A California teachers’ union is effectively baring white members from running for a particular executive board seat. History teacher Isaac Newman is suing the union under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. His goal is to prevent the union from, as he alleges in his complaint, segregating its members and imposing a racial litmus test on those seeking the union leadership position.

Teacher Objects to Racial Politics in Union & School District

Isaac Newman teaches history in Elk Grove Unified School District in the suburbs of Sacramento, California. He has been a member of the local teachers’ union, the Elk Grove Education Association (EGEA), for about 10 years.

Isaac wants to focus on educating students, but he believes his union’s advocacy for DEI principles makes it harder for teachers to do their jobs. Especially when the district requires 28 hours of mandatory trainings. So, he resolved to change the union from within by joining its executive board.

Union Adopts Racial Litmus Test for Leadership Position

In 2023, Isaac’s union created a “BIPOC At-Large” board position, which was approved by the local union’s statewide affiliate, the California Teachers Association. To run for this board seat, a candidate must complete a nomination form and check a box confirming that the candidate “self-identifie[s]” as a member of a racial minority group.

Above: Screenshot of the checkbox on the EGEA’s board candidacy form.

Isaac filled out the nomination form but could not in good conscience check the box. He was, therefore, barred from running for the board seat simply because of the color of his skin.

Teacher Sues Union for Discrimination & Segregation

Isaac filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the union violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act to defend his rights. His lawsuit says it is unlawful for a “labor organization” to “discriminate against… any individual because of his race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.”

The complaint alleges the union’s racially segregated board seat violates state law, too. California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act prohibits “discriminat[ion] against any person because of… race… in the election of officers of the labor organization.”

Isaac’s goals are to force union officials to end the “BIPOC At-Large” board seat, as well as prevent the union from creating similar positions that discriminate based on race. He also hopes to stop the union from racially segregating its members and officials.

“Race-based discrimination is both immoral and illegal, yet my union has decided to segregate its ranks by imposing a racial litmus test as a requirement to run for this board seat. Union officials apparently believe that the best solution to America’s shameful history of discrimination is more discrimination. I believe that their actions are an illegal and a divisive distraction from our educational mission.” — Isaac Newman

Newman v. EGEA is before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California.

Documents

• Complaint against Elk Grove Area School District — May 24, 2024
• News Release — May 30, 2024

June 14, 2024: “Nearly 60 years ago, the Civil Rights Act promised an end to the segregation that had plagued America. Unfortunately, the teachers union to which I belong has resuscitated that shameful practice, and so I’m fighting it in court.”

June 2, 2024: “An Elk Grove teacher is suing his own union for discrimination, saying the union won’t let him apply for a board position because he’s White. High school history teacher Isaac Newman, thumbed through the discrimination lawsuit he filed against his own union after he tried applying for a newly created “Black, Indigenous, people of color board (BIPOC) member seat.”

May 31, 2024: “A white teacher in Sacramento County is suing his union for reserving one seat on its governing board for a non-white member — an issue of diversity versus discrimination that is percolating in courts across California.”

May 30, 2024: “Isaac Newman, a teacher in the Elk Grove School District, on Friday filed a federal lawsuit against his local National Education Association affiliate for allegedly violating his Title VII civil rights. The suit alleged that the Elk Grove Education Association formed a seat on its executive board that was only available to candidates of color, meaning Newman wasn’t eligible.”