Nearly One Thousand Six-Figure Salaries at UAW and National Education Association

The National Education Association had 414 employees who made more than $100,000 in 2009. The United Auto Workers had 538 employees and officers who were paid more than $100,000 and the Laborers’ International Union of North America had 16 employees making more than $250,000.

There was no shortage of six-figure incomes by the national union organizations in 2009, according to research compiled by Vincent Vernuccio, labor policy counsel at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Vernuccio broke down the reports filed by unions at www.unionreports.gov and said salaries and facilities were top spending priorities by national labor organizations. Vernuccio was surprised that so many employees had six-figure incomes.

He also found that national labor organizations spared no expense with their buildings in Washington, D.C. He says the NEA’s headquarters was valued at more than $110 million and the AFL-CIO building was worth more than $90 million.

“Most of the top labor organizations in the country spend more on politics and administration than they do on representation,” Vernuccio wrote in an e-mail. “Union boss salaries and lavish D.C. headquarters demonstrate a stark contrast between their lifestyles and the standard of living of their members.”

Most union members aren’t aware where their dues go, Vernuccio said.

The National Education Association and the UAW didn’t respond to e-mails and calls for comment.