Alternate title: Converted to the Dark Side
I spent Thursday, Friday, and Saturday last week attending the WEA Representative Assembly. WEA is the Washington Education Association. It is the state union for teachers and other school personnel. The Representative Assembly is held yearly and is the governing body for WEA. It is during the RA that the business items and resolutions directing WEA are discussed and voted on. This was the first time I have attended the RA and I wasn't sure what to expect. I was actually impressed by the process and learned a few things.
First, you can't get around the fact that this was a large gathering of union councils. So of course there will be the typical union rhetoric...we must all stick together; there are too many tax loopholes that protect those evil big businesses; yada, yada, yada. I hate to tell you WEA, while your $38 million annual budget probably doesn't place you in the "big business" catagory, it also ain't no mom & pop operation. So be careful about throwing rocks. Also, isn't it those big businesses that we are educating our children to go to work for? Listening to all of the "rah, rah" stuff was the stuff that I found most difficult to stomach. Well, that and listening to Senator Murray when she came to speak to us.
Even though I was unsure about what to expect, I discovered that it really didn't take me long to find my voice and work my way to the microphone. Sometimes I spoke in favor of a business action, and other times I spoke against a business item. The only time I was a little worried about myself was when I found myself on the same side of an issue as the Peace and Justice League Caucus. But I guess that just shows that I can be open-minded and truly take a fair and balanced approach to the issues.
Attending the RA showed me that I really do enjoy debating policy issues. I don't enjoy the grunt work of writing policy, but once that is done and it is time for debate/discussion I in. I loved listening to other people and their viewpoints. I was suprised that not one other person from CVEA got up to speak about an issue, even if they had something to say.
I learned that 2 minutes really is a long time to speak. The first time I went to the mic I was afraid of running out of time. Worrying about time actually caused me to get a little rambly in my speaking so that I was making got a little lost in the ramble. The next time I went up, I took some notes with me and just slowed down. And I didn't run out of time, even though my notes looked like I had a lot to say.
I came back from the RA proud of being a CVEA member and WEA member. We are focused on what will be best for the children/students of Washington State. The business items that we passed focused on issues that will strengthen public education and benefit the students. That is what makes me to be proud of my membership. It wasn't just about being union strong; it was about being public education strong.
I learned that the "dark side" (I'm pretty sure that this is how some of my family members describe unions) has some light-filled moments and if you find those, you won't lose your way.
4 comments:
Sounds like all those Youth in Government meetings are working for you. Politics is on BOTH sides of the family - your great grandpa Wight was active in Box Elder county politics for years. I'm sure your brother will have something to say about this, too.
I've got stuff to say about it, but it will have to wait until I have time to say it ;)
Nate
Here's the thing, unions had their place and time. And, some are probably still valuable today. I just think that more often than not the good that they do (or might do) doesn't outweigh the corruption that often resides at the top. They also frequently don't represent the views and feelings of their rank and file. The talking points enforced by intimidation are too much for me to swallow.
Nate
I don't know how things work in large, nationwide unions such as SEIU, but I left the RA feeling comfortable sharing my conservative, mostly Republican views. I also felt like when the voting took place, those elected delegates did do their best to think how their colleagues would feel about certain action items and voted in that manner. I admit that at times it was difficult not to let personal feelings on an issue rule the raising of my voting card, but I did try hard to vote how those I was sent to represent would want me to vote.
Post a Comment