What Washington Education Association does

The Washington Education Association (WEA) is a non-profit labor union and the Washington state affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA), representing public school educators across the state. Founded in 1889 as the Washington State Teachers' Association and headquartered in Federal Way, WA, WEA operates through a federated structure of 375+ local associations affiliated with nearly every public school district in Washington, supported by 22 regional UniServ councils that provide staff, training, and bargaining assistance. Its membership spans five segments: certificated K-12 educators (the core base), Education Support Professionals (ESPs), community and technical college faculty via the Association for Higher Education and United Faculty of Washington State, pre-service educators via Student WEA, and retired educators via WEA-Retired.

WEA's service portfolio covers the full educator lifecycle and includes collective bargaining support, professional development (clock-hour training, National Board Certification, micro-credentials), legal representation, liability and long-term care insurance, advocacy via WEA-PAC, mentoring programs (Nakia Academy for BIPOC educators), teacher-residency pathways (WEA-ART), and legislative advocacy at state and federal levels. Technology is intentionally lightweight: a website, iOS/Android member apps, email newsletters, and the third-party NGP VAN FastAction advocacy tool. WEA generates revenue through recurring annual membership dues allocated across WEA, NEA, and local associations, with Student WEA priced at $22.50/year and active certificated educator dues set at levels not publicly disclosed. Governance is democratic, with an elected Board of Directors, a 1,000+ delegate Representative Assembly, and elected statewide officers (President Janie White, effective July 2026; Executive Director Aimee Iverson, in role since January 2021).

Name

Washington Education Association

Legal name

Washington Education Association

Website

https://washingtonea.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1889

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Washington Education Association is a non-profit teachers' union and NEA state affiliate representing public school educators, ESPs, and higher-education faculty in Washington through 375+ local associations, providing collective bargaining, professional development, advocacy, and member benefits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labor Union Services for Public School Educators

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional Education Service Agencies (ESAs/BOCES/Intermediate Units) (EDADABAC)

Keywords

• Teachers union
• Labor union advocacy
• Professional development
• Collective bargaining
• Education advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Federal Way

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: WEA generates revenue through annual membership dues from certificated educators (teachers), Education Support Professionals (ESPs), higher education faculty, student teachers, and retired educators. Dues are allocated across WEA, NEA, and local associations. Student WEA membership costs $22.50 per year with a $20 rebate upon joining as active WEA member after graduation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Washington Education Association (WEA) is a non-profit labor union representing public school educators, Education Support Professionals, higher education faculty, student teachers, and retired educators across Washington state. WEA's core offering is membership-based representation that bundles collective bargaining support, contract enforcement, legislative advocacy, professional development clock-hour training, legal representation, liability insurance, and member benefits. Services are delivered through 22 UniServ councils, 375+ local associations, online portals, and mobile applications.

Product overview

Washington Education Association is a member-driven union providing comprehensive services to public school educators in Washington state. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected programs including core membership representation with collective bargaining support and individual member representation; a robust Professional Development Network providing clock-hour courses, certification support, and specialized training; the Nakia Academy mentorship program for educators of color; Student WEA for pre-service educators; WEA Higher Education representing community college faculty; insurance products including liability and long-term care coverage; WEA-PAC for political advocacy; ESP programs supporting education support professionals; and WEA-Retired for retired educators. These offerings work together to serve the complete lifecycle of education professionals from student teachers through retirement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WEA-PAC: Washington Education Association's political action committee for endorsing and supporting pro-education candidates.
• WEA-Retired
• Student WEA (SWEA)
• WEA Children's Fund
• Nakia Academy
• WEA Academy

