DFT president blasts decision to dump him for misconduct

The president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers was stripped of his job and kicked out of the union today after being found guilty of misconduct in an unprecedented decision he has vowed to appeal.

Steve Conn, 57, said he's confident that the "overreaching" ruling from the union's executive board will be overturned.

"I started a fight to rebuild this union, and I want the members of my union to know I pledge to continue this fight," he told the Free Press after the verdict was announced late today.

The ruling: Read the Steve Conn trial decision

Conn was convicted on five of six misconduct charges brought against him during a two-day trial last week. They included allegations that he failed to preside over union meetings and tried to affiliate the union with an outside social justice group.

Conn has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

The DFT's executive vice president, Ivy Bailey, will serve as interim president until the union elects a new leader.

"We have a lot of repairing to do, and rebuilding," she said of the union. "We've got a long road ahead of us."

Conn has been president since narrowly winning the election in January. The DFT has nearly 4,000 members.

Bailey said the executive board found Conn guilty of violating the union's constitution and bylaws by: cancelling meetings and failing to preside over them; affiliating the union with the group By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) without union approval; failing to investigate abuse of members; failing to address a physical assault on a member and failing to pay dues that the DFT owes to the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and AFT Michigan.

One charge of holding a rally at a school against the wishes of staff was dismissed

This is the first time in the DFT's 84-year history that a president has been put on trial, removed from office and expelled from the union, said Keith Johnson, who was president just prior to Conn. The two are long-time nemeses.

"When you have a president who engages in or is alleged to have engaged in misconduct, it certainly brings into question for the membership the strength and integrity of the union," Johnson said. "It doesn't look good."

Conn, a former math teacher at Cass Tech, has long been a controversial figure. His critics say he is radical and divisive. Some teachers have been circulating petitions trying to recall him.

Conn's supporters say he has helped breathe new life into a union that had become too passive.

Bailey publicly announced the charges in June. The matter went to trial before the board after Conn failed to attend an informal hearing about them.

Reactions to the verdict were mixed.

“I’m not happy. He was the best president that we had. He was a fighter,” said Leslie Hubbard, who has taught special education in DPS for 11 years.

Another teacher, Nina Chacker, said the ruling wasn’t surprising. An early supporter of Conn, she said her feelings changed when it seemed like his leadership role with BAMN became more of a priority than the union.

“(Teachers) did have ideas, and we did have input,” she said. “But unless it was exactly what he wanted to hear, he wasn’t receptive.”

Conn's attorney, Shanta Driver, said the trial was unfair. She noted that the executive board includes people who ran as a slate with Conn's opponent in the last election.

"This is an outrage," Driver said today "I think that it defies what the membership decided when it elected Steve. There was absolutely no reason to remove him from office. It was unjust and political."

Bailey said the executive board worked to ensure Conn had a fair trial that followed the union's bylaws. Because she presided over it, she abstained from casting a vote.

According to the bylaws, the board's decision can be overturned by a two-thirds majority of members present at a union meeting where the vote is taken.

Anticipating an unfavorable outcome, Conn for days has been encouraging union members to attend the next general membership meeting in September and cast a vote in his favor.

If Conn is unsuccessful there, he has one final shot to appeal on a national level to an American Federation of Teachers review board.

Bailey said the board tried but was unable to meet with Conn in person to deliver the verdict. He was notified via email.

Contact staff writer Ann Zaniewski at 313-222-6594 or azaniewski@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @AnnZaniewski.