The AFT announced its endorsement of Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for President
American Federation of Teachers Endorses Hillary Clinton for President
For Release:
Saturday, July 11, 2015
WASHINGTON—On Saturday, the executive council of the American Federation of Teachers voted overwhelmingly to endorse Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary for president of the United States. The AFT is the first national union to endorse a candidate in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary.
“In vision, in experience and in leadership, Hillary Clinton is the champion working families need in the White House,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “Hillary Clinton is a tested leader who shares our values, is supported by our members, and is prepared for a tough fight on behalf of students, families and communities. That fight defines her campaign and her career. In Arkansas, Hillary fought to expand access to early childhood education and care. As first lady, she fought for the right to affordable, high-quality healthcare and helped win that right for our youngest citizens. As senator, she fought for education funding and workers’ rights, and she defended public service workers who came to our nation’s defense on Sept. 11. And as secretary of state, she promoted democracy throughout the world, lifting up the worth and dignity of all people—men and women, gay and straight.”
Weingarten continued, “Hillary Clinton, a product of public schools herself, believes in the promise of public education. From early childhood learning through higher education, she sees how that promise can create real opportunity for kids, building a much-needed bridge to the middle class. Hillary understands that to reclaim the promise of public education, policymakers need to work with educators and their unions. She’s ready to work with us to confront the issues facing children and their families today, including poverty, wage stagnation, income inequality and lack of opportunity. Hillary is the leader we need to help us reclaim the promise of public education and, indeed, of America.”
Upon learning of the union’s endorsement, Clinton said, “For nearly a century, the American Federation of Teachers has worked to expand opportunity for the people and communities they serve. I’m honored to have the support of AFT’s members and leaders, and proud to stand with them to unleash the potential of every American.”
Clinton continued, “I know from my own family that teachers have the power to change lives. We need to make sure every child has access to a quality public education and teachers with the tools to help them succeed. Our country’s future depends on the education we give all our children — and giving them the best means working with the teachers and school personnel who help shape their futures each day.”
As in past elections, the AFT’s 1.6 million members will be a powerful organizing force behind our endorsed candidate. Leading up to November 2016, AFT members are expected to make more than 1 million phone calls and knock on more than 500,000 doors.
The AFT’s endorsement comes a month after Clinton attended an executive council meeting in Washington, D.C. At that meeting, she said, “It is just dead wrong to make teachers the scapegoats for all of society’s problems. Where I come from, teachers are the solution. And I strongly believe that unions are part of the solution, too.”
Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley also spoke with the executive council at that meeting. All potential and announced candidates were invited to complete a questionnaire, and those who returned the questionnaire were invited to meet with the council. No Republican candidates responded to the invitation.
The AFT has conducted a long, deliberative process to assess which candidate would best champion the issues of importance to our members, their families and communities. Members have been engaged online, through the “You Decide” website, through several telephone town halls, and through multiple surveys—reaching more than 1 million members.
Additionally, over the past few weeks, the AFT has conducted a scientific poll of our membership on the candidates and key issues. The top issues members raised were jobs and the economy and public education. Seventy-nine percent of our members who vote in Democratic primaries said we should endorse a candidate. And by more than a 3-to-1 margin, these members said the AFT should endorse Clinton.
This week, the AFT will begin its biennial TEACH conference, a gathering of thousands of educators. Weingarten will address the conference at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, with a press availability to follow. Her remarks will include information about the endorsement. For more information on the TEACH conference, please email Laura Pometto at lpometto@aft.org (link sends e-mail).
– See more at: http://www.aft.org/press-release/american-federation-teachers-endorses-hillary-clinton-president#sthash.jyB1FdvI.dpuf
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I think they jumped the gun. It is way to early to support any candidate. What – if anything – does she plan to do about the ‘in it for the money’ reformers who have destroyed public education?
She plans nothing to help teachers or education. So, why is AFT already bought and paid for??????
Exactly. It’s just like the unions endorsing Obama for his second term. The endorsement should not be made until some promises are made by the candidate to the teachers–in writing.
This is so incredibly premature. It’s what’s the matter with the union/ Demicratic party link.
Let negotiate. Now the vote is taken for granted.
You said it. Didn’t they ever hear of playing hard to get. PS — the union vote is already taken for granted by Democrats.
Wonder how this will work out. CT AFT endorsed Malloy and he stabbed teachers in the back and in the front. What makes anyone think Hillary is any different?
She isn’t. The DFER released a statement on April 12th “celebrating her announcement she will seek the Presidency” and hopes she “carries on Obama’s legacy” in education.
I am sickened. Just sickened.
If the DFER endorsed Hillary, we are cooked ….. can someone please start a Teachers for Bernie page, and tell Randi we’re done with being taken for granted?
I just went on Facebook and saw several Teachers for Bernie page. i am going to join one, please spread the word and join!
AFT endorsing Clinton is as expected as a Sunday following a Saturday.
Lol
Bah. Weingarten sells us out yet again.
I know many of you believe in your union, and I also know there is a positive side to the unions, but I am glad I do not pay union dues. The AFT and NEA sold out teachers during the Obama administration, and there is NO reason to believe teachers will be any better off in the Clinton administration. The adherence to the Democrats makes teachers much more vulnerable if the Democrats don’t win. The rhetoric about teachers and their unions is effective. Even in Florida, a right to work state where the union has little influence, people bash teachers’ unions as the boogeyman, and people listen.
People bash unions because they’ve bought 40 years of simple-minded, yet effective, union bashing propaganda by the right wing. One major reason the middle class is disappearing is because of the precipitous drop in union membership over the past 4 decades.
So be glad you’re not paying union dues, but you, and all of us, will pay a whole lot more if Friedrichs v CTU goes against CTU and effectively kills off public service unions.
