Increased Fee Refunds to Nonunion Teachers Backed

By Jeanne Ponessa

About 700 nonunion teachers seeking to reclaim a portion of the fees they paid the California Teachers Association last year are entitled to more money than the union offered, a state arbitrator ruled last week.

The teachers, who must pay fees each year for bargaining and professional services, are entitled to apply for an annual refund of the portion of those fees that the union spends on political activities. Teachers who disagree with the refund amount offered by the union may seek arbitration.

Last week's ruling concerned the roughly 700 teachers who appealed their 1995-96 fees on the grounds that the union had miscalculated the amount it spent during the...