BANGOR TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Unionized teachers in Bangor Township Schools have voted in favor of authorizing the Michigan Education Association to initiate “crisis activities,” including a possible statewide teacher strike, The Bay City Times reported.
Teacher strikes are illegal in Michigan.
Sixty-three percent of the Bangor Township Education Association members who voted Monday were in favor of the authorization and 37 percent against, union President Pete Remington told The Times. Sixty-one percent of the union’s 115 members voted, Remington said, according to The Times.
The margin of support was smaller than in nearby Bay City Public Schools, where 76 percent of Bay City Education Association members favored authorization and 24 percent opposed, according to a separate Times report.
The MEA has directed local affiliates to take authorization votes by April 15, according to The Times, in response to proposed K-12 state funding reductions. MEA officials have said the union will not be releasing statewide voting tallies, according to earlier media reports.
SOURCE:
The Bay City Times, “Bangor
Township teachers union approves MEA job action that could result in statewide
strike,” April 12, 2011
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for
Public Policy, “Michigan Schools Still
Well-Funded under Governor’s Plan,” April 1, 2011
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