Unionized National Education Association Employees Plot Strike, Claim Teachers Group ‘Anti-Union’

The unionized employees of the nation’s largest teachers union have authorized a strike, claiming the National Education Association (NEA) is engaging in “anti-union” tactics amid contract negotiations.

The National Education Association Staff Organization (NEASO) is wrestling with its own employer over wages and benefits, something union staffers typically do in school districts across the country.

Townhall reported 98 percent of members of the NEASO voted to strike against the NEA.

The union’s union is airing its grievances on its website, claiming, “NEA leaders want to take away approximately 5% of its staff salaries, hike healthcare costs, and block retirement earnings.”

“NEA Management’s proposals are not just a slap in the face to the hard-working staff who have put so much into advocating for our educators this past year; their behavior goes against every union value we hold dear,” said NEASO president Robin McLean, who made $108,373 as an NEA policy specialist, the union reported on its LM-2 financial disclosure last November.

Other NEASO members attacked the NEA and what the union called the “NEA Management’s anti-union negotiation tactics.”

“Normally I’m unapologetically proud of where I work and of what we do. But these days, it feels like respect for union values is one-sided. It’s disappointing,” Stacey Grissom, another policy analyst, said. The LM-2 said she was paid $149,914 during the reporting period.

Justin Conley, a third-year “digital strategist” paid $92,337, slammed his employer the way union members often slam school boards during contract negotiation time.

“We work hard for educators, and we want NEA to respect us with fair pay, fair benefits and retirement security,” he said.

“I’m ready to strike because it’s past time for NEA to respect the staff and the work that we do. I’m ready to strike because NEA wants me to walk away from the table with less than I have now,” Branita Henson, a writer paid $140,089, said.

“They’re telling me that I’m not worth the salary and benefits I’ve earned.”

Oddly, the NEA backs a potential strike. The union said, “it is fully committed to and respects the collective bargaining process and unequivocally supports our staff’s right to use that process to advocate for themselves,” according to the Washington Post.

The NEASO is asking NEA members to join them on a virtual picket line by not attending “any” NEA events, functions, or virtual gatherings or do work typically done by NEASO members.

The LM-2 said the NEA has over $388 million in net assets, including $139 million in cash.

Kyle Olson is a reporter for Breitbart News. He is also host of “The Kyle Olson Show,” syndicated on Michigan radio stations on Saturdays–download full podcast episodes. Follow him on Parler.