Legislators Challenge NEA and AFT to Merge
Can you imagine being a pro-public school and pro-union state legislator and have to deal with competing teacher unions as you move legislation that will help all teachers and education support professionals? Louisiana and West Virginia come to my mind as two prime examples. I am sure there are state legislators who feel they walk on eggshells when trying to work with the local and state affiliates of the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers.
Recently, this issue emerged at the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). Dennis Van Roekel, President of NEA, and Randi Weingarten, President of AFT, were on a panel espousing collaboration and "doing things with their members, not to their members." One legislator was channeling his personal experiences and threw out to the union presidents a challenge of "coming together with a common voice."
It must have surprised Van Roekel when Weingarten picked up that challenge and stated that NEA and AFT should try again to merge. The word on the street had been that AFT was unlikely to support merger during Weingarten's term. Van Roekel responded, "That's a