Keep buying into the whole right wing left wing BS and we will all pay a steep price. In the end they are all politicians and absolutely none of them care about common honest working cass individuals. No administration has done more damage to Public Education than the current one and last time I checked the POTUS has a D in front of his name. Why should we pay Union dues if these so called Unions keep selling out their members at every turn imaginable. This latest endorsement is a clear sign of what is to come from the AFT and if you continue to give them your hard earned money then you probably deserve what is coming down the pipes. If teachers are subjected to merit pay then the Unions should be as well because frankly they haven’t produced anything in the last decade and they are not deserving of a single cent of a hardworking teachers salary; especially when these teachers have seen their job security eroded their pays scales dishonored pensions gutted stipends eliminated and to top it off their workloads increased three fold.
I’m with all the other posts here. I think this is premature, and besides, I don’t trust her. It’s easy to say what Clinton is quoted as saying in support of teachers. Let’s see you put your political muscle where you mouth is.
I’m a member of the NEA, so now I’m eager (or am I really anxious?) to see if my Association endorses a candidate.
I plan to vote for Bernie. If I can’t vote for him, then I’m voting Green. I just don’t trust anyone who takes money from Wall Street.
Way to early for any endorsement. This will split our union at a time when we are trying to protect ourselves from those that will be unleahsed by the next SOTUS decision. What is the exec council of the AFT thinking? Trying to short circuit Bernie Sanders? It won’t work.. this hurts more than Randi’s robo call for the Cuomo team.
#FEELTHEBERN
Right on.
Another betrayal of the membership by the union “leadership.” Many of us are excited about Sanders and some of us believe Stein is the only candidate who will really represent our interests. Clinton is more of what we already have. This is appalling, really.
Trump. He is responsible for this…..knowing it would do enough damage to Hillary’s campaign to cause a lot of trouble. Trump has a combination of power and political expertise that scares me. How on earth did he get this done?
You’ve lost me. How did Trump push AFT into endorsing Clinton? Pardon me if I’m being dense, but I don’t get it.
You are correct not to get it…….I watched Trump on in Nevada…….he just makes up stuff as he goes along…….but it still makes more sense than aft doing this. You are not dense……I probably am. And really upset about this.
This is outrageous! Rank and file members would NEVER support Hillary over Bernie Sanders. This “poll” was rigged and members never received it. All one has to do to see if the decision to endorse Hillary was a good one is to go to the AFT Facebook page. The rage is boiling over. Randi Weingarten will not survive this.
Tim, you are so right. Every teacher I know is either already in the Sanders camp or waiting to hear more about education specifics during the debates. Randi is a “leader” without rank and file interests in her decisions- she must have received promise of a cabinet position in a Clinton administration. AFT/NYSUT/UFT are ripe for NEW leaders who have the children and our profession front and center.
There was a poll? I never heard about this.
I hope you’re right, Tim, but not holding my breath.
Bernie for me!
https://www.facebook.com/eduvoters4BernieSanders
Imlearned the hard way when I worked to elect Bill Clinton as president and then Hillary as NY .senator. They will court the union vote and use you for GOTV then sell you out completely to the neoliberal corporatists.
Unions sold their membership out for the almighty RTTT money. What a joke. You think Randi Weingarten is subjected to VAM scores and administers six weeks of meaningless tests for her six figure salary? Anyone think she actually feels our pain? Maybe it is time that union leadership was held as “accountable” as teachers are! Lets get some actual educators in positions of union leadership.
This is not accurate. It is much too early Please read Sarah’s piece. Very important http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/archives/entry/op-ed_serving_up_a_preferred_candidate/
Yes, that is definitely worth reading, Linda. Interesting and disturbing.
Thanks for the link, Linda. Important reading and nothing surprising to me, unfortunately.
“I know from my own family that teachers have the power to change lives. We need to make sure every child has access to a quality public education and teachers with the tools to help them succeed. Our country’s future depends on the education we give all our children — and giving them the best means working with the teachers and school personnel who help shape their futures each day.”
We all know what these words really mean by now: maintaining the “reform” that’s already in place. Our children stand no chance at knowing what a true education is. Teachers will continue to get scapegoated, standardized testing will continue to grow, and public schools will continue their death spiral.
Fools. If this is truly based on the wishes of the rank and file, then teachers have voted to cut their own throats. If it is a power play by the union brass, then shame on them for making poor Al Shanker spin in his grave.
Al Shankar was no saint, he spawned Sandra Feldman and Randi.
We need to realize that the Union is not about teachers, nor run by Labor Leaders.
While teachers and children were struggling with testing, Randi was in the Ukraine supporting the Nazis for Bill and Hillary. The Clintons laid waste to our economy with NAFTA, the repeal of Glass Steagall and the end of Welfare. Randi is a needy attorney, as evidenced by her support of Bloomberg as Mayor of NYC and fawning over Chancellor Klein and Bill Gates with Common Core. Dante of the Divine Comedy has prepared a place for her in the afterlife with her lack of concern for children and teachers who she “represent$”
I am skeptical too, especially since poking around on the background and papers written by Hillary’s chief policy wonk on families and education for the campaign (and before the campaign when she was a Senator.)
The Hillary campaign policy wonk for families and education is Ann O’Leary, a lawyer with a bio you can find on Wikipedia. Ann’s husband, Goodwin Liu, is an Associate Justice for the California Supreme Court. He has expertise in education law, has published historically informed opinions about the meaning of the 14th amendment relative to public education, also on school desegregation laws, and recently on LAUSD’s space obligations to charter schools Goodwin Liu was an Obama nominee for a federal court, but he withdrew his nomination after Republicans let him stew for a year awaiting confirmation.
I am working on some reasons to be skeptical given the published views of these persons in Hillary’s orbit and other long time associates including the possible role of Podesta’s thinking on the educational policies and technology. Podesta is Hillary’s campaign manager and the ultimate Washington insider with close ties to the Obama administration.
