NEA Bans Delegate for Questioning former NEA President's 2008 Salary of $686,949...
Since May 19, I have called and emailed the press office of the National Education Association, asking the staff to explain why former NEA president, Reg Weaver, collected a total of $686,949, in his last year as president. That's about $260,000 more than any NEA president, past or present. This is a link to a copy of the relevant LM2 forms the NEA filed with the US Department of Labor:
http://richgibson.com/neaSALARY.html
National Education Association President Reg Weaver (above, speaking to the 2006 AFL-CIO convention) retired two years ago, but NEA reported that he was paid more than $600,000 in 2008. That's more money than the average American teacher earns in ten years! Substance photo by Rich Gibson. As an elected NEA state delegate from California, I was invited to participate in a Dennis2 delegates online discussion list ("Dennis" is current NEA president Dennis Van Roekel, paid a paltry $424,981).
On Thursday, June 11th, I posted this comment to the section of the list that was titled, "How do we challenge the status quo?"
"Whose status quo do you have in mind, Dennis? I would like to know why Reg Weaver was paid or collected a total of $686,949 in his last year as NEA president. That's about $264,000 more than any NEA president, past — or you. How come?
I would also like to know when we are going to dump the preposterous concept, articulated some time ago by Bob Chase, but adopted since, of "New Unionism," that is, the unity of government bosses, union leaders, and corporate tops, in the "national interest." That upends the reason people believe they join unions--the contradictory interests of employers and employees. I would like to end the status quo about not linking the relationship of imperial wars, massive unemployment, inequality, racism, and the many attacks on public schooling, led by the man you touted, Dennis---Obama. These kinds of status quos need to end."
I was promptly sent an apparently automated note recognizing my comment.
The night of Friday, June 11th, I attempted to go to the Dennis2delegates site and found I was banned. This is what comes up.
"An error occurred during a connection to dennis2delegates.groupsite.com. Peer's Certificate has been revoked. (Error code: sec_error_revoked_certificate)"
I've been banned from the site ever since.
In my experience with NEA, this is not typical.
I worked for NEA affiliates for about 7 years as a bargaining specialist, organizer, and uniserv director. I attended most of the NEA representative assemblies over the last 20 years and always argued that within a undemocratic field, NEA was probably the most democratic of US unions. NEA worked with the velvet glove, not the fist, smothering dissent with rewards for cooperative members, rarely truly punishing dissent.
Perhaps NEA's bosses are unsettled by reform movements in unions in the US and elsewhere, like Puerto Rico where a student led strike has continued for weeks. The upset victory of CORE in Chicago could be another worrisome example to labor mis-leaders.
To return to Reg Weaver, what did he do to pick up that remarkable $686,949?
Here is one thing Weaver did: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXfg0oXVB08
That's a short video of Weaver touting the impact of NEA on the Democratic National Convention ("we have 219 delegates here...") and proclaiming his undying support for Obama (Weaver was an early Clintonite).
Selling members to politicians, rather than preparing for real struggle over control of work places in communities, is one reason labor tops get paid so well. And they do it, somewhat desperately, because they know a mass, class-conscious movement for reason and equality would make them irrelevant.
NEA! Explain Former NEA President Reg Weaver's $686,949 Compensation in 2008!
Below is former NEA boss Reg Weaver speaking in praise of Obama at the DNC:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXfg0oXVB08
He's bragging about the impact NEA has inside the DNC
"We have 219 delegates here (at DNC)...."
Obama won. Then what?
And how did Weaver do?
In 2008, Reg Weaver, then President of NEA, had a total compensation of $686,949. This is more than $260,000 more than any NEA president before or since. NEA–explain Weaver’s 2008 pay!
For example, the following year, NEA top Dennis Van Roekel reported compensation at $424,981.
http://richgibson.com/neaSALARY.html
I contacted the NEA press office one week ago, on May 19th, asking about the remarkable discrepancy in the salary Weaver got and, for example, the current NEA boss. They said they would get back to me within a week. No word yet.
Delegates and visitors, and press, at the NEA Representative Assembly in New Orleans may want to ask about that $2/3 of a million Weaver wandered off with.
And ask, how's that good old Obama doing? How's his wars? How's his bank bailout? How's his oil disaster? How are those unemployed folks doing? How's Detroit, Compton, Flint, or Chicago doing? How about the good old Michigan Education Association giving up a billion dollars in concessions, with more ahead? Or California Faculty 10% wage concessions?
Just how is it going for the failing US capitalist government that he claims to run? Or is it more rightly seen as a corporate state where there is a not-fully seamless merger of finance capital, industrial capital, and government itself, each pursuing its own interests, but each recognizing poor and working people as a class of enemies?
How many slaves have ever voted their way out of slavery? Or how many rich given up their riches via a vote? What should be done with Quislings? Good luck to us, every one
