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Feuding teachers' unions battle over package delivery

Posted at 11:21 PM, Jul 12, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-13 10:10:41-04

What's in the box sitting in the middle of the Clark County Education Association's parking lot?

That was at the center of a controversy Wednesday between employees of the current union representing Clark County School District teachers and a newly formed teachers union.

Members of that new union, Nevada Education Association Southern Nevada said the box had hundreds of forms from teacher's leaving the CCEA.

"It has social security information, address information, phone numbers, email addresses," Jennifer Steele said.

Employees at the CCEA say they refused the delivery because they didn't know what was inside the box, adding they never signed anything to acknowledge its arrival.

"It was not properly served to us, so we are not going to touch those kinds of things," CCEA Executive Director John Vellardita said. "We have no idea what that box is. You don't touch a box you don't know where it is coming from."

Leaders of the NEA-SN said they hired a process server to deliver the drop forms to three location to make sure those teachers were removed from CCEA.  

A union leader providing 13 Action News with receipts from the company showing the packages were delivered to each location and the report detailing the problems upon delivery to the CCEA office.

The server writing the package was delivered to CCEA employee Dane Watson.  The report then explains how another unidentified employee placed the box back outside on the process server's car.

 The server explained she put the box back on the sidewalk beside the unidentified employee who then "picked up the box and threw it into the parking lot."

Supporters of the new union called the CCEA employees actions childish.

"It is definitely a dirty tactic and unprofessional," Steele said.

"I did not expect CCEA to put them out in the parking lot," Vicki Kreidel said.

Several of those supporters tried to take the box back into the office, even recording the attempts on Facebook Live, but say each time the employees put the box with sensitive information back in the parking lot.

While the NEA-SN maintains the delivery legally obligated the CCEA to keep the documents, Vellardita said it was never signed for so it was not properly delivered.

The executive director pointing 13 Action News to another box sent by the NEA-SN through certified mail that Vellardita was properly delivered.

"We want to make sure it is a legitimate piece of mail,"Vellardita said.

The CCEA Executive Director calling the in-person deliver a stunt.

"Fake news by a fake union.  That simple," Vellardita said. "The smart thing to do would be to pick up the box and take it and properly serve it."

A member of the NEA-SN acknowledged another member eventually retrieved the box and took it back to the union's offices.  He said they were looking into resending the package adding the documents were duplicates of the forms delivered by certified mail earlier in the day.