By NATALIE SPAULDING
While the National Education Association of Alaska (NEA-alaska) is the only union available to Alaskan educators, educators do not need to rely on the union for legal support and liability coverage. According to the Central Regional Director for the Association of American Educators, Gary Sigle, “Any individual working in a school has three choices: they can choose to join the union, they can choose to join us, or they can choose not to belong to anything.” Before 2018, twenty-one states forced educators to belong to a union as a condition of employment, but the 2018 Supreme Court decision Janus v. AFSCME ruled that educators have the right to work whether they belong to an association or not. For Alaskan teachers who do not want to pay exorbitant union dues, but want solid legal protection and liability insurance, the American Association of Educators (AAE) offers an attractive alternative to NEA-Alaska.
Long-time Anchorage public school teacher Aimee Sims first became interested in AAE when she heard stories from different colleagues that felt like they were not being represented by the union. In conjunction with the dissatisfaction regarding representation, “I was also concerned when I realized how much my dues were,” commented Aimee. Another long-time educator Kim Bates, who had taught in Kenai public schools for 20 years, breaks down the numbers and benefits of NEA-Alaska: “We pay a little over $1,400 a year in union dues. Very little of that money goes to our local association, about $25 goes to the Political Action Committee, and the rest goes to NEA-Alaska and the NEA-National. You get $1 million in liability coverage with NEA. There is some legal coverage, but usually, the educator has to pay upfront and then they get reimbursed in certain circumstances.”
In contrast, AAE offers full legal support and $2 million in liability coverage for only $19.50 a month or $234 a year. Educators can easily fill out an online form and within 8-12 hours, talk with a professional about any legal concerns regarding their work. No upfront, out-of-pocket costs. No hassle. Additionally, AAE is non-union and non-partisan. No money from member dues goes to support political campaigns or candidates. Unlike NEA-Alaska, the money all goes to providing member benefits: legal counsel and liability coverage. Not only does AAE make sure members’ hard-earned money goes toward benefits, but it also makes sure each member receives those benefits. Rather than a group policy, AAE offers a per member, per instance policy, which guarantees each member will receive the benefits they are paying for. Another key difference between NEA-Alaska and AAE is that NEA does not cover substitute teachers, but AAE does. “Any individual who gets a W-2 form from an educational entity can join AAE,” Gary Sigle states. This includes substitutes, paras, bus drivers, anyone and everyone who works as a W-2 employee at a school.
Some teachers may be concerned that if they choose AAE, they will lose legal support from their local union. However, according to the law, the local union must provide representation for contract issues to all educators of their area regardless of whether the educator is a union member, a member of a different association like AAE, or not a member anywhere. As Gary Sigle explains: “For example, let’s say as a cross country coach, they are not paying me what the contract says, for whatever reason. I am doing the job and I have not done anything wrong. Because the issue is contract related, the group that negotiated the contract– that is, the local union– should be there to support me.” While local unions may be reluctant to provide this representation, AAE will walk alongside educators to help them receive the representation they deserve by law.
If you are an Anchorage teacher and want to learn more about AAE, there will be a Zoom meeting on September 18th that you are welcome to join! To receive a link to the Zoom meeting or to ask any questions you may have, please contact either Aimee Sims at [email protected] or Kim Bates at 907-252-7251.
Natalie Spaulding, a 2025 Hillsdale College graduate, recently joined the Must Read Alaska team.
A big thanks goes to Bethany Marcum who when Director of the AK Policy Forum fought hard for this to happen. She was recognized throughout the nation for these efforts!
As a 50 year educator, I was only a union member for 3 years, and that was when ASD had a close agency shop. There is only one way to make education better and that is without the powerful influence of NEA, who never once supported a cause or candidate that I did!