Today’s Detroit News includes a column written by MEA President Steve Cook that does a spectacular job of summarizing the Mackinac Center’s attacks on the MEA as a way to accomplish their ultimate goal, monetizing public schools.
Some find it curious that an “independent think tank” which claims to study public policy issues would spend so much time and money attempting to convince MEA members to opt out of their union. Along with their political activities, these activities clearly violate IRS regulations and their tax exempt status should be revoked. But the larger question is this: why is the Mackinac Center spending so much money attempting to persuade MEA members to quit the union?
The answer is simple. A loss of membership would weaken school employees’ strength at the bargaining table and in the political arena, allowing the center’s corporate backers to further privatize and profit from public education
Read it here.