Aaron Payment, the chairman of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Michigan, is fighting an attempt to organize a union of teachers at the Bahweting School.

The Michigan Education Association held an organizing vote in early October. But Payment says the union has no place at the charter school, which is part of the state system.

In hopes of stopping the effort, Payment wants to close the school and reopen it as a tribal entity. But the MEA organizer says the school will lose $2.3 million in state funding if that happens.

Get the Story:
Union official says Payment source of Bahweting troubles (The Soo Evening News 11/1)
Payment: Unions have no place in a tribal school (The Soo Evening News 10/28)

Relevant Links:
Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians - http://www.sootribe.org
Sault Tribe Times, independent site - http://www.saulttribetimes.com