Teachers' Union Boss Randi Weingarten
The president of the American Federation of Teachers on public schools, teacher bonuses, and why unions are so unpopular
Andy Cutraro for Bloomberg Businessweek
My parents were not union activists. My mother was a teacher who went on strike at terrific financial sacrifice to the family, and my father was an electrical engineer who lost his job through no fault of his own. It made me question the central notion of capitalism—that if you work hard, you'll have plenty of opportunity.
After finishing law school, I went to work on Wall Street and then became counsel at the United Federation of Teachers, the union for educators in New York City public schools. In 1998, I became president. When I first joined UFT, the city