Navigate Our Resources
- Meet Your Union: How to Join, Key Union Terms, Your Rights at Work, Member Benefits, Connect to Local Support
- Get Involved: Organizing Toolbox Generator, Guide to Transformational Conversations, Changemaker Quiz, Downloadable Posters, Videos, and Graphics, Action Resource Bank
- Union News: NEA Today Articles and Publications, Email Newsletters and Social Media, EdAction In Congress Updates
Welcome
Welcome to Your Virtual Union Bulletin Board
Much like your union bulletin board at school, this space is your home for all things union organizing. Here you will find the tools and resources you need to learn about and get involved with your union.
We have divided our resources into three main categories:
- Meet your union: These tools will help you learn about your local, state, and national union and what it means to be a union member.
- Get involved: When more educators are active within their union we all have a more powerful voice to create change. These tools will help you talk about the benefits of union membership, achieve your organizing goals, and make schools better for staff and students.
- Union news: These tools will help you to connect with fellow members, policy experts, and advocates so that you are up-to-date on the latest issues facing union members and public education.
Text Organize to 48744 for Monthly Resources
Be the first to hear about new organizing tools from NEA! Text 'ORGANIZE' to 48744 to and we will send you monthly messages with the latest resources, seasonal campaign supports, and tips to make your organizing work stronger.
Meet Your Union
Meet Your Union
The National Education Association is the largest labor union in the country. We are a community of three million educators and public service workers—teachers, nurses, paraeducators, counselors, custodians, bus drivers, higher education faculty, families, and supporters—all working together for students, public schools, and our communities.
NEA has affiliate organizations in every state and in more than 14,000 communities across the United States. Our unified structure means that wherever you are, your union colleagues are here for you.
If you aren't a member yet, what are you waiting for? Join today!
Union 101
Your Rights at Work
Member Benefits
Support at the Local Level
Get Involved With Your Union
Get Involved
We know that a bigger union gives us a stronger voice—and the ability to protect and transform our profession, our schools, and our communities. Every member can play a role in growing the union, whether or not they have had formal training. Sometimes all it takes is starting a conversation, answering questions, and extending an invitation.
Thank you for taking the time to help build a stronger union. Let's get started!
Create Your Custom Organizing Toolbox
Whether you are just starting to get involved or you are a leader in your union, we have the tools to help you achieve your organizing goals! Build your to-do list and our NEA Organizing Toolbox Generator will create a customized toolbox designed just for you.
Get tools to help you:
- Talk about your union online
- Advocate for Pro-public education policies
- Negotiation a fair contract
- ...and more!
Show Your Union Pride
Incorporate art into your organizing to create new ways to connect with educators and our supporters. We have many more organizing posters, graphics, and videos to help you get started!
Talk About the Union With Your Colleagues
One-on-one conversations are the most effective way to share the importance of membership to fellow educators. When members speak about how their local makes a difference in their own work, community, and personal lives, they are an influential force in building power in the union.
By following our tips, you or your fellow members will be able to communicate the transformational benefits of joining together as a union.
Our guide includes research-backed talking points, suggested pre-work, and answers to challenging questions.
Nervous about getting started? Listen to these NEA members!
These fellow NEA members believe you can help grow the union. Here are their answers to common questions about organizing:
What if I’m an introvert? Surely I wouldn’t be a good member organizer.
Conversations with prospective members don’t have to be some big formal affair.
Try thinking of it more as a friend-to-friend conversation. What would you say to friends or family about why you value our union? Think about all the special connections you have in your school community, and then ask others to come be a part of it.
—Andrea Kuchta, pre-K intervention specialist, Ohio
How do I kick off a conversation about joining?
Share what made you first decide to join the union. Before I joined, I was approached by two different unions. One talked to me about liability insurance. But the organizer from The South Carolina Education Association made it sound like they needed my voice, my energy, and my talent. That’s what inspired me to join. I’ll never forget that.
—Cassondra Owens Moore, teacher and school librarian, South Carolina
I live in a non-bargaining state. How do I explain the value of the union here?
First, make it clear that unions are legal everywhere. Then explain that your union meets regularly with school administrators, school boards, and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to advocate for higher wages, better benefits, and improved working conditions for educators. Unions get their strength from members, and when more educators join, the union is in a better position to deliver results for educators and students.
— Tonya Horn, paraeducator, Ohio
What if we have a good conversation, but my prospect isn’t ready to join?
That’s OK! Reassure them that they can reach out to you with any other thoughts or questions. Follow up with a message of support, and reference anything that stood out during your initial conversation.
It’s good to connect more than once with a prospective member. The fact that you took the time to circle back will likely resonate with them.
—Katie Fuller, fifth-grade teacher, Ohio
MORE ORGANIZING TOOLS AND RESOURCES
Political Advocacy
NEA's Guides to Organizing
Conversation Guides
Union News
Union News
With all that is going on in the world it can be hard to keep track of your union! From our NEA Today magazine to social media to our email lists, we have ways to make sure every educator connects to latest news from our union.
Read NEA Today Magazine
NEA Today publications support educators in every stage of their career by providing expert insights and coverage of the top issues facing public education, members, and our communities. Check out our latest articles online or in our paper magazine!
Connect on Email and Social Media
Subscribe, like us, follow us, share. We offer many ways to get the latest updates and connect with the Association and your colleagues through social media and email newsletters.
NEA Social Media
Follow us on social media to join the conversation around tips and tricks for the classroom, the latest education news, and how we can work to create great public schools for every student.
Subscribe to NEA Email Newsletters
We have email newsletters tailored to your interests! Pick and choose which emails you receive:
- NEA Today: Education news sent to your inbox every other week
- NEA EdAction: Opportunities to make your voice heard in the halls of power and beyond
- NEA EdAction in Congress: Weekly action alerts about news and federal legislation
- NEA EdPractice: Practical classroom tips for educators, by educators
- NEA EdJustice: Timely actions about racial, social, and economic justice in education
- NEA HigherEd: A monthly digest of news for professors, staff, and administrators in higher education
- NEA Announce: Deals, discounts, and offers for NEA members
Have Questions About Organizing with NEA?
Please email [email protected] if you’d like to be connected with the AFSE Organizational Specialist assigned to your state affiliate who can assist you with developing an organizing campaign tailored towards your affiliate’s specific needs.
Learn More
Organizing Resources at Your Fingertips
