Don’t let the teachers’ union pick your politics — request PAC refund today

Each year, Education Minnesota charges member teachers and eduction support professionals (ESPs) $25.00 for its political action committee, or PAC. PAC money is spent on supporting political parties, candidates, and other political funds.

Because the Education Minnesota union membership card treats the deductions for the PAC as part of union dues, teachers and ESPs are not offered the right to opt-out of the deductions once and for all. The refund must be requested every single year. Refund request forms are available in the union’s magazine Minnesota Educator and must be filled out, signed, and mailed to Education Minnesota’s accounting department.

The union must receive the refund request form by Oct. 31 for continuing members, or within 30 days of signing a membership application for new members, so don’t wait until the last minute to send it in.

Once the form is signed and filled out, mail it to:

Education Minnesota Accounting Department
Attn: Refund Request
41 Sherburne Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55103-2196

Educators should not have this additional burden imposed on them just to exercise their constitutional right to not fund a union PAC. Education Minnesota should collect PAC money separate from the union membership card. 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.

Outside of this PAC contribution, Education Minnesota uses union dues to fund political activities and lobbying, which it self-reports in its annual federal filing to the U.S. Department of Labor. In the most recent available filing, which covers Sept. 2022-Aug. 2023, Education Minnesota reports it spent just under $3 million ($2.93 million) on political activities and lobbying. So far for 2024, the union’s PAC has spent just over $1 million. Roughly half of that has gone directly to the DFL political party units — the DFL House and Senate Caucuses and the Minnesota DFL State Central Committee.

Reach out to [email protected] if you have questions about the PAC refund process.