Schools again barred from collecting union dues

DETROIT (AP) -- A Michigan law that prohibits school districts from helping unions collect dues is back on the books. Federal Judge Denise Page Hood erased an injunction that had suspended the law for more than a year. She acted Wednesday after an appeals court recently struck down her 2012 decision. The law was approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature and signed by Gov. Rick Snyder. It stops payroll deduction of union dues paid by teachers and other school employees and forces them to write a check. Hood said lawmakers were trying to starve unions. But the appeals court, in a 2-1 decision, said an end to payroll deduction doesn't end a union's right to free speech. Published: Fri, Jul 12, 2013