Seven Teachers Sue On 'agency Shop'

Seven Ann Arbor" teachers who are threatened with termination of their contracts have asked the Washtenaw Circuit Court to find illegal the master contract requirement that they must either join the Ann Arbor Teachers Association or pay fees equal to the membership cost. by the board before dismissal. If none requests a hearing, the board by a majority vote must decide if non-payment of dues or fees is "reasonable and just cause" for dismissal. In their complaint, the seven teachers have asked the court to enjoin the school board from proceeding under the tenure act A hearing is set for Thursday before Judge James R. Breakey Jr. They contend that this provisión of the master contract signed by the Ann Arbor Board of Education last Aug. 23, is contrary to the Michigan Teachers Tenure Act, to state law which they say does not until the court determines the legality of the requirement. Eleven Warren teachers who refused to pay similar fees have a case pending in Wayne County Circuit Court challenging an "agency shop" clause in their master contract. Originally, 11 teachers here had failed to comply with the permit "cío sed shops" or "agency shops" for public employés including teachers, to the guarantee in the master contract that the board won't influence the teachers to join or not to join the teachers' association, and to their individual contracts. The seven teachers have each master contract provisión and were included in the AATA's request that their employment be terminated. Since Jan. 17, four have either joined the association or paid the fees. The teachers who filed the suit here are Gordon Johnston, Charles Barnes, George Coash, Helen Fink, Marjorie refused to join the associationi or to pay the f ees, and on Jan. 17 the AATA asked the Board] of Education to termínate theirl employment. The board on Feb. 7 passed a resolution to institute proceedings u n d e r the Michigan Teachers Tenure Act. Under the act, any of the teachers can request a hearing! schmidt, George Stangl and Jack Winans. All are described as classroom teachers and two have tenure.