Seattle teachers union president Phyllis Campano (salary $127,000) has joined a group of unions in filing legal papers to urge the courts to allow the imposition of a state income tax on the people of Washington state.

The case Kunath et al v. City of Seattle is being promoted by the Seattle Teachers Association (SEA) and other liberal groups seeking to increase the tax burden that state and local officials impose on residents.  Currently, Washington is one of nine states that does not impose a tax on family and personal income.

A state income tax is highly unpopular in Washington.  Voters have rejected income tax proposals ten times, most recently in 2010 when an income tax ballot measure was defeated by 64% of the vote.

In Olympia, bills to impose a capital gains income tax have failed in the face of bi-partisan opposition in the last two legislative sessions.

In spending member dues on an unpopular lawsuit, SEA union leadership may not be acting in the best interests of teachers.  SEA membership has dropped 10 percent since U.S. courts ruled in June that public employees can quit their union without being fired.  Every teacher who quits saves about $1,000 a year in dues.  The SEA union has lost some $300,000 as a result.

Meanwhile, SEA leaders and other unions say they want officials to impose a state income tax, even though that could reduce the household income of teachers and of every working family in the state.  Teacher union executives always tell us they are doing it “for the children,” but that is hard to believe when the result is cutting the take-home pay of their parents.