Time to switch unions - is FEA a mess?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So now FEA is initiating impeachment and removal investigations? Now I'm really thinking about jumping ship.

I heard about this today from some of their members. It sounds like a mess. I know a few who have switched over to FCFT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So now FEA is initiating impeachment and removal investigations? Now I'm really thinking about jumping ship.

I saw that email earlier! What's going on?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So now FEA is initiating impeachment and removal investigations? Now I'm really thinking about jumping ship.

I saw that email earlier! What's going on?

Information for the rest of us? Impeachment and removal of who?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So now FEA is initiating impeachment and removal investigations? Now I'm really thinking about jumping ship.

I saw that email earlier! What's going on?

Information for the rest of us? Impeachment and removal of who?

Dear Colleagues and FEA Members,

Earlier this evening, on November 6, 2025, the FEA Board of Directors unanimously voted to initiate a formal impeachment and removal investigation into President Carla Okouchi and Board Member At-Large Joanne Walton for malfeasance and conduct inconsistent with the values, mission, and goals of the Fairfax Education Association. It also imposed a formal vote of no confidence, in accordance with FEA Bylaw 9-3.

This decision was not made lightly. As an organization grounded in the labor movement and built by the collective strength of educators, support professionals, and members across Fairfax County, we understand that trust, integrity, and accountability are essential to the work we do. The Board has a fiduciary and moral responsibility to protect this union and every one of its members.

Accordingly, President Okouchi has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of this investigation. During this period, both President Okouchi and Joanne Walton have been relieved of their duties and authority to act, speak, or represent FEA or its alliances in any capacity.

To ensure continuity of our union’s work and stability for our members:

Vice President Walker and Executive Director Cole will oversee day-to-day operations and represent the Association in its external dealings.

Bargaining Team Co-Chairs Matthew Wallace and Britteny Thomas will continue to represent FEA within the Fairfax Education Unions alliance, consistent with our Constitution and Bylaws.

The Board recognizes the seriousness of this moment. We approach it with the same commitment to due process, fairness, and transparency that we demand from our employers and the systems we hold accountable. This process will remain confidential until a thorough and just conclusion can be reached.

FEA’s strength has always come from our members — from the solidarity we show one another and from our collective belief that every educator deserves dignity, voice, and respect. We remain steadfast in our mission to defend your rights, protect our contracts, and ensure that our union continues to be a force for justice in Fairfax County Public Schools.

We ask for your patience and unity as we move through this process together. We will share updates as we are able to.


In Solidarity,
The FEA Board of Directors

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand the value of a union in a right to work state. We can’t strike, so what bargaining chip do we actually have? “We begged for xxx but they said they could only give yyy so we took it.” Cool. Why does that cost hundreds a month?

The states with powerful contracts/good working conditions all have the ability to strike.

Not true. Strikes are illegal in Massachusetts, and they have some of the strongest unions in the country.

[Anonymous]

As an FEA member do you have access to their by-laws to see what section 9-3 is? I assume it’s available to members somewhere. Perhaps their website.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As an FEA member do you have access to their by-laws to see what section 9-3 is? I assume it’s available to members somewhere. Perhaps their website.

This? Found it by googling. Not too much to go on.

9-3. Discipline of a Representative or Alternate Representative
Discipline of a representative or alternate representative must include:
a. Evidence of non-representation at a minimum of three RA meetings or non-performance of other
representative duties; and,
b. Majority vote of the members of FEA in the school or unit on the motion to discipline, which may be
presented by any FEA member in that school or unit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If all you are really interested in is the liability insurance, then check out Virginia Professional Educators. No politics.

https://virginiaeducators.org/

+1

I am long retired. I began teaching in 1970. Do you know what the big "reason" to join was in 1970? Liability insurance and other legal fees.

Also, through the years, I only knew one person who used it. She was an awful teacher who protested her firing. That's the only person I knew that used the support of the union. (She did not win. Nice girl, highly nervous and all the parents wanted their kids out of her class. Principal tried to help--she was "on probation" at our school. She would not accept help.

Our Building Reps --with one exception--were usually weak teachers. Every year, there would be a big push to "work to the contract"--which meant to leave as soon as your hours were up. I was an elementary teacher. Had I "worked to the contract" the kids would have suffered.

Go research what the NEA and the AFT are promoting--it is not good, solid instruction. The NEA handbook even included some pretty dark issues. I understand they have removed it from their website.

My advice: research the link given above. Ditch both NEA and the AFT. Concentrate on your students and forget the activism.

Sweetie, are you feeling alright? The NEA stands for the National Education Association and is not one of the FCPS unions we are talking about here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If all you are really interested in is the liability insurance, then check out Virginia Professional Educators. No politics.

https://virginiaeducators.org/

+1

I am long retired. I began teaching in 1970. Do you know what the big "reason" to join was in 1970? Liability insurance and other legal fees.

Also, through the years, I only knew one person who used it. She was an awful teacher who protested her firing. That's the only person I knew that used the support of the union. (She did not win. Nice girl, highly nervous and all the parents wanted their kids out of her class. Principal tried to help--she was "on probation" at our school. She would not accept help.

Our Building Reps --with one exception--were usually weak teachers. Every year, there would be a big push to "work to the contract"--which meant to leave as soon as your hours were up. I was an elementary teacher. Had I "worked to the contract" the kids would have suffered.

Go research what the NEA and the AFT are promoting--it is not good, solid instruction. The NEA handbook even included some pretty dark issues. I understand they have removed it from their website.

My advice: research the link given above. Ditch both NEA and the AFT. Concentrate on your students and forget the activism.

Sweetie, are you feeling alright? The NEA stands for the National Education Association and is not one of the FCPS unions we are talking about here.

Really?

from the website:
https://www.fairfaxea.org/about-fea

FEA currently represents FCPS employees, including teachers, instructional assistants, custodians, administrative assistants, cafeteria workers and bus drivers. We are affiliated with the Virginia Education Association (VEA) and the National Education Association (NEA).

[Anonymous]

Mentioned before, but no one seems to get it. FCPS is self-insured. You do not need any additional insurance even if you are a special education teacher. The policies associated with the unions will not protect you if you do something that breaks the law.

If you want to join in order to be aligned with the values of the organizations, sure go ahead, but don’t say you need to because of fear of lawsuit. That is irrational.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mentioned before, but no one seems to get it. FCPS is self-insured. You do not need any additional insurance even if you are a special education teacher. The policies associated with the unions will not protect you if you do something that breaks the law.

If you want to join in order to be aligned with the values of the organizations, sure go ahead, but don’t say you need to because of fear of lawsuit. That is irrational.

That is the carrot they offer. Fear works.

[Anonymous]

FEA is a mess. They butchered the last president election and the VEA had to step up and do a second election. It has been a disaster for years. NEA's own staff went on strike last year and the NEA used union busting tactics.

[Anonymous]

No place in education for teachers unions.

[Anonymous]

Will be extremely interesting to see how of this plays out. All we ever seem to hear is the loud clapping on the collective backs of the FEU for getting the 6% pay raise via the CBA. However, there’s very little ever mentioned about what they are doing for the welfare and advancement of the children we teach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Will be extremely interesting to see how of this plays out. All we ever seem to hear is the loud clapping on the collective backs of the FEU for getting the 6% pay raise via the CBA. However, there’s very little ever mentioned about what they are doing for the welfare and advancement of the children we teach.

You mean like the union action to get mold removed from Hayfield because FCPS kept saying it was no problem.