Wisconsin Leads Nation In Teacher Union Membership Losses
Union leaders dispute conservative think tank’s report even as membership falls sharply statewide.
Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Assocation at 2022 Milwaukee Labor Day Parade. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
In the 15 years since former Gov. Scott Walker signed Act 10 into law, union membership among Wisconsin teachers declined 54 percent.
That’s according to a new national study released this week by the conservative nonprofit the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.
The Fordham Institute ranked Wisconsin 36th among 50 states for teacher union strength. That’s 18 spots lower than in 2012 when the group last did the study.
Wisconsin teacher participation in unions declined from 98 percent in 2012 — one year after Act 10 was signed into law — to 45 percent in 2025.
That’s the largest drop in membership nationwide, according to the institute.
But Peggy Wirtz-Olsen, who heads the Wisconsin Education Association Council, says the Fordham Institute has a history of “manufacturing so-called reports about the demise of unions.”
“What I can say is that we’re comprised of around 40,000 educators representing our public school teachers and our education support professionals,” Wirtz-Olsen said. “Our union is extremely proud of our membership and what we’ve overcome.”
The study also found Wisconsin ranked 24th for perceived influence and 26th in policy wins and losses.
Wisconsin ranked 44th for its labor and bargaining policies.
Ingrid Walker-Henry, president of the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association said she feels the study shows unions in Wisconsin have punched far above their weight.
“Despite the Republicans’ anti-worker union-busting Act 10 legislation, union strength among public education workers remained,” Walker-Henry said.
For unions covered by Act 10, the changes signed into law by Walker were massive.
It took away their power to negotiate over anything but wages, and limited any raises to the rate of inflation. The law also banned unions from deducting dues from employees’ paychecks. This undercut their funding and their ability to organize.
In December 2024, a Dane County judge restored collective bargaining rights to public employees and ruled that several sections of Act 10 were unconstitutional.
The case was immediately appealed and is expected to reach the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The ruling was stayed while the appeal is pending.
Wisconsin saw steepest decline in teacher union membership in nation since 2012 was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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