Weingarten resigns from NYC teachers union (nation's largest teachers union)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/nation_world/20090624_ap_weingartenresignsfromnycteachersunion.html

Posted on Wed, Jun. 24, 2009


Weingarten resigns from NYC teachers union

VERENA DOBNIK

The Associated Press

NEW YORK - The president of the nation's largest teachers union announced Wednesday that she is resigning from her other job as head of New York's United Federation of Teachers.

Randi Weingarten, who led the New York teachers union since 1998, was elected president of the 1.4 million-member American Federation of Teachers last July.

The 51-year-old labor leader said recently that it's no secret the two jobs were weighing on her. But until Wednesday, she would not confirm her intention to step down, despite rumors circulating since last week.

Effective July 31, Weingarten will devote her full time to the organization that is the most prominent national advocate for teachers, often dealing with Congress and the White House.

On Wednesday, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Weingarten "has been a big part of many of the reforms we have implemented over the past seven years , and a big part of the incredible turnaround our schools have made."

Repeatedly re-elected to the union presidency by wide margins, Weingarten fought to increase teacher salaries and improve training. In 2007, she negotiated a contract that gave teachers bonuses if student test scores rose.

FULL story at link.