(Headline USA) Teachers’ union boss Randi Weingarten is poised to collect a taxpayer-funded New York City pension despite not having taught in a classroom for years, according to the Freedom Foundation.
As head of the American Federation of Teachers, Weigarten is reportedly eligible for a $15,000 annual check when she retires. The Teachers’ Retirement System of the City of New York currently credits Weingarten with 15 years of service as a teacher, even though she only worked in a classroom for four of those years. As a result, Weingarten stands to rake in more than $200,000 when she retires.
Maxford Nelsen, the Freedom Foundation’s director of labor policy, said this pension is the direct result of Weingarten’s negotiations with city officials.
“Weingarten has been able to accrue hundreds of thousands of dollars in pension benefits while spending very little time teaching in the classroom,” he said. “It’s a result of a policy decision made by city officials with the union.
Weingarten was a social studies teacher at Clara Barton High School in Crown Heights between 1994 and 1997, and before that served as a substitute teacher for three years.
Asked about her city pension, Weingarten claimed the Freedom Foundation’s estimate was “completely wrong.” However, she could not say how much money she would be eligible for after retiring.
“I would have to check with UFT and TRS [Teachers Retirement System] on the other or find a quarterly statement, none of which I have right now,” she said.
Weingarten makes at least $543,562 per year as head of American Federation of Teachers, with $57,000 set aside for “retirement and other deferred compensation.”
Weingarten has come under fire over the past several years for her role in pandemic school closures. She has also actively campaigned against parental rights legislation, claiming efforts to give parents more of a say over classroom material is “the way in which wars start.”
