In a surprising move, members of the Tennessee House re-included the paycheck protection provision of legislation to raise teacher salaries after initially voting it down.
That provision would prevent unions and professional organizations from deducting dues from teacher paychecks. The section has faced opposition from the Tennessee Education Association (TEA) and a House committee added an amendment to the legislation in the committee process to remove the provision.
House members approved that amendment Wednesday by a 51 to 45 vote only to reverse course twenty minutes later and pass another amendment on a 53 to 46 vote that re-included paycheck protection.
The full legislation, including paycheck protection and teacher salary increases, passed on a 90 to 8 vote.
Memphis Representative Justin Pierson was among those voting against the bill.
“It’s really sad to see such a good effort and intention of having teachers’ pay increased being tied to an effort that reduces folk’s ability to engage collaboratively in unionization efforts,” said Representative Pearson.
Supporters of the paycheck protection provision have argued that taxpayer resources shouldn’t be used to collect union dues, especially considering some teachers oppose the TEA’s political spending choices.
“There is an organization that is allowed to do something that very few organizations are allowed to do and that is to do wage withdrawals for their dues. This may affect that organization, but I know hundreds and hundreds of teachers that are not a member of that organization,” said Portland Representative William Lamberth.
The unexpected move to re-include paycheck protection in the legislation brought protest from some spectators watching from the House galley but cheers from workers rights advocates Workers for Opportunity.
The organization released a statement following the vote to commend the House for bringing it back.
“We agree with the Tennessee legislature and Governor Lee in believing that this is fundamentally wrong. Not only should the state of Tennessee no longer act as the bills collector for a union to export dues for political purposes outside of the state, but Tennessee should also ensure that teachers have the opportunity to access their hard-earned salary increases first,” said Workers for Opportunity Senior Labor Policy Advisor Vincent Vernuccio.
Largest Teacher Raise in State History
Debate over paycheck protection overshadowed the bigger impact of the legislation that will be the largest teacher raise in state history once signed by Governor Bill Lee.
The bill will make Tennessee a top ten state in the nation for teacher pay by requiring school districts to provide all teachers with a base salary that’s no less than:
- $42,000 for the 2023/2024 school year.
- $44,000 for the 2024/2025 school year.
- $47,000 for the 2025/2026 school year.
- $50,000 for the 2026/2027 school year.
“The teachers in our state are critical to improving achievement and increasing opportunities for students,” said Tennesseans for Student Success President and CEO Adam Lister in a statement following the vote. “Increasing teacher salaries to a nationally competitive rate helps school districts attract and retain the highest-quality educators for Tennessee students. In the last year, Governor Bill Lee and other leaders in our state have made historic investments in teacher salaries and student funding while overhauling the education funding formula to ensure we maximize every dollar to provide a great education for every student in Tennessee.”
Governor Bill Lee’s administration proposed the legislation, and the Governor is expected to sign it.
The Tennessee Firefly is funded in part by Tennesseans for Student Success.
