Join OEA
Becoming an OEA member is simple: if you work at a preK-12 public school site or community college where there is an established local affiliate of OEA, ask the Association representative at your worksite for assistance. Normally, Association representatives distribute and collect membership forms at the beginning of the school year in conjunction with a staff meeting. Use our office lookup to contact the OEA office nearest you. OEA members automatically become members of the National Education Association, with over 3.2 million members, the NEA strongest voice for public education in the country.
If there is no established local affiliate of OEA at your school or community college, you may still be a member of OEA and receive member benefits, including liability coverage. Contact OEA’s membership department at (503) 684-3300 or 1 (800) 858-5505 for information about how to become a member.
Student teachers: Learn about student memberships.
Currently retired or planning retirement?: Learn about membership in NEA-Retired-Oregon.
10 Benefits of OEA Membership
1. Representation
Whether it’s contract negotiations, a grievance, an education coalition, a legislative committee, the State Board of Education or elsewhere, whenever decisions are being made that impact school employees, students and public education, OEA is there representing members’ views.
2. Professional Development
OEA offers members a wide variety of professional development training opportunities: on licensure, classroom management, advocacy, collective bargaining, discipline issues, communications, political action, human and civil rights, education support professional’s issues, building education partnerships and more. It’s a fact that OEA offers workshops on virtually every area of concern to members. Association workshops are consistently of high quality and at no or little cost to members.
3. Networking
OEA offers members numerous opportunities to get together and network. You can connect with other education professionals from across the state that are dealing with the same issues you are.
4. Legal Assistance
If you ever find yourself in need of employment-related legal assistance, OEA’s attorneys are the best in Oregon on employment-related or education law.
5. Political Clout
The Oregon Education Association is recognized as the single most effective voice for public education in your local school district, local community and the state.
6. Information
OEA is a public school employee’s best source of accurate, timely information. The Association is on top of all current laws, regulations and policies about public education. Between OEA’s three major publications, you can get all the news – from an in-depth focus on a particular issue to late-breaking news on the education front. You’ll find the information in: Today’s OEA, an OEA magazine published six times a year; Newsflash, a weekly OEA electronic-newsletter; and OEA’s members-only site, http://member.oregoned.org.
7. Liability Insurance
If you are sued, OEA’s liability insurance will provide you with an attorney and $1 million in coverage for any judgment against you.
8. Relationships
The Association reaches the public with member’s views and builds the image of school employees through solid media relations, television and radio advertising, special events and other public relations activities.
9. Publications
We’ve already mentioned OEA’s magazine and website, but that’s only the beginning. OEA publishes booklets and brochures on a variety of topics, many of which are available on the OEA members-only website.
10. Discounts
Many OEA members save more than their annual dues through Association discounts on everything from magazines to car rentals to Oregon Trail Blazer tickets.
