May 20, 2011_nWLP 5/17/11 9:34 aM Page 5
...Portland French School to close
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pro-union,” Scanlan wrote. “We may
lose students whose parents oppose
some of their tuition being forwarded
to the union by teachers,” Scanlan con-
tinued — an opinion based on his
“decades of dealing with high net-
worth individuals and in politics.”
Soon after, the school was awash in
conflict. Anti-union parents pressed
NEA considers early
Obama endorsement
The National Education Associa-
tion’s (NEA) Political Action Commit-
tee has approved endorsing the re-elec-
tion of President Barack Obama in
2012. The action now must be approved
by NEA’s governing body — the Rep-
resentative Assembly— which meets
July 2-5 in Chicago.
“The mid-term elections have shown
us what can happen when education
legislation and decisions are left in the
hands of politicians who do not support
public education — those of us in edu-
cation call this a teachable moment,”
said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel.
“This is the time to make decisions
about the direction of our country, and
we have real choices to make. As ac-
tivists, engaged educators, we should
get involved now.”
MAY 20, 2011
teachers to vote no. Arguments erupted
between pro- and anti-union parents,
pro- and anti-union teachers, between
parents and board members, board
members and teachers, between
Mbengue and parents and teachers.
The union election went forward
April 16, 2010. Support staff voted 7 to
3 to unionize, but teachers split 12 to 12
— a loss for the union. The NLRB
eventually ruled that the employer la-
bor law violations tainted the election,
and set aside the teacher vote result.
AFT was given the right to request a re-
run election, but decided to wait until
Raclot’s reinstatement.
While it waited, the school im-
ploded. Parents withdrew their chil-
dren, unhappy with the school’s gover-
nance and weary of the conflict.
Enrollment for the 2011-12 school year
was projected to drop by one-third,
from 225 to 150. Meanwhile, accord-
ing to an April 17, 2011, letter to par-
ents from the school’s board, the school
ran up $170,226 in legal bills related to
the “labor dispute.” [The Barran Lieb-
man law firm represented the school
throughout, with up to three attorneys
present at legal proceedings.] On top of
that, when the board terminated
Mbengue’s own employment contract
on Feb. 6 “without cause,” the school
became liable for $100,650 in his salary
for the remainder of the school year.
Facing a cash crunch, the board an-
nounced the school would close at the
end of April. Parents rallied over a pe-
riod of several days and raised $175,000
to fund the school for the month of May.
Now the school is set to close May 31,
after which it’s expected to declare
bankruptcy and liquidate assets.
Notwithstanding the closure, the
NLRB scheduled a “re-run” union elec-
tion for May 24 at the union’s request.
They might not be employed a week
later, but if teachers unionize, the school
might be obliged to bargain terms of
dissolution, and they’d have representa-
tion in the unlikely event the school re-
constitutes itself as a new entity.
Washington CLUB
golf set June 16-17
The Washington CLUB — Contrac-
tors, Legislators, Unions and Business
— Charity Golf Classic will be held
June 16-17 at Gold Mountain Golf
Complex in Bremerton, Washington.
The Pre CLUB on June 16 is a two-
person best ball format on the Olympic
Course. Registration is $125.
The main event June 17 is a four-
person scramble, with various levels of
sponsorships. All proceeds raised go di-
rectly to three charities — Holly Ridge
Center, The Children’s Hospital-Seattle,
and the Diabetes Research Institute.
In 10 years, the tournament has
raised over $750,000.
For more information or to register,
go online to www.wa-club.org or call
Brian at 206-432-9014.
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
Letter Carriers help stamp out hunger
Letter Carrier Allison Schmuck (right) picks up a bag of food May 14 for
the National Association of Letter Carriers’ annual Stamp Out Hunger food
drive. The food was donated by Lynn Alsobrook (left) and her husband, Bob,
who live in the Sullivan’s Gulch neighborhood in Northeast Portland. In its
19th year, the event has grown into the largest one-day food drive in the
country, with union letter carriers throughout the nation collecting millions
of pounds of food. In the Portland metro area, members of NALC Branch 82
brought in 554,833 pounds of food, according to preliminary numbers
reported by Secretary-Treasurer Kevin Card, who coordinates the event for
the union. The food was sorted by volunteers at area postal stations and taken
to the Oregon Food Bank for distribution to those in need.
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