A D.I.Y. RA.
I did what I thought I was supposed to do.
I thought that one concrete way that the Illinois Education Association could support our brothers and sisters in Wisconsin, and help ourselves, was to boycott all consumer products that the billionaire brothers Koch make.
At the IEA RA three weeks ago I wrote up a New Business Item. No drama. No battles over the microphone with Ken Swanson. I wore my orange sweater just in case. But I moved its adoption and my colleague seconded my motion.
Another delegate asked if it could be amended to include Wal-Mart and other anti-union corporate funders. I said sure.
NEA Board of Director member Eric Brown went to the mic with some point of information that nobody could understand. Brown has never seen a fight for union rights he wants to get into. When we asked the Illinois caucus to support the condemnation of Race to the Top at the NEA RA last summer, Brown spoke against it for fear it would anger Arne Duncan and the Department of Education. The condemnation of Race to the Top eventually was adopted by the NEA RA, with Illinois being a stand-out exception. That’s kind of all you need to know about Eric Brown.
In any case, the New Business Item was adopted. It directed the Board of Directors to inform members about the role of the Koch brothers, and others, in supporting anti-union legislation and directed the IEA website to publish a list of consumer products.
Three weeks later…nothing. No word of it on the IEA website.
I guess I didn’t understand that when you propose an NBI, you have to do it yourself.
Okay. I get it now.
Here’s the list:
- Angel Soft
- Angel Soft Ultra
- Brawny paper towels
- Dixie cups (& napkins & plates)
- Insulair cups
- Perfect Touch cups, paper products
- Quilted Northern
- Sparkle paper towels
- Stainmaster
- Vanity Fair napkins & paper towels
- Mardis Gras napkins
- Zee Napkins
- Georgia Pacific products
Home/Office papers:
- Advantage
- Image Plus
- Spectrum
Other:
- Stainmaster
- Lycra
- Teflon
Building supplies:
- Georgia Pacific
Ooh thanks for the list. I, btw, have never been in a Walmart- just won’t do it. Also I heard that a few districts here and there turned down RACE money. Do you happen to know which ones? See, that’s something that can be done because if the administration is left with all of this money, and school districts are struggling,wouldn’t it look foolish to hold onto it?
Hundreds of districts rejected RttT money.
Thanks Fred.
We are also omitting our annual twice a year trips to Milwaukee and Door County.
No more looking for a house in Michigan, either.