St. Tammany Parish Federation of Teachers: Where do your union dues go?

The St. Tammany Parish Federation of Teachers (STPFT) represents teachers in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. The union is affiliated with the Louisiana Federation of Teachers (LFT) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), a national union that represents over 1.6 million teachers. As a nonprofit, the St. Tammany Parish Federation of Teachers must file a financial disclosure form with the Internal Revenue Service, known as a Form 990.

In 2019, the latest available filing, the STPFT brought in just over $1.16 million in revenue. Revenue has remained relatively constant since 2017. While the union’s revenue slightly increased, its expenses have remained steady. As a result of this, the union’s revenues exceed its expenses by $106,462 in 2019, up from $51,000 in 2017. As it stands, the union has a net position of $196,269, a significant improvement from -$4,723 in 2017. STPFT currently holds approximately $260,000 dollars in cash-non-interest-bearing assets, and an additional $97,000 in accounts receivable. Accounts payable makes up about 72 percent of the union’s liabilities.

But where does the union’s revenue come from and how does it spend it?

From 2017 to 2019, membership dues accounted for between 96 and 98 percent of STPFT’s revenue. The union’s largest expense is “per capita expenses,” which is money paid to affiliated unions. From 2017 to 2019, this category accounted

for between 67 and 71 percent of all expenses. Of the $758,785 paid to affiliates in 2019, an estimated $292,132 went to LFT, with the remaining $465,893 going to AFT.

Union employee compensation was the second highest expenditure. When including benefits, pension plan accruals, and payroll taxes, employee compensation accounted for approximately 20 percent of expenditures in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Member services accounted for 1 percent or less of total expenditures in each of the three years.

STPFT employs five individuals, though only the union president’s salary is reported. From 2017 to 2019, President Debbie Green earned between $72,875 and $76,000 per year in reportable compensation. Since it only has five employees, the union must pay non-employees for accounting and legal work. During the threeyear period from 2017 to 2019, the union paid between $12,000 and $45,000 in accounting and legal fees combined.

The union does not report having a Political Action Committee (PAC) or spending any money on political activities and lobbying. However, STPFT does not turn a blind eye to politics. The union’s website has an Action Center, allowing members to keep a close eye on the happenings of the state legislature. STPFT also has hosted member lobby days, attended committee meetings, and hosted a forum with endorsed candidates for political office.