Teachers unions split on endorsing vaccine mandates

The nation’s two major teachers unions on Thursday took differing stances on coronavirus vaccine mandates, highlighting the challenges facing city officials and administrators as children head back to school.

The National Education Association (NEA), the country’s largest teachers union, endorsed a policy of mandatory vaccination or regular testing for educators.

“As we enter a new school year amidst a rapidly spreading Delta variant and lagging public vaccination rates, it is clear that the vaccination of those eligible is one of the most effective ways to keep schools safe, and they must be coupled with other proven mitigation strategies,” said NEA President Becky Pringle.

But the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) punted. The group stopped short of a full endorsement, and instead backed a policy of negotiating potential mandates with employers.

Key point: “We believe that workplace policies should be done with working people, not to them,” AFT President Randi Weingarten said.

The statement is a softening of Weingarten’s comments earlier this week, when she indicated the union would revisit its previous opposition to vaccine mandates, and said she was personally open to the idea.