NEA SALARIES AVERAGE $61,774 \doc\web\97\08\neasalr.txt A recently
leaked survey of staff salaries at the National Education
Association's state affiliates discloses earnings far beyond those of
the average U. S. teacher.


From:             brucec76@ix.netcom.com
Subject:          NEA Uniserv Salaries


Loopies,


I had the pleasure of hearing Joseph Farah of the Western Journalism Center 
speak last Sat. He had with him copies of the WJC's DISPATCHES. The article 
below from the Oct. 7th issue. Thought you might find it of interest. The WJC 
maintains a website at http://worldnetdaily.com/ for those who wish to know 
more. For refresher, Mike Antonucci, who wrote the WSJ piece a couple of months 
ago on the Coalition for Democracy in New York is a part of WJC.


Bruce Crawford
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


DISPATCHES, A News Publication of the Western Journalism Center, Oct. 7, 1997


SCHOOL MONITOR


Teacher's pet: NEA's UniServ staff is well paid


	A recently leaked survey of staff salaries at the National Education 
Association's state affiliates discloses earnings far beyond those of the 
average U. S. teacher.
	The 1995 study, conducted by the NEA itself, lists the average salaries 
in each state affiliate (and NEA headquarters in Washington, D. C.) for both 
the professional staff and the support staff. Professional staff consists 
mainly of UniServ representatives — union officials who carry out the tasks of 
collective bargaining and political organizing in local districts throughout 
each state. Support staff includes research assistants, secretaries and 
receptionists. The survey does not include the salaries of management officials 
(e.g. presidents, executive directors, department heads).
	The salary list for professional staffers (reproduced at right) reveals 
the average salaries at each and every affiliate exceeded the average 1995 U.S. 
teacher salary of $36,744.
	The New Jersey Education Association led the way with an average 
professional salary of $85,484. NEA headquarters, Alaska, Connecticut, 
California, Oregon, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio rounded out 
the top ten.
	The study also shows that support staff salaries for five organizations 
(Alaska, California, NEA, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts) exceeded the average 
1995 U.S. teacher salary.
	While numbers for staff benefits were unavailable, union staff contracts 
usually contain annual benefits worth 30 to 40 percent of salary.


Union will pay taxes


	At a hastily called press conference, NEA president Bob Chase announced 
that the 2.2 million -member teachers' union will commit to paying $1.1 million 
in property taxes to the District of Columbia.
	NEA has been exempt from property tax since it was chartered by Congress 
in 1906. The exemption has come under fire since NEA converted from a mostly 
professional association to an industrial-style trade union in the 1970s. NEA 
is the only labor organization enjoying a property tax exemption in D.C.
	The NEA announcement came on the heels of an amendment to the D.C. 
appropriations bill that would repeal the union's charter. Chase said he hoped 
NEA's tax money would go toward education.
	"Although we cannot direct where this million dollars will go, it is our 
deep hope that it will be earmarked to help the District's thousands of 
schoolchildren," he said. "A million dollars would pay for a new textbook for 
every third, fourth and fifth grader in D.C. schools. A million dollars would 
provide more than 66,000 new hardcover books for the District's public 
libraries. A million dollars would buy 300 new computers and 900 printers for 
students."
	In his laundry list of what a million dollars would buy, Chase neglected 
to mention that it was an insufficient amount to pay the annual salary/benefits 
package for a mere 20 Washington, D.C., public school teachers. Thanks largely 
to the efforts of Chase's union, the average D.C. teacher receives more than 
$56,000 in salary and benefits.
	NEA may have surrendered the taxes in order to save its charter. The 
charter not only grants NEA its tax exemption, but prescribes the 
organization's powers and location. A repeal of the charter could conceivably 
cause a bureaucratic nightmare for NEA because of its status as a founding 
document.


Cutoff


	Angered by a bipartisan tuition tax credit bill passed in the state 
legislature, the Minnesota Education Association suspended its political 
contributions. The 47,000-member teachers' union strongly opposed expanded tax 

deductions for parents of children in private schools.


	Democrats will be hurt the most by MEA's decision. Last year, the union 
donated more than $900,000 to Democratic candidates and committees, and less 
than $40,000 to Republicans.


NEA State Affiliate Staff Study
Professional Staff—Average Salary for 1995


1) 	NJ	$85484	27)KS	57,402
2) NEA	82,720		28) MO	56,678
3) AK	81,815		29) VA	56,520
4) CT	80,328		30) FL	55,963
5) CA	78,209		31) KY	54,750
6) OR	77,252		32) NV	54,108
7) MA	77,139		33) AZ	53,306
8) MI	76,324		34) UT	52,985
9) PA	75,236		35) AR	51,942
10)	OH	74,403		36) HI	51,614
11)	IN	72,061		37) GA	50,725
12)	MD	71,695		38) OK	47,779
13)	WI	71,504		39) NM	47,593
14)	IA	70,824		40) ND	47,303
15)	WA	70,258		41) WY	47,291
16)	CO	69,668		42) ID	45,052
17)	IL	68,106		43) TX	44,977
18)	NY	67,488		44) LA	43,631
19)	MN	66,787		45) WV	43,250
20)	NH	65,654	46) NC	43,218
21) 	VT	63,325	47) AL	42,961
22) DE	62,544		48) SC	40,972
23) MT	62,374		49) SD	39,541
24) ME	60,353		50) MS	37,645
25) TN	60,304		* * *
26) NE	59,834		RI not surveyed.


1994 avg. = $61,774


- 30 -