National Education Association

The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States, representing many of the country's teachers along with other school personnel. The NEA has 2.7 million members and is headquartered in Washington DC. It employs over 600 staff and has an annual operating budget of around $150 million. Reg Weaver, a graduate of Roosevelt University, is the NEA's current president.

Traditionally a professional organization, it is not a member of the AFL-CIO unlike its smaller rival the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).

History

The NEA was founded by Robert Campbell as the National Teachers Association in 1850, and changed to its present name in 1857. It was chartered by Congress in 1906. In the 1960s it officially became a union.

In 1998, a proposed merger with AFT failed when that union's annual meeting rejected it^*. The two organizations continue to cooperate, however, through the "NEAFT Partnership". Also, several state NEA locals have merged with their AFT counterparts, effectively forming a single union in those states. Unified NEA-AFT locals include the teachers' unions in Florida, Minnesota and Montana. In New York, AFT and NEA teachers' unions are scheduled to unify in September, 2006.

In 2006 the NEA and the AFL-CIO also announced that for the first time, stand-alone NEA locals as well as those that had merged with the AFT would be allowed to join state and local labor federations affiliated with the AFL-CIO.^*

Politics

In recent decades the NEA has greatly increased its visibility in party politics, endorsing candidates and contributing funds and other assistance to political campaigns. The NEA asserts itself non-partisan, but it is pointed out by critics that the NEA has in fact endorsed and provided support for every Democratic Party presidential nominee from Jimmy Carter to John Kerry and has never endorsed any Republican or third party candidate for the nation's highest office^*^*.

Furthermore, based on newly required filings with the federal government it is estimated that between 1990 and 2002 ninety-five percent of the NEA's substantial political contributions went to Democratic Party candidatesAlthough this has been questioned as being out of balance with the more diverse political views of the broader membership[http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=95000771 the NEA maintains that it bases support for candidates primarily on the organization's interpretation of candidates' support for public education and educators.

Others benefitting from NEA funding, according to the most recent filings, include Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Amnesty International and AIDS Walk Washington.^*.

The NEA has also been criticized for its opposition to some of the education reforms of various Republican administrations, including the bipartisan No Child Left Behind law. It also opposes pay-for-performance plans such as merit pay. The organization tracks legislation related to education and the teaching profession and encourages members to get involved in politics through a comprehensive Legislative Action Center on its website.

External links

Education in the United States | Professional associations | Trade unions of the United States

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History

Politics

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