MEA-MFT President Eric Feaver on Talk Back

According to his bio, Eric Feaver has served as the head of MEA-MFT since its inception in 2000 and before that Feaver served as the head of the MEA from 1984-2000.

Needless to say, Feaver has been deeply involved in the world of Montana's teacher's unions for nearly 30 years.

As the head of Montana's most powerful union, Feaver is a common face at the state legislature. Especially in 2012, when a variety of bills could radically change the structure of the way Montanan's pay for, use, or structure education.

Feaver is currently on the stump advocating against six particular pieces of legislation. Namely, HB 315, which would establish public charter schools, HB 213, which allows tax credits for non-public school tuition, HB 288 and HB 390, which would create a special education savings account, HB 357, which would develop an education savings account (voucher) program, and finally SB 81, which would create scholarship organizations that could then distribute funds for private and/or public tuition.

Though there is a lot in this legislative session that Feaver and MEA-MFT oppose, HB 13, the state employee pay bill, receives overwhelming support.

MEA-MFT actively lobbies the legislature and, judging by the high levels of MEA-MFT political spending, a great deal of effort also goes into influencing the makeup of the legislature.

To find out more information about MEA-MFT spending, administration pay, and general expenditures, look at the organization's LM2. LM2s contain public information about unions and can be found on the U.S. Department of Labor website. To find MEA-MFT using the searchable database, just type in Montana for the state and put the minimum number of members at 15,000.  It should be the only result.