Arkansas teachers’ union lost 36% of dues because of paycheck protection law, analysis shows 

The Arkansas teachers’ union is bleeding cash after the state enacted a law to protect educators’ paychecks. 

The Freedom Foundation, a group advocating for workers’ rights, analyzed the Arkansas Education Association’s (AEA) tax returns from the past five years and found it had a whopping 36% decline in dues collected since the state implemented a paycheck protection law in 2023. 

In real dollars, the revenue decreased from $2.1 million to $1.35 million. 

Freedom Foundation’s Director of Research Maxford Nelsen explained why deducting dues directly from paychecks is much easier for a union. 

“[Paycheck deduction] saves the unions the time, expense, and administrative hassle of collecting dues themselves, placing the burden instead on taxpayer-funded government payroll systems and personnel,” Nelsen writes. “A union does not have to ask for employees’ credit card number or bank account information, nor does it have to even disclose the cost of union dues.” 

Additionally, the practice of paycheck deduction has made it easier for unions to bully and coerce teachers, he argued. 

“With payroll deduction, all a union needs to do is get an employee to sign on the dotted line to get direct access to their paycheck,” Nelsen continues. “Heavy-handed tactics – such as forging signatures on membership forms and locking people in a room until they sign – are not unheard of.” 

But under Arkansas’ paycheck protection law, the union must collect dues from the teachers directly instead of using the school district’s payroll system. 

Under the new system, it seems many teachers don’t want to give their hard-earned dollars to the AEA, as the union lost nearly $1 million after paycheck protection went into law. 

Arkansas isn’t the only state where unions are struggling. 

Florida passed similar pro-teacher reforms to prevent union abuse. Then, during the 2023-24 school year, the Florida Education Association lost over 20,000 members – more than 15% of its membership. 

Nationwide, teachers’ unions have lost public support for endorsing radical left-wing policies such as sheltering illegal immigrants in defiance of federal law, supporting Black Lives Matter (BLM) and pro-LGBT causes, sneaking socialism into their contracts, and donating millions to Democrat politicians and other left-wing groups.