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Wayne-Westland
WWEA president Nancy Strachan speaking to the media on October 6, 2008, the first day of the strike. MEA president Iris Salters is standing behind her. On the far left is Luigi Battaglieri, executive director of the union. Source: Detroit News Education Action Group filed a Freedom of Information Act request in November for the e-mail communications of a school employee who happens to serve as her union's president. She used a district-provided e-mail account to conduct union business and suddenly believed those communications are private. Taxpayers paid for her activities but she and the MEA wanted to keep taxpayers in the dark. The MEA filed suit to block the district from releasing the e-mails to us. As a result of the MEA's stated objections, we withdrew the original request and submitted a revised one. We were determined to provide the public with the concrete proof that the strike the MEA conducted in early October 2008 had nothing to do with 'class sizes' but instead revolved virtually wholly around health insurance, and in particular, maintaining the union-benefiting MESSA coverage. These communications prove that theory. You can read the summary of our findings. Here are a sampling of the over 800 pages of e-mails and attachments we received. They're broken down into three categories: E-mails A sampling of union president Nancy Strachan's e-mails (70 pages) King...Parks...Gandhi...Suffragists...WWEA union members: fighting injustice! Oh, the humanity! 9/3/2008 Subject: school store reminder!!! dialog between Stachan and Uniserv director; a proposed school store only a pawn in their game 9/4/2008 Subject: Sure do fell (sic) silly with this button on!!! UNITY???? 'I FEAR WE WILL END UP LOSING AFTER WE HAD SUCH A GOOD START IN THIS FIGHT FOR EQUALITY AND RESPECT' 9/18/2008 Subject: Re: Insurance question Strachan: 'Our goal is to drop all the HMO's and have only MESSA Choices.' 9/22/2008 Subject: FW: FW: QUOTE: Wayne Westland EA Quote for health insurance from MESSA is $15,772.92 per family 9/24/2008 Subject: RE: CAP Committee Decision MEA president Iris Salters notifies WWEA of its ability to tap the MEA strike fund 9/25/2008 Subject: Response to your remarks of 9/22/08 at Board Meeting '...don't spend money on lavish baubles that don't raise rest scores.' the employee is referring to facility upgrades, of course, not about MESSA; he is part of the recall group 9/28/2008 Subject: testimonial Employee: '"work stoppage" is a lose/lose battle'; she, too, is part of the recall group 10/24/2008 Subject: Re: Meeting schedules Announcing December union meetings; Obama yard signs for sale at the union HQ 11/6/2008 Subject: Re: Fact Finding Strachan requests Fact Finding testimony volunteers and suggests responses 'If you were to be called to testify, you will be prepped prior to going on the stand.' Q: 'I have never had a class that was overloaded personally. Would this be detrimental to my testimony?' Strachan A: 'No. I am interested in your case to show the difference between what your classes were like prior to this last contract where we bargained to raise class sizes.' (emphasis added) 11/6/2008 Subject: Email and Fall RA '...our office is consumed with the preparation of (Fact-Finding).' 'I am proud to tell you that I have been chosen to be one of the keynote speakers' at the Fall MEA Representative Assembly (see below for script) 11/10/2008 Subject: Re: Wed. meetings Q: 'Are you still having the traditional Wed. meeting with the Administration?' A: 'With the bad blood between the union and management we do not have our usually Wed. meetings' 11/17/2008 Subject: PAC Contributions... A telling list of the union's focus:
Funny...nothing about 'class sizes' or 'student achievement'... 11/17/2008 Subject: Hi Ladies-touching base Troy teachers union president Roberta Masters: 'Hope all is going well but I should know better given this line of business.' Transcripts likely never intended to see the light of day Union transcripts of collective bargaining sessions Other Nancy Strachan's remarks to the MEA Fall Representative Assembly Several e-mails were not published due to personal matters unrelated to the strike and union activities.
MEA Uniserv Director Evelyn Baran attempts to block a video camera from recording the strikers. She called it 'intimidation' though she did nothing about the news media standing a few feet away. Source: Detroit News |
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