Two of the United States’ largest teachers’ unions met in July but left many members and critics frustrated that neither gathering produced a unified strategy to combat what they describe as escalating threats to public education. The National Education Association, with 2.8 million members, met in Denver July 3–7; the American Federation of Teachers, whose membership the union lists at 1.9 million, convened in Washington July 16–19.
Criticism of focus and priorities
Observers quoted in coverage by the World Socialist Web Site said that educators who had hoped for a frank assessment of the scale of pressure facing public schools, and a plan to mobilize school staff nationwide, were left disappointed. The coverage said neither convention signalled a willingness to organise large-scale strike action or other mass mobilisation to defend public education.
According to the report, critics argue the gatherings did not address what they described as a sustained, bipartisan attack on education that has included reductions in funding, an expansion of vouchers and promotions of censorship in classrooms. The report said that since the start of the current presidential term, billions of dollars have been removed from schools and federal policy has shifted toward greater private-sector involvement through vouchers.
Political pageantry at the AFT convention
The World Socialist Web Site said the AFT convention resembled a Democratic Party rally, with a string of high-profile Democratic figures taking the podium. Among those listed as speakers were House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senator Raphael Warnock, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Stacey Abrams. The report noted there was little, if any, discussion at the AFT event about the wider structural pressures facing educators.
"We Can’t Wait"
The report highlights that a central recent campaign for educators — described as the “We Can’t Wait” campaign, a joint initiative of the NEA and AFT and involving the California Teachers Association — received scant attention at the conventions, despite being characterised as a major strand of organising in the past year.
Concerns about educators’ conditions
Coverage cited in the report pointed to long-running grievances among school staff, including declining relative pay and rising costs. It referenced a figure that places teachers’ pay at 26.9 percent less than comparably educated professionals. The report also stated that healthcare costs have been rising, class sizes are growing and more than 1,000 schools had been closed nationwide.
- Union size: NEA 2.8 million, AFT 1.9 million
- Teacher pay: cited as 26.9% lower than similarly educated professionals
- School closures: more than 1,000 schools reported closed nationwide
Organising and the debate over union strategy
The reporting framed the conventions as displaying a bureaucratic tone and an apparent reluctance to endorse urgent, confrontational tactics such as mass strikes. Critics quoted in the item argued the unions showed a degree of complacency and prioritised political alliance with the Democratic Party over immediate, large-scale labour action to protect public education.
Those concerns reflect a broader debate over how unions should defend education in the face of policy shifts, budget pressures and cultural battles in the classroom. The conventions’ emphasis on party politics, as described in the report, left unresolved questions about whether union leaders will pursue more aggressive, coordinated industrial action or continue to focus on political advocacy and electoral engagement.
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| NEA membership | 2.8 million |
| AFT membership | 1.9 million |
| Teachers’ pay gap vs comparably educated professionals | 26.9% |
| Schools closed nationwide | More than 1,000 |
The conventions and the criticism of their outcomes underscore ongoing tensions within the labour movement about strategy and priorities for defending public education amid changing federal policy, fiscal pressures and cultural controversies in schools.
