largest in state history for campaign finance violations. The WEA was also required to return nearly $200,000 to teachers.

“We’re pleased the Attorney General is aggressively pursuing this case,” said Marsha Richards, EFF’s communications director. “Her office did a good job investigating the WEA last year, and only a thorough investigation will uncover the full extent of the NEA’s violations.”

* Teachers who opt out of the union become “agency fee payers.” They are required to pay fees equal to regular union dues (average annual dues: $733), but state law strictly prohibits the use of agency fees for political activity without permission from individual teachers. There are about 4,000 nonmember teachers in Washington state.

Evergreen Freedom Foundation P.O. Box 552, Olympia, WA 98507 Phone: (360) 956-3482, Fax: (360) 352-1874 Email: effwa@effwa.org