Posted on 10/14/2005 7:34:20 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO (AP) - The state's largest teachers union on Friday asked district attorneys in three counties to investigate an e-mail sent to more than 90,000 teachers by supporters of Proposition 75, the union dues measure on the November ballot.
The California Teachers Association said the e-mail from the Yes on 75 campaign illegally used school district resources for a political campaign.
The message was sent Wednesday and urged teachers to vote for the initiative, which would require unions to get their members' annual written permission before dues could be used for political purposes.
"Here's the bottom line: Our current leadership is on the verge of bankrupting the CTA to fund a political agenda that many of us do not support," read the e-mail, which was attributed to teachers Lillian Perry of Fontana and Larry Sand of Los Angeles.
The teachers association said the e-mail violates a section of the state education code that says, "No district or community college funds, services, supplies or equipment shall be used for the purpose of urging the support or defeat of any ballot measure or candidate."
The union said the e-mail violates the law because it was received by teachers on their school district computers.
"It's insulting that it was sent to them at their schools," union president Barbara Kerr said.
Supporters of the measure, which is endorsed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said the law applies only to employees and government bodies. The campaign said it obtained the e-mail addresses through public sources such as district Web sites.
"We're an outside entity that sent an e-mail in and cost government resources absolutely nothing," said Colleen McAndrews, attorney for the Proposition 75 campaign. "I'd be astonished if any district attorney used their precious resources to try and use this section against our free speech."
The union asked the district attorneys in Alameda, Sacramento and San Diego counties to investigate. It said it had confirmed that the e-mails had been received in those counties but was continuing to investigate reports from elsewhere.
Officials in the Alameda and Sacramento county district attorneys offices said they had not received the letter late Friday. The San Diego office declined comment.
CTA = SUCKS!
NEA = SUCKS!
Oh, the outrage!!
Does the union ever object when they email their members to vote Democratic?
Just wondering.......
Exactly. My son is a teacher and I e-mail him daily; that's how we keep in contact because he can't take phone calls in the classroom. This costs the school or taxpayers a penny. Sounds like sour grapes to me.
Can someone say: "FREE SPEECH VIOLATION" here?
My bad. This does NOT cost the school or taxpayers a penny.
So if the campaigners sent out smoke signals from across the street of a school, would the union have a right to sue since teachers might be able to view the messages from a vantage point using school property, e.g the blacktop ?
I doubt this is the first time a political message has been sent over the public school email system. Probably the unions do it all the time.
I'm not defending the CTA or the NEA. But my wife is teacher in California and she never gets political emails from her union. I know this to be true as I just asked her.
When do the citizens of California vote on this proposition?
The first rule when in quicksand is to quit digging.
Delphi has a message for you, check your email.
Nov 8
Define political. You have a huge credibility gap here.
Do they use government computers to make the automatic deduction from her paycheck for union dues, which are then used for political purposes?
QED.
November 8th... It can't get here soon enough.. ;-)
What's that got to do with political emails?
This is a misuse of capital equipment issue. If I must explain, emails go through school computers. Paychecks go through school computers.
Actually, you could probably figure out a lot of teachers email addresses just from the internet...
This is hiliarious....the unions saying you can't electioneer using school district resources...they have been doing it for decades!
But my commenst, the very comment you chose to rspond to was about using school equipment to send emails, not other issues.
If I must explain, emails go through school computers. Paychecks go through school computers.
I am CCNA certified, I know full well what takes place in the average computer network. But thanks anyway.
The teachers association said the e-mail violates a section of the state education code that says, "No district or community college funds, services, supplies or equipment shall be used for the purpose of urging the support or defeat of any ballot measure or candidate."
What absolute hypocrisy! They can use their dues, but not their pencils and paper? What a crock these unions are.
Note that the email was received, not sent. But again - that is not the issue - thus I chose not to directly respond to your not understanding the issue.
I'm so glad your certified.
Read post after yours. Capital equipment.
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