Think OEA doesn't try to control the STRS Board elections? Think again! Gary Allen sure didn't try to hide his tactics, did he? I've never seen any evidence that OEA wants its membership to even KNOW anything about other candidates, just theirs. Read on.

Thanks to John Curry for finding this OEA flashback on my blog. It had apparently been shared with a few others before it ended up in our hands.  

From Gary Allen, April 1, 2004

Subject: Gary Allen's letter to Local Presidents, etc.

To: All Local Presidents

Cc: All OEA Staff; District Leaders; Exec Committee

Subject: STRS Board Election

April 1, 2004

Dear Local Association President,

As you know, the Ohio Education Association has endorsed Eugene Norris for election to the State Teachers Retirement Board. As a member of the STRS Board, Eugene has demonstrated his leadership skills and his commitment to the welfare of public education employees. The upcoming STRS election will determine the Board's approach to securing the long term viability of STRS health care in the midst of a national health care crisis. Our members' votes give them a powerful voice in how STRS will handle this and other critical issues in the coming years.

I am reaching out to all Local Association Presidents to address a serious concern which has been brought to the Ohio Education Association's attention. We have been informed that supporters of Eugene's opponent have secured access, apparently through local Superintendents, to school district mailboxes, electronic mail and other school communication systems, to campaign for Eugene's opponent in the name of the local school district's Superintendent. These Superintendents are conveying campaign materials to employees under their authority, through the same information systems used to convey official administrative directives. This opportunistic practice abuses the employer-employee relationship. The use of official authority to influence the personal decisions of subordinates takes shameful advantage of our members. I am not alone in my opinion that such tactics are coercive and unethical.

It is equally troubling that the distributed materials mask the agenda of Eugene's opponent (himself a school superintendent) with empty rhetoric. Our members deserve to know that the candidate touted by these Superintendents is supported by retiree groups seeking to reduce the number of active teachers on the STRS Board, and to restore past benefit levels-a move likely to damage the health care plan's long term viability-and require active members to shoulder the financial burden for the increased benefits without ensuring that they will have adequate pension and health care benefits when they retire. Our peers in these districts will not learn these facts from the materials pressed upon them by some Superintendents.

As a Local Association President, you are in a key position to correct the misinformation by communicating with each and every one of your Local Association's members. Discuss the upcoming STRS elections individually or in group meetings with members. Please share copies of my letters regarding Eugene with your members. The Ohio Education Association has additional information available for your use. Please call 1-800-282-1500, extension 3069, and these materials will be immediately provided to you. Also, Eugene has established a website (http://norrisforstrs.com) which details his objectives, his experience and his accomplishments. Share this website with your colleagues. We will serve our members well by immediately placing these resources into their hands so that they may make an informed decision regarding their future STRS benefits.

Thank you for your assistance in this process.

Very truly yours,

Gary Allen, President

Ohio Education Association

[Note: Their candidate, Eugene Norris, was one of the six STRS Board members who were convicted of ethics violations in Franklin County Municipal Court in 2006, including former OEA president Mike Billirakis and other avid OEA people.]