Oregon high court decides against Sizemore group

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.tdn.com/articles/2008/07/03/breaking_news/doc486d61b2e1178317229503.txt

Thursday, July 3, 2008 4:33 PM PDT
By Tim Fought
The Associated Press

PORTLAND — Two teachers’ employee unions have won an Oregon Supreme Court decision in a struggle against their nemesis Bill Sizemore, but if they want to collect the damages, they may be chasing him through the halls of justice for years to come.

The court’s decision Thursday upheld most of what lower courts had decided: Two Sizemore initiatives got on the ballot in 2000 through underhanded means and were meant to bleed the unions of campaign money.

This, the court ruled, fits the state’s version of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act. It said signatures were forged and charitable contributions diverted in a scheme to force the unions to spend hundreds of thousands in a successful defense of their ability to collect union dues through payroll deductions.

But, meanwhile, Sizemore hasn’t been deterred from his conservative agenda. He may qualify as many as five initiatives for the November ballot, including one along the lines of an unsuccessful 2000 measure.

And his message to the unions trying to collect a $2.5 million judgment is: Tough luck.

The Oregon Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers-Oregon called their victory in the Supreme Court “the end of the road for Bill Sizemore.”

FULL story at link.