Former Washington Educator and Critic of Union to Discuss Case
 
      Interview Availability:  Cindy Omlin
      Northwest Professional Educators Executive Director
     The Supreme Court case, Washington v. Washington Education Association,
 to be heard on Wednesday, January 10, is a pivotal case in protecting
 teachers' First Amendment rights. The case addresses the 1992 Washington
 paycheck protection law that requires unions to gain permission from their
 non-members before their money is used for political purposes. The
 Washington Supreme Court ruled that this law places an undue burden on the
 union. The U.S. Supreme Court will answer the divisive question of whether
 the union's First Amendment rights trump the constitutional rights of
 teachers.
     "No one has the right to take our money and spend it on causes we don't
 believe in," said Cindy Omlin, executive director of Northwest Professional
 Educators. "In a country that places such a high value on freedom, it is
 incredible that the constitutional rights of an individual can be so
 severely violated."
     Cindy Omlin Biography
     Cindy Omlin is the executive director of Northwest Professional
 Educators, a non-union, professional educators' organization. Previously
 Ms. Omlin was a speech-language pathologist in Washington state public
 schools. She published information about teachers' rights and exposed union
 expenditures and political activities in a quarterly newsletter, including
 information which eventually led to the Washington State Attorney General's
 lawsuit against Washington Education Association for seizing mandatory
 collective bargaining fees for illegal political spending. (This work led
 to the current cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.)
     Omlin has testified for teachers' rights of free speech and association
 in regard to union membership at the Washington State Legislature and the
 United States Congress. She is a former member of Spokesman Review Board of
 Contributors for editorial columns. A frequent commentator about teachers'
 rights, Ms. Omlin has extensive experience working with television, radio
 and print media.
     About Northwest Professional Educators
     Northwest Professional Educators is a non-union professional educators'
 organization focused on students as educators' highest priority and
 improving the professionalism of education. In Washington, public school
 employees must pay the union a workplace representation fee whether they
 are members of the union or not. NWPE believes that educators should have
 the option to pay dues to the union. NWPE is an affiliate of the
 Association of American Educators. http://www.nwpe.org
     Media Contact: Heather Reams, 877.385.6264 or heather@aaeteachers.org
 
 

SOURCE Northwest Professional Educators