Long Beach : Vote Approves Dues for Non-Union Teachers

Teachers in the Long Beach Unified School District have overwhelmingly approved the imposition of union dues on non-union members. In mail ballots returned over a five-week period from December to January, about two-thirds of the 2,471 teachers who voted approved the idea of all teachers paying dues to the Teachers Assn. of Long Beach whether or not they are members.

The vote, which TALB has long sought, became an issue in last year’s school board elections. While the old board opposed the practice of across-the-board dues--called agency fees--a majority of the new board members who were seated last August said they were willing to abide by the results of an all-teacher vote.