NJ teachers sue over $40 million campaign boost for union president

NJEA used member dues to get its president elected governor. He finished fifth

By: Hannah Gross
October 2, 2025

Two New Jersey public school teachers sued the state’s largest teachers union, alleging it improperly spent $40 million in teachers’ dues on former union president Sean Spiller’s failed campaign to become governor.

Roselle teacher Marie Dupont and Hamilton teacher Ann Marie Pocklembo allege union leadership intentionally misrepresented how members’ dues would be used and caused harm to union members. Their lawsuit against Spiller and the New Jersey Education Association was filed in state Superior Court Tuesday.

“This is not only a betrayal of trust, it is the definition of a conflict of interest,” Dupont said Tuesday. “The president of the NJEA should never be allowed to turn teachers’ dues into their own political war chest without teachers’ knowledge or consent.”

When she joined the union, she did not check the box on her union membership card saying she wanted to contribute to the union’s political action committee, Dupont said.

“But a handful of insiders ignored that choice and broke that trust,” she told reporters.

…

Read full article here!