'Strength in numbers': State unions merge to form Education West Virginia

Although neither group releases membership figures, former AFT-WV President Kristie Skidmore previously said the new union expects to be one of the largest under the AFL-CIO umbrella.

“This is a historic step,� Skidmore said. “Unprecedented attacks on public education and the education employees who serve our students call for bold actions in West Virginia.�

A merger years in the making

Former WVEA President Dale Lee said the idea had been circulating since the 2018 Red for Ed strike, when thousands of West Virginia educators walked out to demand better pay, improved health care and stronger school funding. The strike encouraged by former AFL-CIO president Jim Bowman.

“We stood up across the state as educators and confronted things that were happening,� Lee said. "We saw that it was successful because we were speaking in one unified voice."

The merger is also a response to ongoing issues faced by employees, like staffing shortages. Lee noted that last year, West Virginia reported about 1,500 classrooms without a certified teacher, and districts face unfilled bus driver, aide and cook positions. The full scope of the current shortage will not be known until October, when updated figures are released.

“We need to have a collective voice to address these issues,� Lee said. “If our elected officials value our children, then they must increase pay for the hard-working people who teach them, drive them to school, prepare their meals, provide the framework of nurturing them in our public schools. The number of education employees leaving the state or leaving the profession altogether is at an all-time [high] level that I haven't seen in my career.�

Legislative focus

The union hopes to build on recent wins, like passage of last year's school discipline bill, Senate Bill 199, while pushing for long-term stabilization of the Public Employees Insurance Agency.

Lee, a former member of the PEIA task force, said he plans to attend upcoming PEIA Finance Board meetings to push for change. He argues the current 80/20 funding formula needs to be revised to give the state more flexibility to use budget surpluses.

He also pledged the newly formed union will be present during the special session of the Legislature which Gov. Patrick Morrisey has said he plans to call this month to address PEIA.

“For as long as I’ve been involved in the union, we’ve simply been saying, ‘Fund it,’� Skidmore said. “Employees deserve affordable, quality health care. We’re going to listen to our members about what they’re experiencing with their pay and benefits, and we’re going to ask them to share those stories with legislators.�

What’s next

Education West Virginia is now fully operational as of Sept. 1. Lee and Skidmore will co-lead the union until 2027, when members will elect the union's first president.

All employees from both organizations will continue under the new structure, and local staff representatives will remain in their areas. A transition council will oversee changes over the next two years.

Dues will increase, according to Lee, because dues are calculated based on a pre-existing formula that is affected by recent pay raises, but this would have happened regardless of the merger. The dues are comparable to what members paid in the previous organizations, he added.

Skidmore emphasized that members now receive benefits from both organizations as well as the AFL-CIO, effectively doubling their available resources and support.

"We're stronger now that we've combined our resources," she said. "We're going to be able to get to our members quicker. I would certainly hope not to forget that we are under the umbrella of the AFL-CIO. There's strength in numbers."

In the meantime, leaders say they will continue pressing for better pay, benefits and working conditions — and for a stronger public education system across the state.