OOOPS! Randi Weingarten Gives Teachers Good Advice for Once
Randi Weingarten reveals how teachers can ditch union politics
Randi Weingarten reveals how teachers can ditch union politics
Randi Weingarten, the longtime president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), isn’t often a source of wisdom for those who advocate for educational freedom. But, on a recent call-in segment of the Brian Lehrer Show on New York Public Radio, she offered a nugget of truth that teachers — especially conservatives and independents — should seize upon immediately.
The exchange began when a New York City public school teacher phoned in to complain about the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), the AFT’s New York affiliate, which Weingarten herself led before ascending to the national presidency.
The caller was upset about the union’s endorsement of Zohran Mamdani, a self-described socialist, for New York City mayor. He noted that many teachers had already stopped contributing their dues “due to the Mamdani endorsement,” viewing it as yet another example of the union’s overreach into partisan politics. Weingarten’s response was refreshingly blunt: “The union can be as political as it wants as long as it’s democratic.” And then, the key advice: “You have the right to pull back on your [union] contributions if you don’t like the direction of the union.” In other words, if you disagree with how the union spends your money, just opt out…