ST. CROIX — A dispute within the St. Croix Federation of Teachers (American Federation of Teachers Local 1826) is escalating just days before a scheduled union election Thursday, with candidates alleging that the process has been compromised by unfair disqualifications and a lack of transparency.
Marisska Nurse, a candidate for president, and Amanda Burton, a candidate for vice president, have filed a formal election challenge with the Public Employees Relations Board, asserting that they were wrongfully disqualified from the ballot without due process.
“We are not the only candidates that submitted petitions,” Nurse, an alternative school science teacher, said, adding that she knows of at least two other petitioning candidates left off the ballot. “All of the candidates were disqualified, so that only the people that are presently in office were placed on the ballot.”
Burton, a sixth-grade English Language Arts teacher at Lew Muckle Elementary School, said she received notice of her disqualification in an April 1 email from the union’s Election Committee citing Article X, Section 2(h) of the union’s bylaws. She said the provision was interpreted to require prior service on the representative council.
“I could not understand why that was applicable to me, as I have been on the rep council for 17-plus years,” Burton said. “I just was not on the rep council this year.”
Burton said she reviewed the bylaws and disputed the interpretation, arguing that the requirement did not apply as narrowly as the committee suggested. She said she wrote to the committee seeking clarification but did not receive a response.
Burton said the committee later sent a second letter alleging that at least one signature on her petition was invalid because the individual was not a dues-paying member. She said she asked the committee to identify which signature it deemed invalid so she could correct it.
“They never wrote me back,” she said.
Burton said she believes all individuals who signed her petition were eligible, noting that teachers in the territory are subject to union dues requirements.
Nurse described a similar experience, disputing both the interpretation of eligibility rules and the handling of her membership status. She said she later had to resolve an issue related to her dues after being notified they had been stopped without her authorization.
Nurse said the rules require candidates to submit 15 signatures, be in good standing with the union, and be a dues-paying member. She maintained that she and Burton both meet those requirements.
Both candidates also raised concerns about the structure of the ballot. Burton said the initial ballot included only current union officers and did not include a write-in option for contested positions.
Following complaints, a write-in option was later added. However, both candidates said campaigning as write-in candidates presents challenges.
“I would like for my name to be on the ballot because right now I’m trying to run as a write-in, and that’s a disadvantage,” Burton said. “We’re not on a fair playing field. The members cannot hear my voice, so I would really like for them to correct this and to have a fair election for our union.”
Nurse echoed that concern, noting that write-in options are often overlooked by voters. Nurse and Burton have asked PERB to intervene, including potentially halting the election until the dispute is resolved.
“One of the things we wanted them to do was to stop the elections until they decide on the disqualifications,” Nurse said. “Look at the facts, look at the evidence, and then be the deciding factor of whether we should be on the ballot or not.”
Burton said she is seeking validation of her eligibility and a fair election process.
“I would like PERB to first of all validate and show that I am eligible to run, and I would like for my name to be on the ballot,” she said.
The dispute centers on the conduct of the AFT Local 1826 Election Committee, chaired by Ira Williams. The candidates allege that the committee’s actions denied them a meaningful opportunity to review or challenge their disqualification before it was finalized.
St. Croix Federation of Teachers President Tamieka Phillipus declined to comment on the allegations.
“I don’t have any comments as it relates to Marisska Nurse,” Phillipus said.
The outcome of the PERB complaint, filed approximately two weeks ago, could affect not only the candidates involved but also the timing and conduct of the election itself.
It is not immediately clear whether PERB will act before the scheduled vote. A message left for PERB Executive Director Jessica Philgence was not returned as of publication time.
