Rhode Island Teacher Union Official Investigated for Conflict of interest

Valarie Lawson is a teacher, State Senator, and vice President of the National Education Association of Rhode Island.   It is simply difficult to imagine how she can fulfill all these roles on 24 hours a day.  A complaint has been filed against her with the Rhode Island Ethics Commission for introducing, cosponsoring and advocating repeatedly for legislation that would lock in wages and benefits in expired contracts.  This legislation would, of course, greatly benefit her employer, NEA Rhode Island.  Katherine Gregg has the story in the Providence Journal.

A complaint the Rhode Island GOP filed against Valarie Lawson — a state senator, high school school teacher and $32,859 vice president of a union that serves as a “bargaining agent” for R.I. school teachers — puts the spotlight on complex factors the panel must weigh before ruling.