After invalidating the officer elections for the local Alexandria teachers union, the Virginia Education Association has set a timeline for new elections that it will oversee later this month.
VEA President Carol Bauer informed Education Association of Alexandria (EAA) members of the new election timeline in an email on June 12. VEA’s decision to reject EAA’s union officer elections came after the elections were postponed from May 18 to May 21, and candidate for EAA president David Paladin-Fernandez was disqualified less than 12 hours before the elections.
New candidate nomination forms must be submitted by Friday, June 19. The elections will be held virtually through BallotPoint Election Services from 6 a.m. Monday, June 29 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 30, and the winners will be declared in an all-member meeting at 8 p.m. on June 30. Candidates will appear in all-member virtual forums at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 20 and on 6 p.m. Thursday, June 25.
In a previous email on June 10, Bauer said VEA has a responsibility to ensure that its Alexandria affiliate complies with the federal Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA), and that EAA was not cooperative in disclosing election materials.
“Throughout this review, multiple attempts have been made to secure election documents from the current EAA leadership,” Bauer wrote on June 10. “Although EAA President [Dawn] Lucas communicated to VEA that the EAA Executive Committee voted to authorize the release of election materials, VEA has not yet received the requested documents. Due to the inability to review and verify election documents, there has been a delay in establishing a timeline for the new election. There are legal timelines associated with conducting a new election and seating officers, and VEA is taking the steps necessary to meet those legal requirements.”
On June 14, EAA leadership said in an email to its members that it had, in fact, sent election materials to VEA, but that they arrived on June 12 — the same day that Bauer announced the new elections and timeline. The email also said that EAA was unaware it had to follow the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act.
“However, EAA was not informed that it was subject to LMRDA requirements and had previously been told those requirements did not apply,” EAA said. “This lack of communication is concerning, as VEA supported the development of election materials without providing critical compliance information. A policy change of this magnitude should have been clearly communicated to all locals.”
EAA leadership also said that its executive committee voted to rerun the elections.
“The committee members voted to rerun the election, provide the requested materials, and have the process administered by an independent third-party vendor unaffiliated with either EAA or VEA,” EAA wrote. “This decision was communicated to VEA President Carol Bauer on June 8.”
VEA invalidates teachers union officer elections
As previously reported, Paladin-Fernandez was informed of his disqualification in a Zoom meeting with other candidates the day before the May 21 elections.
Andrea Hill, chair of the EAA Credentials/Election Committee, told the members the union’s executive committee had voted to disqualify Paladin-Fernandez after an investigation into alleged campaign violations. She also said the executive committee believed there was not enough time to go through a democratic process to allow Paladin-Fernandez to defend himself against the allegations, according to audio obtained by ALXnow.
Madeline Wingate-Alfonso, the current EAA vice president, became the sole candidate running for president after Paladin-Fernandez was disqualified. Tyron Barnes also ran against Mary Gaddis for EAA vice president, and Howard van der Sluis ran against Diana Carvajal for EAA treasurer.
Barnes and van der Sluis ran on a slate with Paladin-Fernandez as part of their group, Responsive Union Now. The three candidates are running again with the goal of transforming EAA.
“We want to formally thank the VEA for stepping in to ensure that EAA’s processes align with democratic standards,” Paladin-Fernandez said. “However, the true credit for this second chance belongs entirely to our supporters. Their relentless advocacy is the sole reason this new election is happening.”
EAA president Dawn Lucas is not seeking re-election and sits on the EAA executive committee. She did not respond to requests for comment.
ALXnow has reached out to Wingate-Alfonso to confirm whether she is running for president again.
