From the Vault: September 12, 1997
The following is the EIA Communiqué for September 12, 1997:
+ The staff unions for both the Lousiana Association of Educators (LAE) and the Ohio Education Association (OEA) have been on strike since Labor Day against their teacher union bosses. Picketers marched in front of the OEA building in Columbus carrying signs that read “A Labor Union on Strike Against a Labor Union on Labor Day.” The gyrations of these stories are hard to follow, so bear with me.The Columbus Education Association is involved in a bitter contract negotiation with the Columbus School District. So OEA UniServ consultant Rick Logan has agreed to continue to assist the Columbus EA. But by doing so, he is “scabbing” the Ohio Professional Staff Union to which he belongs (probably with its consent). Meanwhile, secretaries at the Columbus EA have joined the picket line, prompting the Columbus EA to ask members for “your patience as we utilize temporary help.”
Apparently OEA presented a contract with 40 “take backs” to the staff union. The staff union also alleges that OEA “walked away from the table” after presenting this offer. OEA President Mike Billirakis has reportedly been quoted as saying he is willing to lose 30,000 members, if necessary, before he gives in. In OEA’s defense, the averag
