New national rankings out this week show South Dakota jumped a few spots higher in teacher pay for each state. However, there are questions about whether the shift will be temporary.

The National Education Association puts South Dakota at 46th in the U.S. for compensation offered to educators around the state. The current rank is the highest South Dakota has achieved since reporting began. Teachers in the state now earn an average salary of more than $56,000.

Loren Paul, president of the South Dakota Education Association, credits higher bumps in state aid the past few years.

"That extra effort from our state gets us out of the bottom rankings," Paul explained. "It also is supportive in recruiting teachers and also retaining teachers in the profession."

In this year's legislative session, education got a smaller funding increase of 1.25%, falling behind inflation. Paul cautioned it could mean South Dakota will slide back in future rankings. The smaller bump came as part of a "belt tightening" mood at the State Capitol this year, with uncertainty over federal funding and declines in sales tax revenue.

Educators said they understand the budget challenges facing South Dakota but Paul contended taking the foot off the accelerator only puts the state in a troubling pattern it has been trying to shake off.

"It has to be year after year," Paul stressed. "It's not a, 'Oh, we're going to address this for a year or two, and then we're going to fall back into very small increases,' or no increases, or actually going backwards."

He added when shrinking investments cause a state to tumble in rankings, public pressure goes back up because no state wants to be seen as holding the last spot.

The union noted when adjusted for inflation, teachers in many parts of the country still make less than they did a decade ago, and if they cannot afford to cover basic expenses, some will choose to leave the profession.

As families in Michigan and elsewhere struggle with daily living expenses, bills introduced this month could alleviate their financial burden.

Senate Bill 308 and Senate Bill 313, called the "Building Blocks" plan, would provide a $550 tax credit to working families with children up to age three.

Another feature is the Rx Kids plan, a $1,500 cash allowance during pregnancy and $500 monthly through the child's first year.

Sen. Sylvia Santana, D-Detroit, acknowledged as child care and grocery costs rise, wages have not been sufficient to sustain a family.

"What we're doing with this package of bills is making sure that families don't have those concerns when it comes to being able to sustain their family financially," Santana explained. "Whether it be cutting the taxes for working families that don't receive a lot of income, I think that's really important to being able to get back to a place where they can feel supported in our state."

Santana, who sponsored the Rx Kids Plan, thinks the focus should be on the baby, rather than worrying about affording diapers or rent. Since 2015, Michigan has lost 40% of its child care capacity as young workers leave the workforce, costing the state almost $3 billion a year in lost productivity and economic growth.

The Center for American Women in Politics reported women make up 39% of Michigan's legislators and more women are seeking roles in local or statewide government in hopes of making a difference.

Santana stressed it is never too early for high school or college-aged people to get involved in politics, especially to advocate for issues that matter to them.

"I believe that shadowing individuals such as myself and other women lawmakers is really something to help expand that education and that opportunity for that individual who is seeking to potentially go in this direction of serving the public," Santana noted.

Santana added a good start is getting to know local elected officials. She encouraged those with legislative ideas to bring those thoughts to the forefront because most great ideas come "right from the heart of the community."


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A bill pending in the state Legislature which would require public employees to opt in to their unions is being called a "direct attack on Louisiana workers."

The measure, House Bill 293, requires teachers, school staff and public employees to either reauthorize or opt out of their union membership annually. Recent polling showed a majority of Louisianans oppose weakening worker protections.

John Davis, partner at Red America Blue America Research, said opposition to the bill comes from both left and right.

"There's a significant amount of support in Louisiana for continued protections around workers, their ability to organize and a concern about policymakers shifting away from policies that support those end goals," Davis reported.

The bill has been approved in the state House and is pending a vote in the Senate. A release by the Louisiana Democratic Party said the bill would force yearly re-signups, and let bosses drop union members at any time. Backers said the bill prevents public workers from being force to pay union dues.

Opponents of the bill said it is part of a national campaign by conservative groups to weaken labor unions' ability to organize. Davis noted the poll found most Louisianans do not support politicians who oppose workers' rights.

"Most directly to that end question we asked, 'Would you be less likely or more likely to support an elected official if you knew they had voted to weaken workers rights,' 76%, so by a three to one margin, folks said they would be less likely to support that," Davis explained.

Davis added eight of 10 people polled support workers' right to contribute to the support of their union directly from their paychecks. The poll surveyed 511 registered voters in Louisiana May 9-11 of this year.


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Oregon Health and Science University's Advanced Practice Providers, a title encompassing nurse practitioners, physician associates and midwives, are negotiating their first contract.

About 600 of the providers statewide are represented by the Oregon Nurses Association.

Chelsey Chapman, physician associate at OHSU Cascades East Family Medicine in Klamath Falls and a union member, said her team is frustrated with OHSU's slow progress after a year of bargaining. Chapman said the providers play a vital role in all health care settings, including hospitals, emergency rooms and teaching but the system does not value them enough.

"They just are having difficulties understanding why providers are burned out and why there needs to be changes," Chapman contended. "What we've been doing, the status quo, it's just not safe and it's not sustainable any longer."

OHSU said it does not have the money to meet the union's demands. Chapman countered, citing their plan to invest more than a billion dollars into a Legacy merger, which fell through earlier this month. She emphasized the union is focused on improving patient safety, quality of care, and provider retention.

Chapman explained defining workload is a big part of retention. She said the providers carry a heavy administrative burden long after they have left a patient, which is time they are not paid for.

"We call it 'pajama time,'" Chapman noted. "We're charting at home, we're answering MyChart messages from home, and it's really contributing to burnout amongst all areas of medicine. "

Chapman stressed Oregon cannot afford to lose more providers amid a health care staffing shortage. Data show the state needs 40% more primary care providers in the next decade to meet the need.

Chapman added Advanced Practice Providers can help, as they are trained and certified faster than physicians. The union is urging OHSU to finalize the contract.

"Working in rural Oregon, it really means the difference of us surviving the next 10 months versus being able to thrive and practice in primary care for the next 10 years," Chapman contended.

One report showed 70% of Oregon primary care providers reported stress and exhaustion in their practice at an all-time high, which is 10 points higher than the national level.