Randi Weingarten: podcast appearances and interviews

Rhonda Randi Weingarten, born December 18, 1957, is an American labor leader, attorney, and educator. Since 2008, she has served as president of the American Federation of Teachers, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO. Prior to this role, she was president of New York Citys United Federation of Teachers and worked as the unions chief negotiator and counsel. She also taught social studies at Clara Barton High School. Weingarten is recognized as the first openly gay person elected to lead a national American labor union. During her tenure as AFT president, she has been a prominent figure in national debates over K-12 education policy. Her advocacy includes support for community schools, limits on high-stakes testing, and the promotion of accountability measures, employing a nuanced stance that advocates for selective assessments. Her positions on standardized testing, charter schools, teacher tenure, and educator pensions have generated both support and criticism from policymakers, advocacy groups, and the media. As leader of the UFT, she oversaw several significant collective bargaining agreements in New York City. These agreements increased teacher pay while extending the length of the workday and workweek and played a key role in education policy discussions during the 2000s.