Products and services

• WEA Membership and Representation Core membership program for certificated public school educators, Education Support Professionals, higher education faculty, student teachers, and retired educators in Washington state. Includes collective bargaining support, individual member representation, contract enforcement, and advocacy for education professionals.
• Professional Development Network Clock-hour professional development program for K-12 and higher education educators in Washington state, offering asynchronous courses, National Board Certification support, state certification, STEM courses, ESP professional development, special education, equity training, and micro-credentials.
• WEA-ART (Apprenticeship Residency in Teaching) Teacher apprenticeship residency program providing structured pathways for aspiring educators into K-12 teaching in Washington through district partnerships, with defined program structure and application requirements.
• Nakia Academy Mentoring and leadership academy for educators of color (BIPOC), with Indigenous and Counselor cohorts. Retains new educators through veteran mentorship, partnering with OSPI's BEST, Office of Native Education, and the Washington State Counselors Association; provides 24 equity clock hours and a $500 stipend.
• Student WEA (SWEA) Pre-service educator membership program ($22.50/year) for aspiring teachers, offering $1 million liability insurance, professional development, leadership opportunities, a $20 graduation rebate per year (up to four years), and connection to NEA's 55,000 student members.
• WEA Higher Education / Association for Higher Education (AHE) Higher education representation for community and technical college faculty at 12 CTC systems (Bellingham, Bellevue, Big Bend, Clark, Columbia River Basin, Highline, Lower Columbia, Olympic, Spokane, Walla Walla, and Wenatchee colleges), providing collective bargaining and legislative advocacy.
• United Faculty of Washington State (UFWS) Joint union representation for 2,200+ faculty at Central, Eastern, and Western Washington universities plus Evergreen College, affiliated with WEA, NEA, AFT Washington, and AFT.
• Member Insurance Products Member insurance offerings including $1 million Educator Employee Liability (EEL) coverage, Long-Term Care Insurance, and Transparency in Coverage disclosures available to WEA members.
• WEA-PAC (Political Action Committee) Political action committee recommending and supporting pro-education candidates at local, state, and national levels, distributing endorsements for WEA members to participate in.
• Education Support Professionals (ESP) Program Dedicated program for Education Support Professionals featuring the ESP Bill of Rights initiative, Action Coordinating Team (ACT), ESP of the Year awards, targeted professional development, and Warren G. Magnuson ESP Scholarships of $1,500.
• Collective Bargaining Services Bargaining support services for local associations, including statewide conferences, Summer U courses, leadership training, and expert contract assistance covering wages, hours, and working conditions.
• WEA-Retired Membership division for retired and pre-retired educators offering lifetime access to WEA and NEA benefits, pre-retirement seminars, scholarships, continued leadership pathways, and liability coverage for substitute work.
• WEA Children's Fund Charitable fund supporting WEA members and Washington students through donations, student story features, and a merchandise store benefiting the fund.
• WE Are WEA Mobile App Mobile application for WEA members available on iOS (App Store id1427867076) and Android (Google Play Store id org.washingtonea.wearewea) providing on-the-go access to union resources, news, and member engagement features.

Quantifiable outcome

• Led the McCleary case coalition resulting in billions of dollars in new education funding, including $2 billion for educator pay
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Education Association (NEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWEA is the Washington state affiliate of the National Education Association, the largest professional organization and labor union for educators in the United States. This affiliation provides WEA members with access to national advocacy, professional development, liability insurance, member benefits, and representation at the NEA Representative Assembly. NEA membership includes over 3 million educators.
• United Faculty of Washington State (UFWS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2002, faculty at Central, Eastern, Western Washington universities and Evergreen College have unionized with WEA and its partners NEA, AFT Washington and AFT. UFWS represents more than 2,200 faculty in Washington.
• OSPI (Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWEA partners with OSPI's BEST (Building Inclusive Schools Toolkit) and Office of Native Education for programs like Nakia Academy, which provides mentorship for educators of color.
• Washington State Counselors AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWEA partners with the Washington State Counselors Association for Nakia Academy's Counselor Cohort focusing on mentoring and culturally responsive practices.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Education Association (NEA): The national parent organization of which WEA is the Washington state affiliate. Operates the same membership/dues model and represents over 3 million educators nationwide, making it the most directly comparable peer structurally and operationally.
• American Federation of Teachers (AFT): The second-largest U.S. educator union and primary competitor to NEA and its state affiliates like WEA. Operates the same collective bargaining, dues-funded, member-services model and competes for the same educator membership pool.
• California Teachers Association (CTA): The largest NEA state affiliate, representing K-12 educators in California. Operates an identical structure (state association, regional UniServ-equivalent service centers, local affiliates, collective bargaining, dues-funded) on a larger scale.
• New York State United Teachers (NYSUT): An NEA/AFT merged state affiliate representing educators across New York. Directly comparable membership-based union offering collective bargaining, liability insurance, legal services, and professional development to public school employees.
• AFT Washington: The Washington state affiliate of AFT, directly competing with WEA for the same educator membership pool in the same geographic territory. Mirrors WEA's dues, bargaining, and member-services model within the same state.
• Illinois Education Association (IEA): NEA state affiliate representing public school educators in Illinois. Operates the same collective bargaining, PD, and member-benefits structure as WEA, making it a directly comparable state-level peer.
• Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA): NEA state affiliate for Pennsylvania public school employees. Comparable in mission, dues model, advocacy focus, and PD/insurance member services to WEA.
• Education Minnesota: Combined NEA/AFT state affiliate in Minnesota representing educators and ESPs. Closely comparable to WEA's structure and segment mix (educators, ESPs, higher-ed faculty, retired members).
• Florida Education Association (FEA): NEA state affiliate representing Florida public school employees. Operates the same collective bargaining and member-services model as WEA in a large, politically active state context.

Regional players

• Oregon Education Association (OEA): NEA state affiliate in neighboring Oregon, operating the same union model and competing with WEA only indirectly through cross-border educator mobility. Closest regional structural peer to WEA.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/WashingtonEA
• Facebookfacebook.com/WashingtonEducation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/washingtonea
• Instagraminstagram.com/wa_education

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Washington Education Association