OPINION
In recent weeks, we have read with disappointment, but with little surprise, editorials and anti-union propaganda, sponsored by those who seem to go out of their way to misrepresent NJEA. As longtime elected NJEA leaders, we did not recognize the union described. As educators, we might give such yarns a generous C-minus for creative fiction, but they would earn a solid F for factual accuracy.
Here are the facts: NJEA is one of the most democratic organizations in New Jersey. That is the plain reality of how our union works and not an “illusion,” as claimed by some individuals and entities who are steadfastly committed to propagating misinformation. Both of us have held multiple elected offices within NJEA. We’ve been in the room when tough decisions were made. We’ve been on the winning side of votes. We’ve been on the losing side of votes. But we’re not kept in the dark about the priorities of our union nor the resources employed to achieve those priorities.
NJEA’s governance operates on the tenets of democracy. It begins with three statewide officers who are popularly elected by the entire NJEA membership to two-year terms. Every NJEA member has a voice and a vote, electing those who represent our union as our president, vice president, and secretary-treasurer. After two years, those officers must run for reelection. And they can only hold an office for two terms before moving on.
We also have an Executive Committee of over 30 members and a Delegate Assembly with more than 125 members, and each body serves to govern the organization. The members who serve on those bodies, too, are directly elected by their fellow NJEA members, with each county and several other units of representation electing their own representatives to both bodies.
The way those bodies function is also highly democratic. Meetings can go on for hours until every member who wishes to speak has been heard, every question has been addressed, and every proposal has been fully debated and voted upon. What’s more, any NJEA member – elected or not – can attend those meetings as an observer, and every Delegate Assembly meeting has time designated for those observers to publicly address the entire body if they wish.
Our political endorsement process is likewise member-driven. Every endorsement begins with a screening by a committee of members from the legislative or congressional district being contested. Statewide candidates are screened by a statewide committee. Every candidate is invited to take part by answering a questionnaire and participating in an interview. The members of the screening committee choose whether to recommend a candidate or candidates, based on whether they demonstrate a clear commitment to supporting public education and union values.
Those endorsement recommendations then go to the NJEA PAC Operating Committee, made up of members representing every corner of the state and every membership category. NJEA’s endorsement process includes rigorous and intentional debate, reflective of members’ varied political viewpoints and perspectives.
When the NJEA’s budget is created, that is a member-led, committee-driven process, too. Over the course of multiple meetings, the budget plan is reviewed, discussed, and debated, in minute detail, by a committee of members representing every county. When that committee is satisfied, it votes to send the budget to the full Delegate Assembly, where it is once again presented in detail, debated, and voted upon by members who are elected by their peers.
Of course, not every member agrees with every decision NJEA makes. But every decision is made with care and intention, by fellow members elected to do that deliberative work. Those who are elected are answerable to those members who elected them. In our leadership roles, we hear from members all the time, expressing their views on a variety of different issues. We hear from members who agree with the decisions of our deliberative bodies, and we hear from members who disagree. We ourselves disagree with the outcome of some votes. But those debates are necessary, frequently inspiring innovative ideas, robust conversations, and purposeful opportunities for growth. That’s indicative of a healthy democracy; that’s how representative democracy is designed to work, and NJEA’s version works very well.
Yet, there are those entities out there, who, despite NJEA’s best efforts, have not taken the time to really understand how decisions get made in our union and are obstinately committed to promoting a divisively false narrative. That’s regrettable and perhaps indicative of their truer intentions. And if they don’t agree with some of the decisions NJEA makes, that’s okay. It’s not their union anyway.
If we, as members and leaders, disagree with the direction of our union, we have the power, the right, and the responsibility to change its direction. That is exactly how an open, transparent, and democratic union should work regardless of what pundits and armchair quarterbacks from outside our union think.
Sue McBride is President of the Bergen County Education Association and serves on the NJEA Delegate Assembly. She has previously served on the NJEA Executive Committee
James Frazier is President of the Union County Education Association and serves on the NJEA Delegate Assembly. He has previously served on the NJEA Executive Committee as a member of the NEA Board of Directors.