From the Vault: July 5, 1998
This is the EIA Communiqué for July 5, 1998:
+ In my efforts to ensure that I didn’t underestimate NEA’s ability to push through a “Yes” vote on the Principles of Unity, it appears I dramatically underestimated the ability of the opposition to persuade the undecided delegates and win over a substantial number of Yes voters.
An astounding 57.9 percent of the delegates to the NEA Representative Assembly voted to defeat the Principles of Unity. (Total votes = 9,715. Yes = 4,091. No = 5,624).
EIA estimated that the pro-merger side arrived in New Orleans with 53.5 percent of the vote. NEA President Bob Chase, his staff and supporters were expected to use their natural advantages in the convention setting to boost that support. Instead, it is clear that the anti-merger forces employed superior tactics and arguments to win the day.
As expected, both Chase and American Federation of Teachers President Sandra Feldman released statements promising continued cooperation and collaboration between the two teachers’ unions.
At the press conference following the vote, a visibly shaken Chase denied the vote showed the NEA leadership was out of touch with the membership. “No,” he said, “I don’t think it means that at all. As a matter of fact after the discussion that occurred yesterday, I think we are absolutely in touch with our members, about the fact that our members do want to bring about unity between the two organizations.”
Asked if he or the staff should have done something differently, Chase responded, “I’m not going to second-guess anything.”
Chase was emphatic that the embarrassing loss did not affect his ability to lead the union. Nor did he believe it would have any political impact. One wonders if he believes this as much as he believed his statement on Friday that “Momentum is building in a positive way and I am confident.”
The delegates will vote tomorrow on the alternate “Unity Without Merger” proposal submitted by the Illinois Education Association. The document provides for a continuation of the current “no-raid” agreement with AFT, allows for collaborative ventures, and authorizes state and local mergers with AFT affiliates.
More than just the vote occurred today, including a description by NEA General Counsel Robert Chanin of the union’s right-wing research program (described here in previous communiqués). Those details will have to wait until I return home.
