Full Disclosure Rules Reveal What We Already Knew

What do the following groups have in common:

- Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Alliance
- Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
- Amnesty International
- AIDS Walk Washington

Yes, they're all Liberal special-interest groups but they - and dozens of similar groups - received over $65,000,000 in funds that came directly from the union dues paid by members of the National Education Association. Thanks to new rules pushed through by the Labor Department, these unions must now disclose how they are spending their members' money.

And more than half of the leadership staff of the NEA are drawing six-figure salaries, while the average teacher is underpaid and usually has to spend his or her own money for supplies just to do their jobs.

Today's OpinionJournal.com has the facts and figures:

The NEA is spending the mandatory dues paid by members who are told their money will be used to gain better wages, benefits and working conditions. According to the latest filing, member dues accounted for $295 million of the NEA's $341 million in total receipts last year. But the union spent $25 million of that on "political activities and lobbying" and another $65.5 million on "contributions, gifts and grants" that seemed designed to further those hyper-liberal political goals.

That means that for every dollar of a teacher's union dues, almost 31 cents goes to either the NEA's political activity or to some Left-wing political organization. Members can now go to www.union-reports.dol.gov to research where their money is going.

It's no secret that unions like the NEA have long been considered "wholly-owned subsidiaries" of the Democrat pary. But whether or not its members sympathize with these other organizations or not, the fact that so much of their money is being used in this manner rather than for their benefit should be a major source of concern to teachers. At least now - thanks to the Bush Administration - they have the information.

Posted by: Gary at 09:28 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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