Double standard? Teachers’ union funded on the backs of new, underpaid teachers

Education Minnesota, the state’s teachers’ union, is a huge advocate of “making the wealthiest Minnesotans pay their fair share,” and yet charges new, underpaid teachers the same dues dollar amount as their higher paid, tenured colleagues.

In Minnesota, the average entry-level teacher salary is $40,310 a year, according to the National Education Association. With average union membership dues ranging from $800 to $1,000 a year, 2% of a new teacher’s starting salary funds the teachers’ union.

­­­­Because Education Minnesota has a flat union dues structure for state and national dues — local dues vary district to district — all union members, regardless of salary, pay the same amount for the same union representation.

Is that fair?

Education Minnesota likes to talk big about making those with larger salaries pay their fair share all while getting funded on the backs of young, underpaid teachers.

Let the union know its double standard will not fly by opting out of union membership here. As a nonmember, you will not lose any salary or health insurance benefits, your tenure, seniority, or pension, as those are provided through your district employer, not the union.

Interested in liability coverage? You have options that are free from partisan politics and offer double the protection the union provides for a fraction of the cost of dues.