IN the course of EFF's
efforts to prove that the Washington Education Association is using teachers' dues for
politics, we have collected thousands of documents detailing the scope of the union's
involvement in state politics. Below you will find links to documents—both political
and legal—that give a clear picture of the magnitude of the WEA's investment in
politics. Most of these documents have never before been seen by the public.
Unfortunately, due to a
court-imposed Protective Order, insisted upon by the WEA, we are not permitted to show the
public other documents that we have obtained during our lawsuit with the teachers union.
WEA leaders claim that their
level of involvement in politics does not qualify them as a political action committee. Do
these documents tell a different story? You decide...
Metamorphosis:
WEA's changing story on its use of member dues for politics...
October
11, 1995
WEA:
Members are Informed on a Need to Know Basis
...WEA employees
currently have excellent salary, benefit, and employment protection in their
contract which if widely known by the membership...
January 1996
Local
Union President Proposes an Education-Only Political Agenda; WEA Leaders Reject the
Proposal...
RECOMMENDATIONS
That the Washington Education Association political and legislative action should
be limited to addressing issues that directly affect public education, public educational
employees...
June 1996
From the WEA Action
NEWSLETTER: "Seibert Gives RA Delegates Glimpse of the Future"
DOCUMENTS FROM THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL'S LAWSUIT AGAINST THE WEA
The State of
Washington v.
The Washington Education Association
February 3, 1998
The first draft of the AG-WEA
settlement agreement originating in the
law offices of WEA lead attorney, Judith Lonnquist. Compare it to the actual settlement
agreed to in late February of 1998 below.
Source: Document provided
to EFF by the Attorney General of the Washington state. This document
was a part of the settlement negotiations that took place during February
1998. The Attorney General's initial refusal to turn over this document and
others resulted in its being forced to pay $33,000 in penalties and attorneys'
fees.
May 9, 1996
WEA
Salary Report
WEA's annual report on the salary of its officers and staff.
Executive Director
$104, 652
August 14, 1998
Marching Orders from the WEA?
Bob Williams and the Evergreen Freedom
Foundation have mailed survey postcards to WEA members across the state in recent weeks.
...Members can decide for themselves
whether they want to return the postcard. If they do respond, we have
attached suggested answers...
[Emphasis Added]