In other words, no candidate or President can work on the details of every program while dealing with over the transom issues on a daily basis. You need to look at who the candidate trusts for details, who has financed her campaign, how strong the political legacies are–including the legacy of Bill Clinton and the activities with the Clinton Foundation among others.
I do not know about the inner workings of the AFT, the savvy and wisdom of staff, and their skill in doing due-diligence research on the big picture.
Unbelievably short-sighted, but I fear my union, NEA, will do the same.
Why should Clinton offer anything now? She bags the endorsement, and AFT —- an AFL-CIO clone, shows that unions are bought and paid for.
Thanks for nothing, AFT.
See “Eli Broad and the Clintons”
http://www.defendpubliceducation.net/eli-broad-and-the-clintons/?SSScrollPosition=0
A “scientific poll” that no AFT member I know ever saw or took.
Way too early to endorse any candidate.
Come on Randi. Let’s stop using the presidency for social engineering purposes.
One consolation is that every political figure that the Union endorses loses in the election, the biggest being Bill DeBlasio against their candidate Bill Thompson, whose educational adviser was Meryl Tisch, while Randi loved Bloomberg for his 2nd term after buying her a new dress.
I don’t care who the AFT union leadership endorses. I’m organizing against Hillary every chance I get and sending money to Bernie’s campaign on a monthly basis. In fact I think now is a good time to give Mr. Sanders another financial boost.
I’m in! More $ for Bernie! Ignore AFT. They ignore us.
What’s the rush? Why not push Hilary to support public education? This is just wrong!
Awful, awful news. am waiting for the other shoe (NEA endorsement by Lily, & can tell you NOW that I, an NEA member, wasn’t asked, nor were any other rank-&-file members I know!). Diane, didn’t you once say that Vermont be be the leading (& I would say, almost only) good & right state concerning education? We know a lot of that good was/is made possible by Vermont legislators–one of whom is Bernie Sanders.
Have to go for now, but will make yet another comment RE: Hillary & Arkansas teachers back in the day.
There is simply NO contest as to which candidate would do right by our public schools & for our kids.
Bernie 2016 (paid for by Bernie campaign & NOT by millionaires!).
Once again, Randi, shame on you. & NEA–don’t even go there!
What a horrible decision.
From a March, 2015 NYT article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/25/us/politics/hillary-clinton-caught-between-dueling-forces-on-education-teachers-and-wealthy-donors.html?_r=0
“In another sign of that anxiety, the executive director of Democrats for Education Reform, Joe Williams, recently circulated a memo to its board members highlighting the “strong ally” the group has had in the White House over the past six years and describing the “stiff pushback” the group and its allies are now facing.
Presumably in an attempt to set the terms for a policy discussion with Mrs. Clinton and other candidates, the memo said the group had commissioned polling showing that “voters support our policies, and if candidates want to meet voters where they are, they should, too,” according to a copy obtained from a recipient.
Mr. Williams concluded, “Democratic candidates who support education reform are representative of where the American people are, and those who want to roll back progress risk becoming outliers.”
Mr. Williams noted that the polling had been conducted by Benenson Strategy Group, founded by Joel Benenson, whom Mrs. Clinton had recently retained as chief strategist. An official at the firm said research had been done before it was hired by Mrs. Clinton and had not been conducted by Mr. Benenson himself.
– – – –
“Her involvement with efforts to overhaul education dates back at least to the early 1980s, when her husband named her co-chairwoman of an Arkansas committee that called for a teacher-competency test, smaller classes and a higher dropout age. As a senator, she voted for No Child Left Behind in 2001, but later attacked the law, saying it was failing children.
Her association with Ms. Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers began when Ms. Weingarten was a local union leader in New York and Mrs. Clinton was the state’s junior senator. Yet her incoming campaign chairman, John D. Podesta, has been a charter school supporter.
In an interview, Ms. Weingarten suggested that those she termed “the so-called education reformers” were most worried that the agenda they have pushed for with the Obama administration, and in places like Chicago, “does not work.”
But she rejected the idea that Mrs. Clinton would set policy based on anything other than “her experience and the evidence.”
“She has been versed in these issues for a long time, and will give everyone a fair hearing and a fair shot, but she will look at it through the lens of what’s good for kids. Period,” Ms. Weingarten said. “Anybody who thinks otherwise just doesn’t know her.””
She is in tight not only with the Broads but DFER as well. I marched beside her down 6th Ave. in the Labor Day Parade in NYC when she was running for senator. I did GOTV and manned the phone banks. Then she voted for NCLB.
The NEA gave her an 82% rating for her voting record on education. Only 6 democratic politicians scored lower than her and they were the outliers, some former Republicans, and all courting rightwing voters, like Zell Miller and Arlen Specter.
The vast majority of democratic congress members scored much higher than Hillary on their voting records supporting education.
Keep that in mind when the spin begins and the triangulation reaches fever pitch . . . .
At some point I really hope union leadership will recognize that preserving a seat at the table is worthless if the people who own the table plan to shoot you underneath it.
This premature endorsement is not surprising, but sad and troubling nonetheless.
On domestic economic matters, Bernie Sanders is clearly better for the U.S. working class, including teachers, than is Hillary, the Democrat Party choice of Wall Street/corporate/hedge-fund supporters of privatized charter schools. She is also a neoliberal as well as a neocon who will get the U.S. into more wasteful wars and imperialist offensives. Her abysmal foreign policy record speaks (and reeks) for itself.
I wouldn’t expect the AFT to endorse Dr. Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate whose platform is the best, in domestic and foreign policies, of all candidates, especially for teachers, but at least the AFT could have used the threat of endorsing Bernie or Stein to get Hillary to commit to sensible policies for the U.S.
Please see Jill Stein’s platform here:
My Plan – Jill2016
http://www.jill2016.com/plan
The AFT has squandered an opportunity to pressure the presumed Democrat nominee to pursue policies beneficial to teachers and students, especially students in poverty.
