MFPE is one of five merged state affiliates of the National Education Association (NEA) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT).
MEA followed suit a year later, and a joint merger committee was established to write a constitution develop transition procedures.
This appeared to imperil the MEA-MFT merger, but Feaver and McGarvey declared their intention to merge regardless of what the parent bodies' said.
From March 31 to April 1, 2000, 400 MEA and MFT delegates met in Helena to approve the merger, establish a dues structure, and finalize a budget for the new merged organization.
In 2005, MEA-MFT organized the faculty at Montana Technological University, the last major institution of higher education in the state without a union.
Feaver retired from the MFPE in June 2020, with Amanda Curtis, an educator and former representative in the Montana House, being elected to succeed him.