The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is the second-largest teachers’ union in the United States. The union represents roughly 1.5 million members, most of whom work in teaching and education-related jobs as well as nursing.¹ The union is a member of the AFL-CIO.

The AFT, like most public-sector unions, is a major player in liberal policy and Democratic Party politics. The union and union president Rhonda “Randi” Weingarten are associated with the Democracy Alliance network of liberal mega-donors.Meddling with CDC COVID-19 Guidelines

In May 2021, during the COVID-19 epidemic, the New York Post reported that the AFT had lobbied for and even created certain policies implemented in the CDC’s school reopening guidelines released in February of 2021. ²⁵ The Post reported that email correspondence between CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky and AFT officials, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, showed that the AFT had been allowed to suggest edits to the CDC’s school reopening plans, some of which were incorporated into the final guidelines issued to the public. ²⁵ Edits by the AFT that were eventually incorporated into the CDC guidelines most notably included a provision stating that work concessions be made for teachers with health conditions qualifying them as “at risk” to COVID-19, allowing them to decline returning to in-person instruction. ²⁵

Medical experts on the COVID-19 virus, such as Dr. Monica Ghandi of University of California, San Francisco, called the AFT’s meddling in the creation of the CDC guidelines “very, very troubling,” adding that political interest groups like the AFT getting to add their own special policies “is not how science-based guidelines should work or be put together.” ²⁵ At the time of the guidelines’ release in February CDC director Walensky insisted that the new guidelines would “follow the science” and were “free from political meddling.” ²⁵

Citing a reversal in the CDC director’s attitude towards school reopening after the AFT was consulted, the Wall Street Journal called the AFT’s intervention a “non-scientific political intervention,” and claimed that “the Biden Administration is letting a powerful Democratic interest group dictate virus guidelines.” ²⁶ During the 2020 election cycle the AFT and its affiliates spent more than $20 million in support of Democratic Party candidates. ²⁵

Political Positions and Expenditures

Like most labor unions, the American Federation of Teachers has an aggressive political advocacy operation. The union’s 2016 annual report shows that the AFT spent $28.6 million on political activities and lobbying in that fiscal year.²⁷

Political Positions

The American Federation of Teachers is a major political player in the debates over education. Nationally, AFT puts pressure on federal and state Education Departments to protect teacher job protections. The AFT is a vocal critic of reforms to teacher tenure and expansions of charter schools, with aggressive public relations campaigns against charter school and tenure reform advocates.

Teacher tenure, the practice of protecting teachers from firing after as few as two years on the job, has become highly controversial in recent years. AFT and front groups it and its local unions fund have aggressively attacked tenure reformers, most notably former journalist Campbell Brown.³⁸ Notable recipients of AFT contributions and political spending include Democratic-aligned SuperPACs Priorities USA Action ($1 million), Emily’s List ($625,000), and American Bridge 21^st Century ($300,000); Working America, the AFL-CIO political mobilization project for non-unionized workers ($329,000); the Clinton Foundation ($250,000); progressive organizing groups including the Center for Popular Democracy ($215,000); and liberal think tanks such as the State Innovation Exchange ($200,000).³⁹

In 2019, the AFT gave $50,000 to Women’s March, Inc. after it had already become public knowledge that the Women’s March and much of its leadership had ties to anti-Semitic figures. ^{40 1}

Mary Catheryn Ricker serves as the Executive Vice President of the AFT. Prior to her elevation to the national executive board, Ricker served as president of the St. Paul Federation of Teachers.¹

Related Organizations

The AFT operates a handful of think tanks and 501(c) organizations. The Albert Shanker Institute, a 501(c)(3) organization, operates as a union-associated think tank.