Randi Weingarten certainly knows how to game the system. This time it involves her book, “Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy.” To write this manifesto, she raided the union coffers.

American Federation of Teachers boss Randi Weingarten tapped hundreds of thousands in union resources to help write her controversial book — working with a team that raked in more than $1.4 million from the labor group, a new analysis found.

Weingarten used the abundance of union-fueled resources for the liberal agenda-pushing “Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy,” then pocketed a portion of the proceeds, the Freedom Foundation claimed in a new report.

Her team included an attorney who supposedly worked on the book pro bono but whose firm raked in $977,000 for various work for AFT, as well as a supposed “ghost writer” who earned over $400,000 overall from the union, the report said.

Read that again. She took $1.4 million dollars of union dues from the AFT and spent it on a ghost writer, a photographer, attorneys, and more. 

These dues are SUPPOSED to be used for workplace representation. They are SUPPOSED to be used to support teachers. Union dues, to the tune of $1.4 million dollars are not supposed to be used to write a ‘look at MEEEEEE’ book!

The Freedom Foundation analyzed AFT’s financial report, an LM-2 filed with the federal government that covered the period July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.

The group found that Weingarten noted in the book’s acknowledgments that writer Sally Kohn, a union consultant, was “indispensable as a day-to-day thought partner and collaborator.” The AFT paid Kohn consulting fees of $400,270 in two separate installments, according to financial records — more than triple what the union paid her in previous years.

The Freedom Foundation claimed Kohn was being paid for “ghostwriting” or assisting Weingarten in writing the book, as that is a service Kohn advertises — but Weingarten’s camp pushed back and said she has worked on a number of union projects, including a union “Reconnecting McDowell” newsletter.

Weingarten’s acknowledgments also shout out fact-checker Emily Krieger. The report noted AFT paid $6,000 to Emily Krieger Editorial LLC in Bozeman, Montana. On the portfolio section of her website, Krieger says she “fact-checked” Weingarten’s book.

The photograph of Weingarten appearing on the book’s inside dust jacket and that featured in Penguin Random House’s promotional materials is credited to photographer Tony Powell. The AFT disclosed paying Powell $5,212 under Schedule 19, “Union Administration.”

Sally Kohn is a political consultant and community organizer. She certainly made bank off of ghostwriting Randi Weingarten’s book! Given Sally’s history, no wonder Randi’s book was more of a manifesto! 

I'm begging people to stop sounding like Sally Kohn https://t.co/av7dFaaCb5 pic.twitter.com/fM1ieW4PPe

— Scott Greer 6’2” IQ 187 (@ScottMGreer) March 22, 2026

Sally also fangirled over the George Floyd riots. So there’s that. 

Again, Weingarten took $1.4 million in union dues to get her manifesto written and published. But that’s ok. Why?

Finally, Weingarten promised that royalties from the sale of the book would go to the union and related nonprofits. But $125,000 of the proceeds went to an LLC called “Teachers Want What Kids Need.”

Weingartern now admits she is splitting royalties with the union.

Is she? Is she really going to split the royalties with the union? She’ll pay herself first. Bet me. Especially given that particular LLC is incorporated in Delaware with no visible information regarding officers, funding, or anything else. 

Randi herself is ticked off that she’s being called out on her grift. 

In a feeble attempt to hit back, Weingarten and the AFT put out a press release calling our report "error-riddled" and slamming the New York Post for reporting it.

There are no errors. Just the truth — straight from her union's own financial records. pic.twitter.com/CZFRo83DOV

— Freedom Foundation (@FreedomFdtn) May 19, 2026

If that’s all she has for a response… 

Then again, there’s a separate report showing that a large number of teachers are fine with their union dues going to writing manifestos and engaging in shrill political protests. 

Randi’s wife’s synagogue benefitted from AFT union dues as well. 

The NCRI report also claims that during fiscal year 2024, the AFT gave $10,000 to a synagogue run by Weingarten’s wife, Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum. At least three other unions affiliated with the AFT through their membership in the national AFL-CIO union association contributed $10,000 each to Kleinbaum’s synagogue during the same time period, the report claims.

A spokesperson for the AFT said the donations went to a “a public, charitable fund” called “The Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum & Randi Weingarten Fund for Social Justice at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah.” The fund’s mission, per its website, is to build on the synagogue’s “work as a leader in the Jewish/LGBTQ+ social justice movements.”

Pretty nice grift they’ve got going on right? 

Randi makes nearly $500,000 a year. That’s plenty of dollars that gives her lots of time to write up her own book rather than handing Sally Kohn $400,000 dollars to ghost write it for her. 

Is it any wonder that the teachers unions are hiking dues? 

For people who hate capitalism, teachers' unions sure do love demanding more of your capital! pic.twitter.com/kzkZPhzLGW

— Freedom Foundation (@FreedomFdtn) May 19, 2026

Randi Weingarten couldn’t write herself out of a paper bag. But she’s here to tell you she’s all about the workers!

After she takes a $1.4 million cut of their dues to write her manifesto masquerading as a book. THEN she’ll pay attention to the little people. 

Feature Photo Credit: Randi at anti-Trump anti-rich rally in 2017 via Flickr, cropped and modified