Public school teachers and other education professionals who are more interested in plying their trade than they are in politics are getting a poor return on their union dues, according to financial records.
Both the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) sent about 99 percent of their political contributions to Democrats, according to the most recent figures for the 2024 election cycle—funds siphoned from their members’ paychecks to pay for “progressive” causes.
Yet public-sector employees who do not support the political agenda of the NEA and AFT are no longer required to pay union dues or fees thanks to a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. For those who remain union members, though, there is no getting around the fact they are funding a left-wing political agenda.
Americans for Fair Treatment, a nonprofit that advocates for free speech rights on behalf of public employees, has pulled together some insightful figures that should pique the interest of rank-and-file union members. For the 2024 election cycle, 98.1 percent of the NEA’s contributions went to Democrats totaling $3.3 million.
In contrast, Republicans received just $63,000, or 1.90 percent of the NEA’s election spending.
The story is much the same with AFT. In the 2024 election cycle, 99.9 percent of AFT’s contributions went to Democrats totaling $2.7 million.
Yet Republicans received just $2,800, or 0.10 percent of AFT’s election spending.
