10/02/2026
The leaders of all 8 staff unions representing employees of MEA, MESSA and MEA Financial Services have signed on to the following statement:
We fervently oppose the use of MEA members’ dues dollars to benefit the billionaire DeVos family, which funnels its tremendous wealth into political activities — financed with their and others’ dark money — to target and destroy labor unions and public education.
We strongly object to any and all official MEA functions being held in DeVos-owned properties in Grand Rapids and elsewhere, including this week’s MEA Board of Directors meeting at the Amway Grand Hotel and future MEA conferences.
Such events violate longstanding board policy passed and reaffirmed by the MEA Representative Assembly, Board Policy B-13, which reads: Boycotts in force, Amway Boycott: the MEA actively encourages MEA members to boycott the purchase, selling and use of Amway Corporation products and to no longer use facilities which have any agreement or connections with the Amway Corporation in the future. (1981 Spring RA. Reaffirmed 1992)
The lengthy duration of this MEA member-driven boycott reflects the decades-long attacks by the DeVos family on everything MEA stands for and fights to uphold and protect — particularly Betsy DeVos, former U.S. Secretary of Education, who supports diverting money from public education to fund private schools through vouchers.
Signed by leaders of MEDA, AALOP, MEA PSA, ASO, MESSA PSA, MESSA SSA, MEA FSR and MEA FSA
