NEA caught scabbing during its illegal lockout of unionized staff
Nation’s largest union needs to end lockout and get serious about electing Harris-Walz ticket
WASHINGTON—The National Education Association (NEA), the nation’s largest labor union, wrote and distributed a press release on August 6 praising Vice President Kamala Harris’s selection of Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. The funny thing is that NEA used scab labor to write the press release and sent it to reporters using the name of a locked-out staffer. Analyzing polling data, writing press releases, updating NEA’s website, preparing content for NEA Today magazine, writing speeches for NEA officers, and more: All of this is happening at NEA by scabs while the 300 members of the NEA Staff Organization picket outside, demanding a fair contract and an end to this illegal lockout, now in its fifth week.
The following quote can be attributed to NEASO President Robin McLean:
“It is infuriating, disappointing, and heartbreaking to see how the National Education Association, the nation’s largest labor union, uses scab labor to generate enthusiasm for the Harris-Walz election. The staff union’s media team, digital strategists, writers, lobbyists, pollsters, and campaign specialists are the best in the business. Press releases riddled with typos, grammatical errors, and nonsensical sentences fall short of the standards of journalism applied by NEASO staff. Settle a fair contract, end the lockout, and put us to work, NEA! In the meantime, stop using the names of locked-out NEASO employees on emails to journalists in an attempt to cover up the fact that NEA is using scabs to do NEASO bargaining unit work during its illegal lockout. Not only are NEA’s actions anti-labor and morally repugnant, they are also fraudulent.”
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The members of the NEASO advance the work of the National Education Association, the nation’s largest union, championing justice and excellence in public education. We help educators bargain for fair contracts, advocate for their students, and grow professionally. Go to www.neasomatters.org and learn more.