School district, union fined in teacher right-to-work case

CLARKSTON (AP) — An Oakland County school district and its teachers union each have been ordered to pay $500 for violating Michigan’s right-to-work law.

The Michigan Employment Relations Commission says the Clarkston district illegally extended an agreement with the union to 2016 to try to get around the law.

The law, which took effect in 2013, says no one can lose their job for failing to support a union. Teacher Ron Conwell says he was told he would have to pay a service fee when he quit the union in 2015.

Conwell got help from lawyers at the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. President Mark Mix says the union made a “desperate attempt” to keep money flowing.

The Clarkston Education Association and its parent organization are appealing.