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.”