A big shout-out to Billy Hallowell for spreading the word about a pro-life public school teacher who is taking on the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) in a bold move!
Linda Misja, a language teacher at Apollo-Ridge High School in Spring Church, Pennsylvania, has been in a three-year battle over her union dues. On June 18, she took the exciting step of filing a federal lawsuit to bring resolution.
In a similar situation to many other states, Misja is required to pay a “fair share fee,” which is a sum that teachers who are not part of the union pay due to the fact that they still benefit from contract negotiations despite not being members. The Fairness Center, which is representing Misja, has provided further information on this.
The union rejected People Concerned for the Unborn Child and the National Rifle Association Foundation as alternatives. However, the focus here is on the former.
Jodi Weigand of the Tribune Review explained what happened. The Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) lets people with religious objections give their fair share fees to “a nonreligious charity agreed upon by the nonmember and the union.”
In 2012, Misja, a Catholic, filed her religious objection because she believed the PSEA supported abortion rights. She expressed her concerns in a letter to the PSEA, saying, “It’s been a worry that my money might go to causes I disagree with.”
The rejection of the pro-life group and Jodi Weigand’s explanation show that Misja objects to her fees supporting causes that contradict her beliefs.
Weigand continued
According to the lawsuit, the PSEA first objected to Misja’s choice of People Concerned for the Unborn Child, a nonprofit pro-life organization that helps pregnant teens, saying that “it would be tantamount to sending your fees to a charity that furthers your religious beliefs,” according to the lawsuit.
The union said the money should go to a charity that counsels women on all options.
“I was quite shocked. I had no idea that my choice would be turned down,” Misja said. “I should have the freedom to put my money to a cause that I have a personal connection to and to a cause I believe in.”
The union said no to arbitration and gave a list of charities, including the March of Dimes and the American Heart Association.
In her lawsuit, Misja says the PSEA policy is wrong and infringes on her personal liberty.
Jodi Weigand’s report says Misja says the union’s actions violate her constitutional rights. She wants a court order to stop the union from censoring her charity choices.
In a June statement, Misja said her money, now over $2,000, is hers to spend as she wants. She said she has the right to choose which charity to donate to, not the union. To Misja, freedom means being able to support causes she believes in.
Daniel Miller is responsible for nearly all of National Right to Life News' political writing.
With the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, Daniel Miller developed a deep obsession with U.S. politics that has never let go of the political scientist. Whether it's the election of Joe Biden, the midterm elections in Congress, the abortion rights debate in the Supreme Court or the mudslinging in the primaries - Daniel Miller is happy to stay up late for you.
Daniel was born and raised in New York. After living in China, working for a news agency and another stint at a major news network, he now lives in Arizona with his two daughters.
