NEA-Retired History

NEA-Retired was created in 1983 to organize and serve retired education employees of the Association. However, NEA had long served its retired members prior to the establishment of NEA-Retired.

In 1950, the NEA Representative Assembly (RA) adopted an amendment to the NEA Bylaws to create a membership category for retirees who had been Active NEA members "for at least five years prior to retirement." The bylaw specified these members "shall have the same rights and privileges of an Active member, except the right to vote, to serve as a delegate in the Representative Assembly, and to hold office."

The San Francisco RA in 1951 granted NEA departmental status to the National Retired Teachers Association (NRTA), which was founded in 1947. The NEA-NRTA relationship continued until September 1, 1975, the year the NEA Constitution and Bylaws (adopted by the 1973 RA) became fully operative.

An amendment adopted in 1983 by the RA established NEA-Retired as a special program of NEA and redefined the Retired membership class, the rights of Retired members, and included NEA-Retired representation on NEA's Board of Directors.

NEA-Retired membership today is more than 275,000 and we continue to lead the way in public education and on critical issues such as Social Security, health care, and adequate pensions.

One standout effort occurred in 1995 during the White House Conference on Aging. Thirteen NEA-Retired leaders developed resolutions advocating public education which were ultimately adopted by the conference and forwarded to the White House as recommended national policy. NEA-Retired was the only organization at the conference to advocate for public education in that setting.