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Investor's Business Daily

V I E W P O I N T

May 16, 1999

Judge Blocks NEA's Political Shell Game

 

   These are not happy days for Bob Chase, president of the National Education Association.   An important ruling handed down last week in California gives us a glimpse into why.

In an ongoing suit against the NEA's California affiliate, the California Teachers Association, US District Court Judge Charles Legge ordered a halt to the collection of all CTA dues at eight Bay area school districts because the union continues to refuse to provide audited financial statements showing just what the CTA bosses are doing with teachers money...

The California Teachers Association is not alone in trying to hide the true extent of its political spending.  In Washington state, the NEA affiliate was fined $15,000 just last month for refusing to turn over documents subpoenaed in a lawsuit filed on behalf of teachers by the Evergreen Freedom Foundation.  Those documents, since turned over, constitute what the trial judge has called a "smoking gun," pointing to the true extent of the union's political activity...

What remains to be seen wis who has the most to lose if the NEA continues to lose in court: the teachers union leadership or liberal candidates it continues to support with other people's money.

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