Teacher Wins Racial Discrimination Lawsuit Against California Union
Newman v. EGEA
Case Summary
- When a California teachers’ union barred white members from running for a particular executive board seat, history teacher Isaac Newman sued the union under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. His goal was to prevent the union from, as he alleged in his complaint, segregating its members and imposing a racial litmus test on those seeking the union leadership position.
- The union folded within months, ending the segregated board seat, committing to not discriminating based on race in other union positions, and paying damages and attorneys’ fees.
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.
EGEA 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.
(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.
Isaac Sues Union for Discrimination & Segregation
To defend his rights, Isaac filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the union violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. 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 lawsuit gained local and nationwide media attention, garnering more than 90 media placements and more than 1 million social media views.
(Isaac Newman, a California teacher who successfully sued his teachers’ union for racial discrimination. Photo credit: The Fairness Center.)
Isaac Wins Lawsuit after EGEA Folds
Isaac’s teachers’ union, the EGEA, handed him a victory just months after the lawsuit was filed. The union ended the board seat that was only open to non-white candidates and passed a standing rule saying it would not discriminate in any union position. And a judges’ order required the union to pay Isaac $12,000 and to pay his attorneys’ fees.
“I’m delighted that my lawsuit forced union officials to admit something every high school student knows: Racial segregation is wrong. I hope this victory returns union officials’ focus to representing all teachers, rather than dividing us based on race.” — Isaac Newman
Case Status & Documents
- Complaint against Elk Grove Education Association
May 24, 2024 - News Release
May 30, 2024 - Plaintiff’s Request for Entry of Judgment
September 5, 2024 - Victory News Release
September 12, 2024
Newman v. EGEA is closed.
Media
Opinion: Elk Grove Teachers’ Union Gets Civil Rights History Lesson in Courtroom
Op-Ed | The Sacramento Bee
October 5, 2024: “As a history teacher in Elk Grove Unified School District, I try to ensure that my students don’t learn the wrong lessons from the struggles of American history. But I taught my latest course on civil rights to adults in a courtroom, not students in a classroom.”
White Teacher Declares Victory After Union Allegedly Tried to Block Him from Board Position Over His Race
News | Fox News
September 13, 2024: “‘My lawsuit is a victory for racial equality,’ Newman told Fox News Digital. ‘This is a massive victory, and we have forced them to within the space a couple months to surrender and admit that they were wrong.’”
California Teachers’ Union Drops ‘BIPOC’ Board Position After Discrimination Lawsuit
News | The National Desk
September 13, 2024: “‘I did everything I could to persuade my union to see the injustice of segregating teachers through this discriminatory board position, but they refused to see reason. Yet as soon as they heard from my lawyers, they backtracked, removed the racial requirement to run for election, and promised to never practice discrimination in other position.’”
Opinion: Why I’m Suing My Teachers’ Union to End Segregation On Its Board
Op-Ed | The Hill
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.”
Elk Grove Teachers Sues Union, Claiming He Can’t Apply for Board Position Because He’s White
News | CBS 13 News Sacramento
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.”
A White California Teacher Says His Union is Discriminating Against Him
News | San Francisco Chronicle
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.”
California Teacher Sues Teachers’ Union Alleging Racial Segregation, Discrimination
News Release | The Fairness Center
May 30, 2024: A California history teacher has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that a teachers’ union discriminated against him on the basis of race in direct violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and California law. Isaac Newman, who is white, took legal action because his union requires candidates for a union executive board seat to “self-identify” as a racial minority, excluding him from the position based on the color of his skin.