Ellen Lubic
July 12, 2015 at 12:08 am
Agree…I am very disheartened to see Randi do this now. There is much time to evaluate all the candidates. She is wearing blinders to Hillary’s close contact with Wall Street, Common Core, and Rheeformers. There are many articles on the close friendship with the Clintons and Eli Broad….and the Hollywood charter school donors like Geffen.
I hope everyone reads the article by Matt Taibbi in Rolling Stone this week depicting the Wall Street flack, Obama’s choice for DoJ, Eric Holder. Hillary is just the same, Her allegiance is to her ilk, the 1% despite what words her PR writers. put in her mouth.
Very disappointed in Randi’s rush to endorse.
See “Eli Broad and the Clintons” http://www.defendpubliceducation.net/eli-broad-and-the-clintons/
ok folks… read this http://www.aft.org/node/10350. who would you endorse?
Disgusting.
I asked Randi about this on Twitter. She said there were 2 polls of AFT members, the latest of which was in June. The results were 79% of union members said endorse; and 67% of those dem primary voters said endorse Hillary. However, I can’t find these polls anywhere. Has anyone seen one or the results?
So we have members voting for Hillary on polls that no one has seen or has not been made public.
Then we have the executive council. They interviewed all the candidates in private, endorsed Hillary and now sometime later will release candidates answers on the interviews.
This just seems shady. I have nothing against Hillary Clinton, but how will her education policies be any better than Obama’s? Is she against Common Core, Toxic Testing and VAM? I’d really like her to address that before our unions start endorsing her.
I’m a building representative for the FEA which is a partnership between NEA and AFT in Florida. I have served in this capacity in NYC and in Florida for 17 years total and am very active in both unions.
I subscribe to all the local, state, and national websites and publications from both unions and I regularly recieve email and snail mail from both, including opinion polls.
I never saw, heard of, nor received any type of endorsement poll for presidential candidates from the AFT or the FEA.
Perhaps it only went to Unity members who have taken Randi’s loyalty oath?
I have not received any polls. I am totally opposed to Hillary Clinton. It fits nicely with the entire Randi Weingarten package.
The Badass Wall on FB took their own poll, in 4 hours 745 people endorsed Bernie Sanders and only 43 people endorsed Clinton. Weingartner has this thing about giving false information via polls …It’s scary.
Yes. That is scary. I’m getting sick and madder by the day. How can we get rid of Randi?
I’m a member, I don’t recall any poll about this. But I would have said to endorse Sanders over Clinton.
It’s MUCH too early for an endorsement. In addition, Bernie Sanders is a better friend to teachers and education than Hillary Clinton!
I want to tear up my IFT card in anger over this! I am a building rep, and have NOT been asked to vote on this! I do not trust Hillary on education issues. This stinks!
Yeah, kinda leaning toward Bernie myself……….
Suggest that the vast majority of the one million members were actually hits to the “You Decide” website.
Just what is it that Hillary has done or said that deserves the support of the AFT for her candidacy? She has neoliberal written all over her. Even if it wasn’t far too soon to be endorsing anyone, Hilary has done nothing to deserve it.
I endorse the Pope and that guy from Greece. At least they have a backbone to stand up for the 99%ers. Clinton molds like jello and Republicans all embrace Southernomics putting everyone into slavery or serfdom.
This is utterly disgusting. It’s horrendous not just because Randi has shown once again to teachers that she is a conniving betrayer, or because I think most teachers will actually vote for Hillary merely because Randi endorsed her, but because Randi will be throwing a hell of a lot of teacher’s hard earned money to Hillary, who is a corporate shill through and through, just like Bill, Obama and GOP candidates.
Hillary has no moral compass and she already has more than enough ill-gotten gains. This was reported in May and should be investigated by the authorities, but where the hell are they? “Clinton Foundation Donors Got Weapons Deals From Hillary Clinton’s State Department”
http://www.ibtimes.com/clinton-foundation-donors-got-weapons-deals-hillary-clintons-state-department-1934187
I vote my conscience and I will be voting for Bernie, but if Hillary is nominated and Bernie doesn’t run as an independent, then it’s time for a third party and the Green Party’s Jill Stein will get my vote, never Shillary.
Funny, most unionized teachers are learning towards Bernie Sanders.
There is now an AFT Members for Bernie group on Facebook …
They sure are jumping the gun on this one. Have to wonder who
Is getting $$ for this endorsement. Hillary is in deep with CC and Educstion Reform. She has been from the beginning as seen with the Marc Ztucker letter. AFT does not represent me!
Weingarten-personal ambition?
oops. Backlash, anyone?
I guess the Executive Council will work the phone banks by themselves…
Premature Endorsation is never a good thing, but this is ridiculous. This reeks of backroom, premeditated BS.
Teachers and parents for Bernie Sanders 2016!
They should have endorsed Bernie. We haven’t even had the first primary yet. What happens when she starts espousing some corporate line for education. Perhaps, looking at this positively, she made some policy promises to AFT?
Money politics. AFT leader’s behavior mirrors Obama walking the aisle to please whacky GOP-dominated Congress and the Wall Street.
I’m sorry Randi…but you do not speak for my family and many friends that I have who will be casting ballots in the next presidential election.
I remember seeing Hilary and the other witch, Melinda Gates speaking on stage at a conference, and Hillary couldn’t get close enough, excuse the expression, to kiss Melinda’s behind.
Common Core buddies…Gates giveth, Hillary taketh, and the American people suffereth…
The tide will turn…it is turning…and I can’t wait until the wrath of fury is finally unleashed on the reformers and their paid lieutenants who have served the poisonous apples to the citizens of our great nation.
Common Core…the Crime of the Century…an attack on the free citizenry and democracy in the Inites States.
May the punishment suit the crime.
