WEAC traces its history back to 1853, when eight educators gathered in Madison and formed the Wisconsin Teachers Association. That organization became the Wisconsin Education Association in the 1930s and the Wisconsin Education Association Council in 1972. WEAC: A History deals with the first 115 or so years of the organization in one chapter, and devotes 90 percent of its pages to the years, starting in the late 1960s, after WEAC became a teachers union.
WEAC: A History is intended to commemorate and celebrate the work done by veteran members and staffers who are retiring or close to retirement as the union also looks toward communicating this history to new, young members who may not know it otherwise.
Introduction A history of improving Wisconsin’s future
Chapter 1 Eight educators in 1853: WEAC’s historical roots
Chapter 2 1959-1972: Collective bargaining
Chapter 3 Strength in numbers: The WEA Trust
Chapter 4 Unification and the UniServ system
Chapter 5 Hortonville
Chapter 6 Better days: The 1970s and 1980s
Chapter 7 Wars of words: Fighting attacks on public schools
Chapter 8 Winning anyway: Public school victories in an anti-public school era
Chapter 9 Great schools and the future
Conclusion Looking forward to the union’s future
Appendices Timeline Presidents and Executive Directors