Nevada: Union told to reinstate teacher
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
The Clark County Education Association was wrong to expel a dissenter from its ranks and was ordered to reimburse Ron Taylor for his expenses in challenging his expulsion, the Local Government Employees-Management Relations Board ruled this week.
The board, a state entity that resolves unfair labor practices, ordered the teachers union to restore Taylor's full rights as a member, which include union representation at school grievance hearings, malpractice insurance and discounted movie tickets.
Taylor's expenses in the case could cost the education association about $10,000.
Because the union was guilty of "prohibited labor practices," a public statement or posting will be made of the case. Taylor said he was going to make sure the posting is "on every union bulletin board in every school in Clark County."
The board ruled that Taylor's expulsion could have "a chilling effect" on other members who wanted to criticize the education association, which represents teachers in the Clark County School District. The union also showed "personal animosity" toward Taylor and never tried to work with him on his concerns, the ruling states.
Taylor, a middle school teacher who represented himself before the state board, said the union tried to get rid of him for raising questions about how the union was spending its money and for criticizing the union's health care benefits for members.
Taylor said the union had accused him of breaking its code of conduct for members, but the case fell apart because of insufficient evidence.
A hearing to contest a member's expulsion would normally take 90 days, Taylor said, but the union dragged it out over two years and hired a law firm to file counterclaims, which increased Taylor's expenses....click to continue.
