Report Shows National Education Association Gives Millions to Liberal Groups and Political Causes, Pays Hundreds of Employees Six-Figure Salaries

Read the January 3 article from the Wall Street Journal here!
New disclosure rules "expose the union as a honey pot for left-wing political causes that have nothing to do with teachers, much less students."

New federal rules have required large labor unions to report in greater detail how they spend their money.  The new requirements affect the National Education Association (NEA), the 2.7 million-member teachers union.  Of the $341 million the organization received from September 2004 to August 2005, $295 million came come member dues.  The extensive report filed with the U.S. Department of Labor reveals much about how NEA spent the money of dues-paying members.

- See the 2006 Postcard That Told Thousands of Colorado Teachers about NEA's Disclosure!
- Read about CEA's Response to the Postcard!

Political Activities and Liberal Interest Groups
In its disclosure to the U.S. Department of Labor, NEA reported spending $25 million on "political activities and lobbying," $65.5 million on "contributions, gifts, and grants," and $56.8 million on "union administration."  NEA's expenses include millions of dollars given directly to political campaigns and parties, liberal interest groups and other organizations that have nothing to do with education, and political consultants. The following is a partial list of these expenditures (the Education Intelligence Agency's report from December 19, 2005 provided direction for most of the source material):

Political Campaign and Party Contributions

- $500,000 to Protect our Public Schools, to campaign against public charter schools in Washington State
- $400,000 to the Fund to Protect Social Security, to fight pension reform for private-sector workers
- $300,000 to Citizens United to Protect Our Public Safety, to oppose property tax limits in Maine
- $250,000 to Alliance for Nevada's Working Families, "to support ballot measure to increase minimum wage"
- $249,000 to the Floridians for All Committee, "to help redirect Florida politics in a more progressive, Democratic direction"
- $200,000 to Trust Lands for Education Committee, to support an Arizona education funding initiative
- $100,000 to Oklahoma Kids Count Coalition to support an initiative to fund schools through a state lottery system
- $25,750 to the Democratic Leadership Council
- $25,000 to the North Carolina Democratic Party Building Fund
- $20,000 to the Wisconsin Citizen Action Fund, a liberal grassroots organizing group
- $14,000 to the Missouri Progressive Vote Coalition
- $10,000 to Rock the Vote Education Fund
- $233,477 to the Colorado Education Association (CEA) to fund a political ballot initiative campaign (NEA gave a total of $9.25 million to affiliates in 42 states for direct political activities)

Liberal Interest Groups and Non-Education Entities

- $2,500,000 to Communities for Quality Education, dedicated to educating citizens about the dangers of No Child Left Behind
- $51,200 to People for the American Way, a liberal advocacy group
- $45,000 to the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal think tank
- $45,000 to the League of United Latin American Citizens, a group promoting liberal immigration policies
- $39,940 to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
- $35,000 to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
- $30,000 to the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
- $25,000 to the National Coalition on Health Care
- $15,000 to the Human Rights Campaign, which lobbies for "lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equal rights"
- $13,000 to the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
- $7,900 to the National Council of La Raza
- $6,000 to the Council on Foreign Relations
- $5,000 to the National Conference of Black Mayors
- $5,000 to AIDS Walk Washington
- $5,000 to the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFL-CIO)
- $5,000 to Amnesty International
- $5,000 to Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Media Awards
- $5,000 to Gay, Lesbian and Straight Educational Network (GLSEN)
- $5,000 to the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
- $5,000 to the National Women's Law Center
- $5,000 to the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, run by Rev. Jesse Jackson

Political Consultation, Strategy, and Outreach

- $5,070,192 to Democratic political consultants and strategists: Denver-based Media Strategies and Research ($2,966,123); Malchow, Schlackman, Hoppey, & Cooper ($542,398); Winning Directions ($413,291); Terris & Barnes ($368,038); Greenberg Quinlan Rosner ($302,760); the Mellman Group ($106,400); Blaemire Communications ($99,034); Harstad Strategic Research ($97,000); Ballot Initiative Strategy Center ($75,000); Jennings Policy Strategies ($60,000); and Brazile & Associates ($40,148)
- $200,000 to Valis Associates for the purpose of reaching out to the Republican Party
- $150,437 to Public Affairs Support Services, for political fundraising consultation
- $70,010 to Mission Strategies, Inc., for public relations imaging
- $55,000 to the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation for a voter registration drive
- $31,291 to Source Group LLC and B-Line Express for "opposition and anti-privatization" work