More membership losses for National Education Association

The National Education Association is still shedding members, according to the latest edition of a report it filed with the federal government. The national labor union that represents teachers and school staffers saw its membership drop from 2,451,693 to 2,439,963 in the past year, for a loss of 11,730 members.

Each year, the union and its affiliates must file an LM-2 report with the U.S. Department of Labor. The report, submitted after the union’s fiscal year, details the union’s financial activities and membership numbers.

The NEA has lost more than 226,000 dues and fee payers — a decrease of 8.5% — since the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Janus v. ASCFME, which freed government employees from forced union participation.

Revenue for the NEA decreased by $109.7 million in the most recent year, going from $529.6 million to $419.9 million. Its political spending is also down, dropping from $50.1 million to $39.2 million.

Michigan-based membership in the NEA held steady in the most recent report, but the NEA’s numbers in Florida dropped 15%, declining from 136,450 to 115,913. One possible explanation is a union reform law passed in 2023.

Florida Senate Bill 256 protects workers against predatory union practices, according to Steve Delie, director of labor policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

The bill prevents public employers from collecting union dues on behalf of the union. It also allows employees to cancel their union membership at will rather than be constrained by narrow timeframes stipulated by unions.

Under the Florida law, employees must be informed of their constitutional right not to join a union. It also ensures transparency for union members and potential members: Unions are now required to provide annual financial statements on revenue, expenditures, union salaries and cost of membership.

“Since the Supreme Court’s 2018 decision in Janus v. AFSCME gave public sector workers a choice about whether to financially support a union, thousands of workers have made clear that their priorities are different than those of union leadership,” Delie wrote in an email to Michigan Capitol Confidential.

“Unless unions start prioritizing their members’ interest, they should expect these declines to continue in the future,” he told CapCon.