American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten’s exit from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) after 23 years exposes a little-known truth: teachers unions are practically an appendage of the Democratic Party. Her departure, paired with National Education Association (NEA) President Becky Pringle’s ongoing role as an at-large DNC member, reveals a relationship that’s less about education advocacy and more about political symbiosis.
For over two decades, Weingarten wielded influence as an at-large member at the DNC, stepping aside only recently on June 5, 2025. In her resignation letter to the new party chairman, she said "I appear to be out of step with the leadership you are forging."
She endorsed David Hogg’s efforts to primary Democrats who weren’t sufficiently progressive, signaling a desire to make the party even more radical.
But her exit might not have been her choice. The new chair—Ken Martin—opposed Hogg’s idea to pull the party further to the left with primaries. Weingarten’s relentless push to keep schools closed during COVID-19, despite mounting evidence of learning loss, made her a liability even Democrats couldn’t ignore. Last weekend, she called for a "nationwide day of defiance" amid the "No Kings" protests—too incendiary for a party grappling with its own fractures.
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When Martin became DNC chair earlier this year, he removed Randi Weingarten from the Rules and Bylaws Committee that she had served on for 16 years, since 2009.
Yet the union-party nexus persists. Becky Pringle remains a DNC fixture, linking the NEA to Democratic Party machinery. The money tells the story: Weingarten’s American Federation of Teachers (AFT) funnels about 99% of its campaign contributions to Democrats every cycle. Union dues, often extracted from taxpayer-funded teacher salaries, flow into Democratic coffers—a financial pipeline that’s borderline money laundering.
It appears to be a form of quid pro quo: unions bankroll the party, and the party protects union power. Children and teachers are just pawns.
The unions’ loyalty runs deeper than cash. Their priorities—abortion rights, climate activism, identity politics—mirror Democratic talking points, sidelining teacher pay or classroom needs. They mobilize Democratic voters through get-out-the-vote campaigns and endorse Democrats in non-education races, from governors to congressmen. Union offices double as training grounds for Democratic activists, using dues-funded resources to coach partisan operatives, turning labor hubs into party outposts.
This partisanship screams for school choice and homeschooling. Parents shouldn’t be forced to send kids to schools run by left-wing activists like Weingarten and Pringle, who prioritize politics over learning. Schools should be for education, not indoctrination. School choice lets families pick schools—or homeschooling—that focus on academics, not activism. Giving families the freedom to choose alternatives should also incentivize public school teachers unions to get their act together and tone it down politically.
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Even Franklin D. Roosevelt, a champion of labor, warned against public sector unions, noting their potential to distort democracy. Teachers' unions prove him right: they essentially use taxpayer dollars to lobby against taxpayers’ interests, pushing policies that prioritize political agendas over children’s needs. Unlike private sector unions, they face no market-based accountability, so they squander dues on partisan causes without consequence. Their political clout ensures they sit across the bargaining table from allies they helped elect, rigging negotiations in their favor. This relationship isn’t representation—it’s a racket, undermining the public they claim to serve.
The media’s complicity is glaring. Weingarten’s 23-year DNC tenure barely registered until she left. Not a peep about Becky Pringle’s connection to the Democrats, either. The New York Times mentioned Weingarten’s DNC post only once she departed—a textbook case of selective reporting. The press, quick to dissect conservative ties, gave these union bosses a pass.
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The COVID-19 debacle is Exhibit A. As DNC members, Weingarten and Pringle pressured the CDC to prolong school closures, defying evidence from safely reopened private schools and international systems. The CDC caved, prioritizing union demands over kids. This was bad policy and an undisclosed conflict of interest.
One fix is clear: ban public sector union leaders from holding leadership roles in political parties their unions fund. It’s a legal barrier to curb corruption.
Another fix is already in place: the 2018 Janus v. AFSCME Supreme Court decision, which ruled teachers can’t be forced to pay union dues—a blow to unions reliant on mandatory dues to fuel their political machine. Forcing teachers to fund partisan causes violates their First Amendment rights. All teachers, especially conservatives, should opt out of these far-left unions now, using alternatives like the Association of American Educators (AAE) for liability insurance.
Weingarten’s exit exposes cracks, but Pringle’s presence proves the machine hums.
Teachers' unions aren’t just aligned with Democrats—they’re an extension. The Janus decision and school choice give teachers and parents the tools to break free.