A disgrace. Hillary made millions by her Secretary of State office by having BILL make speeches (ONE would give the “donor” whatever the wanted…speeches went from $300,000.00 to as high as $800,000.00, and were laundred through the Clinton Foundation. Read, “Clinton Cash” that DOES have footnotes that prove the charges asserted..she didn’t have private cell phone and server for mere lightness of her brief case!). She has more skeletons in her closet than one can even imagine.
You would be hard pressed to find a DC insider who doesn’t cash in on speaking fees. George W. Bush just charged a disabled veterans group $100,000 to speak to them.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/09/politics/george-w-bush-100k-veterans-speech/index.html
I’m more worried about her ties to the billionaire boys club and Wall Street since they are funding the destruction of public education.
Hillary Clinton took $200,000 from the Girl Svouts of America. Condaleeza Rice also spoke to GSA, but donated her money back AND hung out with the girls. Hillary didn’t hang out at all. She just took the money and ran.
Glad to see that Hillary gets twice what the Shrub gets. Stop trying to imply that Hillary is somehow worse than republicans. They are nearly all for sale to the highest bidder.
I am chapter leader of the largest high school in Queens. Though AFT claims to have surveyed one million of its 1.6 million members, I don’t know a single person whose opinion was elicited. The claim they polled a million people to come to this conclusion appears absurd. AFT has offered no evidence whatsoever to support it.
On the webpage, they claim the polls include telephone Town Halls. I know of only one, and very few participated. I have no idea how many listened but their outrageous claim leads me to suspect they included not only those who listened without participating, but also all those they robocalled.
They also cite a web survey I’d never seen until today, and a “scientific poll” for which they offer precisely zero explanation or evidence.
I’m sorely disappointed in leadership. Of course, I have no vote as to who leads the AFT, but it’s a great honor to pay its dues nonetheless.
And let me clarify–when I say “participate” in Town Hall, I do not mean sit and listen. As a New York City teacher, I have a very good idea what participation entails.
I can’t even begin to understand why the AFT would do this. Hillary is pro Common Core and hangs out with corporate bigwigs. This feels like a slap in the face to Bernie who has been much more supportive of teachers and of public education. I see above there is an AFT group for Bernie on Facebook. That is where I am going next.
While the rest of us can’t be sure what the criteria for endorsement was, the truth is that many Progressives will not support Hillary Clinton as a presidential candidate; there are too many reasons to distrust her motivation and to question her sincerity. I, for one, hope that Bernie Sanders will prevail – and I am a firm believer that we need a strong advocate for educational reform in the White House.
TIME FOR RANDI WEINGARTEN TO RESIGN. AND TAKE MULGREW WITH HER.
So sad, and so typically Randi . . . .
VOTE for BERNIE SANDERS ! ! ! !
I participated in an AFT conference call regarding candidates a little before the end of the school year. A large number of union local leaders and activists, facilitated by AFT. Randi described the process of reaching out to candidates with surveys/questionnaires before then inviting respondents to be interviewed more in depth (not one Republican even responded at the survey level, according to RW). This call was about 3 candidates: Clinton, Sanders, O’Malley.
One thing seemed clear to me, even though RW said a few times that there was no endorsement message in the summary of candidate positions and interview response descriptions: AFT was all-in on Hillary.
Paraphrased: Hillary was just so clear and specific and used the words “collective bargaining”. Descriptions on the other candidates were more reserved.
It was not just what felt to me a description of the consummate politician I had come to expect…Clinton has been very good at weaving through positions and explanations for her stance on same sex marriage; relocation to NY; email…it felt an intention effort to attach just the right words to a potntial (if not already chosen) endorsee-like laying the foundation for an endorsement to come. Consider from this posting:
“In vision, in experience and in leadership, Hillary Clinton is the champion working families need in the White House,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten.
“Working Families”…wink-wink-nudge-nudge. WFP listen up. Do not get Cuom-holed again on this.
Well…there it is–if Randi doesn’t back off of this endorsement, then teachers, like myself, will go shopping for another candidate to vote for—Please email the NEA not to join in this fiasco!
How about the slogan: ‘Anyone but Hillary’?
So Hillary has promised Randi she can be the next Arne?
that’s my take — Randi has had her eye on that cushy Sec of Ed job for ages….
and it doesnt hurt Hillary that Randi sits on the board of her PAC….
frustrating, disappointing, sickening ….. and entirely predictable….
Bingo…quid pro quo.
I can hear the sound bite – “A real educator to run the DOE!” Problem is many TFA 2 year wonders have spent more time in a classroom than Randi.
At this point, Bernie Sanders has my support.
What the ‘h’ is the hurry to endorse ANY candidate?! We vote in 2016, not in 2015. Who knows what dirt someone will dig up on Hillary in another year. A LOT can change in a year. What if a better candidate steps up to run for president? NOT happy with this premature endorsement.
Agree…I am very disheartened to see Randi do this now. There is much time to evaluate all the candidates. She is wearing blinders to Hillary’s close contact with Wall Street, Common Core, and Rheeformers. There are many articles on the close friendship with the Clintons and Eli Broad….and the Hollywood charter school donors like Geffen.
I hope everyone reads the article by Matt Taibbi in Rolling Stone this week depicting the Wall Street flack, Obama’s choice for DoJ, Eric Holder. Hillary is just the same, Her allegiance is to her ilk, the 1% despite what words her PR writers. put in her mouth.
