"The state's largest teacher's union has joined the throng of plaintiffs suing the state over various actions driven by the state's budget crisis.
The Arizona Education Association's lawsuit, filed Thursday in Maricopa County Superior Court, seeks to overturn actions the Legislature took last summer that affect teachers and employment policy. Those actions were unconstitutional, the union argues, because they were taken during a special legislative session devoted to the state budget. The policy changes had nothing to do with the budget, the suit states.
The teachers are seeking an injunction to stop the policies, noting that many of the law's provisions are already being carried out at school districts across the state.
Among other things, lawmakers removed policies that set deadlines for issuing contracts, allowed seniority to be used as a factor in job-cut decisions and permitted union members to use personal time for union matters.
Legislators also blocked expansion of school districts' 'career-ladder' programs, which pay higher wages for higher-performing teachers.
This is the second time the AEA has taken its complaint to court. Late last year, it sought immediate relief from the Arizona Supreme Court, but the court declined to hear the case."
The Arizona Education Association's lawsuit, filed Thursday in Maricopa County Superior Court, seeks to overturn actions the Legislature took last summer that affect teachers and employment policy. Those actions were unconstitutional, the union argues, because they were taken during a special legislative session devoted to the state budget. The policy changes had nothing to do with the budget, the suit states.
The teachers are seeking an injunction to stop the policies, noting that many of the law's provisions are already being carried out at school districts across the state.
Among other things, lawmakers removed policies that set deadlines for issuing contracts, allowed seniority to be used as a factor in job-cut decisions and permitted union members to use personal time for union matters.
Legislators also blocked expansion of school districts' 'career-ladder' programs, which pay higher wages for higher-performing teachers.
This is the second time the AEA has taken its complaint to court. Late last year, it sought immediate relief from the Arizona Supreme Court, but the court declined to hear the case."
