In September, the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota reported that dozens of teachers’ union representatives were paid more than $100,000 in fiscal year 2011. In fact, 30 union staffers (and three officers) collected higher salaries last year than the state’s Education Commissioner.
Well, according to a new report filed with the Department of Labor, exorbitant pay is the rule, not the exception at Education Minnesota. In fact, the union’s “six-figure club” is growing, with at least 59 staffers and three officers collecting pay of $100,000+ in fiscal year 2012.
And for an organization fixated on raising taxes, they sure don’t pay as much as one might expect. Despite reporting almost $47 million in cash receipts, Education Minnesota paid just $716,000 in direct taxes as an organization.
The latest figures are included in the union’s Labor Organization Annual Report (“Form LM-2”), a legally required filing for any union with more than $250,000 in annual receipts.
Among those collecting $100,000+ in FY 2012 are lobbyists, public affairs and communications personnel, and scores of field staff. At the top of the pay scale is Education Minnesota president Tom Dooher, collecting a salary of $177,259 (his total pay, including other disbursements, is $192,632).
The union’s continuing good fortunes might be cause for celebration if it weren’t for the fact that their salaries are paid for with compulsory union dues from the state’s 50,000+ teachers, all of whom are forced to pay union dues even if they are not members. Given this dynamic, it’s not surprising that union leaders are increasingly coming under fire for using union dues to pay for their own exorbitant compensation packages.
