(WASHINGTON, D.C.) -The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has topped the highest Membership in its 110-year history as Workers across America flock to organize with the 1.88 million-strong Union that cares, fights, shows up and “gets shit done.”

At the AFT’s 89th Biennial Convention this week, Union President Randi Weingarten announced a record Membership number of 1,875,209, with nearly 60,000 members in 179 new Units organized over the last two years.

Since Weingarten was first elected in 2008, the AFT has grown by 340,000, with close to half a million Members added during the last two decades.

After the June 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Janus - a case funded by Far-Right front groups - eliminated 94,000 fee-paying AFT Members with the stroke of a pen, the Union quickly recovered that shortfall and piled on an additional 65,000 Members for a net gain of 159,000 over eight years.

The AFT, with 3,786 Locals, is now the fastest-growing Union in the 65-Member National AFL-CIO, with major new Affiliates in States that include Hawaii, Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania - and new organizing across Health Care, Higher Education, Early Childhood Education and K-12 Sectors from Coast to Coast.

“‘Life is better in a Union,’” Weingarten said. “The AFT is a ‘big, bad, big-hearted’ Union made up of people who’ve dedicated their lives to caring for others. They see the value of belonging to the AFT because they want to win a ‘voice at work’ and in our Democracy.”  

The extraordinary growth comes against the backdrop of relentless political attacks from extremist lobby groups funded by dark money billionaires and pumped out verbatim by a dishonest conservative media ecosystem.

But this PR strategy has backfired spectacularly: The level of vitriol directed at Weingarten and the AFT has only raised the public profile of the Union and its leaders - buttressing new organizing efforts and stiffening the spines of existing Members.

Coordinated disinformation campaigns by Far-Right special interest groups, including the Freedom Foundation, to coerce existing Members to opt out of dues-paying Union Membership and “free ride” on their Union’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, have also proven unsuccessful, with nominal yearly losses swamped by a deluge of new internal and external organizing.

Meanwhile, Union approval is surging with the American Public to levels not seen since the 1960s, with a level of bipartisan support uncommon among the country’s core institutions.

Fifty million Non-Union Workers say they’d join a Union tomorrow - if they could.

Union Workers’ wages are 11% higher than Non-Union Workers - and Non-Union Workers in Unionized States earn more by virtue of the Union’s presence.

Unionized Teachers earn 24% more in States with collective bargaining and Education Support Professionals earn 13% more.

The Economic Policy Institute found this week that tripling Union Membership would deliver a 14.5% raise for the average Worker, reverse one-third of the increase in inequality experienced since 1979, significantly narrow racial wage gaps, boost the number of people with health insurance, strengthen communities and protect Democracy. 

AFT Affiliates have consistently secured path-breaking contracts with premium-free health care for their Members and families, Paid Parental Leave, Safe Staffing Ratios in Health Care Facilities and guaranteed retirement security through robust pensions.

“The AFT is going from strength to strength - and the attacks from our billionaire enemies only make us stronger,” Weingarten said. “For eighteen years, I’ve been proud to lead a Union that fights for a better life, not only for its Members - but for all Americans. And we’re just getting started.”

To View A List Of Nearly 180 New AFT Organizing Victories Since 2024, Go To: AFT Posts Highest-Ever Membership of 1.88 Million as Union Popularity Surges | American Federation of Teachers

Photo Courtesy Of The AFT.