Posts tagged AFT
Op-ed: Why teachers unions fear, and fib about, new federal program
July 7, 2026 // Perhaps the unions are right to be scared. Anything that introduces competition into the educational landscape threatens their monopoly. When you read between the lines of Weingartner and Pringle’s letter, you can almost hear the death rattle. But in the end, this isn’t about the unions. This is about kids who deserve a high-quality education regardless of their household income or zip code. And anybody who gets between them and their parents would be wise to choose their words more carefully.
Faculty unions oppose 3-year degrees as Massachusetts, Virginia and Ohio push ahead
July 1, 2026 // A bachelor's degree in the U.S. typically requires about 120 credit hours — a number with surprisingly arbitrary roots. The standard traces back to the Carnegie Unit, created in 1906 by the Carnegie Foundation, which tied college funding and faculty pensions to a fixed measure of seat time rather than actual learning. Within a few years nearly every American college had adopted it, and the 120-credit, four-year degree became the default. That history matters because the four-year length was never sacred. In fact, the "original" liberal arts colleges, including Oxford and Cambridge, award most undergraduate degrees in three years. Much of Europe runs on a three-year bachelor's degrees. The American four-year model is a convention we selected 100 years ago, not a law of learning.
Opinion: The Socialists Are Coming for Your Grandparents
June 29, 2026 // Turns out, the answer lies in betraying the faith the elderly have in historically trusted institutions, such as government labor unions. Leaders like Becky Pringle can start with a light touch of anti-establishment rhetoric about protecting education, and then a few years later can bluntly call for fighting the Trump administration. The picture of her praising Mamdani on BlueSky is the next warning sign. In a few years, we shouldn’t be surprised to see the NEA glorify socialism by name.
The Name Game: How Connecticut Teachers Union (AFT) Keeps Dues Spending in the Dark
June 29, 2026 // That reality helps explain why Congress passed the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (LMRDA), Public Law 86-257. Enacted by a bipartisan Congress in the wake of well-publicized union corruption scandals, the law was designed to protect rank-and-file workers by requiring financial transparency and accountability from labor organizations. Its centerpiece was the Form LM-2, a detailed annual financial report that larger unions must file with the U.S. Department of Labor, disclosing assets, liabilities, salaries, receipts, expenditures, loans, political spending, and significant disbursements. Filing false information carries criminal penalties under federal law. The promise was straightforward: union members should always be able to see how their dues are spent.
Chicago Teachers Seek Billions in Special Session for “What We Are Owed”
June 25, 2026 // The teacher unions funded Democratic campaigns and Democratic politicians then sign off on windfall union contracts without forcing any improvements for the actual students. For these students, the system borders on the criminal. Rather than actually improve their educational results, the Chicago teachers (like unions and administrators in other cities) have lowered their proficiency standards.
Commentary: Threats, Violence, and Union Money
June 24, 2026 // In one exchange cited in the indictment, two defendants allegedly discussed putting the children of university officials “on my hit list” and spoke openly about wanting to “kill,” “torment,” and “terrorize” their targets. Federal prosecutors this month unsealed a sweeping indictment against eight individuals connected to the University of Michigan, alleging a coordinated campaign of intimidation against university officials over the school’s ties to Israel. The details go well beyond protest.
Opinion: Marshall-backed bill threatens employer-employee relations
June 9, 2026 // Small business owners are not anti-worker. My employees are my neighbors. I want them fairly compensated and genuinely heard. A contract handed down by government arbitrators who have never stepped inside the doors of a given workplace — and who face zero consequences if their ruling forces it out of business — is not a voice for workers. Sen. Marshall has spent his career fighting for Kansas values against Washington overreach. I hope he will take a closer look at this bill and reconsider his support.
What Voters Don’t Know When They ‘Support’ Teachers’ Unions
June 8, 2026 // Yet, despite the poor outcomes shown by the “Nation’s Report Card” and parents’ desire for better options, teachers’ unions continue to oppose school choice. Each student who leaves a public school for an alternative setting reduces district enrollment, which can erode union membership, lower dues collection, and ultimately diminish the union’s influence. Opposition to school choice is often tied to preserving the unions’ base, even though more than two-thirds of Democrats—the primary beneficiaries of union political support—express preferences aligned with Black parents. The core issue is that responses to the Overton Insights question conflate support for teachers with support for union political action. If voters were asked directly about unions’ political behavior, the 55% who currently support teachers’ unions would likely respond differently. In this case, support reflects a misunderstanding, not a true endorsement.
Weingarten Blames Screens, Not Herself, For Falling Test Scores
June 3, 2026 // The same union that lobbied to keep students off school grounds is now positioning itself as a champion of children’s well-being, pointing an accusing finger at Silicon Valley while the learning-loss data keeps compounding. The financial record makes that positioning even harder to stomach. A recent analysis of National Education Association and AFT federal disclosures by the Network Contagion Research Institute and the Gevura Fund – of which Tina Snider is president – found America’s two largest teachers unions spend roughly $4 on political activities for every dollar spent on direct member representation. The NEA alone reported more than $51.7 million in political spending in its most recent filing, plus another $123 million in contributions and grants, compared to less than $46 million on the collective bargaining its members thought they were paying for.
Head of major teachers union calls for restrictions on AI, screens in schools
May 29, 2026 // American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten called for restrictions on artificial intelligence and screen usage in schools. In a speech on Wednesday, Weingarten said that students are “drowning in tech” and there needs to be research done on the effects of students’ learning with AI.