Some good news.

Really good news. Andrew at the Northwest Progressive Insistute highlights this article from the Seattle PI on the Washington Education Association's decision to stop reimbursing Wal-Mart purchases from union funds.

Taking a bold political stand, the state teachers' union last week declared the fund off-limits to Wal-Mart purchases.

In a newsletter distributed to teachers, association President Charles Hasse cited Wal-Mart's "exploitative labor practices (that) have added to public assistance burdens in our state and across the nation."

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Hasse said he's received more than 200 responses from teachers around the state, who were 20-1 in favor of eliminating Wal-Mart reimbursements. "It was interesting to see the intensity of feeling around this," he said.

The NEA and its state affiliates are sometimes guilty of pursuing parochial interests that put them at a distance from, and occassionaly at odds with, the larger House of Labor. This, however, is a remarkable demonstration of solidarity with low income workers and a step toward building healthier communities. My hat's off to 'em.

Wal-Mart. They don't sell American products. They don't pay American wages. They don't get my American dollars and now they don't get the WEA's either.

Really good news.