FLEECING THE FLOCK
How the Nevada State Education Association takes advantage of teachers
BY JOE ENGE

Joe Enge serves as an education analyst with NPRI, as chairman of EdWatch Nevada, and as a member of the Carson City School Board. Author of two world history textbooks, Joe was a high school teacher in Nevada from 1988 to 2006 and a Fulbright teacher to the former Soviet Union. You can read more of his articles at www.edwatchnevada.com

The Nevada State Education Association (NSEA) has been successful in pulling the wool over the eyes of the public, the media and its own members to the extent that most have the erroneous belief that the union’s interests and teachers are synonymous.

Yes, Nevada is a Right to Work state, but the union has rigged the education system with their contracts and cozy relationship with school districts to keep teachers in line. The Carson City School District’s contract is a good example. A number of stipulations stand out as being not in the best interest of individual teachers.

By contract, school boards agree to do the union’s work for them in organizing and collecting dues. The district agrees to provide the union with all of the new teachers’ names and home addresses prior to their first day of employment.

Lovely. Before the school year even starts the district hands over the “private” home addresses of new teachers without their permission or knowledge. Can’t the union even wait until school starts and have their moles identify the new faces at school? I guess not. It is so much easier having the district do the work for you.

The contract also turns the districts into bagmen, acting as collection agencies for the union by directly deducting dues from teachers’ paychecks. Why can’t the union collect the money themselves? Why can’t teachers send them checks? 

The union knows many teachers would not pay if they were forced to like indentured servants. If you want to quit the union in August, well, sorry. You can’t and will have to pay until next year whether you like it or not. You can only quit from July 1 to July 15 when teachers are on vacation and not thinking about such matters. I just heard the dates are July 1 to July 10 in Clark County, but have yet to confirm. 

The contract also stipulates the union will be present for all grievances, whether involving a member or not. Yes, you don’t have to join the union, but they insist on being in your private business if you have an issue, even if you aren’t a union member and object to their presence.

Only the union can take a matter to arbitration, not an individual teacher. That’s their real power over teachers. They have complete veto power over whether or not you can get an impartial, outside-the-district decision no matter how grievous the treatment. Remember, the entire contract is not with any teacher, but is owned by the union itself. Most union members think the union has to back them up and don’t know they can leave them hanging at any time. Too many teachers have found that the union sold them out the hard way after paying dues for years and feeling like suckers in the process.

But, you insist, the union would never sell out teachers. It happens more often than most people are aware. Take the case of teacher and union member Ron Taylor in Clark County. Taylor found out the union was overcharging teachers for classes and pocketing the difference. He went public and has posted all the details on his site at www.teachers4change.net.

Taylor’s revelations rattled the union. He states the union president called human resources to have him investigated. He writes, “In other words, a union official requested that a school district official conduct an investigation of a school district teacher (and fellow union member).” Taylor is not alone and is leading a revolt of indignant teachers.

Insiders believe the NSEA also worked against teachers in the legislature, helping to kill The Teachers’ Bill of Rights. You would think they would be all for protecting teachers. Not so, because if teachers are protected by statute, their Nero-like thumbs up-or-down power over teachers is undermined, and they will lose members. Administrative harassment is good for business in the protection racket.

Why don’t more teachers speak out? Many don’t know, and those who do know don’t speak out for fear of retribution. The unholy alliance between administration and the union is a powerful combination. It’s the Nazi-Soviet Pact of American education, which we ignore at our own peril.