The Professional Staff Organization (PSO) has filed charges against the Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA) alleging multiple instances of intimidation and retaliation in violation of the National Labor Relations Act.
These charges, known as unfair labor practice (ULP) charges, are filed with the National Labor Relations Board and allege violations of federal law, including interference with employees’ right to engage in union activity without fear of retaliation.
“Over the last year,” said PSO President Rick Scalf, “PSO has attempted to negotiate with ISTA management around a proposed change to the services which the Association delivers to its members. These changes directly impact the working conditions of our members.”
In February of 2025, ISTA managers advanced a proposal which would have eliminated the Association’s 24 UniServ Director (UD) positions. These staff serve as frontline advocates for educators at the bargaining table and in grievance and representation matters. ISTA’s proposal would have replaced these positions with on-call consultants responsible for roughly twice as many local associations.
PSO objected to the proposal, both on practical grounds and because the plan failed to include input from ISTA members and local Presidents.
“Unfortunately,” Scalf continued, “we have been met from the outset with secrecy, retaliation, and a pattern of dishonesty on the part of ISTA’s managers. Most disturbing have been the recent decisions to turn to discipline and dismissals in order to suppress union activity.”
In recent weeks, ISTA escalated the dispute by placing Scalf and PSO Vice President Anita Vernon on administrative leave, then informing them of its intent to terminate their employment—explicitly citing their union activity. Shortly thereafter, UniServ Director Kim Fidler was also placed on leave, for similar cause.
Fidler has since been returned to work, but ISTA has announced its intention to discipline her, even though their own investigators were forced to admit they had found no evidence that she had violated any policy.
“The irony is that these are exactly the kinds of unjust actions PSO members fight against every day on behalf of ISTA’s own members,” said Scalf. “When an employer retaliates against workers for union activity, it isn’t just wrong—it’s illegal. And when that employer is itself a union, repeated violations point to deeper failures of leadership and integrity.”
PSO will vigorously pursue all available legal remedies and demands that ISTA leadership immediately cease and desist from these unlawful practices and restore good-faith engagement with its staff.