To the Editor:
Thank you for highlighting the recent layoffs by the Wisconsin Education Association Council, or WEAC (“Wis. Teachers’ Union Blames Governor for Its Own Layoffs,” Education Week Teacher, edweek.org, Aug. 16, 2011). Wisconsin’s teachers should take note of WEAC’s fall from a one-time lobbying powerhouse to incurring massive layoffs under a system where educators are no longer forced to pay union dues.
After the millions spent on lobbying last year, with another $500,000 spent on the state recall elections, WEAC is now struggling to survive under a climate where teachers are allowed to evaluate whether union membership aligns with their beliefs and budget.
Teachers, now that you have a choice in union membership, consider a professional alternative that doesn’t spend your hard-earned dollars on partisan politics and constant lobbying in Madison.
Every day, educators from across Wisconsin seeking a nonpartisan alternative to WEAC are joining the Association of American Educators, the largest national, non-union professional association with members in all 50 states. We welcome those teachers and ask others like them to examine the difference for themselves.
Gary Beckner
Executive Director
Association of American Educators
Mission Viejo, Calif.
