How strong are U.S. teacher unions?

Tyson Eberhardt / October 29, 2012

Today, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now are releasing the most comprehensive analysis of American teacher unions’ strength ever conducted. Published weeks after the contentious Chicago teachers’ strike and days before a hotly contested election, this timely study, How Strong Are U.S. Teacher Unions? A State-By-State Comparison, ranks all fifty states and the District of Columbia according to the power and influence of their state-level unions.

Download How Strong Are U.S. Teacher Unions: A State-By-State Comparison.

To assess union strength, the Fordham-ERN study examined thirty-seven different variables across five realms:

• Resources and Membership;


• Involvement in Politics;


• Scope of Bargaining;


• State Policies; and


• Perceived Influence.

Using these data, analysts ranked the relative strength of state-level teacher unions in fifty-one jurisdictions (all states plus the District of Columbia). The study analyzed factors ranging from union membership and revenue to state bargaining laws to campaign contributions, and included such measures such as the alignment between specific state policies and traditional union interests and a unique stakeholder survey.

Download the full study to see how your state stacked up.

Category: Teachers