Lancaster County teacher sues state’s largest teachers’ union

A Penn Manor teacher has filed a lawsuit over how the state’s largest teachers’ union uses his union fees.

In the suit, history and economics teacher Chris Meier argues that he should be allowed to redirect the fees he is required to pay to the Pennsylvania State Education Association, of which Meier is not a member.

Meier wants the fees to go to a group that fights compulsory unionism.

PSEA has balked.

Now Meier, and a retired Chester County teacher with a similar complaint, are suing, under a state law that allows individuals with religious objections to union membership to instead direct that fee — about $435 per year — to a nonreligious charity. The union must agree to the selected charity.

Planned Gap bottleneck project construction cost now $10.3 million

The price tag of the planned Gap Bottleneck project has increased by $2.2 million.

And picked up at least one more critic.

“We’re really concerned about this,” said Dennis Groff, a Paradise Township supervisor and the township roadmaster.

“I’m a believer in ‘if you build it, they will come,’ ” Groff told PennDOT representatives Monday.

Speaking at the Transportation Technical Advisory Committee meeting, representatives of the state Transportation Department’s District 8 reported the cost of the Gap project had increased from $8.1 million to $10.3 million.