Choose union
The power of our union
Educators are powerful when we have a collective voice. Working in union gives us the power to make meaningful improvements for students, our profession, public education and our communities.
Unions routinely secure better wages, benefits and workplace protections for the workers they represent by negotiating terms and conditions of employment through collective bargaining. For educators, coming together in union also means we can advocate for what students need in every corner of the state.
That’s why it’s so important for educators to choose union – we have more influence when there are more of us.
Education Minnesota is a member-led union, governed by three officers and a 47-member governing board, all elected by members. Representing all areas of the state, this board and our union’s standing committees ensure the union’s goals and priorities are driven by members. The governing board sets the priorities for our union’s work.
Why belonging to Education Minnesota matters
Being an educator is one of the hardest jobs—and it’s never been more difficult. By joining your state union, you are joining 84,000-plus educators across the state. As the largest labor union in the state, Education Minnesota is a powerful, collective voice for educators and students.
When you are a member of your local union, Education Minnesota, the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers and the AFL-CIO, you will have the strongest possible voice to advocate for students, our profession, public education and our communities
Respect for the profession
Together, we can demand better pay and benefits that value the important work we do in our schools. A union contract is a tool to address issues in and out of our classrooms and campuses, including class sizes, a dignified retirement, reasonable caseloads and educator voice in decision making. Educators’ working conditions are students’ learning
conditions. Honoring the work of educators means attracting and retaining high-quality staff in our schools, which in turn leads to better outcomes for students.
Recent success: During the 2023-25 bargaining cycle, local unions affiliated with Education Minnesota negotiated an average salary increase of 4.26 in year 1 and 3.49 in year 2.
Protecting your rights at work
A union contract is only as good as the union’s ability to enforce it. Through our member rights advocacy program, legal training and representation by experienced field staff and attorneys who specialize in labor and education law, we are able to ensure that the union’s interests are protected in disputes about the interpretation of contract language. Representation of individual members in investigations and disciplinary proceedings helps protect the due process rights of all members.
Recent successes: In the past year, Education Minnesota helped secure two victories for members overturning adverse employment actions at the Minnesota Court of Appeals, as well as an arbitration victory ordering a district to stop requiring educators to pay the cost of health insurance broker fees without the union’s approval.
A seat at the table
Elected officials in your school district, state legislature and U.S. Congress are constantly making school funding decisions and weighing in on policies that affect contracts, pensions and teaching and learning. Your local, state and national unions are the way your voice is heard in those rooms. Education Minnesota helps ensure that you—the education experts—have the opportunity to share your stories and perspectives and leverage your powerful, collective voice on the issues that matter most to educators and schools.
Recent success: During the 2025 legislative session, Education Minnesota helped achieve significant pension reform in the form of a 60 and 30 enhanced career rule, giving teachers more flexibility to retire after decades of public service.
A place for professional growth
As educators, we value and promote educator quality and improving our practice. Being a part of Education Minnesota means hundreds of frequent, diverse and valuable trainings for educators, by educators, across the state. Our online and in-person trainings are available to members for free.
Recent success: During the 2023-24 membership year, Education Minnesota members completed 5,600 courses on MEA Online and 4,300 in person PD sessions.
A champion for our students and communities
While far from perfect, our union and the broader labor movement have a proud and long history of advancing civil and human rights. Education Minnesota helps empower educators in all parts of the state to challenge inequitable situations and work with students, parents, and school leaders to create schools and campuses where everyone can thrive.
Recent success: With eight Racial Equity Advocate cohorts, we have almost 200 members who are trained and ready to build power together to dismantle systemic racism.
Why I choose union
You union is a place for you to come together with other educators to improve not only your pay, benefits and profession, but the lives of your students and families.
Listen to fellow educators from across the state talk about why they value belonging to Education Minnesota, choose union and believe in the power of a collective voice.
Attacks on unions and public education
When workers come together, their voice is more powerful in their worksites and makes sure they can build better lives for families and communities.
There have been numerous attacks on unions by corporate interests aiming to lessen worker voice – most notably the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court case Janus vs. AFSCME. The Janus decision allows public sector employees to enjoy the benefits of a negotiated contract without paying for it.
Many states have also decimated labor laws, many aimed directly at educators. And the attacks can happen fast. In Iowa, anti-union lawmakers passed a bill which decimated collective bargaining laws in just 10 days. In Wisconsin, teacher compensation plummeted $10,483 within four years of their anti-union bill, Act 10, passing.
Listen to two Minnesota teachers who worked in Iowa and Wisconsin when anti-union laws passed share their stories of what happened to their contracts, working conditions and benefits.
Attacks on public education and public educators – from pre-K to higher education – are reaching new heights from school privatization to undermining educators’ ability to create safe and welcoming schools and teach the honest history of our country.
Through our union, educators have partnered with parents and their communities to push back in places like Florida. Together, we can be heard.
How it’s playing out in Minnesota
Education Minnesota members continue to choose union and because of that, our voice is still loud and strong. In 2023, we advocated for and the Legislature actually passed laws EXPANDING union rights, not taking them away.
Even as we remain strong, anti-union activists and the people who pay for them will try to twist the facts about union membership, dues and political activity. Here are some organizations to watch for and their agenda, including the Center of the American Experiment and Educated Teachers MN and the Freedom Foundation’s Opt Out Today.
A movement of workers
Unions are cool again! In 2023, more than 16 million workers in the United States were represented by a union—an increase of 191,000 from 2022, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
At Education Minnesota, dozens of new locals have joined our union in recent years. We continue to receive requests for information about unionizing and will continue to work to make sure all educators in Minnesota feel like they have the support they deserve!
As a member of Education Minnesota, you are also a part of your local union, the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, regional AFL-CIO labor councils, and the statewide and national AFL-CIO.
High unionization rates are consistently associated with a much broader set of positive spillover effects across multiple dimensions. These positive outcomes include higher state and local minimum wages, better health benefits, easier access to unemployment insurance, access to paid sick leave, access to paid family and medical leave and unrestricted voting opportunities (Banerjee et al. 2021).
Live your union values
Spending money on union-made, “Made in America” products is an act of solidarity that promotes good jobs, healthy workplaces and workers’ rights. Check out the AFL-CIO shopping lists for union-made products!
When some labor disputes with businesses can’t be resolved, the AFL-CIO supports its affiliates by endorsing their boycotts. A boycott is an act of solidarity by voluntarily abstaining from the purchase or use of a product or service. Current list of AFL-CIO boycotts.
Local leader resources
Member engagement is crucial to the work we do. This is especially true for our newest members. Many of them are stepping into the classroom for the first time and are looking to their more veteran colleagues for tips, advice and guidance. The union can, and should, play a big role in fostering that relationship.
Visit the link below for local leader resources to engage members on the power of our union and issues they care about, from classroom management to education debt.
