Teachers Endorse Gore

The National Education Association today endorsed Vice President Al Gore for the Democratic presidential nomination, calling him a "a tireless leader for quality education for all children."

With nearly 2.5 million members, the NEA is the nation's largest professional employee organization.

The endorsement was the second of its kind in three days for Gore, who is being challenged by former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley. On Tuesday, the American Federation of Teachers, the second-largest teachers union in the country, announced its support for Gore.

The vice president is still courting the endorsement of the AFL-CIO, the federation backed by 13 million labor members. Gore was once thought to be assured of the endorsement, but Bradley has been aggressive in seeking it and some of the federation's 68 member organizations have questioned Gore's ability to win in a general election.

The AFL-CIO is holding its biennial convention next week in Los Angeles. On Thursday, President Clinton met with Teamsters President Jim Hoffa in New York, although he denied he was trying to spur support for Gore. The Teamsters are the largest union in the AFL-CIO, and Hoffa has been critical of an early endorsement and the administration's support for the North American Free Trade Agreement.

In its endorsement, the 2.5 million-member National Education Association said it was backing Gore because of his support for full funding of Head Start, a preschool program for poor children, as well as for expanded preschool and afterschool programs.

The association also praised Gore for "leading the charge" for smaller class sizes and school reconstruction.

"Al Gore has fought for children. For child nutrition programs. For immunization. For expanded preschool and afterschool programs," said NEA President Bob Chase. "Al Gore understands what children need to start school ready to learn."

A call seeking reaction from the Bradley campaign was not immediately returned.

In a similar announcement, the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) endorsed the Gore candidacy. The NTEU is the nation's largest independent federal employees union, representing some 155,000 employees in 24 agencies and departments.