A few weeks ago, we posted a blog with the (slightly) hyperbolic title of “NJEA Leadership Wants to Turn the NJEA into a Giant ‘Spiller for Governor’ PAC.”  Now it looks like we were spot-on.  The NJEA has revamped its website by adding a new “Spiller for Governor” section front and center, with a large campaign photo of Spiller (see below).  There’s no mistaking what NJEA leadership’s purpose is: “NJEA members are a large voting bloc, and with our friends and family we can select the governor in 2025.”  NJEA leadership — led by NJEA President Sean Spiller — does in fact want to turn the NJEA into one, giant pro-Spiller Super PAC.  

When you click on Spiller’s image, you are taken to a page that is a full “Spiller for Governor 2025” campaign recruiting site.  First, there’s a glowing bio of Spiller that’s very similar to what is found on his official campaign website.  Scrolling down, there are “Campaign Resources” to help turn local officers into political organizers and local teachers into Spiller campaign workers:

• A campaign flyer to be distributed to members with Spiller’s bio and its own QR code urging members to “Join the campaign to elect Sean Spiller.”
• A how-to guide for local union officers and leaders to hold multiple 10-minute meetings with their members to get the message out. The guide provides a detailed script divided into two-minute blocks, each with all the key electioneering points.  The local officers are to encourage members to join the campaign (with a campaign website link); sign a “Stand with Sean” petition to “let the NJEA know that you support Sean’s candidacy;” like/follow Spiller’s campaign on social media; and, of course, donate $5.
• A “Pension Justice” handout, which highlights one of the key themes Spiller is using to get members to support his run for governor and has its own QR code to sign up to be a “Pension Justice Advocate.”
• A “Spiller for Governor pledge sheet” to document who as been persuaded to join the Spiller campaign.
• A Spiller for Governor postcard to hand out at meetings or elsewhere with QR codes to join the campaign and/or donate to the campaign.  The NJEA headquarters’ UniServ division will handle to logistics of providing the postcards.

We can only imagine the pressure (subtle or maybe not-so-subtle) that will be applied to officers and members to get on board.  What happens if a teacher declines to go to the 10-minute meeting? What happens if a teacher refuses to sign the petition? What happens if an officer doesn’t organize his local the way NJEA leadership expects?

And it’s a bit rich that teachers are being asked to donate $5 . It’s almost as if asking for a small donation is a misdirection away from the fact that ALL of this pro-Spiller activity is paid for by teachers’ highest-in-the-nation dues, which were just raised again to $1,082 a year. Most teachers are not aware that their regular dues are being spent on Spiller’s candidacy and might assume that the effort to elect him will be funded by such donations.  How wrong that would be!