To opt out of PSEA dues:
- Enter your information into the form below and click “submit.”
- On the resulting page, click the link to open your customized form. You will also receive an email with a link to your form.
- Print the form. If you check the appropriate box about needing a printed version, we’ll mail you a copy of the form.
- Sign and date the form, and make two copies.
- Mail the completed form to the address at the top of the form. We highly recommend sending it via certified mail.
- Provide a copy to your employer’s payroll officer and keep a copy for your files.
The Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) represents more than 187,000 workers and is the designated union for educators and classified employees throughout Pennsylvania. Teachers, school nurses, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, school psychologists, and more are among those in school district bargaining units.
For years, public employees in Pennsylvania have been forced to pay union dues as a condition of employment, allowing unions to take their members for granted. However, the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that public employees can no longer be required to financially support a labor union against their will. (Janus v. AFSCME, 2018).
“States and public-sector unions may no longer extract [funds] from nonconsenting employees. . . . This procedure violates the First Amendment and cannot continue.”
Consequently, public employees may decline to pay these private organizations without losing their jobs or employer-provided benefits.
It is important to know that PSEA may continue to automatically withhold dues from employees’ pay even if they never signed up for membership in the first place. The best way to ensure the deductions stop is to submit a request to the union in writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
You should receive some acknowledgement of your request from the union within a few weeks.
In most cases, union dues are automatically deducted from employees’ paychecks. Monitor your paychecks to make sure the dues deductions stop. If the deductions continue for more than a couple of pay periods after submitting your opt-out request, contact the union.
Finally, keep in mind:
Opting out is your constitutional right. However, unions like PSEA sometimes place restrictions on when they will accept opt-out requests. If the union refuses to immediately cancel dues deductions from your pay, ask them to provide you with written documentation and contact us for assistance.
Union dues for PSEA are “unified” between four levels and could be over $1,000.
As of 2025, dues for full-time teachers are:
$219 to NEA
$615 to PSEA
Varies for the regional assessment
Varies for the local dues.
It is not the union’s responsibility to shield district employees from legal liability for external claims. That is the responsibility of your employer. The state Constitution and Pennsylvania statutes (1 Pa.C.S. § 2310 and 42 Pa.C.S. §§ 8521-8528) also provide broad immunity from lawsuits to employees operating within the scope of their employment.
Since the first responsibility for liability for workplace issues lies with your employer, contact the district business office if you want to learn how your primary liability protection is provided.
The union pays a very small amount for a liability policy for its members that supplements the protection already provided by state law and your employer. Nonmembers are typically not covered by the union’s legal liability policy.
If you are an educator and would like personal professional liability protection unconnected to your employer and/or union, and that doesn’t require paying up to $1,000 or more per year in dues, you can obtain a policy from independent professional education associations like the Association of American Educators or the Christian Educators Association International, or you can obtain a policy from a traditional insurance provider.
You may also apply for complimentary Liability Insurance through the Teacher Freedom Alliance.
Yes. PSEA has arranged to be the “exclusive representative” of its bargaining units, meaning it is impossible for workers to get out of the terms of the contract, even if they cease paying dues.
In exchange for the monopoly on this particular service, PSEA is legally obligated to represent all employees in the workplace, including those who choose not to join the union as members.
The collective bargaining agreement negotiated by the union and your employer will continue to set the terms and conditions of your employment, and the union will continue to represent you in grievances, contract enforcement, discipline assistance, or other proceedings governed by the collective bargaining agreement.
No. All provisions of the collective bargaining agreement between the union and your employer will continue to govern your employment. Your wages, health benefits, retirement, and anything else governed by the collective bargaining agreement will remain unchanged if you opt out of PSEA.
While the terms of the collective bargaining agreement will still govern your employment, as a nonmember, the union may choose to prevent you from participating in internal union affairs, such as attending union meetings or voting in union elections, including contract ratification votes. Unions also commonly withhold any special “members-only” deals or discounts that the union has arranged with businesses. You may no longer receive the union newsletter or similar publications.
People have many reasons for not wanting to support the union. Some simply do not believe the services the union provides are worth the dues it charges. Others may find the union’s one-size-fits-all agenda does not serve them well because they are new to the profession, have a specialty that is not acknowledged in bargaining, or believe their effectiveness is undercompensated. Some resent the union’s role in enabling and defending underperforming employees. Many find the union’s political activity and use of dues to advance partisan causes, candidates and ideology distasteful. Still others believe that union officials are corrupt and unaccountable to their membership.
Unions representing public employees are not governed by the usual consumer protection or anti-trust laws, so abuses are common. Unions can charge whatever they wish. They can spend dues money on anything they want. Often, they do not have to disclose how dues money is spent to members. They can speak for employees without consulting or informing them. They can injure some members’ interests while advancing the interests of others. Unions even have the ability to prevent employees from getting help in their workplace from other sources. They are not governed by any obligation to provide quality service, and almost never have to seek approval of the people they represent in an election to continue as the exclusive representative.
Sometimes people have a faith-based objection to unions’ expenditures. To learn more about some of the major public unions’ expenditures in light of common faith beliefs, click here.
Many unions allow opt-outs at various times throughout the year. However, in their union membership contracts, a number of unions have stipulated certain times during the year (“windows”) when they will allow or process opt-out requests.
PSEA has specified an opt-out window cut-off date of October 1st. Although this is the timeframe that the union has specified for processing opt-outs, you can certainly fill out an opt-out request at Opt Out Today any time throughout the year.
Pennsylvania State Education Association
According to reports that the union must file with the U.S. Department of Labor, PSEA collected $69.5 million in dues and fees from members in fiscal year 2025.
In fiscal year 2025:
- $30.4 million went to affiliated organizations, such as the National Education Association headquarters, to support their massive political, economic, and social agendas. NEA HQ regularly supports a host of controversial organizations.
- $3.9 million was spent on political campaign activities.
- $664,484 was paid to or contributed to largely ideologically driven organizations.
- $2.6 million was spent on conferences, events, meetings, and catering.
- $196,526 was spent on airfare.
- $2.3 million was spent on union advertising, promotional items, and printing services.
- $40.5 million was spent on total disbursements to officers and employees.
PSEA paid 341 officers and employees in 2025, with 184 receiving six-figures in compensation. PSEA’s Treasurer, Rachael West, received the highest total compensation of $366,781.
Additionally, at the end of fiscal year 2025, the union reported a cash stockpile of $67.1 million.
PSEA’s most recent LM-2 reports are available here: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020.
A portion of the dues paid by PSEA members goes to support the National Education Association, headquartered in Washington, D.C.
National Education Association
According to federal filings that the union is required to submit to the Department of Labor, NEA headquarters collected over $390 million from local affiliates through member dues in fiscal year 2025.
In 2025 alone:
- $51.7 million was spent by NEA HQ on divisive political candidates, lobbying, and support for organizations engaged in political causes.
- $123.3 million was paid to or contributed to largely ideologically driven organizations.
- $20.8 million was spent on conferences, meetings, and catering throughout the year.
- $10.6 million was spent on airfare, hotels, and travel.
- $7.2 million was spent on union advertising, marketing, and promotional items.
- $91.3 million was spent on total disbursements for officers and employees.
NEA HQ paid 699 employees in 2025, with 480 receiving six-figure salaries. NEA HQ’s President, Rebecca Pringle, received the highest total compensation at $514,755, reflecting a pay increase of $33,594 over the previous fiscal year.
Additionally, NEA HQ holds a stockpile of $152,576,899 in cash reserves.
NEA HQ’s most recent LM-2 reports are available here: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020.