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Report: Connecticut's Teachers' Unions Among Strongest in Nation

By Jacqueline Rabe Thomas

November 12, 2012

Ninety-nine percent of Connecticut's teachers are union members, the highest rate in the nation according to a new national study by the Fordham Institute ranking the state's teachers' unions as the 17th strongest in the nation.

This report by the conservative policy group also notes that every teacher pays $517 in mandatory union fees each year. One out of every $50 donated to state political parties in Connecticut came from state teachers' unions, the 14th highest rate in the nation.

The Institute points to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's "partial success" in reforming education as proof of the power the Connecticut Education Association, the largest teachers' union, enjoys.

"Malloy may have learned a valuable lesson here: It's important to play nice with the CEA," the report concludes.

The five states with the strongest unions include Hawaii, Oregon, Montana, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.