Organizing

Ron Furgeson enjoys a lunchtime chat with third‑grader Emma. Working as a custodian in Petoskey schools has been a rewarding career for 28 years — thanks to union pay and benefits, he says. When Ron Furgeson first joined Petoskey Schools as a custodian nearly 30 years ago, he subbed on nights for nearly a year before a longtime employee retired…

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Monday’s event at Orchard View High School in Muskegon looked like a party, but it was the annual general membership meeting of a wall-to-wall support staff union representing custodians, office staff, paraeducators, maintenance employees, transportation workers, and food service staff. Goodies for giveaway lined the front of the community meeting room where dozens of…

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor In the past two years, Christine Rushlow surveyed members of the Plymouth Canton Education Association (PCEA) with two questions: what problems are you confronting in your school role, and what expertise do you offer which could help others address issues they’re facing? As the PCEA vice president for elementary, Rushlow has led a popular…

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor United Teachers of Flint VP Trishanda Williams In January when seven school board members of Flint Community Schools voted down a settlement agreement between the district and its teachers, their move sparked a crisis which spun into a dramatic three-month showdown culminating in a huge win for United Teachers of Flint. But the historic…

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Award‑winning teacher Valerie Hopkins spoke out and worked with other staff unions to address damaging behavior by two school board members in Evart. For two decades Valerie Hopkins has faced challenges and celebrated joys of teaching early elementary school in Evart Public Schools northwest of Mt. Pleasant. Four years ago she became president of…

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor Linda Key For MEA member Linda Key and many others in Rochester, local school board meetings have become “frustrating and exhausting” since 2022 when two candidates endorsed by the far-right political group Moms for Liberty were elected to the board. Now the seat occupied by one of those two trustees – Andrew Weaver, who…

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor A high school special education teacher in Farmington, Chris DeYonke (center) received the Paul Blewett Friend of Education Award earlier this month at the MEA Representative Assembly. A few years into his role as president of the Farmington Education Association (FEA), Chris DeYonke was marking member information in a spreadsheet when he stumbled across…

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor MEA member Kevin Fannin doesn’t need accolades to know he’s doing incredible work with young people at Milwood Magnet School in Kalamazoo—the looks on kids’ faces when they see him, the smiles, the hugs, the high fives, hand shakes and fist bumps say it all. Kevin Fannin But as a longtime school employee serving…

By Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor In her nearly 14 years as president of the Clawson Education Association, Kelly Pearson has not bargained a better contract than the one she recently signed. Overwhelmingly approved by membership, the deal struck different responses between early-career and longer-term educators. “Overall, people were happy,” Pearson said of reactions during a meeting to review the…

Retired middle school science teacher Isabell Nazar of Homer, a board member of MEA-Retired, testified before the Legislature in support of eliminating the retirement tax. Retired educator Isabell Nazar could not mathematically pinpoint the positive effects of a new law that will save her pension from being taxed; instead the former 38-year middle school science teacher from rural Homer in…