Posts tagged New York State United Teachers
Kathy Hochul Chooses Kids Over the Teachers’ Union
October 16, 2026 // Though most eligible students remain enrolled in public schools, the unions spent months running ads and organizing rallies against the program. They are plainly terrified of giving families the financial power to make educational decisions for their kids. Parents already have this power in the more than 30 states that offer some state-run school choice program. Until now, parents in New York did not. Thanks to Hochul, New York families will for the first time be able to decide for themselves the best way to educate their children. Catholic, Jewish, and other religious schools stand to benefit as well. This is the first program New York has allowed that helps cover the tuition in religious schools.
Teachers unions, not racism, are failing New York City’s black students
September 22, 2026 // The problem is accountability. New York’s government unions fight against being held responsible for their failures at every stage. Tenured teachers can be dismissed only for cause after a formal proceeding before an arbitrator. They ordinarily remain paid during reassignment and receive union-provided legal representation. Seniority rules can force schools to release newer teachers who may be good rather than ineffective veterans who either cannot or will not do their jobs. Excessed teachers can be placed in other district schools rather than removed from the system.
Union boss’ school-choice betrayal reveals NY’s true power players
September 22, 2026 // American Federation of Teachers chief Randi Weingarten joined him on stage to condemn the plan, as another opponent decried the program as “a form of racism,” “segregation,” and something to “keep the have-nots in their place.” But Cilento’s participation in the attack amounts to nothing short of a betrayal: The NYC AFL-CIO represents more than 2,000 dues-paying members who teach at one of New York’s 100-plus unionized private or parochial schools. These are some of New York’s most devoted educators; many of them forgo higher-paying gigs in public schools.
Hochul accused of ‘hit job’ on behalf of teachers’ unions in act of ‘pure censorship’: labor group
September 15, 2026 // "This is an anti-speech law aimed at one kind of speaker," said Withe. He asserted that the New York law was "copied" from a similar measure in Oregon, which the Freedom Foundation is already challenging in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. He said his organization will "make the same case here." Fox News Digital spoke with Ryan Walters, former superintendent of Oklahoma public schools and CEO of Freedom Foundation’s education arm, the Teacher Freedom Alliance. Walters called the New York law an example of "pure censorship and targeting of political opponents by Democrats protecting their union bosses."
Commentary: Private Schools Are No Threat to Democracy
September 1, 2026 // A New York State teachers’ union president invokes old arguments against religious education to derail a scholarship program that would cost the state nothing.
New York Teachers’ Unions Latest Lawsuit to Limit School Choice
July 14, 2026 // NYSUT has pursued legal action to prevent additional charters from opening. Earlier this year, it sued SUNY to block new charters on Long Island and previously tried to prevent Vertex Charter School from opening. These actions ignore student outcomes; for example, Vertex is located in a Bronx district where only 7 percent of high school graduates are prepared for college. Strive Charter School has an innovative model focused on low-income families: it will be open every day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., including weekends and summer, to support families that struggle to afford child care. NYSUT is responding to declining student enrollment in New York State, which is expected to reduce teaching positions—and, consequently, dues-paying members.
Public employee unions push to sweeten retirement
March 15, 2026 // At a massive rally in Albany, public employees attacked Tier VI, the state law that restricts pensions for workers under the age of 63. Fiscal conservatives argue that unions want taxpayers to pay them more for working less. The unions counter that it’s a matter of fairness — and it’s making it hard to recruit talent.
NY teachers’ union sues to block 3 Long Island charter schools, claiming ‘abuse of authority’
February 2, 2026 // Person said the suit highlights the dysfunction created by New York’s dual charter authorizing system. Under state law, charter school applicants can get approved by SUNY’s Charter School Institute, even if state Education Department officials object. SUNY charter school regulators said Academy filed solid proposals for the three schools — and dismissed the union’s lawsuit as nonsense. “I don’t really understand it,” Joseph Belluck, chairman of the SUNY charter school committee, said of the NYSUT complaint.
American Federation of Teachers spends little on teachers, lots on staff
December 4, 2024 // The American Federation of Teachers’ recent federal filing showed just 36% of the national union’s spending was on representing teachers. More than two-thirds of its own employees made six-figure salaries.
Back-to-Back Opt-Out Milestones Suggest Record Year in New York
September 17, 2024 // Last year, the Freedom Foundation helped a record 1,351 New Yorkers take control of their paychecks by saying “no more” to government unions that don’t represent them. In 2024, we’ve already assisted with 1,025 opt-outs — and it’s only September! With nearly 76% of last year’s total and four months to go, the Freedom Foundation is expected to surpass 1,500 opt-outs in New York by year’s end. July 2024 marked New York’s best month ever for opt-outs, only to be outdone by August. These back-to-back record months prove that now, more than ever before, public employees are taking action to keep union dues in their own pockets instead of funding Big Labor’s ideological agendas.