Setting the Record Straight: Responding To Attacks On the Association

Accusation 1:

NEA is a union, not a professional organization. It cares about improving salaries and working conditions for its members; not about school quality and student achievement.

NEA is a union and a professional organization. It exists to improve the quality of public schools and the salaries and working conditions of its members. The two purposes are closely related. Better working conditions for teachers mean better learning conditions and higher educational quality for students. Higher salaries are important to help schools retain qualified teachers; and low teacher turnover is key to high school quality. And when teachers earn decent salaries, they don't have to take second jobs and can spend more time on classroom preparation.

Accusation 2:

Teachers are professionals; unions are unprofessional.

NEA is over two million teachers; it is a professional union. There is no conflict between being a professional and a union member. Unions of medical doctors negotiate with hospital administrations; unions of airline pilots negotiate with airline companies; unions of teachers and of professors negotiate with school boards and with university administrations. At the national and state levels, NEA and its affiliates have departments that work exclusively on professional issues. Why? Because NEA members are as concerned about the quality of their profession and the schools in which they work as they are about their salaries and benefits. In some states, where public school employees are prohibited from bargaining, NEA affiliates work at the state and local levels to advocate for better salaries and conditions for teachers.

It is interesting that this accusation of "unprofessional unionism" is usually made by ultra-conservative teacher organizations that boast they are not unions − but are quick to urge teachers to take advantage of the salaries, benefits and working conditions won at the bargaining table, or through lobbying and other advocacy, by NEA affiliates.

Accusation 3:

NEA dues are way too high.  Teachers who want to join their local association are forced to join the state and national associations as well − and to pay dues to all three.

Dues vary from state to state. They are either in line with, or lower than, dues for other professional organizations and unions that offer a similar array of services and benefits to members. NEA membership includes representation in the school building and school district, it includes access to professional staff; in bargaining states it includes collective bargaining; it includes advocacy in the state capitol and in Washington, DC; it includes liability insurance and legal representation; it includes professional development opportunities; it includes insurance programs, financial services and member discounts.

It is true that when you join your local association, you join your state and national associations as well − because the national association provides services and information to the state association, which provides services and information to the local association.

The charge of high dues is made by ultra-conservative teacher organizations that try to attract members by offering low cost liability insurance. But this is an instance of getting what you pay for, in the case of the ultra-conservative organizations you get an insurance policy and a relationship similar to the one you have with the company that insures your house and car. These low-cost organizations don't provide representation at your school or district. They won't bargain or enforce your contract; provide an in-state attorney for you to consult; advocate for you in the state legislature and Washington, DC; provide professional development opportunities, financial services, insurance discounts or member discounts.

NEA is the most influential national voice advocating for public schools and their employees. This voice is solely supported by NEA members through their dues dollars. In short, NEA speaks for teachers because it is the national organization of teachers. The conservative teacher groups are supported financially by right wing foundations, and they advocate the ultra-right's anti-public education agenda.

Accusation 4:

NEA refuses to account for how its money is spent and is under investigation by the IRS.

NEA's finances are regulated by both the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Labor. We are a large organization and are audited from time to time. Our financial books have been examined in the past, and we have always passed with flying colors. There is a current IRS audit that we fully expect to result in the same clean bill of financial health as past audits. We are a transparent organization, scrupulous in keeping our books and accounting for our income as well as our spending.

Accusation 5:

NEA takes positions on issues − like gun and birth control − that have nothing to do with education.

America's schools mirror American society − and there are few issues that don't impact our members, their students, and the schools in which they teach. Unfortunately, one need only mention Columbine to realize why teachers are concerned about gun control. Nor was it so long ago that teachers who became pregnant could be fired.

The really important question is how NEA positions are adopted. Every NEA position was brought by a member to the annual Representative Assembly, endorsed by enough other members to be considered on the floor, debated, and voted on by the more than 9,000 elected delegates. It is a thoroughly democratic process in one of America's most democratic organizations. And if another member doesn't like the position, he or she has the absolute right to go through the same process to have it replaced.

Accusation 6:

NEA opposes alternative certification routes, such as ABCTE's ‘Passport to Teaching', that would allow qualified professionals from other fields to enter teaching.

NEA welcomes every qualified teacher into the classroom, including those who want to leave another field for the joys and challenges of teaching. The key is what qualifies a person to be a teacher. We believe that every child in every classroom deserves a well-prepared and caring teacher because teacher quality is vital to student achievement. Well-prepared, highly qualified teachers are particularly important in low income and minority schools as the most effective way to close the achievement gaps.

The problem with the ABCTE ‘Passport' and a few similar programs is that they "certify" people to teach if they hold a bachelor's degree and pass a single computer test. Teaching requires a complex set of knowledge and skills. Just because someone knows mathematics does not mean that he or she can teach it. Teaching is more than telling − its understanding how children learn and finding ways to reach them. Teaching requires subject matter knowledge − and teaching knowledge and skills. Readiness to teach simply cannot be judged from one computer test. There is no shortcut to excellence -- not in teaching, nor in any other field.

For responses to additional accusations frequently leveled at NEA by the right wing, see The Truth About NEA.