Educator Forced to Accept Union Representation
Thompson v. AFSCME, District Council 89
Case Summary
- Curtis Thompson is an education assistant for the Cumberland Valley School District in Pennsylvania.
- Curtis felt that his union no longer had his best interest at heart, so he asked his employer to stop deducting union dues from his paycheck.
- His union refused to honor his request to resign.
Educator Overcomes Union Resignation Restrictions
Curtis discovered a clause in his union contract that stood in his way. This “maintenance of membership” provision established a strict resignation process, open only during a specific 15-day window at the end of the current contract.
When his union refused to honor his request to resign, Curtis took to the internet and found the Fairness Center. On Curtis’s behalf, we filed a lawsuit against AFSCME, District Council 89 and the Cumberland Valley School District to protect his First Amendment rights.
Curtis’s case was settled to the mutual satisfaction of all parties, and he is no longer a member of AFSCME, District Council 89.
“I am forced to accept union representation I do not want, and do not need. I want to be part of the solution to problems in the education system. The union simply continues to be part of the problem.” – Curtis Thompson