2024 member polling shows pay, pensions, health care top concerns for educators, Worksite Action Leader program highly effective
In 2024, Education Minnesota conducted multiple polls of members to elicit feedback on our work and learn about which issues are most pressing for our members.
Over the summer, Education Minnesota conducted a phone survey of active members about their opinions and interests. This poll surveyed 18,916 members, asking about their top concerns and feelings about the value of membership.
The most pressing concerns of educators were salary and benefits, pensions, health care and mental health. Coincidentally, those priorities align with the public’s most popular solutions for the educator shortage, which were health care, pay, school safety and pensions, according to a poll of Minnesota voters in July 2024.
Worksite Action Leader program results
In November, we conducted a second member poll that asked about our get-out-the-vote efforts. LRP, a nationally recognized polling firm, surveyed 8,580 Education Minnesota members online between Nov. 6 and Nov. 13. To accurately reflect the makeup of Education Minnesota membership, the sample was weighted slightly by membership type, gender, region, age and years worked. The margin of error for this poll is plus or minus 1.1 percentage point.
This year, Education Minnesota led a robust Worksite Action Leader (WAL) program to encourage members to vote in the election. This program was incredibly effective: Contacting members at their workplace yielded a 13-point net increase for Presidential vote and a 16-point net increase for state House vote. The success of the WAL program demonstrates the power of relational organizing, and we plan to build on that progress with our Health Care Action Leader and Pension Action Leader programs (for more information on these programs, talk to your local leadership).
Opinions toward our union
In both polls, a majority of members had a positive view of Education Minnesota. In the November poll conducted by LRP, 64% of respondents said that Education Minnesota did an excellent or good job of representing educators in the state.
ESP members’ approval of Education Minnesota has steadily improved over the past few years, going from 63% of respondents in August 2021 saying that we did an excellent or good job of representing educators to 67% in November 2024.
Top concerns of Education Minnesota members, ranked:
MEMBERS POLLED: 18,916
1. SALARY AND BENEFITS
2. PENSION REFORM
3. HEALTH CARE/ MENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
