By Nathan Bomey
The Michigan Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, said today that it is backing a rally to protest Gov. Rick Snyder's commencement speech Saturday morning at theUniversity of Michigan.
Doug Pratt, MEA's director of public affairs, confirmed that the union is supporting the "We Are the People" coalition, which is participating in an 8 a.m. rally at Pioneer High School's football stadium to protest Snyder's appearance across the street at Michigan Stadium.
But Pratt stopped short of endorsing a push by other groups to convince U-M graduates to turn their backs on Snyder while he's speaking.
"From MEA's standpoint, we're equally concerned about people making their voices heard AND respecting Saturday as a special day for U-M graduates and their families," Pratt said in an e-mail.
He added: "How the students comport themselves is up to them. ... We're not encouraging them to do anything other than our hope that they too are respectful of the day."
The involvement of the We Are the People coalition is sure to boost the crowd for the protest, which is being supported by several groups.
The We Are the People coalition drew thousands of protesters to a rally outside the capitol building in Lansing two weeks ago.
Organizers of the protest at Pioneer said Monday that they're expecting a crowd in the "low thousands." After the 1-hour rally, the protesters plan to march to sidewalks outside Michigan Stadium to protest while attendees arrive.
The protest comes as the MEA is asking its members to consider authorizing "crisis activities," including possible strikes, to fight Snyder's proposals. The MEA represents more than 157,000 teachers and school staff.
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