Very disappointed in Randi’s rush to endorse.
why do you think Randi is wearing blinders? Randi and Clinton go way back, Randi sits on Clinton’s PAC and Randi has pretty much done everything she can to appease wall street, pushes common core and charters, has close connections to Broad herself…
Well – I suppose that many of us are not surprised about Randi! By extension, many of us do not trust or are not surprised about anything Hillary says about public education particularly when she obfuscates her real feelings about Wall Street and the privatization of public education. In the case of Randi, as many New York supporters of public education feel, it is not surprising that Randi and her lieutenants do things like prematurely supporting Hillary. I mean really, as a national teacher union leader how can she passively sit on stage with Cuomo and Duncan and let them attack the democratic institution of locally controlled public schools without displaying any angst at all.
http://www.forbes.com/video/3714822500001/
You bet Hillary is allegiant to her ilk! She is a third way politician, and these folks are allegiant to Wall Street! Let’s stop being led astray! I’ve been professionally involved in education for 45 years! I taught public schools for 18 years and then started by Ph.D. in social foundations of education in 1991. I opposed A Nation at Risk and saw through the falsehoods of this document from the start. As a professor, I was not alone in seeing the conservatives support a corporate agenda that was intent on destroying public schools. As we all know, there were many people with bigger brains than myself who also saw through the baloney of the Reagan, Bush I, Clinton I, and Bush II administrations as far as there education reform agenda! I didn’t include Obama since a whole bunch of folks were getting the picture by this time!
The reality is – public education is in big trouble and it probably will not be saved by Hillary or any Republican! And if anyone thinks that is going to happen – well – let’s just look at the history of American education reform since 1983!!!!
Supposedly, the public needs to hear the story of what is going on regarding education DEFORM. Okay, here is the story I think needs to be told! I am certainly open to reading other stories that may change my mind, or further enlighten me!
http://publicschoolscentral.com/
Tom
Tom,
Thanks for the links.
I agree also. This is ridiculous.
Really? Hillary’s detractors have been digging since the 90s. She’s the most vetted candidate in history, having endured investigations, hearings and political daggers from the right and, more recently, the left.
Agree Again! Too bad, so sad, TOO SOON!
AFT is far too early to endorse HC before squeezing her on privatization testing RTTT, and so on. They should have at least flirted with Bernie and made her work for it.
I’m sure the threat of Bernie Sanders had something to do with the endorsement.
Or perhaps it’s because Weingarten is on the board of Hillary’s PAC: http://www.p2016.org/interestg/prioritiesusaaction012314pr.html
I don’t get it.
How many politicians to date including Obama and Christie have made direct promises to teachers only for teachers to have their issues be te first to be sacrificed for whatever reason they deem an acceptable excuse, Bernie doesn’t strike me nor does his record say that he’d lie to teachers.
Hilary’s record can be read as a waffler or someone who considers issues and can change her mind.
Problem with wafflers is they can waffle against you or say anything they think will get them elected even if logistically keeping all of their promises is impossible.
We know Hilary has deep ties to the financial industry – I need to hear where she is getting this courage to stand up to people whose values directly contradict her promises.
Randi expects a big personal payoff from Hillary, and sold out public education long ago.
She has a caucus bound by loyalty oaths on her payoff roster with her, but rank and file despise her. By the time they can topple her, there will be nothing left but the rubble of her “Reform or be reformed” sellout. When she spoke at the NEA convention last week, 7,000 delegates barely clapped at all.
Here’s her actual base, the Gates-funded Teacher Union Reform Network:
http://www.turnweb.org/members/
Agree.
When she speaks, does anyone listen anymore?
Voting for Bernie. Randi represents one person….RANDI!!! I was never polled. Lies, lies and more lies!
Disappointed. I feel like this was a back room deal without taking any sincere or authentic concern for members into consideration. Look how pissed people are.
Thank goodness for the internets.
It looks like whatever credibility Randi had before, just vanished.
But it was a good wake up call. It’s nice to see that so many people are pissed off. That means they know the truth.
Maybe we need more people to keep pissing us off.
This wouldn’t be so galling if there had actually been a vote of the members for the endorsement – you know, the democratic process? I would stand behind my union sisters’ and brothers’ decision if that were the case but it wasn’t and I resent the AFT using me to pad their endorsement without my permission. I do not endorse Hillary Clinton.
The polling they said they conducted has to be sham. It is neither smart nor truly in our (teachers) best interest to throw Clinton any support when she has yet to earn it in any meaningful way. She is bought and paid for by Wall Street and far removed from any sense of what public educators actually want or need.
Hello Secretary of Education Weingarten. No words.
I hear only 1150 AFT members voted to endorse Hillary
While this is what unions (now basically monolithic corporations) do in a two-party system, this is also what knocks out the potential third parties and keeps us in a hugely ideologically corrupt two-party –arguably one-party– system.
Right, Akademos (& this is the reason for the way premature endorsement–just as was done for the 2012 election–we educators were none-too-pleased w/Obama {who, w/his incompetent & unqualified Sec. of Ed.,ravaged U.S. public schools & enriched Pear$on rather than allow teachers to actually teach children}),but remember this has come from the union leadership & NOT from the REAL union–its members, the rank-&-file.
However, this is having the effect of enraging AFT members (who have repeatedly written here that no one polled them), causing them–& those of us in the NEA–to work even harder for Bernie Sanders, the one candidate who will do right for the 99%.
I know it’s not the membership, it’s the leadership that makes the unions monolithic corporations. The thing is that served unions well in more overtly troubled times. Now, with all of this privatization and gambits for excellence and accountability, lines blur in terms of the extent of compromise versus collusion, and the hypocrisy in the rhetoric is so thick and heavy it’s falling off the bones. In these bizarre times in education, monolithic union might gets duped over and over into unnecessary compromise and outright collusion.
Randi’s premature endorsement serves her personal political goals but it undermines the strength of union votes. The CWA was dancing with Bernie.
