While unions can sometimes be cutthroat in competition with rival unions, it’s even more ironic when a union is picketed by its own staff. At the National Education Association (NEA) headquarters, the union representing NEA staff is picketing over the ongoing struggle to hammer out a new contract, according to The National Review.

The issue at heart: seniority. Yes, the irony just keeps building.

The parties appear to be at odds over whether time spent working as a temporary hire, before being hired on permanently, should be included in determining an employee’s length of service. The NEA’s policy has been, according to the March 8, 2012, issue of “NEASO Matters” (the most recent public update on the negotiations), “to ‘terminate’ the service of a temporary employee and ‘rehire’ the same employee in a permanent position — thus recognizing the ‘new’ hire date as the ‘last date of hire.’”

Why would “experience” as a temporary employee be disregarded in the process for permanent hiring?

It’s always amusing to see a union picket itself, especially on an issue that the union has spent so much time and energy fighting for.