A special education teacher who works at Middlesex Public School District and is a long-time NJEA member has filed an unfair labor practice against her NJEA unit for allegedly retaliating against her for speaking out about what she regards as deficiencies in a recently-negotiated contract between the district and the Middlesex Public School Education Association. The retaliation, she says, includes denigrating her to colleagues and cancelling a contract-related committee she was on.

She is being represented by the Fairness Center, which says it represents those “hurt by public-sector union officials.”

The teacher, Angela Arancio, says in February 2025 she was placed on a committee called the Crisis Action Team after contract negotiations with the the district and her union remained unresolved. Arancio’s primary concern was the proposed contract failed to address inadequate class-preparation time and workload concerns affecting teachers at her newly-created school, Woodland Intermediate School. The union leadership, she said, promised to address her concerns but never did.

Then in June 2025, Arancio claims, the Middlesex Education Association president retaliated against her by dissolving the Crisis Action Team because the team’s “platform” was being used to “solicit support” for her criticism of the contract. The union president called this “an inappropriate use of the team’s purpose and a serious breach of its intended role.” Arancio disputes this, saying her concerns about the contract occurred outside Team time and she was being punished for filing a charge against the union and being supported by her fellow teachers in pursuing that charge. She says the union president discredited her to her colleagues.

Arancio has now filed an unfair labor practice charge against the union, alleging illegal retaliation under the Employer-Employee Relations Act, which prohibits unions from retaliating against members for exercising their rights. In a statement issued by the Fairness Center, she said, “What bothered me most was the message this sent to other union members: if you speak up, question leadership, or stand up for members’ rights, union officials may try to shut you down and paint you as someone who is ‘attacking’ the union.”

Fairness Center managing attorney Anthony Holtzman said: “New Jersey law prohibits unions from retaliating against members for exercising their rights under the Employer-Employee Relations Act, including their right to file unfair labor practice charges or talk with coworkers about union leadership. Angela’s charge alleges that this type of retaliation happened here.”

Here is a one-page case summary with more details: https://www.fairnesscenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Arancio-v-MEA-case-summary.pdf

Here is Arancio’s unfair labor practice charge: https://www.fairnesscenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Arancio-v-Middlesex-Education-Association-unfair-labor-practice-charge.pdf

Here is NJEA’s latest filing:  https://www.fairnesscenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Arancio-v-Middlesex-Education-Association-unions-position-statement.pdf