Okay–back to finish what I’d started. As I’ve commented before, one needs only to read Carl Bernstein’s 2007 book, A Woman in Charge, & look up (think it’s on something like p.473-?) Hilary’s involvement w/the Arkansas teachers (Chris in Florida, above, mentions something about this–but, as you will read in the book, Bernstein points out that this was done, in part, because something was going awry w/in the government {or w/the governorship}, & a “villain” needed to be found–& that “villain” chose was the Arkansas Teachers Assn.) That having been said–as I have also commented before–Arkansas teachers, please comment on this! (I’m sure many of you who had been teaching at the time are now retired, so should have no fear of adding to this very important conversation).
Finally–as many others have commented–we, too, have numerous teachers working for Bernie, and we’ll work until he wins! He is seriously creeping up in the polls, and has amassed–last I heard–$15 million. It’s very easy to donate & to get involved in your area. Finally, we truly have a REAL choice, so let’s get this done, people! Don’t agonize–organize, because yes, WE can…& this time we have someone who has & will put on his walking shoes. Yes, WE WILL!!!
A totally political decision. Senator Bernie Sanders is the candidate who will do the most for public education, for children, and for teachers.
Shame on AFT!
slow down….. We need to be sure this time.
The AFT is a reflection of the country– we complain about leaders, then we elect the same old people. What is going on? This is just the ammunition that anti-union forces need. How clear is it now that the unions are in the pocket of the Democrats?
I just hope that it is seen that the rank and file will not vote for Hillary just because the union said so.
The media and anti-union forces will never distinguish between the rank and file and this executive council decision. NPR just reported that the AFT had endorsed Clinton.
There is also money involved here.
This is why teachers are backing away from unions.
I was pro- Clinton until I began to research her positions on charters, etc. i am now firmly in Bernie’s camp. Who did they poll? Probably only the Unity slugs.
An absolute disappointment. It’s way early to endorse someone, but if it had to be done now, Bernie Sanders is the better candidate. His support of unions is unwavering– not based on the polls.
If our union president and executive board don’t trust us to be part of the endorsement process, why are they representing us? Why are we allowing them to represent us? I imagine our unions will feel a huge drop in membership over this. It is embarrassing to members to learn of an endorsement from a Facebook post. If AFT truly wanted to support a candidate, they would make sure everything was a go before they announced. The helplessness we members feel from our own union is worst than any helplessness we feel from admin or reformers. Why? We are AFT. We expect better.
Of course, I’ll probably get demeaned and ridiculed from leadership for my opinion, but, oh well. It won’t be a first. Meh.
Gator, absolutely. While I’m not in a union (I’m in a right to work state), this really bothers me. It smacks of all that seems off with the Clinton campaign. Maybe it really is arrogance.
I’m a Dem, and I don’t buy that her nomination is a given, much less a winner. I don’t think I’m alone.
So I wonder what the union got in return for this endorsement.
Why would a union support a clearly capitalist triangular?
Randi deserves a massive Twitter spank!
Absolutely. At the NPE conference in Chicago this year, Randi told Diane she would not take money from corporate reformers again. When I read yesterday that Randi endorsed Hillary, it occurred to me that she never said she would not GIVE money to them, but that’s what a union endorsement amounts to for political candidates, so I sent her a tweet telling her not to send teachers’ hard earned money to neoliberals like Hillary. I think others should send her similar tweets.
Where do any of Democratic candidates stand on key equity issues, such as how schools are funded, integration, charter schools, testing, class size etc. Here is the speech I wish they would give: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arthur-camins/the-k12-education-speech-_b_7755854.html
The fundamental structure of unions must change. It’s not the 70’s anymore.
Are the candidate position statements, provided to the AFT, posted on-line?
“The (un)Democratic Party”
Circle the wagons
Close the ranks
Summon the dragons
Ready the tanks
Bernie is coming
Quite a risk
With his drumming
On the rich
Another home run poem.
Last year, on Labor Day, was Weingarten in Israel, exhorting American workers to fight for their cause? Or, was the “AFT” e-mail message, a fraud?
An endorsement from a large union like the AFT has specific practical effects. This level of support shows that a candidate has legitimacy and is electable. Hillary already has that in abundance. So what other practical effects does an early endorsement like this have? How does it impact the other candidates and their legitimacy? How does it impact Bernie Sanders and his campaign to run and raise funds? While it does not knock him out of the running, it does have the effect of further marginalizing him, while dampening his and other potential candidates voices. Two years out, this endorsement has the effect of reducing the stakes for Hillary, and undermining empowered debate within the Democratic party. Why? How does this provide leverage for the teaching profession?
Don’t disagree, but Bernie could have helped himself by advocating his position on K-12 public education. Last week, his campaign sent out an 8- issue solicitation letter, with one issue, referencing colleges. Nothing about K-12. As a public citizen, I’ve made multiple requests to his campaign to learn about his education views. No response.
Hillary & Jeb! have identical education privatization policies. AFT leadership shows their shameless self-interest precludes the broad survival of the teaching profession.
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/05/18/hillary-clinton-paid-jeb-bushs-education-company/
“Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton received nearly a quarter of a million dollars last year for a speaking engagement on behalf of Academic Partnerships, a for-profit education company in which Jeb Bush held an ownership stake and on whose board he served.
Clinton’s newly filed personal financial disclosure shows that she was paid $225,500 on March 24, 2014 by Academic Partnerships.”
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/12/17/jeb-bush-v-hillary-clinton-perfectly-illustrative-election/
Glad to see that commenters are dismayed. Clinton will be more of the same. Yet another case of accepting Clinton’s nomination as a fait accompli instead of endorsing a candidate like Bernie Sanders who is clearly an advocate for unions.
As a teacher who has taught both before and during the one of the most concerted attacks against public education in American history, I find the early endorsement of any candidate to be appalling. One doesn’t endorse a candidate until he or she has shown a complete understanding of the issues and problems educators face. One certainly does not endorse a candidate whose understanding of the state of education is solely informed by those who are behind and/or benefit from the attacks on public education.
I for one took the AFT poll. I received the actual survey by owl post – a Great Grey if I remember correctly. There was catch, I was required to hand deliver it to Randi while riding a paisley unicorn.
