Less than 8% of NEA and IEA’s spending in 2022 was on representing teachers, according to the unions’ federal reports. That could be why nearly 203,000 public school employees – including more than 6,000 in Illinois – have left NEA since 2017.
How an organization spends its money reveals a lot about that organization’s priorities, so for the National Education Association and its state affiliate, the Illinois Education Association, the priority is not representing teachers.
Less than 8% of NEA and IEA’s combined spending in 2022 was on representing teachers, according to their federal filings with the U.S. Department of Labor. In fact, NEA spent more on politics than it did on representing its members.
That could be why so many teachers are leaving the union. Since 2017, NEA has seen nearly 203,0000 teachers and other public school employees nationwide stop paying dues or fees to the union. That includes more than 6,000 in Illinois.
Most of a teacher’s dues money doesn’t stay local, but instead flows up the chain to the national and state affiliates.
Illinois teachers concerned about how NEA and IEA spend their hard-earned money have options. They can stop paying dues by opting out of union membership yet maintain all of the raises and other benefits their employers provide. Other professional organizations can provide liability insurance and job protection coverage, often at a fraction of the price of union membership.
Less than 8% of NEA and IEA’s combined spending was on representing teachers in 2022
NEA and IEA spent a combined $659 million in 2022, according to the unions’ LM-2s, which are reporting documents the unions filed with the U.S. Department of Labor.
Yet just $50 million of that was on “representational activities,” which the department states are activities “associated with preparation for, and participation in, the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements and the administration and enforcement of the agreements.”
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