The National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers have gotten the go-ahead to forge an ongoing alliance to pool their advocacy efforts.
At separate meetings last month, leaders of the two teachers鈥� unions approved a new 鈥淣EAFT Partnership鈥� that will permit joint projects at the state, local, and national levels, ranging from education conferences to political and legal campaigns.
Some union leaders hope the initiative eases the way for an eventual merger by giving members more experience working with their counterparts in the other organization. But in the meantime, the collaboration could add to the considerable clout that the 2.6 million-member NEA and the 1 million member AFT already wield individually in policymaking circles.
鈥淚f you were in a legislature, and two lobbyists from the NEA and AFT came in, and they were arm in arm, you鈥檇 probably pay closer attention,鈥� said Bruce S. Cooper, a professor at the graduate school of education at Fordham University in New York City.
The new venture marks the latest chapter in the decade-long saga of merger talks between the unions. Although the AFT has shown little reluctance to merge in recent years, many within the NEA have resisted the idea for fear of losing some of the organization鈥檚 hallmarks, such as voting by secret ballot at the group鈥檚 annual meeting and its independence from the AFL- CIO. The AFT belongs to the umbrella group for organized labor and insists on maintaining its affiliation.
The NEAFT Partnership grew out of attempts to get merger plans back on track after NEA delegates in 1998 resoundingly rejected a proposal for unifying the two organizations at the national level. Although negotiators believed this summer was still too soon to consider another unification plan, the partnership was seen as a way to let the two groups work together more closely while remaining separate organizations. (鈥淣EA Board Approves AFT 鈥楶artnership鈥� Pact,鈥� Feb. 21, 2001.)
Delegates to this year鈥檚 NEA annual meeting in Los Angeles passed the new plan by a vote of 59 percent to 41 percent on July 6. That was followed July 11 by the unanimous approval of the measure by the AFT鈥檚 42-member executive council at the federation鈥檚 biennial educational issues conference in Washington.
A United Front
According to the new agreement, joint projects will be planned by a committee of 30 union leaders, with each union appointing 15 members. In many respects, the panel resembles a joint council that the two unions created in 1997. But while that earlier arrangement was formed to plan specific activities鈥攕uch as a conference on teacher quality鈥攖he new partnership is more open-ended.
It will likely be several weeks before the new committee meets to begin planning any collaborative ventures, but delegates at the NEA鈥檚 meeting in Los Angeles weren鈥檛 lacking for ideas. Many, for instance, said they鈥檇 like to see coordinated campaigns advocating more federal funding for special education and Head Start.
鈥淏oth the AFT and the NEA have been talking about 鈥榩riority schools,鈥� about helping schools that are low-performing,鈥� said Judy L. Schaubach, the president of Education Minnesota, one of three merged state affiliates of the two unions. 鈥淭his is, for me, a classic example of where the two organizations ought to be working together.鈥�
Passage of the plan also reinstates a 鈥渘o raid鈥� agreement in which the two national unions pledge not to help affiliates take each other鈥檚 members for at least two years.
Although unsure whether the partnership will speed up merger plans, many observers nonetheless say that the two unions are destined to become one. Leo Troy, an economics professor at Rutgers University鈥檚 campus in Newark, N.J., believes the real impetus for merging will come from outside the two organizations, as public schools face increasing competition from school choice programs, such as voucher initiatives.
鈥淎ny heightened competition will drive them together to the extent that they are able to thwart that and maintain their monopoly positions,鈥� Mr. Troy said.
Gay Issue Deferred
Also at the NEA鈥檚 annual meeting last month, the union followed through on a plan to table a resolution calling for new educational programs aimed at ensuring that schools provide a 鈥渟afe and inclusive environment鈥� for homosexual students. Instead, NEA leaders agreed to appoint a task force to study the issue and gather more advice from members before recommending further action. (鈥淒elegates Debate Partnership With AFT,鈥� July 11, 2001.) Delegates also elected three new members to the NEA鈥檚 nine-person executive committee, one of the organization鈥檚 most important decisionmaking panels: Pennsylvania science teacher Becky Pringle, outgoing Mississippi Association of Educators President Michael Marks, and Mike Billirakis, the outgoing president of the Ohio Education Association.
