Staff Reports
The new report from the Freedom Foundation has a simple message: AFT President Randi Weingarten allegedly used union money and staff to help write and publish her book. If true, this is not just a bookkeeping error. It’s a scandal that hits at the heart of how unions spend members’ dues and what leaders think those dues are for.
What the report alleges
The Freedom Foundation reviewed the AFT’s LM‑2 financial filing and says the union paid more than $1.4 million for work tied to the book Why Fascists Fear Teachers. The report names a nearly $1 million bill for an attorney who supposedly worked pro bono on the book, about $400,000 for a ghostwriter, and smaller payments for fact‑checkers. In short: the allegation is that taxpayer‑subsidized union dues were used to bankroll a political manifesto and the people who helped write it.
Numbers, roles, and the paper trail
The LM‑2 is the union’s own federal filing covering the year in question, so this isn’t a rumor. The Freedom Foundation points to line items and contractor payments that match services a book project would need. AFT President Randi Weingarten has acknowledged sharing royalties with the union and its affiliates, but denies calling President Trump a fascist and calls the Freedom Foundation’s work a “fishing expedition.” That defense sounds familiar: when the numbers look bad, call the critics desperate and opaque.
Why this matters to teachers and taxpayers
Most rank‑and‑file teachers don’t join a union to fund a leader’s book tour. They expect collective bargaining, legal help, and classroom support. When millions get shifted to high‑priced consultants and literary work, members have a right to ask whether their dues are being spent on member services or on the personal brand of a union boss. This isn’t abstract. It’s about trust, transparency, and whether unions answer to members or to their own publicity machines.
Time for answers and accountability
If the allegations hold up, the AFT owes teachers a full accounting. An independent audit would clear the air — or confirm that money intended for representation went elsewhere. Union leaders deserve respect, but respect is earned, not guaranteed. Members should demand clear records and plain answers, not rhetoric. At some point the “we share the royalties” line runs out, and dues‑paying educators deserve better than to fund a manifesto they didn’t authorize.
