Open Letter To AFT President Randi Weingarten From WTU Executive Board Members

This open letter below was sent to me by Washington Teachers' Union Executive Board members, Willie Brewer, Agnes Dyson and Sheila Gill who were wrongfully terminated in what many believe was a manufactured reduction in force created by the Rhee administration. Their email is addressed to American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President, Randi Weingarten requesting that our national union order that all 265 wrongfully terminated union members be reinstated their full membership rights pursuant to AFT's Constitution. - Candi Peterson, blogger in residence

May 13, 2010

Dear President Randi Weingarten,

As you well know, we are elected WTU Executive Board members who were laid off October 2, 2009. We have been denied our right to complete our elected term of office and right to continue our membership by WTU President George Parker. As a result, 265 other WTU members have been damaged by the loss of health insurance and other membership benefits directly attributable to these actions. Upon attempting to maintain those benefits, we were provided misinformation including a WTU parliamentary opinion thereby robbing us of our rights as a WTU, AFT, and AFL-CIO members. At no time were we advised of AFT’s constitution addressing the laid off member policy by the aforementioned or AFT personnel. AFT Constitution & Bylaws, art. III - Membership, §6, cl. C.

After our own research yielded the above, President Parker undertook obstreperous actions to disallow WTU Executive Board members consideration of our concerns. Constitutionally mandated Union meetings-executive board, delegate assembly and membership meetings- are often cancelled or they do not have voting quorums and are held in place which we are barred (DCPS and the WTU offices). This complaint/notice informs you that WTU is not being managed according to its constitution or AFT’s and AFT’s representative agents, Mr. George Bordenave and Mr. Jody Easley, sit idle while these significant violations transpire.

Since a fair hearing of our concerns are not available at our local union level, we must exhaust all intra union remedies. We are requesting you to inform us in writing, with the necessary citations, of our rights to complete our elected term of office as WTU officers. Furthermore, we are requesting you to order all 265 wrongfully terminated teachers full membership rights reinstated immediately pursuant to AFT’s constitution at a dues rate of $6.00 per month remitted to the AFT. We look forward to your prompt response as time is of essence.

Sincerely,

Willie Brewer
WTU Executive Board Member

Agnes Dyson
WTU Executive Board Member

Sheila H. Gill
WTU Executive Board Member

Posted by The Washington Teacher, featuring Candi Peterson, blogger in residence