Teachers’ Union Settles Strike of Its Organizers

The nation’s largest union, which found itself in the unusual position of being struck by its own field organizers, settled the dispute Thursday after a larger group of staff members joined picket lines at the national headquarters.

More than 300 of 500 workers at the National Education Assn. walked off their jobs Thursday in support of 63 members of the field-organizers union before the NEA agreed to a contract.

“It’s a concept of unionism” not to accept rollbacks on benefits, said Barry Abel, a spokesman for the Assn. of Field Service Employees, which began the strike Tuesday. “We protect the teachers from that. They (management) have got to be absurd to think that staff would give that up.”

The settlement reached with the NEA, which represents 1.85 million teachers and educational personnel nationwide, provides for increased benefits for the organizers and a 5% salary increase.

Management of the national union insisted it did not consider the predicament embarrassing. “We support collective bargaining for employees, including the right to strike,” said NEA spokesman Robert Harman. “If you have the right to strike, I guess it’s inevitable that it gets exercised from time to time.”