Join Us and Apply for Membership Today!
Be a Champion for Public Education
Become part of the Michigan Education Association and our movement to improve public education and advocating for better salaries, resources and respect for school employees. Together we are the biggest and loudest champions for our schools, our students, and ourselves.
Why Join? Learn more about the advantages of being an MEA member.
More about MEA Membership for Active Education Employees
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 state of 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 either the online membership form or one of the PDF forms below (to determine which of the PDF membership forms you need to fill out, ask how your local pays dues):
- 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 school employee group not represented by MEA but are interested in organizing with us, please call us at 800-292-1934 and ask for Organizing Consultant Heather Burnside (hburnside@mea.org).
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 MEA Membership Categories
Looking to get back into education and renew your certificate? MEA’s Teacher Re-Entry Program may be able to help. If you don’t currently work directly for a public school district, you can qualify for quality professional learning opportunities designed for teachers wishing to transition back into the workforce.
Enrolling in the Teacher Re-Entry Program gives you the opportunity to receive up to the full 150 hours required for recertification for a low cost of $100 per school year. Learn more at www.mea.org/welcomeback or fill out a membership application today.
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 work directly for a school district as a substitute teacher (and are not otherwise recognized in an MEA local association contract). Includes NEA membership and liability insurance (subject to NEA rules). Apply using this membership application.
Persons interested in advancing the cause of education who are not eligible for other categories of membership (MEA membership only, not NEA). Apply using this membership application.
Resigning Membership
All resignations must be submitted in writing (signed and dated by the member) by mail to MEA at P.O. Box 51, East Lansing, MI, 48826, or via email to resignation@mea.org.