NEA-AFT Unity, QEO Issues to Highlight Representative Assembly
The proposed unification of the National Education Association and the
American Federation of Teachers is expected to be a topic of discussion
at the WEAC Representative Assembly April 24-26 in Green Bay.
Issues related to the Qualified Economic Offer law also are expected
to be debated.
More than 900 delegates from throughout the state will gather at the
Regency Suites hotel to set major policy and debate issues.
WEAC represents about 85,000 educators, including 62,000 teachers, counselors
and library media specialists in public K-12 schools, and 13,000 education
support personnel (secretaries, teacher aides, bus drivers, custodians,
cooks).
The national NEA-AFT unification will be decided by delegates to the
NEA Representative Assembly and AFT Convention, both in July. However,
WEAC RA delegates may take a position urging Wisconsin's NEA delegates
to vote one way or the other. WEAC is affiliated with the NEA.
If unification is approved at the national level, then state affiliates
will debate whether to also unify. State affiliates would be encouraged,
but not required, to unify.
WEAC and the Wisconsin Federation of Teachers have discussed unification
at the state level since the early 1990s. Wisconsin was one of the first
states to enter serious discussions about mergers. WEAC and WFT have approved
a “no-raid” and interaction agreement under which they have
cooperated in several areas, including lobbying and joint sponsorship
of conferences.
The continued impact of the state's Qualified Economic Offer law is also
expected to be a hot item of discussion. The QEO law has placed severe
restrictions on teacher salary increases since 1993, and teachers are
becoming more angered by its impact every year.
Many local associations throughout the state have engaged in job actions,
held rallies and picketed to protest stalled contract negotiations resulting
from the QEO. Although all teacher contracts in Wisconsin expired last
June 30, 122 were still unsettled as of April 15. And many of the others
were settled only after enormous conflict at the bargaining table and
in the communities.
Madison Teachers Inc. plans to present a motion at the RA calling for
a statewide teachers' strike next fall to protest the QEO and state-imposed
revenue controls on school districts. Other motions can be made from the
floor.
Two other motions already have been prepared for floor debate. They would:
- Prohibit the affiliation of Hortonville teachers until original strikebreakers
are no longer employed by the district. (This motion has been approved
at every RA since the mid-1970s.
- Encourage UniServ leaders, local leaders and staff to actively involve
retired members in WEAC activities.
The RA begins April 24 with open hearings on the budget, resolutions
and constitution. The first session begins at 8:30 a.m. April 25.
Posted April 15, 1998