(The Center Square)—Another public school employee filed suit against a union to stop dues from being taken from her paycheck.
This time it comes a year after leaving the union, six months after asking again and following numerous calls and letters asking for dues to end, according to the lawsuit.
Katrina Vanderveer, a 10-year school paraprofessional serving the past three years at Pike-Delta-York Local School District in northwest Ohio, sent a letter to quit the union in June and asked the Ohio Association of Public School Employees to stop taking dues from her check.
According to the lawsuit, that hasn’t happened.
“In yet another case, the Ohio Association of Public School Employees has refused to stop taking ‘dues’ out of our client’s paycheck,” said Jay R. Carson, senior litigator at The Buckeye Institute and an attorney representing Vanderveer. “As in our other cases, The Buckeye Institute is asking the court to order the government union to stop its illegal wage theft.”
According to the lawsuit, the union initially told Vanderveer her opt-out window didn’t start until Oct. 4. At that time, she sent another letter, but the union again refused to stop taking dues. She sent additional letters on Nov. 12 and Dec. 12, and again, the union refused.
Vanderveer wants the union to stop taking dues and refund the money taken after she quit. She also wants the union to cover costs and attorneys’ fees.
Similar lawsuits have come with more frequency recently.
Earlier this month, two other school employees and a public transit worker also sued with help from The Buckeye Institute, claiming a similar situation.
In February, the Liberty Justice Center sued on behalf of a Perry Local School District employee also to stop union dues from being taken from her paycheck after withdrawing from the union.