MERCER COUNTY, W. Va. -Two West Virginia teachers’ unions are combining into one, following a vote in March. The West Virginia Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers have existed as separate entities in the Mountain State for more than a century.
Now that is coming to an end, as WVEA and AFT West Virginia voted to combine into one union named “Education West Virginia.” This is coming after the two unions worked together during the state’s teacher strikes.
“Well, we saw in 2018 and 2019 when everyone worked together, the strength and the power that we had as a united voice, and it led to discussions about what it would look like if the two unions joined forces,” says Dale Lee, president of the West Virginia Education Association.
Lee says this is an effort to strike back against what they believe to be attacks against public education, such as the Hope Scholarship for private students, homeschool students, and others and bills limiting the teacher’s power to teach the way they want in a classroom. He says this will give teachers greater strength in numbers and more opportunities for members to have their voices heard.
We spoke to one local educator and union leader who says while some teachers are nervous about the change, many are excited to join forces with the AFT, with the Federation not currently having a large presence in Mercer County.
“There are several people that I spoke with that were super excited. I know that when we had the strikes back in 2018, 2019, the AFL-CIO stood with us and they were pretty excited to be a part of that organization as well…” says Faith Workman, president, Mercer Co. Education Association.
Lee says it’s unusual to merge teachers’ unions like this, with West Virginia being only the sixth state to do so. However, he expects more merger discussions to take place going forward.
This merger will go into effect on September first of this year, with the leadership of both unions combining into a “transition council” until their first election in 2027.
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