[1] Usually referred to as a “teachers' union” its membership also includes college faculty, public school custodians, bus drivers, and paraprofessionals, among others.
Like other public sector unions, the MEA has come under fire in recent years for its defense of teacher employment protections.
Controversy over the role of the MEA is part of a wider debate on the structure[2] and funding[3] of public education in Michigan and around the United States.
Two years later, the Hoosier Casualty Company provided coverage for MEA members, administrated by local insurance agent Herman Henkel.
Tax-exempt under IRS 501(c)(9), MESSA qualified as a “voluntary employees’ beneficiary association” and could therefore offer group term life, health, and dental coverages, among others, to its members.