I would personally agree with many of the above comments.
My own personal choice at this time is Bernie Sanders. Some think he is unelectable and that MAY be the reason for the AFT choice. I do not know nor will I speculate.
Bernie has said the same things for over a few decades. Ergo, I trust what he says now. Many think that Hillary will garner more votes than Bernie. On this too I will not speculate. He IS drawing HUGE crowds which may/;may not mean make him the most viable democratic candidate. However, again, at this point he is my choice. Hillary is a second choice.
“Ineluctabull?”
Bernie beat-the-bull
Unelectable?
Clinton meet-the-bull
Ineluctable?
on second thought “Hill’ry meet-the-bull”
or maybe “Hill’ry greet-the-bull”
The AFT executive board decided on the endorsement. “Multiple surveys—reaching more than 1 million members” does not mean that they were all asked specifically about endorsing Hillary. The inference is expertly written, as expected of good quality propaganda, and spun. Shame on AFT leadership !
Randi, who is on the board of a Pro-Hillary Super PAC, released press release of the results of a small poll on July 11, 2015 for an election in November of 2016.
Since Randi and Lily both told Diane and the attendees at the NPE Conference that they would no longer take Gates’ money to resounding applause and then reversed their declarations (The money went to AFT and NEA foundations or other connected whatevers.) a few days later, we shouldn’t be surprised this poll and endorsement.
When so much money is involved in all of this, I mourn for public education which is being dismantled as we read.
I’m thinking that we need to start planning some kind of action at next year’s AFT and NEA conventions.
The fact is that it is near impossible to bring about real change under their peculiar forms of ‘democratic’ governance and they have ensured that they do not hear, will not know, and cannot respond to the rank and file due to several layers of loyalist reps and ridiculous parliamentary procedures.
It’s time to give the AFT and NEA an ultimatum: start representing the true interests of the rank and file instead of the future financial security and career prospects of the officers and directors or risk dissolution and the formation of new organizations that will receive our dues.
It’s time to take back our unions or destroy them and create new ones. And this coming from a 20+ year veteran low-level building rep and loyal member of both unions.
Agreed, Chris. Let’s hold them “accountable.”
I agree wholeheartedly. Unions, by their nature, are grassroots organizations and the NEA and AFT in their early support for Ms Clinton, have lost that knowledge. If leadership was truly representing us they would hold their opinion until closer to the election and if Bernie Sanders goes that far, we should be backing him. He is for labor and worker’s rights.
This move by the NEA and AFT is so stinking political and completely worthless to the workers who make up these Unions.
To all readers, please read Dr. Lois Weiner here: What’s wrong with AFT: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/07/weingarten-president-primary-bernie-clinton/
The closing:
But even those who think the AFT should support Clinton should be disturbed by this endorsement because it undercuts the union’s power. A fully democratic endorsement process would truly inform and mobilize members, strengthening the union nationally and locally, making us stronger in the election and beyond.
Weingarten and too many members think we can rely on cozy relationships with politicians and powerful elites to defend our schools, our jobs, our economy, and democracy. We can’t. Only an engaged membership that understands the grave crisis public education, and democracy, faces is going to be able to turn back our opponents — who include Clinton and her Wall Street supporters.
We have a moral and political obligation to insist that AFT executive council members stand up for a different kind of unionism, one in which members are empowered and can exert democratic control over the policies that shape their lives, schools, and communities.
And this cozy relationship (read as capitulation by the bosses) attitude has spread down to the most humble local. The leaders think their special chums, the bosses, will play ball with them and keep the sheep quiet. I was shocked at this attitude when I attended the AFT convention in LA. Change and protest must start at the local level. I recommend that EVERY TEACHER contact their local president and protest this endorsement, making sure they understand that our votes are NOT IN THE BAG!
Demand a change in the bylaws if they permit executive decisions for endorsements.
What I found curious in this:
“As in past elections, the AFT’s 1.6 million members will be a powerful organizing force behind our endorsed candidate. Leading up to November 2016, AFT members are expected to make more than 1 million phone calls and knock on more than 500,000 doors.”
That’s not much outreach – not much support.
So we back Hillary now? I do not remember getting polled. Neither do ANY of my other fellow teachers it seems.
I want a woman president as much as anyone but I will wait for someone who deserves it like Elizabeth Warren. I’ll vote for Warren after Bernie Sanders’ 2 terms are over. 🙂
Hillary:
Scandals, flip flopping on issues, not trust worthy, frequently doesn’t answer questions, and IS BOUGHT AND PAID FOR BY CORPORATIONS.
Another Clinton presidency will mean more of the same:
http://publicschoolscentral.com/2015/07/13/another-clinton-presidency-lets-recall-the-role-of-the-first-clinton-in-establishing-achieve-and-the-common-core/
Petition seeking to recall the endorsement: https://www.change.org/p/american-federation-of-teachers-withdraw-your-endorsement-of-hillary-clinton-for-the-democratic-presidential-nomination?recruiter=2874199&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=share_twitter_responsive
According to Hillary Clinton’s twitter feed: Hillary 2016 @HlLLARY Jul 11
AFT polled it’s 1.6 million members, 8 in 10 said they support Hillary.
Also, 11 to 1, Hillary is who can beat Republicans.
Must mean that 8 of the 10 people Randi asked said so.
And another petition to rescind the premature AFT endorsement of Hillary Clinton: https://www.change.org/p/aft-leadership-contact-the-aft-and-demand-they-rescind-their-endorsement-of-hillary-clinton?recruiter=59387857&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=share_twitter_responsive
Let us teach irony folks.
Randi tweet yesterday:
“Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy. Elected officials shld encourage, not block access to the ballot.”
Hahahahahaahaha!
Until it’s a rigged poll and she doesn’t want to hear from her dues paying members.