Finally putting on the record what has to have been just about the worst-kept secret in Washington (and New York City, for that matter), AFT President Randi Weingarten announced yesterday that she’ll be stepping down as the head of the union’s largest affiliate, the United Federation of Teachers, on July 31.
I was a bit amused to find that the UFT press release that celebrates Weingarten’s tenure (and pending departure) is more than 1,500 words long and quotes from everyone you can think of, while the AFT press release announcing her intention to work full time for the parent union is less than 100 words and quotes only from Weingarten herself.
I do wonder if running the parent union will demand some different skills from running the local. They say, of course, that Washington politics are totally different from New York City politics. I guess we’ll find out.