diff --git a/bower.json b/bower.json
index 785c00bc..eb433be7 100644
--- a/bower.json
+++ b/bower.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "aurelia-templating",
-  "version": "0.14.2",
+  "version": "0.14.3",
   "description": "An extensible HTML templating engine supporting databinding, custom elements, attached behaviors and more.",
   "keywords": [
     "aurelia",
diff --git a/dist/amd/aurelia-templating.js b/dist/amd/aurelia-templating.js
index c548191a..a7693292 100644
--- a/dist/amd/aurelia-templating.js
+++ b/dist/amd/aurelia-templating.js
@@ -1495,9 +1495,7 @@ define(['exports', 'core-js', 'aurelia-logging', 'aurelia-metadata', 'aurelia-pa
 
       if (currentAttributeValue) {
         if (key === 'class') {
-          if (currentAttributeValue !== 'au-target') {
-            element.setAttribute('class', currentAttributeValue + ' ' + values[key]);
-          }
+          element.setAttribute('class', currentAttributeValue + ' ' + values[key]);
         } else if (key === 'style') {
           var styleObject = styleStringToObject(values[key]);
           styleStringToObject(currentAttributeValue, styleObject);
diff --git a/dist/aurelia-templating.js b/dist/aurelia-templating.js
index 159125ee..610c9495 100644
--- a/dist/aurelia-templating.js
+++ b/dist/aurelia-templating.js
@@ -1371,10 +1371,8 @@ function applySurrogateInstruction(container, element, instruction, behaviors, b
 
     if(currentAttributeValue){
       if(key === 'class'){
-        if(currentAttributeValue !== 'au-target'){
-          //merge the surrogate classes
-          element.setAttribute('class', currentAttributeValue + ' ' + values[key]);
-        }
+        //merge the surrogate classes
+        element.setAttribute('class', currentAttributeValue + ' ' + values[key]);
       }else if(key === 'style'){
         //merge the surrogate styles
         let styleObject = styleStringToObject(values[key]);
diff --git a/dist/commonjs/aurelia-templating.js b/dist/commonjs/aurelia-templating.js
index 3ed39dc2..86299bf4 100644
--- a/dist/commonjs/aurelia-templating.js
+++ b/dist/commonjs/aurelia-templating.js
@@ -1516,9 +1516,7 @@ function applySurrogateInstruction(container, element, instruction, behaviors, b
 
     if (currentAttributeValue) {
       if (key === 'class') {
-        if (currentAttributeValue !== 'au-target') {
-          element.setAttribute('class', currentAttributeValue + ' ' + values[key]);
-        }
+        element.setAttribute('class', currentAttributeValue + ' ' + values[key]);
       } else if (key === 'style') {
         var styleObject = styleStringToObject(values[key]);
         styleStringToObject(currentAttributeValue, styleObject);
diff --git a/dist/es6/aurelia-templating.js b/dist/es6/aurelia-templating.js
index 159125ee..610c9495 100644
--- a/dist/es6/aurelia-templating.js
+++ b/dist/es6/aurelia-templating.js
@@ -1371,10 +1371,8 @@ function applySurrogateInstruction(container, element, instruction, behaviors, b
 
     if(currentAttributeValue){
       if(key === 'class'){
-        if(currentAttributeValue !== 'au-target'){
-          //merge the surrogate classes
-          element.setAttribute('class', currentAttributeValue + ' ' + values[key]);
-        }
+        //merge the surrogate classes
+        element.setAttribute('class', currentAttributeValue + ' ' + values[key]);
       }else if(key === 'style'){
         //merge the surrogate styles
         let styleObject = styleStringToObject(values[key]);
diff --git a/dist/system/aurelia-templating.js b/dist/system/aurelia-templating.js
index 7f25de1c..a6d71dbf 100644
--- a/dist/system/aurelia-templating.js
+++ b/dist/system/aurelia-templating.js
@@ -331,9 +331,7 @@ System.register(['core-js', 'aurelia-logging', 'aurelia-metadata', 'aurelia-path
 
       if (currentAttributeValue) {
         if (key === 'class') {
-          if (currentAttributeValue !== 'au-target') {
-            element.setAttribute('class', currentAttributeValue + ' ' + values[key]);
-          }
+          element.setAttribute('class', currentAttributeValue + ' ' + values[key]);
         } else if (key === 'style') {
           var styleObject = styleStringToObject(values[key]);
           styleStringToObject(currentAttributeValue, styleObject);
diff --git a/doc/CHANGELOG.md b/doc/CHANGELOG.md
index 83d050df..6ba03ff0 100644
--- a/doc/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/doc/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,3 +1,11 @@
+### 0.14.3 (2015-08-14)
+
+
+#### Bug Fixes
+
+* **view-factory:** always merge classes from surrogate ([e0e00c06](http://github.com/aurelia/templating/commit/e0e00c0683b2b82862596fa6dcee84dbf4282f06), closes [#147](http://github.com/aurelia/templating/issues/147))
+
+
 ### 0.14.2 (2015-08-14)
 
 
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index b63ef12c..1fe90914 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "aurelia-templating",
-  "version": "0.14.2",
+  "version": "0.14.3",
   "description": "An extensible HTML templating engine supporting databinding, custom elements, attached behaviors and more.",
   "keywords": [
     "aurelia",