By Victor Skinner
EAGnews.org

HONALULU, Hawaii – The breakup between the University of Hawaii’s faculty union and the National Education Association is getting nasty.

In a recent letter to the NEA, titled “Dear NEA: Thank you for trying to destroy our union,” leaders of the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly pull no punches in their criticism of the nation’s largest teachers union.

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The vicious note is reportedly in response to NEA officials “bombarding” faculty members with visits since the breakup, and allegedly threatening to arrange a decertification vote for the newly independent local union, Inside Higher Ed reports.

“We realize you need our $686,649 in annual dues because your membership is dropping,” the note read.

“NEA has been reorganizing and laying off staff. Your clout must be slipping. President Obama sent Joe Biden, his Vice President, to your annual meeting last year. I guess if you want to see Obama, you’ll have to come out here to Hawaii and wait in line with him for shave ice (it’s a local thing).

“With a strong six-year contract in place, we tend to forget that UHPA leaders negotiated the contract without NEA help, and that 89 percent of our members stood up to the university administration when it thought we would cave in to a weak offer.”

In other words, the NEA has been a worthless parasite on the local union, and UHPA officials saw no reason to continue the relationship.

Unfortunately, the NEA is in denial.

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NEA officials contend only leaders of the UHPA voted to break with the NEA, and some faculty members would prefer to stay with the parent union. They say the NEA isn’t trying to decertify the UHPA.

The whole situation is like a bad soap opera, but it illustrates that even longtime members of the NEA recognize how little the national union actually does for them and education in general.

We’ve heard an increasing number of similar complaints from other local NEA affiliates. The NEA seems to be almost entirely focused on its political activities these days, and is apparently too busy for trivial things like contract negotiations or teacher representation.

We’re actually surprised more NEA affiliates haven’t dumped the union to save their dues money for something more worthwhile.