 |
| Response to Coach Spinner |
By: Candi Peterson, WTU General Vice President
Statements or expressions of opinions herein 'do not' represent the views or official positions of DCPS, AFT, Washington Teachers' Union (WTU) or its members. Views are my own.
The recent emails you have received about me from Coach
Spinner are accusations, half-truths and lies intended to mislead teachers as
we approach union election season 2016. Coach Spinner continues to be a
“campaign surrogate” for former president, Nathan Saunders. Remember they ran
together and lost in 2013. It seems
dishonesty is a normal part of any election cycle.
I have prided myself as an excellent communicator and have
expressed my views about public education and our union for the past 8-½ years as
The Washington Teacher education blogger starting during the Michelle Rhee era.
I welcome you to check out my blog @ http://thewashingtonteacher.blogspot.com/
I’m compelled to respond to many of the half truths and lies
that have been written about me as well as rumors that are spreading around.
DID YOU KNOW?
Allegation:
Peterson’s “lack of negotiation experience and inability to lead has created
the poor state of affairs of the WTU.”
Response:
As the WTU General Vice President (GVP), I AM NOT A MEMBER OF THE WTU CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS TEAM. The members of
the Contract team are: Elizabeth Davis, Chief Negotiator, Rob Weil, AFT,
Jason Edwards, AFT, Chris Bergfalk, Thomson ES, Janice Brown, Speech Pathologist, Alicia
Hunter, Wilson SHS, Mark Montgomery, Plummer ES, Signe Nelson, Whittier EC, and
Michael White, Neval Thomas ES.
The union President
is the Chief Negotiator of the WTU Contract. This is one of the primary duties of the WTU
President, to secure a contract during
his/her three-year term.
The last union president to secure teachers a contract was George
Parker in 2010. Former President Saunders DID
NOT secure a contract in his term during 2010-2013, and neither
has President Elizabeth Davis, to date. Coach Spinner was on the WTU Executive
Board during 2010-2013 when Nathan Saunders was in office, a fact he left out
of his blog.
DID YOU KNOW?
Allegation: “How
can our union have solidarity when two people most responsible for solidarity
are constantly fighting?”
Response:
This is an out and out lie. While I have philosophical
differences with President Davis, I am not constantly fighting with her. In
fact, due to the demands of representing teachers, many times I only see President
Davis in passing. We have had disagreements within our Executive Board meetings
as this is the proper forum to hash out and air differences of opinion in order
to set policy. This does not carry over to our day-to-day-work.
Solidarity was not one of the platform issues that the Davis/Peterson administration ran on and it’s a false issue as the General Vice President (GVP) plays an important governance oversight role on the WTU board.
DID YOU KNOW?
Allegation:
“Maybe she (Peterson) just hopes teachers are not aware of her part in the WTU
failure. Maybe she just hopes teachers forget that her job includes helping the
WTU President.”
Response: When
requested, I have undertaken all initiatives and tasks assigned by President Davis.
The roles and responsibilities of the General Vice President
(GVP) are delineated in the WTU Constitution, Article VIII, and Section 2:
A. Perform other duties as delegated by the President
or assigned by the Executive Board.
B. Oversee and assist the building representatives in their duties.
C. Supervise the field representatives and other employees as designated
by the President.
D. Co-sign checks and other financial documents in
the absence of the President or the Treasurer and serve as a fiduciary of the
Union. The General Vice-President shall be
bonded and such expense shall be borne by the Union.
E. Perform all the duties of the President in the absence of the
President.
F. Complete the un-expired term of the president should the office
become vacant. G. Convene the Elections Committee.
Unfortunately, in my elected role- I have been marginalized
once again and the majority of my constitutional duties have been assigned to Ms. Egbufor, WTU
Chief of Staff.
DID YOU KNOW?
As the General Vice President I was forced to file a complaint due to unfair labor practices. I did not want to file another complaint against WTU;
however, in good conscience, I had no choice because I am not a victim. Last
summer, the WTU Executive Board passed a motion during July, 2015 to stop President
Davis from willfully interfering with the duties of the General Vice President
(GVP) ; however, to date-President Davis has refused to honor that motion.
Subsequently, I filed an unfair labor practice with the
Public Employee Relations Board (known as PERB) against WTU and President Davis
for marginalizing my elected duties as General Vice President (GVP), as well as,
failure of the WTU President to hold timely elections of the WTU Elections Committee
and unauthorized payment of union funds.
The reason the orderly convening of the elections committee is critical, without them teachers will not be able to vote on a contract or hold union elections of officers in 2016. The elections committee elections should have been held in May 2015. WTU elections are eight months overdue.
DID YOU KNOW?
That due to the poor staff management and morale, there has been wholesale turnover in key WTU staff positions that has required the General Vice President to function as a de-facto field representative?
