Educated Teachers mailer raises awareness on how dues are spent

As part of our EducatedTeachersMN project, we are informing teachers about how the union spends their dues to bring more transparency and accountability to the union’s priorities. As I wrote about here, less than 25 cents of every dues dollar is spent on representing teachers. The rest gets eaten up by union overhead and political spending and lobbying.

But “lobbying” has been interpreted very broadly by the union, and a recent EducatedTeachers mailer let teachers know their dues were used to support profane demonstrations at the state Capitol this past spring. Several news sources picked up on the protests, highlighting the obscene language used. Signs with “WTF” and “F U” were directed at Senator Carla Nelson, who chairs the Senate’s E-12 Finance Committee. Teacher protesters were “advocating” for increased education spending, but regardless of the issues involved, cursing at those you disagree with is not appropriate. And many teachers don’t want to be associated with profane statements.

If you don’t support your dues being used in this way, you can do something about it by opting out of union membership. Create your letter here and carefully follow the step-by-step guide on how to effectively resign during the opt-out window (Sept. 1-Sept. 30). Don’t wait until the last minute!