Each year, Education Minnesota charges member teachers and education support professionals (ESPs) $25 to fund its political action committee, or PAC. PAC money is spent on supporting political parties, candidates, and other political funds. (This is separate from the member dues that get spent on the union’s political activities and lobbying.)
Why is this PAC money subject to a refund? The First Amendment requires it.
Under the First Amendment, the union has to refund the money because it is spent on partisan politics. It does not pay for collective bargaining; it pays for electioneering.
The union’s most recent PAC spending report puts its total political expenditures for 2024 at just under $2 million ($1,986,333.12). The largest chunk of contributions ($1.15 million) has gone to DFL political party units — the DFL House and Senate Caucuses and the Minnesota DFL State Central Committee.
With Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on the Democratic presidential ticket this year, expect big spending from Education Minnesota’s national affiliates — the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) — to which Minnesota teacher union members also play dues.
As I have noted elsewhere, Education Minnesota should not be able to just take PAC money out of paychecks along with regular dues and then force busy teachers and ESPs to request it back — every single year. Twenty-five dollars is not a lot of money, but it is a matter of principle. And it should be a matter of choice to contribute in the first place versus the union taking the money and forcing teachers to go through a process to ask for it back.
There is an easy fix to this: move it from an opt-out procedure to an opt-in procedure. The union should ask members to contribute voluntarily to its PAC. If the union won’t make this change, the legislature could also require the union to collect PAC money in a separate transaction from the union card each year.
This approach would have integrity because it respects everyone’s point of view, and precious time.
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Are you a Minnesota public school educator who is still a union member? Request your PAC refund by printing, signing, and mailing this form. The form must be received by October 31 for continuing members.