Typically, union leaders use e-mail addresses unrelated to the school district.  Many use e-mail addresses obtained from the MEA.  In Strachan's case, she continued to use a taxpayer-funded e-mail account and therefore made her communications subject to FOIA.

The Wayne-Westland district has a very clear policy.  Among other things, it states, "The computer system belongs to the District.  Therefore, staff should treat it as any other District resource.  It should not be used for personal purposes. ... Staff members do not have an expectation of privacy in e-mail communications or Internet usage."

EAG made the request for two reasons: to determine the union's communications with the Lansing-based MEA during the strike, as well as the extent to which the union is involved in the on-going recall effort of 4 or more of the school board members.

Hundreds of pages of e-mails were recently produced by the district and EAG has already paid half--$445.48--of the estimated cost of producing the documents.  They are set to be made available this week.

Let us be clear: we have no interest in Strachan's communications with teachers regarding the education of Wayne-Westland kids--in fact, by law, the information should be redacted.  We're simply trying to get to the bottom of the union's involvement in a recall effort the organizers say stem from the union's "illegal withholding of services" related to the 4-day strike.

By deep-sixing the truth in the sea of the courts, the union is blocking the public's right to know the union's involvement in these critical events.  The union's lawsuit also makes us wonder what information they are attempting to hide from the public.

The public was embarrassed and humiliated by the mayor of the city of Detroit who attempted to shield his activities from public view.  The court should not interfere in a Freedom of Information Act request.  The public's right to make fair judgments should outweigh the union's attempt to cover-up their president's careless use of taxpayer-funded equipment.