A Michigan labor judge says teachers should be allowed to quit the state’s largest teachers union any time they want.
As The Michigan Public Radio Network’s Jake Neher reports, the Michigan Education Association only allows members to leave during the month of August.
The judge ruled that’s illegal under Michigan’s right-to-work law - which took effect last year. But the MEA disagrees. It says there’s nothing in the law that specifically bans unions from limiting the period of time members can opt out.
Steven Cook is the president of the MEA. He says they plan to appeal the ruling.
“This is an opt-out period that we’ve had for 40 years,” he says. "A year ago, 1,500 members managed to navigate their way through it.”
The MEA says fewer than five thousand members left the union during the opt-out period last month. They say more than 95% of members have chosen to stay with the union. The Michigan Employment Relations Commission must approve the ruling before it can be enforced.