How Teachers Can Get a $450 Raise | Eastern NC Now

    Publisher's note: This post, by Bob Luebke, was originally published in the Education section of Civitas's online edition.

    As part of a campaign to inform employees and union workers of their rights, the Civitas Institute will be educating North Carolina teachers and other school employees about how they can give themselves an average $450 a year pay increase by leaving the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE).

    The NCAE and its ally, the National Education Association, have failed to support teachers and other school employees. The new campaign will remind North Carolina teachers of their rights and that they will save themselves an average of $450 a year by opting out of the NCAE.


    Many union members feel compelled to pay dues to organizations whose views are frequently at odds with their own and whose spending frequently bears little connection to a union's stated goals. This campaign will remind teachers and other school employees that they do have a choice: they can opt out. This message will appear on billboards at key spots along highways in the state, on a new website: NCTeacherFreedom.com and in ads.

    NCAE members can go to the website for more details and for help in resigning from the NCAE. NCTeacherFreedom.com will note that:

• The average pay of top NCAE executives is nearly four times that of an average teacher.
• School employees are automatically given professional liability insurance. Teachers no longer need to join the NCAE to obtain insurance.
• Other professional organizations provide the same or better benefits.
• The NCAE's political contributions do not reflect the diversity of its members' views.

    The campaign is part of Civitas' involvement in National Employee Freedom Week (NEFW), Aug. 10-16. NEFW is a national campaign designed to educate employees and union members about their legal rights concerning membership and the misuse of member funds.

    More information is available at www.NCTeacherFreedom.com.