History of the National Education Association and the U.S. Labor Movement

The earliest recorded strike of workers (journeymen tailors) protesting a wage reduction.

Formation of the first trade union, the Federal Society of Journeymen Cordwainers (shoemakers) in Philadelphia.

Mechanics’ Union of Trade Associations in Philadelphia begins uniting unions within a single city under a central labor body.

The first turnout of “mill girls” in Lowell, Massachusetts, to protest wage cuts.

Creation of the International Typographical Union begins bringing together local unions of the same trade from across the United States and Canada. 

National Teachers Association is founded by teachers and other educational professionals when ten state education associations issue a call to “unite … to advance the dignity, respectability, and usefulness of their calling.”

Knights of Labor were founded, and was the first national labor force to recruit women and African Americans as a matter of policy, to organize throughout the country, and to attempt to unify industrial and agrarian workers.

Just three years after membership is opened to women, the National Teachers Association elects Emily Rice as Vice President of the Association. 

The NTA absorbs three smaller organizations, and gets its modern name: the National Education Association.

In Columbus, Ohio the American Federation of Labor (AFL) is founded and dedicated itself to gaining the right to bargain collectively for wages, benefits, hours, and working conditions.

Margaret Haley, Vice President of the Chicago Teachers’ Federation gives the "Why Teachers Should Organize" speech at the National Education Association convention. Haley’s speech addressed the need to legitimize teacher unionism and inspire other teachers to organize in order to advance democracy in education.

A decade before Congress granted women the right to vote, Ella Flagg Young (an ally of Margaret Haley) was elected as the NEA’s first female president and helped transform the union.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire killed 146 people, nearly all of them Jewish and Italian immigrant women and girls who toiled in the city’s garment industry. In response, the ILGWU called for a strike. Twenty thousand women across New York’s garment industry walked off their jobs in two days, picketing the unsafe conditions they labored under. It was the first major strike by women, for women, who held fast on the picket line as “sister strikers.”

NEA adopts its modern structure of affiliated state and local unions, with delegates to the Representative Assembly—the world's largest democratic deliberative assembly.

The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) was the first labor organization led by African Americans to receive a charter in the American Federation of Labor.

The CIO held its first convention in Pittsburgh adopting the name Congress of Industrial Organizations; in 1935 it had been formed in response to the enduring question of whether union organization should be based on skill or where you worked.

Created to protect workplace democracy by providing employees at private-sector workplaces the fundamental right to seek better working conditions and designation of representation without fear of retaliation.

- A "sit-down" strike at the River Rouge plant forced Ford Motor Company, the last holdout among the major auto companies, to recognize and negotiate with the UAW, ushering in an era of industrial unionism.

NEA has affiliate organizations in every state and in more than 14,000 communities across the United States. We bring the expertise, drive, and dedication of 3 million educators and allies to advancing justice and excellence in public education.

In late February, teachers and support staff shuttered schools in all fifty-five counties in West Virginia over low wages, lack of support, and disrespect. This was the beginning of the #RedForEd movement. There were direct labor actions in Oklahoma, Arizona, North Carolina, and Kentucky. More than 375,000 education workers engaged in a work stoppage to advocate for the schools their students deserved. 

The #RedForEd movement continued. Strikes and work actions empowered hundreds of thousands of educators. Los Angeles, Chicago, Oakland, led their fights for “common good” demands such as increased nurses and counselors, as well as smaller class sizes. Indiana teachers organized a statewide walkout to demand more funding, better pay, and an end to over-testing. Denver educators and their community led a successful strike after their bargain with the district failed and that fall in Little Rock educators organized their community for a one-day strike to stop the resegregation of their schools.

The members of the Saint Paul Federation of Educators, which include licensed and non-licensed staff, went on strike March 10-12, 2020 after nine months of contract negotiations.

NEA fought for the safe return to in-person instruction and to assert the professional authority of our educators to ensure that all stakeholders, including educators, parents, and the community, provide input into how rescue funds were spent. Additionally, we saw Bourbonnais educators in Illinois on strike when their school district attempted to undermine their healthcare access. Youngstown State University faculty and staff went on strike to retain the rights to their intellectual property. The Geneva Area Teachers Association and their community came together in a 3-day strike to ensure a fair contract and a quality education for their students.

Columbus teachers went on strike in 2022 and their top issues had nothing to do with pay. They wanted safer classrooms, smaller class sizes, and more student access to art, music, and P.E. From Oakland, CA where educators led a 1-day strike to condemn the closing of schools in Black and brown neighborhoods to the Twin Cities where educators, families, and the Minneapolis community went on a 20-day strike to ensure education support professionals had a living wage, mental health support for students, and lowering class sizes. Our movement for the safe and equitable schools our students deserve is only growing.

From Portland, Oregon—where thousands of educators marched, sang, and stood united for 15 days—to secure smaller class sizes, more planning time, mental health supports, and safer schools, our movement is growing. Portland educators refused to back down. On November 26, 2023, after weeks of citywide picket lines and powerful community support, the Portland Association of Teachers reached a landmark agreement with the district. Their strike didn’t just win improvements on every key issue—it became a turning point for the city’s students and families. Our movement for the safe and equitable schools our students deserve is only growing.

From underfunded classrooms and unsustainable workloads to unsafe learning conditions, the challenges that sparked the strike in Albany, Oregon, aren’t unique—they reflect a statewide crisis that continues to undermine public education. Educators in Albany took a stand not just for their schools, but for students and educators across Oregon. Their fight was about ensuring all students have the resources they need to thrive—and that educators are supported, respected, and fairly compensated. This movement is bigger than one district—together, we’re raising our voices to demand the investments in the public schools we deserve.

More than 200 Starbucks stores have officially voted to unionize according to the National Labor Relations Board. We've also seen first-ever unions formed at REI, Trader Joe’s, Kickstarter, and Medieval Times.

Richmond Education Association members made history when they organized, mobilized, and inspired their community to come together to become the first local in more than 40 years to gain the ability to collectively bargain their contracts in Virginia.

This year, after 7-days on strike, on picket lines, and in the streets, the Oakland Education Association won significant raises for ALL educators, with an even greater percentage increase for new teachers, to prioritize recruitment. They won social and educational changes that were common good priorities for their community. They won retroactive pay and bilingual stipends for teachers with dual language aptitudes. Their agreement also calls for more school librarians, school nurses, and guidance counselors (including at elementary schools for the first time).

Seventy-one percent of Americans now approve of labor unions. Although statistically similar to last year's 68%, it is up from 64% before the pandemic and is the highest Gallup has recorded on this measure since 1965.