Tennessee House Committee Abandons Critical Protections for Teacher Salary Increase

Taxpayers should not be the bills collector for union dues. Unions should collect their own dues and teachers should have the transparency of knowing how much they are paying. Union dues should not simply be another obscure deduction on their paycheck.

Worse, teachers’ largest salary increase in Tennessee history could be skimmed by the union. The Tennessee Education Association’s bylaws allow the unions to implement artificial rate hikes for union dues when teachers get raises beyond standard cost of living increases. The unions then use that money to support causes that do not represent Tennessee values.

The House Finance, Ways and Means Committee’s failure to safeguard Governor Bill Lee’s vision to get Tennessee teachers and taxpayers out of the business of financing union dues collection is disappointing.