A letter from Joe Reed
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Transcript of A letter from Joe Reed
Take Back AEA from NEA
To: AEA Members
From: JoeL. Y*QFALRetired Ass{fiate Executive Secretary
Date: October 30,2015
RE: Proposed Changes to the AEA Constitution and Bylaws
STOP, READ AND THINK!
For 42 years Paul Hubbert and I worked for you to make AEA great. We never lied to you,
never misled you and never betrayed your trust. We supported you and you supported us. Paul is now
dead. I ask you to trust me and join in the fight to save AEA.
The NEA is deceiving us and has taken over AEA. They have sent a man from Minnesota,
called him a Trustee, and claim that he alone runs the day-to-day operations of the AEA. He claims
absolute control over our rules, regulations, bylaws and policies including the Delegate Assembly,
President, Board of Directors, the budget and the Headquarters Building. Even though the AEA
Constitution and the Merger Agreement require the Associate Executive Secretary (AES) to assume
the duties and functions of the Executive Secretary (ES) when the ES is absent, this has not happened.
Upon the resignation of Dr. Mabry as Executive Secretary, the ES position became vacant. It is still
vacant but they will not let the current AES, Gregory Graves, assume the duties. I wonder why? The
Trustee and some others are working feverishly to circumvent undermine, and weaken the Merger
Agreement. This agreement has withstood the test of time for 45 years unintemrpted and undiluted but
now because NEA wants AEA to operate like a union, it is proposing a union model i.e., Secretary-
Treasurer, change the title of the Executive and Associate Executive Secretaries to Executive
Directors. You know what will be next; a merger with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).
You must oppose all of these arnendments that weaken the Merger Agreement, establish a union
model, or keep AEA under endless Trusteeship.
Two of your brave board members, Bonita English, a classroom teacher from Mobile and
Darryl Traylor, a support professional, from Bimingham have liled a lawsuit to Take Back the
AEA from NEA. Don't let them down; they are fighting for you; they are frghting for AEA. The
same AEA that has been there for you for the past 45 years.
The Trustee is spreading misinformation. He has most of the ofFrcers and board members
scared 'to hell and back." They think that the Trustee can replace them. He has fired employees
(Curtis Travis) on "grapevine gossip." He is telling you and anybody else who will listen ttrat ttre
Headquarters Building is being threatened and only he can save it. That is NOT TRLIE. That
building does not have a mortgage. We paid for it when we built it. The best thing for AEA is for
NEA to send the Trustee back to Minnesota and stop rying to run AEA from Washington and forcing
NEA's policies and views on AEA. None of you asked that the Constitution be changed; that is a
demand from NEA. There is no basis for NEA or the Trustee to confiol and direct us.
Our Legislative Session was a grand failure; $80"000,000 was taken from the Education Trust
Fund by the legislature and AEA is calling that a major victory. That's a major LIE! All the gains and
advances we made under the Merger Agreement will be lost if we don't wake up and fight back! We
must encourage all Delegates to the Delegate Assemb$ in December to VOTE NO on these
bylaws and amendments. We must take back AEA from IYEA!
Vote NO on these Bylaws and Amendments