NEA staff overwhelmingly authorize strike against nation’s largest union

WASHINGTON — Members of the National Education Association Staff Organization (NEASO), which represents a majority of employees working at the headquarters of the largest union in the country, the National Education Association (NEA), voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike in hopes of quickly securing a fair and just contract that reflects shared union values.

The NEASO Board of Directors requested the strike authorization vote, which was conducted less than a month before the contract expires, because there was little progress at the bargaining table. In the strike authorization vote on Thursday, April 25, through Tuesday, April 30, NEASO members voted overwhelmingly — nearly 97% — in favor of authorizing its bargaining team and Board to call a strike, if necessary, due to more delay and obstruction from NEA Management. 

“NEA staff serve NEA’s 3 million members because we believe deeply in the mission and vision of the National Education Association — that every student deserves great public schools. We have dedicated our life’s work to supporting and advocating for our nation’s educators and students,” said NEASO President Robin McLean. “Striking is always a last resort, and the decision does not come easily, but it is something we feel forced to do. We refuse to back down in the face of management’s actions that contradict NEA’s values and should worry the entire labor movement and our allies.”

NEASO’s strike authorization vote came after little progress had been made in our bargaining sessions and NEA’s pattern of struggling to deal fairly with its staff unions. Last year, NEA Management forced its second-largest staff union, the Association of Field Staff Employees, to work without a contract for more than six months during an ugly contract fight. NEA staff take contract negotiations and their families’ well-being very seriously. NEA Management should come to the bargaining table with the same care and concern. 

Any unnecessary delays from NEA Management to reaching an agreement with NEASO may disrupt critical work on NEA members’ behalf. From staffing the upcoming Representative Assembly to organizing during back-to-school, not to mention essential work to promote member voices in federal, state, and local elections, NEA leadership and staff need to be focused on the critical work at hand — not mired in prolonged and ugly negotiations.

“With all the challenges public school educators and public employees face today, our NEA staff have been consistent in their priorities that ensure the work on our members’ behalf is of the highest quality, sustainable, and rooted in staff’s deep well of expertise,” added McLean. “We want NEA’s workers to receive a contract that upholds union values and respects them for the professionals they are by providing fair and just compensation.”

Read more personal accounts from NEASO members and find all the latest news from the bargaining table, strike authorization, and solidarity pledges at www.neasomatters.org/strike.