Watch: AZ Teachers Union Head Pressures Members to Intimidate Colleagues to Join #RedforEd Walk Outs

Arizona Education Association (AEA) president Joe Thomas was caught on video telling teachers who act as union liaisons in their schools to intimidate any colleagues who refuse to participate in walkouts apparently planned in anticipation of future #RedforEd rallies at the State Capitol in Phoenix.

Michelle Dillard, an organizer of a group designed to push back against the AEA and #RedforEd in Arizona called Purple for Parents, tweeted the video of Thomas’ rant on Sunday:

#AngryUnionBoss Joe Thomas giving orders to #RedForEd to coerce & intimidate our teachers. Disgusting union bully tactics. Hostile work environment. Teachers are welcome in #PurpleForParents #WalkAway pic.twitter.com/xExUSu8bKD

— • michelle • (@Meeeech_L) April 21, 2019

“So if you have people that say by God I don’t want to walk out again, I’ll never do that again, you better make sure they’re in a red shirt every Wednesday,” Thomas said at the beginning of the 24 second video, in which he spoke to several teachers wearing trademark #RedforEd red shirts.

“And if you have people that don’t want to walk out, that don’t want to go back down to the Capitol, don’t want to leave their classrooms, they better be out on that walk out, that stand out, excuse me,” Thomas said at the end of the brief video.

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