President Joe Biden canceled his attendance at the National Education Association conference in Philadelphia on Sunday after the union representing NEA employees announced There was supposed to be a strike on Friday.
“President Biden is a staunch supporter of unions and will not cross the picket lines,” the Biden campaign said Friday. “The President still plans to travel to Pennsylvania this weekend, and we will provide more details later.”
In a press release on Friday, NEASO announced that it had filed two lawsuits alleging unfair labor practices. complaints against NEA with the National Labor Relations Board. The union accuses NEA of wage theft and “failing to provide information requested by the union about the outsourcing of more than $50 million to contractors.”
The NEA did not immediately respond to a request for comment made Friday.
“The National Education Association has threatened to hold its convention virtually to avoid a physical picket line. That a union would trick its members into crossing a picket line is reprehensible. It also confirms what we have been saying: the NEA has abandoned its union values with its actions at the bargaining table,” NEASO President Robin McLean said in a statement. “The NEA would rather cancel a multi-million dollar convention than comply with labor laws. NEA members should ask themselves where their hard-earned dues money is being used — and where it is being wasted.”
Biden often boasts of being the most pro-union president in history, and crossing the picket line would be problematic. In September Biden crossed the picket line with the United Auto Workers, which was on strike. It is believed to be the first time in contemporary history that a sitting president visited a strike.
This NEA represents public school teachers and support staff, college and university faculty and staff, and student teachers and retired educators.
The NEASO contract expired on May 31, 2024. According to his website represents 350 members of the approximately 3 million NEA members.
The appearance with first lady Jill Biden would be Biden’s ninth in Pennsylvania this year, and his first in this state since Shaky performance during last week’s presidential debate.
Biden’s last appearance in Pennsylvania, also in Philadelphia, was in delayed May with Vice President Kamala Harris, Launch Black Voters for Biden-Harris Campaign Initiative.
