What happens if your local teachers association leaves the OEA and the NEA? Several NE Ohio groups have done just that, and they are flourishing. Take a look. (OEA, maybe you should, too.)

“We love our local union, but don’t like what the OEA has done with our pension.”

We are hearing this from so many teachers these days. Maybe they should take a look at what some other locals have done.

In the late 1970s, the teachers of the Akron School District voted overwhelmingly to disaffiliate from OEA/NEA. Their purpose for this change was to seek the autonomy that comes from being independent, plus a reduction in dues cost.

But it also helped them become strong union advocates that could be just as aggressive, if not more so, than the state and national union affiliates they once belonged to.

During the separation process, OEA/NEA used many scare tactics, all of which were overcome. The biggest was on the subject of liability insurance, which was easily resolved with a group liability plan.

As of 2018, the AEA, the Akron Education Association, annual dues were $235.00 This modest assessment covered a group liability plan, a legal retainer, officers, and an employed secretary. 

There are three other NE Ohio districts that followed the footsteps of the AEA: Solon, Shaker Heights, and Kent. All of them remain independent today. 

OEA, are you listening?

 

Submitted by a friend of teachers