HFE 12A 15

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S: Well, after the bill passed is when he was, when he talked about

 vetoing.

W: It passed what, about February 19?

S: Well, the first place, that I think the threat of strike caused

 the governor to call a special session ofAlegislature. Number

 one, I don't think we would have gotten it, cause W tried to

 get special sessions before. That was, that's number one. Number

 two, I think that the strike itself is, was responsible for the

 governor finally signing the bill.

W: Um hmm. Letting it become law.

S: Letting it become law. I think that those are the two positive

 aspects of, results of the war. Now, of course, that was a great

 sacrifice to a lot of people, and to the association, you see,

 we were well, F.E.A. was in real fine financial shape at that

 time. We had, we had a surplus in the neighborhood of I would

 guess, $250,000, and everything was paid for, the building and

 all the property was paid for. Of course we, we spent all of
 12. million
 that, and then the N.E.A. committed4,$i^^'lW" which I don't

 think they ever spent quite that much, they sent a good bit of

 money in here for distribution to, to members. Uh, then following

 the next year, they, the membership fell, you know, from about

 50,000 to about 25,000. Actually a little below 25,000. Because

 of the different,,,well, some of the people who had been strong in

 the strike became disenchanted, and then a good portion ofAteachers

 who objected to it in the first place stayed out, and didn't join

 the next year. And then of course, we had the active opposition

 of--a good many of the members of the school management team, I