Image by Shmulik Almany

By Nathan Guttman March 13, 2017

Teachers union leader Randi Weingarten is shaping up to be one of President Trump’s toughest opponents, especially when it comes to implementing his ambitious $1 trillion infrastructure plan.

Axios reports that Weingerten’s clout goes way beyond the 1.6 million member American Federation of Teachers which she heads. According to the report, the Jewish Democratic union leader may hold the key to allowing Trump to go ahead with his plan, which requires reaching deals with national organized labor groups.

Weingerten may have no direct influence on infrastructure workers, but she’s close to the Building Traders union and is a major stakeholder at the AFL-CIO, meaning it will be hard to pull off a deal without her consent.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Furthermore, the infrastructure plan is expected to rely on private equity, making the teacher’s pension funds valuable for financing the program, which will also give Weingerten and the AFT a say in the process.

Will Weingerten play along with the administration’s plans?

So far she has been highly critical of Trump’s Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and has positioned herself as the president’s major union rival. So collaboration over infrastructure does not seem to be in the cards.

Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected]

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount