Teachers Union Deal: ‘Special Consideration Shall Be given to Non-Christians,’ Racial Minorities

A teachers union contract for a Michigan school district that was initially extended until the year 2017 specifically discriminates against Christians, white people and men in the very text of the deal.

The details of the Ferndale Public Schools contract, which were first reported by the Mackinac Center’s Capitol Confidential, establish that non-Christians, racial minorities and women received special priority in hiring decisions.

“Special consideration shall be given to women and/or minority defined as: Native American, Asian American, Latino, African American and those of the non-Christian faith,” reads the text of the contract.

After inquiries made by The Mackinac Center and The Daily Caller, the district has opted to immediately remove the language from their contracts. A spokesperson for the district told TheDC that the language was “antiquated.”

“We were able to submit this language to legal counsel and it is being removed from the contracts,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “The district does not discriminate.”

As written, it seemed likely that the contract violated several laws. Michigan voters passed a constitutional amendment prohibiting the consideration of race in public contracts and university admissions. {snip}

The contract’s special treatment for non-Christians may be even more obviously problematic. The Federal Civil Rights Act — as well as Michigan’s own civil rights law — prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of religion.

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