Chalk it up to the cost of doing business. Four days after it agreed to pay the
largest penalty in state history for violating campaign finance laws, the Washington
Education Association flexed its muscles and helped kill another school reform proposal.
Penalty? What penalty? Armed with dues teachers must pay whether they agree with the
union's agenda or not, WEA now enjoys a degree of power that's as audacious as it is
unmatched...
On February 26, a settlement stopped the case short of court, where the whole tale might
have told (concerning WEA's campaign finance violations)...
The settlement also provides that in the future, WEA can send teachers' dues to candidates
and political organizations straight from the general treasury. For a concession
like that, WEA might deem the penalties a worthwhile investment...