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Most MEA members are active education employees who work within a bargaining unit represented by MEA under either state or federal labor law. Members within that bargaining unit are part of a “local association” – membership is unified across the local, state and national levels, so joining MEA means you’re also joining your local and the National Education Association. MEA has more than 1,100 locals representing teachers (EA) and education support professionals (ESP) at school districts, higher education institutions and other education-related employers across the Michigan.
To learn more about the local you’ll be joining, contact your local association president, membership chair or building representative (ask a colleague in your workplace who is a member and they can help put you in touch with them). You can also contact your local MEA UniServ field office or call the MEA Help Center at 866-MEA-HELP (866-632-4357) – or use the live chat in the upper right corner of this website). Contact any of those sources for help in filling out the membership form, including learning how your local pays dues, which determines which membership form you need to fill out:
- Continuing Membership Application – for locals who collect dues through payroll deduction
- Continuing Membership Application – for locals who DO NOT use payroll deduction (i.e., MEA eDues)
Download and complete the form, print and sign it, and then mail it in to MEA Membership, 1216 Kendale Blvd., P.O. Box 2573, East Lansing, MI 48826-2573.
Want to organize with MEA?
If you work in a unit not represented by MEA but are interested in organizing with us, please call us at 800-292-1934 and ask for Wendy Heinig in the Member Engagement Department.
Dues
Dues for your local, MEA and NEA are set annually by members who are elected to the governing body of those organizations. Learn more about current dues amounts and how they are calculated.
Other Membership Categories
MEA is proud to represent student teachers and other students preparing for a career in education, offering low-cost access to many benefits of MEA membership. Learn more here, including how your student membership can help save you money when you get your first job and join as a full, active member of MEA!
The Commitment Continues! Upon retirement, many school employees want to continue receiving the benefits of MEA membership and be part of an organization that helps advocate for retirees and urge involvement in public education by those retirees.
Membership in MEA-Retired offers that and more – and most MEA members have already paid off part or all of their MEA-Retired dues obligation through MEA’s “All-Inclusive Membership” program where members pre-pay a small amount annually to pay their lifetime MEA-Retired dues! Learn more at www.mea-retired.org.
Available to educators who have worked at least one day as a substitute. This should go through the local bargaining unit if substitutes are recognized in their contract. If substitutes are not recognized in the local unit, the person can be enrolled as a miscellaneous substitute. The dues shall be one eighth (1/8) of the full-time MEA membership dues and 25 percent of the full-time NEA dues per month. At such time that a substitute achieves full compensation or meets contract requirements for full salary, the local should assess up to full-time MEA/NEA dues for the period of time that the member is at full salary.