When four of our Field Representatives resigned in June 2014, I filled in as WTU Filed Representative covering 40 + schools. Given that Field Services Department is still understaffed, I continue to serve in a dual role as Field Representative even though that is not part of my constitutionally mandated duties.
DID YOU KNOW?
Allegation:
Peterson “deliberately undermined three WTU presidents (Parker, Saunders and
now Davis) all the while crying the victim.
Response: I am an
advocate for teachers and have stood up to corruption within our union and
DCPS. I previously served on the Board of Trustees under the Parker/Saunders
administration. As a result of my effectiveness as a committed WTU board member and advocate for teachers, Nathan Saunders asked me to run with him on his slate in 2010 as
General Vice President (GVP). We both worked to defeat Parker and won in 2010.
Coach Spinner was also elected on our then Executive Board.
Soon after the successful election of Saunders/Peterson, former President Saunders ‘summarily dismissed’ me (fired me without due process) from WTU in
September 2011 and requested that Chancellor Henderson illegally revoke my leave of absence from DCPS.
As a result, I had no choice but to return to DCPS. Subsequently, I filed for
arbitration against WTU and won my case on September 24, 2012.
Arbitrator Stanley Mazaroff ruled:
“This legally unstoppable action taken by Saunders was
not cured by the similar action orchestrated by Saunders and taken during the
following week by the Executive Board, Under the Constitution & By-Laws,
the Executive Board’s authority to discharge or otherwise discipline employees
did not extend to union officers. Article V of the By-Laws expressly provides
that the authority to terminate employees shall not apply to officers of the
union. This exclusion recognizes the fundamental differences between union
employees and elected officers. In the important democratic values that are
embedded in the WTU Constitution. Elected officers, like Peterson are voted
into office by secret ballot of membership, and they can only be removed in other
words recalled by petition signed by 30 percent of the membership. Thus,
neither the president nor the executive board had the authority to under the
union’s Constitution & By-Laws to override the will of the WTU membership
and or dismiss through termination, Peterson’s salary and authority, to
constructively discharge Peterson.”
Saunders refused to reinstate me into office as GVP despite
my legal victory. His actions were illegally SANCTIONED by our then Executive
Board (including Spinner) and this cost the union thousands of dollars. These
actions also stole the vote of members who elected me into office.
For 2 ½ years, I have tried to work with President Davis. I
have attempted to try to resolve problems internally rather than externally.
DID YOU KNOW?
Allegation: “When
28 Social Workers appealed to her (Peterson) for assistance to save their jobs,
she failed them. They were all fired by DCPS in June 2015. Any WTU leadership
without her has a chance of succeeding for teachers. Union solidarity is
important and she has demonstrated the WTU cannot have any with her. “
Response: Twenty-eight
(28) social workers were not fired from DCPS.
The social workers’ case was assigned by President Davis to WTU Field Rep. Consultant, Charles Moore. The President has the discretion to make
assignments to staff. WTU has filed a grievance on behalf of DCPS social
workers that were fired as well as filed a complaint with the Public Employee
Relations Board. Their case is pending a hearing.
DID YOU KNOW?
Allegation: “ It
is crystal clear that a lack of credibility and character on the part of the
Davis/Peterson team has led to the erosion of WTU’s credibility. When we are
finally presented a contract proposal, we must go through it with a fine toothcomb.
I doubt there will be any proposals at this late date. Members cannot
unquestionably trust Davis or Peterson given their track record and leadership
dynamics.”
Response: The goal of the Spinner/Saunders campaign is
to discredit me. I stand on my record. When I came into office, the union was
broke and we inherited enormous debt and a 'white elephant' office building with a 5 million
dollars in mortgage loans that required WTU to get a co-signer to keep the property.
Our parent organization, AFT co-signed the loan and then designated WTU as a “local in crisis.”
Unfortunately, the office of the General Vice President
(GVP) does not give me the power to over-ride any decisions made by the
President. I AM NOT THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE
OFFICER. As an Executive Board member, I have 1 vote on our board. Just
like a teacher in a school, if the principal makes unwise decisions, teachers
do not have the power to overturn their actions.
While I may have not spoken out publicly for the past 2-½
years, I have spoken up internally and have been a voice for teachers on the Executive
Board, as well as in our schools.
DID YOU KNOW?
Allegation: We
must vote for competent and proven leadership that can deliver. Vote for
leadership that will be honest, open-minded and forward thinking. We need
leadership that can solve problems and make decisions that will improve our
working conditions. New leadership must have a finger on the pulse of the
members while being respected by DCPS and the educational community.
Response: There is nothing NEW about Coach Spinner and
Nathan Saunders. Former President Saunders was the union president from 2010-2013 and General Vice President for two terms.
He did not get teachers a contract. Saunders did not prove to be honest, open
minded or forward thinking. Coach Spinner was part of the former Executive
Board under Saunders. Both have been Missing in Action (MIA) since they lost the last election in 2013.
© Candi Peterson, 2016
