MEA President Steven Cook today strongly condemned Gov. Rick Snyder’s decision to appeal a Court of Appeals ruling that would have returned more than $550 million taken from school employees’ paychecks to fund retiree health care.
“It’s unconscionable that Gov. Snyder has chosen to continue appealing the recent court decision that school employees should be refunded the 3 percent of their salary that was illegally taken from them,” Cook said.

Attorney General Bill Schuette announced his office would not participate in the appeal, opting instead to appoint a special assistant attorney general to provide counsel to the governor’s office if the case proceeds.

“In light of Attorney General Schuette’s decision not to participate in any appeal of this matter, Gov. Snyder’s choice today can only be interpreted as a continued attack on school employees and a continued waste of taxpayer dollars on a politically-motivated appeal, that the state has lost every step of the way,” Cook said.