Michigan Education Association

What Michigan Education Association does

Michigan Education Association (MEA) is a private nonprofit labor union and the largest school employee union in Michigan, headquartered at 1216 Kendale Blvd. in East Lansing. MEA represents five distinct member segments: K-12 public school teachers (the primary segment), Education Support Professionals (ESPs) such as paraeducators and bus drivers, higher education faculty and staff through the Michigan Association of Higher Education (MAHE) affiliation, Aspiring Educators at 18+ Michigan colleges and universities, and retired educators through MEA-Retired. The organization is a state affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA) and operates through more than 100 local union affiliates embedded in school districts across all Michigan counties.

MEA's core offerings span collective bargaining representation, legal services, professional development (delivered via the Center for Leadership & Learning at cll.mea.org and the MEA LearnCenter online platform), retirement planning, political advocacy, and a portfolio of member benefits including the MEA Voice Magazine, MEA Scholarship Program, MEA Advantage discounts, and affiliated insurance and financial services through MESSA and MEA Financial Services. Technology consists of standard web infrastructure: the mea.org website, the mymea.org member portal for dues payment and account management, mobile applications, live chat, and social media channels (Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter).

MEA's revenue model is subscription-based membership dues paid monthly by individual educators across its segments, funding union operations, advocacy, professional development, and member services. Go-to-market is community-led: members are recruited through local affiliates, organizing campaigns, member-to-member referrals, college campus programs, and political engagement. Leadership is elected through the annual Representative Assembly, with President & CEO Chandra Madafferi and Secretary-Treasurer Aaron Eling re-elected to second three-year terms in April 2026, and Bob Callender newly elected as Vice President.

Name

Michigan Education Association

Legal name

Michigan Education Association

Website

https://mea.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1852

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Michigan Education Association is Michigan's largest school employee union, representing K-12 teachers, education support professionals, higher education faculty, aspiring educators, and retired educators across all Michigan counties through membership dues, collective bargaining, professional development, and affiliated insurance and financial services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

East Lansing

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: MEA generates revenue primarily through membership dues paid by educators, education support professionals, higher education staff, and retired educators across Michigan. Member dues fund union operations, advocacy, professional development, and member services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

MEA is a labor union representing K-12 teachers, education support professionals, higher education faculty, aspiring educators, and retired educators across Michigan. The organization provides collective bargaining representation, legal services, professional development, retirement planning resources, and member benefits including health insurance through its affiliated organization MESSA. Membership is funded through recurring dues paid by individual members.

Product overview

The Michigan Education Association is a professional association and labor union serving educators in Michigan. Rather than offering a unified technology platform, MEA provides a portfolio of member services including the MEA Voice Magazine (official publication), MESSA health insurance, MEA Financial Services, Legal Services, Retirement Services, and professional development through CLL.MEA.ORG and the MEA LearnCenter online platform. Additional programs include the annual MEA Art Show, the MEA Scholarship Program, the Shoe Club Nation partnership, and various member discount programs through MEA Advantage. The organization also operates MEA-Retired for retired educators and Aspiring Educators of Michigan (AEM) for students pursuing education careers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MEA Membership Subscription-based labor union membership for educators in Michigan, including K-12 teachers, education support professionals, higher education faculty, aspiring educators, and retired educators, funded through monthly dues.

Quantifiable outcome

• 46 students awarded 2026 MEA Scholarships totaling over $48,000
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Education Association (NEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMEA is a state affiliate of NEA, the nation's largest labor union. This affiliation provides MEA with access to national resources, political support, professional development materials, and collective strength in advocacy efforts. NEA Fund for Children and Public Education provides financial support to federal candidates.
• MESSA (Michigan Education Special Services Association)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMEA's affiliated insurance provider offering comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans exclusively to MEA members and their families.
• MEA Financial ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliated organization providing financial services, retirement planning workshops, and investment products to MEA members.
• Great Lakes CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMEA affiliated organization focused on education research and professional development for Michigan educators.
• NEA Member BenefitsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational affiliate organization providing member benefit programs and discounts available to MEA members.
• Local Union AffiliatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 100 local union affiliates across Michigan representing teachers, education support professionals, and higher education staff in their local communities. Local affiliates are the grassroots foundation of MEA's organizing and representation.
• Michigan AFL-CIOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMEA is part of Michigan's broader labor movement and participates in joint advocacy efforts with other unions including UAW, as evidenced by joint statements on legislative issues.
• Michigan Association of Higher Education (MAHE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated organization representing higher education faculty and staff, providing advocacy for college and university employees throughout Michigan.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• New York State United Teachers: NYSUT is a large statewide affiliate of both NEA and AFT representing educators across New York. Comparable to MEA in providing collective bargaining, member benefits, professional development, and political advocacy at scale.
• Education Minnesota: Education Minnesota is the NEA state affiliate in Minnesota representing preK-12, higher education, and ESP members with a parallel dues-funded service and advocacy model. Comparable Midwest teachers' union with similar demographic and policy environment.
• Texas State Teachers Association: TSTA is the NEA state affiliate in Texas, representing a similarly large educator population with a dues-funded services portfolio and advocacy focus. Comparable in scale and structure to MEA.
• California Teachers Association: CTA is one of the largest state NEA affiliates and a directly comparable statewide teachers' union with similar member services, political advocacy, and dues-based revenue model. Represents a relevant large-state peer for benchmarking scale and operations.
• National Education Association: MEA is a state affiliate of the NEA, the nation's largest labor union, and operates with NEA branding, programs, and shared benefits. Directly comparable as MEA's parent affiliation structure and most analogous operating model.
• Ohio Education Association: OEA is the NEA state affiliate in neighboring Ohio, with a comparable member base of K-12 teachers, education support professionals, and higher education staff. Directly comparable in regional context and operational scope.
• Illinois Education Association: IEA is the NEA state affiliate in Illinois and a directly comparable Midwest teachers' union with similar member segments (K-12, ESPs, higher education, retired) and dues-funded service model.
• American Federation of Teachers: The AFT is the second-largest national teachers' union in the U.S. and a direct competitor to NEA-affiliated unions like MEA for educator membership and collective bargaining representation. Operates with parallel union services and advocacy.
• Pennsylvania State Education Association: PSEA is the NEA state affiliate in Pennsylvania, representing K-12 and higher education staff with a comparable service portfolio including collective bargaining, legal services, and professional development.

Regional players

• Michigan AFL-CIO: The Michigan AFL-CIO is the statewide labor federation with which MEA is affiliated for joint advocacy. While not a direct teacher-union competitor, it operates in the same Michigan labor and political ecosystem and coordinates with MEA on legislative efforts.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/meaonline
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCgXXU5SVb0dqXWxw5b-gW6w
• Facebookfacebook.com/MichiganEducationAssociation
• Instagraminstagram.com/meaonline
• Pinterestpinterest.com/michiganeducationassociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/michigan-education-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Michigan Education Association