HERNDON, VA - The Landmark Legal Foundation on July 20 filed what is being described as "the most explosive tax complaint ever filed against the NEA." (PR Newswire, 7-27-01) The complaint provides extensive evidence of "thoroughly integrated political activities into the NEA's general operations" by union leadership. It alleges that these activities, kept secret from education employees, make "virtually impossible" the right of non-NEA teachers "who are forced to pay dues for the union's collective bargaining services to collect rebates for the portions of their fees that have been used for disallowed political activities."
The complaint includes evidence of the NEA's campaign coordination with the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and its formulation of campaign strategy as a member of a group called the "Coordinated Campaign Steering Committee," of which the 1996 Clinton-Gore Campaign, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Democratic Leadership Campaign Committee, the AFL-CIO, and Emily's List, were also members.
"While the NEA has reported no political expenditures on its IRS form 990 tax returns for the last several years, the extent to which the NEA and its state affiliates have coordinated their political activities with the Democratic party, and have used millions of dollars in tax-exempt general revenues to support these activities, is truly breathtaking," Landmark stated. "The evidence demonstrates that the NEA has become an appendage of the Democratic party, complete with an ATM machine that dispenses tax-exempt membership dues to underwrite that party's political activities."
Eagle Forum
