LAS VEGAS -- Some valley teachers threaten to leave the Clark County teacher's union and join another. They claim the union works too closely with the school district and the one’s interested in leaving said it’s time for a change.

Officials and teachers said there are two different pictures of Clark County teachers and their union.

“Teachers are very upset what's going on with them right now,” said teacher Ron Taylor, who also works for the Teamsters Local Union No. 14. “They have no defense. We're helping them anyway we can, and part of that help is just organize and give them adequate representation.”

Taylor has started a grass-roots effort he calls Teachers for Change. He said the goal is to get teachers to leave the current union, the Clark County Education Association. Taylor wants teachers to join the Teamsters and play hardball with the school district.

John Jasonek is the executive director of the association. He denies the union is powerless and said the union has had a record of success and protection. Jasonek said last year the association filed 100 grievances against the school district and won 92 percent of them.

“We've grown as an organization,” said Jasonek. “Teachers get to ratify their contracts. There's no behind the door dealings. As matter of fact, each of last three sessions, we've been able to do better at the bargaining table than what the legislature appropriated.”

Taylor claims more than 8,000 teachers are ready to sign up in a new direction in hopes to get rid of the biggest problem in the schools – the teacher shortage.

“(The association) has no clout, no power, they're inept at what they do,” said Taylor. “They're a bunch of teachers trying to become labor lawyers.”

“That's a bold face lie,” said Jasonek. “They're not representing teachers. I can give you case after case (where) teachers said they wouldn't be represented (by the Teamsters) because they didn't feel it was a strong enough case.”

Officials with the local Teamsters union are planning a press conference Thursday to announce its acceptance of the teachers and other support staff, like bus drivers and janitors.