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1) NEA Loses 34,500 Members.
The National Education Association's Fall 2010 membership report showed a
loss of 34,000 active professional members (mostly K-12 teachers) and 500
education support employees. This reflects the summer's retirements and
layoffs, compared to Fall 2009 numbers, but still leaves us guessing as to
the ultimate effect of the edujobs bill.
The 1.4 percent decrease amounts to more
than $5.8 million in lost revenue for the national union and a conservative
estimate of an additional $11 million loss for its state affiliates. NEA's
2010-11 budget will be affected only on the margins, but the news will
increase concerns about staff pension liabilities among state affiliates..
2) NEA to Spend $2.5 Million on ESEA
Reauthorization Campaign. NEA is focused on the
general election, just eight days away, but regardless of the results, the
next campaign is already being shaped.
Whatever the composition of the next
Congress, NEA's next priority will be the reauthorization of the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act. The union has already expressed its opposition
to the Obama administration's
blueprint for reauthorization and is especially worried about the
emphasis on competitive grants.
NEA lobbying has been ongoing, but union
leadership has now set aside $2.5 million to fund campaigning and activism
on the issue, including "teletown halls," issue briefs, and outreach to
"progressive funders."
How all of this will fly in the face of
a more Republican Congress is an open question. It may call for the creation
of a new set of
NEA Republicans, who could be enticed to support the union's
"positive agenda" for ESEA.
3) Last Week's Intercepts.
EIA's blog,
Intercepts, covered these topics from October 19-25:
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The Real Effect of Teachers' Union Contracts. It ain't test scores.
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Labor Relations at the Ohio Education Association, or Don't Call Your
Ex-Boss a Slimebag. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will
get you a five-year, dues-funded failed lawsuit.
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Fast Facts?. Union confirms EIA reporting from five years ago.
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No Recession in Political Spending. Boom times for the campaign mailer
industry.
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More from the Money Trail. "Unions will never be able to match Wall
Street." Except in political spending.
4)
Quote of the Week.
"You have four, five, six special interests in Albany who are all but
dominant, and that never happened before. They are primarily labor unions,
which are dominant. And, coincidentally, many of the other interests who
used to be present are not as active. You know, in Washington, and
historically, you had labor and you had business, and there was sort of a
balance. And there was a geographic balance, and there was a social balance.
The scales, they tipped!" - Andrew Cuomo, Democratic Party nominee for
governor of New York. (October 24
New York Times) Audio on sidebar,
text here. |
