Major Controversies Surrounding Randi Weingarten: A Detailed Timeline

Controversies are a part of history. Explore the biggest scandals linked to Randi Weingarten.

Randi Weingarten is a prominent American labor leader, attorney, and educator. She is the current president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) since 2008, a major labor union affiliated with the AFL-CIO. Before leading the AFT, Weingarten served as president of New York City’s United Federation of Teachers (UFT). Her career includes roles as the UFT’s chief negotiator and counsel, and as a social studies teacher at Clara Barton High School. She is recognized as the first openly gay person to head a national American labor union.

Sections (6)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

1998: Opposed proposed dress code for teachers

In 1998, Randi Weingarten opposed a proposed dress code for teachers, deeming it a distraction from the core educational priorities.

1998: Stern dismisses Weingarten's claim

In spring 1998 in the City Journal, Sol Stern dismissed Weingarten's claim to support school reform as "pure union propaganda."

1999: Stern contrasts 'Milwaukee's healthy approach to school choice' with Weingarten's promise

In 1999, Sol Stern contrasted "Milwaukee's healthy approach to school choice" with what he termed Weingarten's promise to "fight with every resource at [her] disposal any attempt by the mayor to create a voucher system" in New York.

June 16, 2005: Gelinas criticizes Weingarten's stance on merit pay

On June 16, 2005, Nicole Gelinas wrote in the conservative City Journal that "Weingarten declared that merit-pay plans 'pit teachers against each other instead of encouraging a collaborative school culture.' What Weingarten and the union do not see ... is that competition is healthy."

November 2006: Weingarten opposes tax credits for private school tuition

In November 2006, Randi Weingarten opposed proposals to allow parents to use tax credits to help pay to send their children to private school, comparing it to reimbursing people who drink bottled water instead of tap water.

2007: Weingarten negotiates controversial contract

In 2007, Randi Weingarten negotiated a controversial contract which paid teachers bonuses if their students' test scores rose.

2008: Agreement between Weingarten and Michelle Rhee

In 2008, Randi Weingarten and District of Columbia public schools chancellor Michelle Rhee reached an agreement that allowed the termination of Washington Teachers' Union members evaluated as ineffective, after a one-year period.

June 25, 2009: Stern argues agreement would harm Gotham's students

On June 25, 2009, Sol Stern argued that an agreement reached between Randi Weingarten and the Bloomberg administration on teacher pensions would "probably wind up harming Gotham's students."

July 7, 2009: WSJ criticizes Weingarten's statement

On July 7, 2009, The Wall Street Journal reacted to Weingarten's statement that New York City is "the best laboratory in the world for trying new things" by asserting this could be true "if it weren't for Ms. Weingarten's union," and wrote that the UFT under her direction had done everything possible "to block significant reforms to New York's public schools."

September 30, 2009: Stern asserts UFT and Bloomberg administration working relationship

On September 30, 2009, in the City Journal, Sol Stern asserted that "the UFT and the Bloomberg administration [had] increasingly developed a cartel-like working relationship, with New York taxpayers paying the price."

2009: Klein calls teacher tenure policies 'ridiculous'

In a 2009 essay by Steven Brill in The New Yorker, New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein was quoted as calling the teacher tenure policies defended by the UFT "ridiculous"—with Klein asserting that "the three principles that govern our system are lockstep compensation, seniority, and tenure. All three are not right for our children."

2010: Interference in Washington Teachers Union elections

In 2010, Randi Weingarten and the AFT were accused of interfering in the Washington Teachers Union (WTU) local elections. Weingarten imposed a deadline for the election and ultimately took over the election, which was met with objections.

January 16, 2011: Criticism of Final Paycheck from UFT

On January 16, 2011, an opinion piece in the New York Post criticized Randi Weingarten's final paycheck from the UFT, referring to it as a $194,188 "golden parachute."

February 2011: Weingarten acknowledges need for tenure reform

In a February 2011 interview, Randi Weingarten acknowledged that "tenure needs to be reformed," noting that the AFT had adopted recommendations for tenure reform.

2011: Weingarten offers plan to reshape tenure

In 2011, Randi Weingarten offered a plan that would rely on a teacher-evaluation system with multiple parts—including assessment of student improvement on tests—to give tenured teachers rated unsatisfactory one year to improve, and allow the firing of teachers who fail to meet that deadline within the next 100 days.

2011: Plagiarism accusation

In 2011, a speech given by Randi Weingarten was found to have been plagiarized from a NY1 series about a flawed Board of Education computer system, leading to accusations of plagiarism.

2011: Defended LIFO policy

In a 2011 Wall Street Journal interview, Randi Weingarten defended the LIFO (Last In, First Out) policy, also known as teacher seniority, stating that while it may not be perfect, it is the best mechanism available to avoid cronyism, corruption, and discrimination in teacher layoffs.

2012: Weingarten criticizes merit pay schemes

In 2012, Randi Weingarten criticized what she calls "merit pay schemes".

March 2013: Arrested During Protest

In March 2013, Randi Weingarten was among 19 people arrested while protesting a Philadelphia School Reform Commission meeting on school closures.

April 2013: WSJ editorial board paints Weingarten

In April 2013, the Wall Street Journal editorial board painted Randi Weingarten as "trying to strong-arm pension trustees not to invest in hedge funds or private-equity funds that support education reform." Weingarten tried to sandbag hedge fund investor Dan Loeb at a conference sponsored by the Council of Institutional Investors, describing her as troubled by the fact "that Mr. Loeb puts his own money behind school reform and charter schools."

2013: Debate on Charter Schools

In 2013, Randi Weingarten argued in a debate in New Haven that charter schools pull money from regular school districts.

2013: AFT study charges hedge-fund managers with conflict of interest

In 2013, an AFT study charged some hedge-fund managers with a conflict of interest, stating that while managing teachers' defined benefit pensions, some fund managers had "support[ed] groups like the Manhattan Institute, which has recommended replacing pensions with 401(k)-type plans, and Students First, whose national branch advocates eliminating defined-benefit plans."

2014: Weingarten attacks 401(k) plans

In 2014, Randi Weingarten attacked those who advocate converting defined benefit pensions to 401(k) plans, arguing that retirees are likely to receive less under the new plans than they need to get by.

2014: Weingarten defends teacher tenure

In 2014, Randi Weingarten resisted attempts to curtail tenure protections for public-school teachers, arguing that removing tenure would hurt classroom instruction quality. She stated that states with the highest academic performance have the strongest due process protections for teachers and that at-risk kids need experienced teachers who need support and the ability to voice concerns.

2015: Criticism of Testing and Data

In 2015, Randi Weingarten criticized the overemphasis on testing and data in public education, while acknowledging the role of standardized tests as one evaluation tool.

2015: AFT report criticizes hedge funds

In 2015, the AFT prepared a report that concluded that hedge fund investments "exacted a high cost, had laggard returns and generally moved in tandem with the overall stock market."

2015: Report on the Walton Foundation

In 2015, the AFT, during Randi Weingarten's presidency, released a report co-authored with In the Public Interest, criticizing the Walton Foundation's pursuit of a "market-based model" for education.

November 2022: Called "most dangerous person in the world" by Mike Pompeo

In November 2022, Mike Pompeo referred to Randi Weingarten as the "most dangerous person in the world," alleging that American schools are failing to educate children in basic skills and instead teach them inappropriate content.

2023: Weingarten makes controversial statements on school choice

In a 2023 interview, Randi Weingarten made controversial statements regarding advocates for "school choice" and "parental rights," drawing criticism and accusations of racism and religious bias.