The United Federation of Teachers

Weingarten to step down as UFT president

by Ellie Spielberg

Jun 29, 2009 10:38 AM

Thanks members for honor of serving them and ‘our kids’

It was standing room only, overflowing with delegates, guests, family and former longtime UFT leaders who had come to say goodbye to and celebrate the leadership of Randi Weingarten, who was stepping down as UFT president.

Weingarten, who has led the union since 1998 and was elected president of the 1.4 million-member American Federation of Teachers in July 2008, formally announced her resignation, effective July 31, at the June 24 Delegate Assembly.

When Weingarten was elected president of the AFT, she told delegates that she would hold both the national and local positions temporarily, long enough to ensure a smooth transition.

Accepting the position as national president, she said, knowing it would eventually mean leaving her everyday role at the UFT, was one of the hardest decisions she ever had to make.

Weingarten served in both positions for a year, “even though each job is more than full time, deserving more than 24/7 attention,” she told the delegates. “So it is with very mixed emotions that I am announcing that this is my last Delegate Assembly as president of the UFT.”

Before making her announcement, Weingarten, whose tenure was shaped by her creative thinking, tenacity and brilliant negotiating strategies that delivered huge wins for her members, asked the assembly for a moment of personal privilege to address the body.

Anticipating the resignation after days of rumors that circulated throughout the city and speculation in the media, the usually lively, vocal delegates fell completely silent. Then, after a request from Weingarten, they voted to suspend the rules and allow the press into the room.

“I love this union, our members and the children we serve,” Weingarten began, giving a farewell talk that reached across the years from her childhood, with strong memories of her mother, a public school teacher, on strike, up to the challenges that face educators today.

She vowed to preserve hard-won gains and take up today’s challenges as national president, fighting for smaller classes, for more funding for the classroom, for professionalism for teachers, and for wrap-around services that would help equalize economic disparities faced by students and their families.

“And speaking of economic safety nets, I make no apologies for focusing so much energy … to make our members’ salaries and benefits more competitive,” she said to the resounding applause and cheers that burst out frequently throughout her talk.

Visibly choked up, Weingarten had to pause from time to time to collect herself as she addressed the people she has served for 23 years, starting in 1986 when joining the UFT staff full time as legal counsel.

There was one standing ovation after the next as she talked about some of the fights that she and her members engaged in together and won.

Highlights of those victories included boosting salaries by 43 percent in the last six years, winning funds for repairing crumbling schools, improving school safety, winning time and resources for professional development, winning the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit, raising the status of paraprofessionals, creating the first union-run charter schools in the country and organizing 28,000 home day care providers.

“The honor of serving you has humbled me,” Weingarten said. “Every single school I visit … every time I express anger at some management act of arrogance … every single fight I’ve led — it’s all in support of the most impressive, most caring, most hardworking group of people anywhere.”

She continued, “I thank you for the opportunity of serving and representing you and for the opportunity to serve our kids. You have been my finest teachers. I will always be only a phone call away. But this, our largest and greatest local in our largest and greatest city, will always be my home.”

When Weingarten was done and the audience was once more on its feet applauding with many delegates in tears, two Queens chapter leaders, Judith Glazer of IS 125 and Vivian Nobile of Edison HS, went on stage and gave her a bouquet of flowers they had brought for the occasion.

Then UFT Vice President for Academic High Schools Leo Casey stood up from the floor and motivated a resolution in tribute to Weingarten [see the resolution on page 10].

After saying goodbye and turning the proceedings over to UFT Secretary Michael Mendel, Weingarten could barely make it across the room due to the sheer number of well-wishers stopping her to say goodbye, get an autograph, shake her hand or embrace her.

Weingarten, who often good-naturedly referred to her petite stature when adjusting microphones at podiums yet who is known as a giant in public education and the labor movement, at last reached the doors of the meeting hall and left her Delegate Assembly for the last time.

A Tribute to Randi Weingarten

Whereas the United Federation of Teachers [UFT] has had the honor of Randi Weingarten’s service for the last 25 years, including over a decade as our leader and our president;

Whereas in New York City and across the nation, Randi is known as a powerful voice of teacher unionism – as a dedicated educator committed to the education of all children, especially those with the greatest needs, and as a passionate union leader whose thirst for economic justice is never quenched;

Whereas Randi has made securing the dignity and professional status of the women and men who take on the great responsibility of educating New York City’s youth into her personal mission;

Whereas as chief negotiator for the UFT, Randi opened up the process to rank-and-file participation with a 300-person negotiating committee and won salary increases of 43 percent over the last six years;

Whereas as various threats to public education have been mounted over the last two decades, there has been no more fierce advocate for public schools than Randi;

Whereas under Randi’s leadership, the UFT has forged a new and powerful alliance and community of interest with education advocacy, parent and community-based organizations, overcoming the generation-long divisions opened up with the 1968 strikes;

Whereas with Randi’s and the UFT’s full support, the historic Campaign for Fiscal Equity case was won, creating a process for bringing educational justice and full educational opportunity to students in New York City and in other urban settings across New York State;

Whereas by her courageous example, Randi has advanced the cause of full civil rights for lesbian and gay teachers and lesbian and gay working people;

Whereas Randi has earned a well-deserved reputation as a leading advocate of educational change and innovation, pioneering such experiments as our own charter schools, the lead teacher program and the schoolwide bonuses;

Whereas at a time when American labor has been on the defensive, its numbers shrinking

and its power diminishing, the UFT under Randi’s leadership has conducted the largest organizing drive in New York City in almost four decades, adding tens of thousands of new members, and grown in size, stature and power;

Whereas as the tribune of New York City public school educators, Randi Weingarten has successfully led us through many perils and challenges, and now leaves our profession and our union stronger than ever; therefore, be it

Resolved on the occasion of her decision to step down as our local president to devote herself completely to her responsibilities as the president of our national union, the American Federation of Teachers, the United Federation of Teachers gives its deepest thanks to our sister, Randi Weingarten, for her years of dedicated service to New York City public school teachers and New York City public school children; and

Resolved in honor of the place she will always have in our hearts, the UFT establish the office of “president emeritus” and confer it upon Randi Weingarten.