Opinion ID: 2571612
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Issue 3: Did the district's denial of KANAAE's access to the mail system violate KANAAE members' First Amendment right of association?

Text: For KANAAE's last argument, it alleges that the district's denial of its access to the mail system, although required by statute, violates its members' right to freedom of association under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Our review of constitutional questions is unlimited. In re Tax Application of Lietz Constr. Co., 273 Kan. 890, 906, 47 P.3d 1275 (2002). The school district correctly points out, however, that substantial doubt exists on whether a First Amendment challenge was raised in the pretrial order pursuant to K.S.A. 2002 Supp. 60-216(e) or was otherwise raised by KANAAE at trial. We acknowledge that the issue does not appear in the pretrial order or in the journal entry of judgment. Additionally, we have long held that where constitutional grounds for reversal are raised for the first time on appeal, they are not properly before the appellate court for review. In re D.D.P., Jr., 249 Kan. 529, 545, 819 P.2d 1212 (1991). Even if we were to allow KANAAE's argument under this jurisdictional basis, however, we reject it under the substantive law. Perry Ed. Assn. v. Perry Local Educators' Assn., 460 U.S. 37, 74 L. Ed. 2d 794, 103 S. Ct. 948 (1983), is on point. There, the Supreme Court considered whether the Constitution had been violated when a union that had been elected by public school teachers as their exclusive bargaining representative was granted access to school mail facilities, while such access was denied to a rival union. While the Court found that constitutional interests were implicated, it held there were no violations of the rival union's First Amendment rights. 460 U.S. at 54. The Court noted that the differential access provided the two rival unions was reasonable because it was wholly consistent with the district's legitimate interest in preserving the property for the use to which it is lawfully dedicated. Use of school mail facilities enables PEA [union] to perform effectively its obligations as exclusive representative of all Perry Township teachers. Conversely, PLEA [rival union] does not have any official responsibility in connection with the school district and need not be entitled to the same rights of access to school mailboxes. We observe that providing exclusive access to recognized bargaining representatives is a permissible labor practice in the public sector. 460 U.S. at 51. KANAAE's reliance on Healy v. James, 408 U.S. 169, 33 L. Ed. 2d 266, 92 S. Ct. 2338 (1972), is misplaced because its relevance would require that the KANAAE be similar to the student organization at issue there and not be a PEO as we have determined. Additionally, even if KANAAE were not a PEO, it has failed to establish the mail system was used as a matter of course by the general public to qualify as a public forum, i.e., open to all. See Perry, 460 U.S. at 55. KANAAE also appears to allege a further constitutional violation: The district court's determination that KANAAE was a PEO meant that its members' rights under the Kansas Constitution and the Negotiations Act not to join a labor union/organization were violated. We acknowledge that both the state constitution (Art. 15, § 12) and the Negotiations Act (K.S.A. 72-5414) essentially provide that no one may be compelled to join a union or to participate in its activities. The district court's determination, however, does not force any one to be a member of KANAAE. Rather, it notifies KANAAE members that they belong to a professional employees' organization, which in turn allows them to exercise their constitutional and statutory rights to not belong to a union by resigning. These individuals are no more required to belong to KANAAE than they are to ONEA; the Act provides they may continue to reap the benefits of the professional rights and privileges negotiated by the ONEA, without being members themselves. See K.S.A. 72-5414 and 72-5415 (only a majority of the negotiating unit need be ONEA members). In short, the constitutional rights of KANAAE members have not been violated. Affirmed. ABBOTT, J., not participating. DAVID S. KNUDSON, J., assigned.