I am a retired NEA teacher and I am disgusted with the union leadership. Where is Scabby the Rat when we need him.
When my NEA/IEA teacher local went on strike way back in 2003 it was primarily over the cost to our members of healthcare and insurance.
The cost to the employee was relatively low. But if a member needed family coverage the cost was becoming unmanageable.
After a cold November week on strike the board came back with an offer reducing the cost of family coverage.
But not before threatening to cut off our coverage entirely if we remained on strike.
Although the threat frightened many of our members, some who had healthcare maintenance needs or were pregnant, we all stood firm.
So, it is disgusting to read that our national NEA leaders have been using the same scabby threats against members of their staff union who are on strike.
The NEA Staff Organization, the union representing workers at the NEA’s headquarters, went on strike on July 5 in Philadelphia, during the annual Representative Assembly.
In response, the NEA ended the RA after only one day.
President Joe Biden was supposed to speak at the event but withdrew, refusing to cross the picket line.
The NEA on July 24 endorsed Kamala Harris for president.
On July 8, the day after the conference had been scheduled to end, the NEA locked out workers. In a letter the day before, the NEA informed its unionized workers that they would not be paid, effective immediately, and their health benefits would expire at the end of July unless a new deal were reached.
As if they stole the idea from my old board of education from back in 2003.
“NEA cannot allow NEASO to act again in a way that will bring such lasting harm to our members and our organization,” Kim Anderson, NEA’s executive director, wrote in in a statement. “We are, and have always been, committed both to our union values and to the importance of conducting ourselves as a model employer.”
Anderson must have a different kind of model in mind than I do.
NEA staffer Kate Hills wrote in Truthout:
The kidney infusion that I need to stay alive costs about $100,000 without insurance. Do I need to tell you that I can’t afford that? My nephrologist and I are hoping and praying that NEA stops playing with my health care as I live in fear that, without crucial care, my kidneys could start to shut down.
Such hard ball bargaining methods backfired, of course.
It was definitely not good public relations optics.
On Friday the NEA reversed course on its threat to cut off health insurance to about 300 Washington, D.C.-based staffers.
“The NEA is not discontinuing its unionized staff’s health insurance and will continue to pay insurance premiums as we bargain a new contract. Both parties have mutually agreed to mediation and we are making every effort to reach an agreement as quickly as possible,” said Anderson.
Maybe it’s time for the NEA bosses to start bargaining in good faith.