by WorldTribune Staff, August 10, 2025 Real World News
Top officials at the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), who are paid many times more than the average dues-paying teacher in the union, are under investigation for spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on luxury travel.
The House Education and Workforce Committee on Thursday reported that it sent a letter to AFT President Randi Weingarten demanding answers and accountability after details surfaced regarding union officials spending more than $100,000 on limousine services
The letter, from Education and Workforce Chairman Tim Walberg and Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee Chairman Rick Allen demands details from Weingarten:
“If substantiated, these allegations reveal a troubling lack of accountability within AFT leadership,” reads the letter. Federal law requires Weingarten to “manage the union’s expenses solely for the benefit of AFT and its members.”
The letter continues:
“The magnitude of recent AFT officer reimbursements raises questions about the adequacy of your current treasury oversight practices. AFT’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Form LM-2 shows that you received $42,105 in additional disbursements on top of your $457,769 gross salary (which, notably, is more than six times the average teacher salary of $72,030).
“Committee sources allege that part of your reimbursements covered personal international travel unrelated to AFT business and that union funds were used to provide you with a full-time private driver. AFT’s LM-2 filings also list disbursements to Alpine Limousine Service, Inc., with payments totaling over $100,000 in each of the previous two fiscal years. … Using union funds to pay a luxury private limousine service suggests that AFT is financing personal conveniences for senior officers rather than using union funds appropriately.
“Meanwhile, Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram received a gross salary of $301,892 in FY 2024, plus an additional allowance of $76,200 in 2024 and in each of the previous three fiscal years. This regularity is unusual: every other officer or employee who received more than $5,000 in annual allowances saw their payments fluctuate from year to year.”
The Daily Caller reported that lawmakers have also received reports from unnamed sources that Weingarten has paid for other conveniences such as a private driver. The influential union boss previously drew criticism by advocating for schools to stay closed during the Covid pandemic despite data showing such restrictions were pointless.
Congress investigating teachers’ union over luxury travel spending added by Editor Two on
View all posts by Editor Two →