Suit was filed this week in an Oregon federal district court against the Portland school system and the Portland teacher's union by a Jewish teacher who was born in Israel who contends that his First Amendment rights are violated by forcing him to be part of a bargaining unit represented by a union that promotes anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian positions and by the school becoming a one-sided forum for anti-Israel rhetoric. He also claims a hostile working environment has been created. Even though plaintiff chose not to become a dues-paying member of the teacher's union, under Oregon law the union remained his collective bargaining representative. The complaint (full text) in Doe v. Portland Association of Teachers, (D OR, filed 5/19/2025) alleges in part:
63. [Palestinian] flags and other symbols were in common spaces such as hallways, the library, as well as shared classrooms. The placement was intentional so as to appear to be an expression of the community and school rather than any individual staff person.
64. These symbols ... cause severe emotional distress to Plaintiff because of his experiences growing up in Israel, including personal exposure to acts of terrorism committed to destroy the State of Israel, and because of his deeply held religious beliefs....
97. When Plaintiff reached out to PAT for support, PAT assigned him a union representative who publicly shared anti-Zionist views on social media, thus the Plaintiff did not receive fair or unbiased representation from PAT....
121. Oregon’s statutory requirement of exclusive representation, placing the Plaintiff in a bargaining unit exclusively represented by PAT, violates the Plaintiff’s free association by forcing him to associate with expression with which he disagrees, and which betrays his deeply held religious and moral beliefs....
127. Oregon’s exclusive representation laws compel Plaintiff ... to tacitly affirm beliefs that violate his deeply held religious beliefs and personal convictions as a condition of employment....
140. ... [C]urricula put forward in the District’s classrooms purports to define aspects of Plaintiff’s faith, which includes the belief in a Jewish homeland, in ways that are inconsistent with his beliefs, but that are consistent with the religious teachings of other faiths, including the beliefs of some Muslims.
141. The District allows displays of overtly anti-Israel messaging, including maps that fail to display the nation of Israel....
144. By these actions, the District prefers and promotes religious views and practices in violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment,,,,
The Oregonian reports on the lawsuit.
