{"id":2228086,"date":"2024-04-23T12:18:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-23T16:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/l-a-teachers-fight-with-union-appealed-to-supreme-court\/"},"modified":"2024-04-23T12:23:25","modified_gmt":"2024-04-23T16:23:25","slug":"l-a-teachers-fight-with-union-appealed-to-supreme-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/l-a-teachers-fight-with-union-appealed-to-supreme-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Los Angeles Teacher&#8217;s Union Dispute Heads to Supreme Court"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fl-a-teachers-fight-with-union-appealed-to-supreme-court%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2228086&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Glenn \u2064Laird&#8217;s legal battle with the \u200bUnited Teachers of Los \u2064Angeles (UTLA) revolves around\u200d his right to\u2062 opt out of union membership \u200cand dues. Laird&#8217;s refusal to fund speech he disagrees \u200cwith \u2062led to a\u200b lawsuit, \u200dappealing to \u2062the U.S. Supreme Court. The case highlights the \u200cclash between individual rights\u2064 and\u200c union\u2063 practices in a contentious <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/congress-has-officially-gone-gender-crazy\/\" title=\"Congress Has Officially Gone Gender Crazy\">legal dispute<\/a>. \u200bGlenn Laird is \u2062embroiled in a legal dispute with the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) over his refusal to support\u2064 speech he opposes by opting out of \u2064union membership \u200dand dues. This conflict\u2062 has\u200d escalated to the\u200b U.S.\u200b Supreme Court, underscoring the tension between individual rights and union \u2062policies\u2062 in\u2063 a heated legal confrontation.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Much to the annoyance of the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/california-school-teacher-with-no-interest-in-defunding-the-police-takes-stand-for-first-amendment-rights\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Glenn Laird<\/a> refuses to go away quietly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">After decades as a Los Angeles teacher, Laird is involved in a messy <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.freedomfoundation.com\/labor\/la-teacher-sues-utla-says-demand-to-defund-police-was-the-last-straw\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">lawsuit<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  with the union over its reluctance to allow him to opt out of membership and dues as prescribed by law. Last week, the case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What makes his experience so compelling for the public \u2014 and embarrassing for UTLA \u2014 is that Laird is neither a malcontent nor a union-basher by inclination. He is, in fact, a much-decorated educator who served for many years as UTLA campus chapter co-chair.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But when the union began advocating several years ago to \u201cdefund the police\u201d and put students\u2019 and teachers\u2019 lives at risk, he\u2019d had enough.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Over the years, Laird has witnessed countless violent acts on campus, including the death of a former student, and was outraged that UTLA would call for the removal of law enforcement from the district\u2019s schools.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cI couldn\u2019t in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/legendary-planned-parenthood-executive-out-after-quoting-donors-use-of-the-n-word\/\" title=\"\u2018Legendary\u2019 Planned Parenthood Executive Out After Quoting Donor\u2019s Use Of The N-Word\">good conscience continue<\/a> to pay dues to an organization that was campaigning against something that is so personal to me,\u201d explained Laird. \u201cI support fully funding the police to keep our students safe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">He responded by opting out of his UTLA membership and requesting it stop taking his money to fund messaging with which he disagrees.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">His legal right to do so is unequivocal. In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Janus v. AFSCME<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  that unions could no longer take public employees\u2019 money for use in political speech without their consent.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The ruling also specified that by agreeing to give money to a public labor union, workers are waiving their First Amendment right against compelled speech.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the case of Glenn Laird, UTLA tried to have it both ways.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They told Laird his previous agreement <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">was<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> an effective waiver of his First Amendment rights, even though he signed it before <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Janus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> was even decided.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even more to the point, the union refused to honor the terms of Laird\u2019s actual agreement, which allowed him to end the deduction of his money. He specifically <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">objected to<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> the last union agreement he signed with UTLA by striking out the language supposedly restricting his ability to end his membership at any time with a felt marker.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">UTLA kept taking his money without his consent anyway.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In other words, the First Amendment did not matter.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Left with no alternative, Laird took UTLA and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to federal court. Represented pro bono by the Freedom Foundation, he asked the court to rule on the scope of his constitutional rights, and to acknowledge UTLA\u2019s violations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But UTLA doesn\u2019t want a judge to decide the constitutional claims.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Instead, its leaders cut him a check for the money deducted from his pay without his consent and asked him to please drop the case.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This tactic has become all too common among public unions trying to avoid their responsibilities under the First Amendment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Laird refused to dismiss his lawsuit, and with good reason. Because his case is about more than the return of his money. In fact, Laird is donating the entire amount he received from UTLA to a nonprofit group that helps disadvantaged students in the Los Angeles area.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When judges at both the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-push-court-packing-temper-tantrum-after-leaked-supreme-court-draft-opinion\/\" title=\"Democrats Push Court Packing Temper Tantrum After Leaked Supreme Court Draft Opinion\">lower court level<\/a> and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the union, the Freedom Foundation filed a request with the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Glenn Laird\u2019s case is about a judicial acknowledgment and vindication of his First Amendment rights by a federal judge. As long as unions can cut checks using their members\u2019 dues dollars to make lawsuits disappear, judges will never have the opportunity to rule on the actual constitutional issues, rendering the First Amendment and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Janus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> decision meaningless.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cHopefully the Supreme Court will find my case worthy of making a ruling,\u201d concluded Laird. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Janus<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  set the stage, but now we need to build on that precedent so unions and lower court judges don\u2019t continue to ignore the Supremes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While it should not take a federal lawsuit for unions to recognize their responsibilities under the Constitution, UTLA doesn\u2019t get to put a price tag on the First Amendment and cannot kill a case by simply doing the right thing after the fact.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For one principled Los Angeles teacher, the fight is far from over.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>* * *<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Timothy R. Snowball is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/civil-rights-attorneys-submit-letter-to-manhattan-da-claiming-nypd-fbi-conspired-in-malcolm-x-assassination\/\" title=\"Civil rights attorneys submit letter to Manhattan DA claiming NYPD, FBI conspired in Malcolm X assassination\">civil rights attorney<\/a> with Freedom Foundation, where his practice is focused on protecting the First Amendment rights of government workers to make their own decisions about whether to join or support public sector unions.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) face resistance from longtime teacher Glenn Laird. In a legal battle over his right to opt out of union membership and dues, tensions rise as the lawsuit unfolds. Laird&#8217;s persistence challenges the union&#8217;s stance, creating a contentious situation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3088,"featured_media":2228087,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/04\/GettyImages-1399070257.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2228086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/04\/GettyImages-1399070257.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2228086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3088"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2228086"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2228086\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2228087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2228086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2228086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2228086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}