NEA

NEA and SEIU Diverted Forced Union Dues to Corrupt ACORN Offices

Patrick Semmens — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:00:11 -0400

Most Freedom@Work readers are already aware of a growing scandal involving the pro-forced unionism Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now (ACORN) in New York, Baltimore, Washington, and now, California. For those who missed it, ACORN representatives were caught on camera giving advice to undercover journalists on how to open an illegal brothel, launder its profits, and commit a host of other illegal activities.

According to The Washington Examiner, teacher union officials have contributed over 1.3 million dollars (in mostly forced union dues) to ACORN since 2005.

Oklahoma Leader of Professional, Non-Union Teachers Receives High Recognition from National Right to Work

Anthony Riedel — Wed, 06 May 2009 17:11:21 -0400

On April 24, the National Right to Work Committee presented Professional Oklahoma Educators (POE) executive director Ginger Tinney with the Carol Applegate Education Award.

Podcast: NEA Illegally Launders Teachers' Dues into a Political Action Committee Focused on Electing Barack Obama

Patrick Semmens — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:53:42 -0500

Foundation VP Stefan Gleason sits down with Professor Bruce Cameron, a Foundation litigator and member of the Regent University Law School faculty, to discuss a money laundering scheme used by the National Education Association to help elect Barack Obama. The MP3 is here.

According to a complaint being submitted by Foundation attorneys to the Federal Election Commission, the NEA illegally laundered teachers’ dues into a union political action committee. Adding insult to injury, when confronted by teachers, union officials tried to dupe them into thinking they were contributing to a "children’s fund."

Teachers File FEC Complaint against NEA for Illegal PAC Money Laundering Scheme

Nick Cote — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:09:36 -0500

Today, the National Right to Work Foundation announced it will file a formal complaint with the Federal Election Commission on behalf of two Alabama educators and itself against the National Education Association teacher union and two NEA affiliates for an illegal political fundraising scheme by the union hierarchy:

Washington, DC (January 13, 2009) – The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation announced today it will file a formal complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) asking it to investigate charges made by two Alabama educators who discovered a union scheme to divert their money into the National Education Association’s (NEA) political action committee (PAC).

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Children Be Damned: Strike-Happy Pennsylvania Teacher Union Bosses Inducted Into Hall of Shame

Will Collins — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:15:23 -0500

Speaking of the Wall Street Journal, its editorial on Pennsylvania teacher union bosses' pathetic and disgaceful practice of ordering teachers to abandon schoolchildren during frequent strikes is also quite informative:

Teachers unions routinely claim that the interests of students are their top priority. So we would be interested to hear how the Pennsylvania affiliate of the National Education Association explains the proliferation of teacher walkouts in the middle of the school year.

According to a recent study by the Allegheny Institute, Pennsylvania is once again the worst state in the country for teacher strikes. No less than 42% of all teacher walkouts nationwide occur in the Keystone State, leaving kids sidelined and parents scrambling to juggle work and family, potentially on as little as 48 hours notice required by state
law.

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Pennsylvania Teacher Union Bosses Fight to Protect their Stranglehold on Keystone State Schools, Teachers

Will Collins — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:44:55 -0400

Via the Education Intelligence Agency, we learn that (surprise!) Pennsylvania teacher unions oppose attempts to improve public education through the enactment of reforms that could threaten the teacher union monopoly and forced-dues gravy train (emphasis mine):

Foundation Defends Ohio Religious Objectors

Will Collins — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:51:35 -0400

Here's our latest press release on the Foundation's efforts to defend the rights of religious objectors to refrain from supporting union activities that offend their deeply-held beliefs:

Cincinnati, Ohio (September 24, 2008) – National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorneys recently obtained settlements with the National Education Association (NEA) union for two teachers whose consciences would not allow them to pay mandatory dues to support a union involved in activities they consider immoral. Geralyn Buening and Tessy Huwer, both practicing Catholics, objected to the NEA’s positions on abortion and special rights for homosexuals.

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NEA Bigwig Owes Teachers an Apology

Nick Cote — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:13:14 -0400

Considering the record electioneering by Big Labor in 2008, it should be no surprise that union bosses were well-represented at this week's convention. NEA President Reg Weaver was one of the many union officials awarded for his union's political expenditures with a prime speaking slot.

Larry Sand, a teacher for 27 years and former NEA member, sent Weaver an e-mail after listening to a gross misrepresentation of reality in Weaver's DNC speech:

NEA Union to Dump Up to $50 Million into '08 Elections

Justin Hakes — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:02:45 -0500

According to The Hill, NEA union officials are gearing up for an effort to dump between $40-$50 million dollars, much of it in compulsory union dues, into the 2008 elections. NEA chief Reg Weaver leaves no doubt about it:

“We plan to be very aggressive,” said Reg Weaver, the NEA’s president.

Perhaps many teachers would be better off if the NEA union and its affiliates were not so aggressive. For instance, the Ohio branch of the NEA told St. Marys district school teacher Carol Katter to "change religions" when she asserted her right to divert her mandatory dues from political causes she disagrees with on religious grounds.

However, with help from the National Right to Work Foundation, Katter struck down an Ohio law preventing such "religious objectors" from diverting such forced dues to charity unless they belonged to certain state-approved religions.

"I was not going to give one cent to those causes," Katter told the Ohio media. "I know where NEA money goes, and I never wanted to be part of that."

Forced Unionism Doesn’t Add Up for Math and Science Teachers

John Powell — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 12:15:22 -0500

A new study conducted by the National Institute for Labor RelationsResearch (NILRR) explains how monopolistic teacher unionism is undercutting math and science education across America.

Stan Greer, senior research associate at NILRR, discusses entrenched teacher union officials and their influence over the “single salary schedule” used to determine teacher pay rates:

And teacher union officials have so far been very successful in blocking significant reforms of the single salary schedule because of state and local public policies authorizing them to act as the “exclusive” (monopoly) bargaining agents of all the K-12 teachers in a school district.

Visit the NILRR’s website here and download the full report here.