News from AFT Retirees Archive

Current Issue - August 2025

Picnics, parades and empowering workers

In her latest column, AFT President Randi Weingarten reflects on the true meaning of Labor Day—not just barbecues and back-to-school sales, but a day rooted in the struggle for workers’ dignity. She calls out the Trump-Vance administration’s betrayal of working people through Project 2025 and the so-called big, beautiful bill; and she reminds us why union power is essential: to fight for fair pay, healthcare, public schools, and a democracy that works for all. “Unions enable working people not just to ask for things from those in power, but to have some power of their own,” she writes.

This Labor Day, stand up for what workers deserve

Workers built this country, and workers deserve an economy, a government and a country for the people, not the billionaires. In the streets and on the shop floor, in union halls and the halls of Congress, this Labor Day we’re going to show the billionaires who we are and how we fight. Find an event near you to join in the fight.

Activists rally to save the nation’s retirement safety net

On Aug. 19, Americans marked the 90th anniversary of Social Security—a cornerstone of the nation’s retirement safety net. To honor the milestone, advocates held days of action on Aug. 14 and 16, organizing rallies across the country to demand full funding, adequate staffing, and protection from privatization. In a webinar, AFT President Randi Weingarten joined activists to spotlight efforts to protect and strengthen Social Security. In Bridgewater, N.J., AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus joined union members, retirees, and community activists outside a local Social Security office, sending a powerful message to the Trump administration: We will not let you gut the benefits our seniors earned and depend on. Similar rallies took place in cities like Pittsburgh, where concerns are growing over GOP-led tax cuts and recent firings by the Department of Government Efficiency—moves advocates say are undermining the future of Social Security.

AFT Voices: Eliseo's walk

Last summer, 17-year-old high schooler Eliseo Jimenez walked over 1,600 miles from Lubbock, Texas, to Washington, D.C., to raise awareness of two little-known Social Security provisions—the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset—that unfairly penalized public workers. Inspired by his grandmother and fueled by stories from his nonprofit work, Eliseo completed the 40-day trek solo. His journey sparked national attention and helped push the Social Security Fairness Act into law and is a powerful example of grassroots advocacy. Read his story on AFT Voices.

Join the AFT Book Club and Randi Weingarten on Sept. 21

The AFT Book Club is turning the tables—this time, AFT President Randi Weingarten is in the author’s seat. Join us Sunday, Sept. 21, at 6 p.m. EDT for a free, for-credit webinar featuring a riveting conversation on Weingarten's new book, Why Fascists Fear Teachers. We’ll explore how attacks on teachers, libraries, unions and the working class are part of a broader playbook to weaken democracy—and what we can do about it. Hear strategies for organizing with families, defending inclusive and honest education, and building a stronger democracy for all. Register now.