Teachers Not Demonized in Michigan. But Teachers' Unions Are

Michigan's teachers - tasked with nothing less then ensuring Michigan's future prosperity - have tough jobs. Most are worth their weight in gold. But can the same be said of the unions that represent them?

Among the many problems conservative pundits have had with the Michigan Education Association [MEA], the state's largest and arguably most powerful public employee union, two are foremost: its organizational bloat, and its liberal political activism, both of which are ultimately funded by taxpayers.

Analysts have concluded that in 2009 the MEA spent less than a third of the money it generated from union dues [$82.9 million] on representing teachers: "That's the exact opposite of what one would find in a reasonably well-run non-profit."

But because the MEA is not required to fully open its books to the public, it's hard to know exactly what happened to the rest.

It is known that its employees were the recipients of generous pay raises - ranging from 6.6 percent for staffers to 15 percent for officers - at a time when most in the state were struggling to make ends meet.

It's also clear that much of the union's largess, ultimately funded by taxpayers, is spent on political activities of a decidedly liberal bent.

The MEA insists it is a non partisan organization. However, in the October issue of MEA VOICE - its member magazine - the union handed out endorsements to 114 candidates for state and local office; 111 of them went to Democrats.

Conservative pundits in Michigan have gotten a lot of mileage over the years out of bashing unions. But the one nut they've failed to crack is the MEA. Lord knows they've tried.

Just last week the editorial board of a major conservative newspaper accused the MEA of having "dumped on Gov. Rick Snyder's desk a 'reform plan' that maintains the status quo in classrooms, but dings taxpayers for more money to protect teachers and schools from change."

It then said, "The union's agenda pays lip service to getting quality results in the classroom."

Not surprisingly, the blogosphere is even more pointed. One blogger argued that, "the MEA has nothing to do with quality education of our children. The MEA is a hindrance to that end, not an asset...It has bilked Michigan out of more than $66 million [annually] directly from union dues."

While the conservative punditry's rhetoric is often "over the top" it is not baseless. Beneath the hyperbole lay evidence that the MEA's teflon-coated leadership does not believe it will be held accountable for its actions. Any and all criticism magically slides right off.

Those days may soon be over. Governor Rick Snyder is firm in his belief that Michigan's legacy government is too bloated for its shrinking population, and he is taking a hard look at public employee compensation.

Michigan's teachers deserve the admiration and respect of taxpayers...Teachers' unions? Not so much.