NEA general counsel lays it out – union rights are more important than closing achievement gaps, raising graduation rates, improving teacher quality

This YouTube of National Education Association (NEA) General Counsel Bob Chanin’s 2009 comments about union priorities lays it out very nicely.



Lawyer Chanin makes it clear: union rights such as:

• “Due process” (meaning, continuing the excessively burdensome procedures that have to be followed before a teacher can be removed for poor performance),

• employee rights (what about student rights???) and, of course

• collective bargaining rights,

come first.

Closing achievement gaps, improving our deplorable graduation rates and improving teacher quality are not as important to the NEA.

Chanin honestly admits it’s all about power. And, he isn’t talking about parent and student power.

Clearly, the union is not the best source of advice if what we really want is a better education system for children.