Speeches

AFT President Randi Weingarten

2025

• A Moment Like Never Before (AFT TEACH Conference, 7/25/25)

2024

• Fighting for a Better Future: Labor and Education Policy (David N. Dinkins Leadership and Public Policy Forum, 12/4/24)
• The Road Ahead: Fighting for Progress, Freedom and Democracy (AFT Convention, 7/22/24)

2023

• Real Solutions for Real Communities (AFT TEACH, 7/21/23)
• In Defense of Public Education (National Press Club, 3/28/23)

2022

• Choosing Hope, Aspiration and a Better Life for All (AFT Convention, 7/14/22)

2021

• A Safe and Welcoming School Year for All (AFT TEACH, 7/6/21)
• Return, Recover and Reimagine: Toward A Renaissance in America's Public Schools (Virtual, 5/13/21)

2020

• Confronting America’s Three Crises (AFT Convention, July 28, 2020)

2019

• Democracy in Education, Education for Democracy (AFT TEACH, July 11, 2019)
• The Freedom to Teach (National Press Club, April 18, 2019)

2018

• Hope in Darkness (AFT Convention, July 13, 2018)

2017

• Our David vs. Goliath Battle to Resist Injustice and Reclaim Promise of Public Education (AFT TEACH, July 20, 2017)
• Four Pillars to Achieve Powerful, Purposeful Public Education ... Or Reigniting the Education Wars (National Press Club, Jan. 9, 2017

2016

• 100 years strong (AFT Convention, July 18, 2016)

2015

• Silence is akin to consent (AFT Civil, Human and Women's Rights Conference, Oct. 2, 2015)
• The power of collective voice (AFT TEACH, July 13, 2015)
• Collective bargaining: Wage grower, quality enhancer (Penn State University, April 15, 2015)
• Reclaiming the promise of Kenwood-Oakland (City Club of Chicago, April 1, 2015)
• Speaking from the heart about Israel's future (J Street Gala, March 23, 2015)
• American labor movement at a crossroads (Washington, DC, Jan. 15, 2015)

2014

• It all starts with collaboration (West Coast Labor Management Institute, Oct. 22, 2014)
• Reclaiming the Promise of America (AFT Convention, July 11, 2014)
• Together We Can Reclaim the Promise of Public Education (American Association of School Administrators Convention, Feb. 14, 2014)

2013

• Reclaiming the Promise of Public Education (AFT TEACH Conference, July 22, 2013)
• Making Common Core Standards Work Before Making Them Count (Association for a Better New York, April 30, 2013)

2012

• Solution-Driven Unionism (AFT Convention, July 27, 2012)
• A Quality Agenda: How to Build Enduring Education Reform (AFT TEACH Conference, July 11, 2011)

2011

• Sharing Responsibility: Using Collective Bargaining as a Tool To Help Preserve Public Services in the Wake of State Fiscal Crises (March 28, 2011)
• Toward a True Development and Evaluation System," AFT Teacher Evaluation Conference (February 24, 2011)

2010

• Saving public education, not as we know it, but as we know it ought to be (AFT Convention Keynote Address, July 8, 2010)
• A New Path Forward (National Press Club, November 12, 2010)
• Accepting the UFT's Charles Cogen Award (November 7, 2010)

2009

• QuEST Keynote Address (July 13, 2009)

2008

• Democratic National Convention address (Denver, Colorado, August 25, 2008)
• The union is the solution: Our moment is now (AFT Convention, July 14, 2008)