EIA made extensive efforts this week to update and confirm state affiliate positions on merger. Only those states that took recorded votes in their state assemblies are included in the "confirmed" numbers. The other category is the "strong lean." These are states that have taken a public position for or against merger, but either have not taken a state vote, or this vote could not be confirmed by EIA. This is up-to- the-minute data: 

• Confirmed pro-merger — Wisconsin, Florida, Minnesota, New York, Missouri, Nebraska, Montana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Wyoming. TOTAL = 14.2%
• Confirmed anti-merger — Michigan, Illinois, Virginia, Iowa, New Hampshire. TOTAL = 15.2%

• Strong lean pro-merger — Arizona. TOTAL = 1.4%
• Strong lean anti-merger — New Jersey, Delaware, Vermont. TOTAL = 7.3%

With a committed 22.5% vote against merger, it's very difficult (though not impossible) to come up with a scenario where merger wins. They all involve clean sweeps, national delegates voting contrary to their state delegation's position, large victories in uncommitted states, changes in position, or huge pro- merger movement at the NEA convention in July. Anti-merger victory consists of simpler strategies — like winning California, OR winning Pennsylvania and Ohio, OR holding the pro-merger side to small margin victories in those three states. Ohio, by the way, held its assembly last weekend. Not a single story, press release or rumor has emerged about whether a merger vote was taken or how it might have turned out. If you know, let EIA know. 

Receiving the baton, Vice President Al Gore will address the NEA Representative Assembly on July 3. The merger will be debated on the afternoon of July 4 and voted upon on the morning of July 5. 

Investor's Business Daily is planning to publish my Op-Ed on NEA and Bobby Watson this Thursday. 

David Boldt of the Philadelphia Inquirer referred to me as a "renegade journalist" in his column last Friday. I've taken to wearing an eyepatch. 

The Boston Globe's token conservative columnist, Jeff Jacoby, wrote a column last week extremely critical of California's Proposition 226, the paycheck protection initiative. And while many of his points are arguable, Jacoby shares my utter faith in unions to circumvent the measure should it pass. I call it the "WEA lesson" after the well-documented events in Washington state. Jacoby says it this way: "Tell a union it may not spend workers' money on political activity without written permission and you merely invite it to recast those activities as nonpolitical." 

Another possible avenue for union political spending would be increased national union contributions to state initiative campaigns. At the most recent NEA Board of Directors meeting, funds to support or defeat state ballot initiatives were distributed in the following proportions: 

• $600,000 to the Oregon Education Association
• $200,000 to the Massachusetts Teachers Association
• $125,000 to the Ohio Education Association

Quote of the Week: "The motion at the NEA Board passed 102 [sic] to 53 with some abstaining and some absent. If that vote was indicative of feelings around the country, then the two-thirds needed to pass the merger is in question." — Lona Lewis, executive director of the South Dakota Education Association, confirming what EIA has been reporting for three weeks. The actual vote was 106-53 with 3 abstaining and 7 absent.