Press Releases

Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee Chairman Rick W. Allen (R-GA) today demanded answers from American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten following reports that teachers’ union dues may have been used to finance the production, publication, and promotion of a book from which she personally benefited.

In the letter, Walberg and Allen write: “The prospect that rank-and-file educators’ dues may have financed a project that generated private financial gain raises serious questions about transparency, accountability, and fiduciary responsibility within one of the nation’s largest labor organizations.”
 
The letter continues: “Recent reporting and analyses of AFT’s federal labor disclosures raise questions regarding whether union funds, personnel, contractors, and other resources were utilized to support the development and promotion of your book while you simultaneously retained a portion of the resulting royalties and proceeds. According to these reports, AFT expended substantial funds on consultants, legal services, publication-related expenses, fact-checking services, photography, and other activities connected to the book.”
 
The letter concludes: “The Committee also has a responsibility to ensure that organizations representing American workers operate transparently and that union members receive a full accounting of how their dues are utilized. The allegations surrounding the financing and proceeds relating to the book warrant careful examination, and the Committee expects your full cooperation.”

Read the letter here.