BEYOND THE APPLE: THE HIGH STAKES OF TEACHER SOLIDARITY
When billionaires call unions the problem, maybe it's time to check who's actually doing the math.
If you listen to the billionaire oligarchy—and let's be honest, it's hard not to, given they own most of the megaphones—unions are what's wrong with American education. Teachers are greedy. Tenure is a scam. Collective bargaining is holding back innovation.
But here's a thought: What if the problem isn't the people who spend their days wiping noses, breaking up fights, and explaining fractions for the thousandth time? What if the problem is the greedy bunch of bastards who think democracy works best when it's privatized, monetized, and available only to those who can afford the premium subscription?
A Brief Refresher on What America Was Supposed to Be
Our Founding Fathers—those guys the billionaires love to quote when it suits them—had some pretty radical ideas about education. John Adams, America's second president, famously declared:
"The whole people must take upon themselves the education of the whole people, and must be willing to bear the expenses of it. There should not be a district of one mile square, without a school in it, not founded by a charitable individual, but maintained at the public expense of the people themselves."
Thomas Jefferson doubled down, writing:
"But of all the views of this law [universal education] none is more important, none more legitimate, than that of rendering the people the safe, as they are the ultimate, guardians of their own liberty."
Notice anything? Public expense. The whole people. Guardians of their own liberty. Not "let's see if Jeff Bezos feels like funding your kid's school this year."
Yet here we are in 2026, watching the billionaire class wage a coordinated, well-funded war to dismantle teachers' unions, privatize education, and turn the cornerstone of democracy into just another profit center.
Meet the Defenders: NEA and AFT
The two major players standing between "public education" and "education as a service" are the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).
The NEA is the largest labor union in the United States—period. With approximately 3 million members, it represents teachers, education support professionals, higher ed faculty, and future educators across every state and over 14,000 communities. Led by President Becky Pringle, the NEA has deep roots in suburban and rural America and operates as both a union and a professional association.
The AFT, with about 1.8 million members, is affiliated with the AFL-CIO and has historically been the more "militant" sibling—think strikes, picket lines, and unapologetic collective action. Under President Randi Weingarten, the AFT is strongest in urban centers like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, and represents not just teachers but healthcare workers and government employees.
Both unions are democratic organizations. They elect leaders, debate policy, and set priorities at national representative assemblies held annually. They communicate through websites, social media, newsletters, rallies, and yes, by having their presidents appear on national news programs to remind America that teachers are, in fact, human beings who deserve living wages.
Bargaining for the Common Good (Because Apparently That's Radical Now)
Here's where it gets interesting. Modern teacher unions don't just negotiate for salaries and benefits. They engage in what's called Bargaining for the Common Good—a strategy that recognizes you can't educate kids who are hungry, homeless, or traumatized.
What does that look like in practice?
Racial & Social Justice: Demanding anti-racist discipline policies, moving away from "zero tolerance" nonsense, and pushing for diverse hiring that reflects the student body.
Crisis Response: During COVID-19 and recent natural disasters, unions organized food drives, secured internet hotspots for students, and negotiated safety protocols for entire communities.
Housing & Economic Justice: In high-cost cities, unions are bargaining for affordable housing for educators and families, recognizing that economic instability at home prevents learning at school.
Student Health: Negotiating for school nurses, counselors, social workers, lead-free water, green school initiatives, and mental health staffing ratios.
Corporate Accountability: Demanding that cities tax billionaires and corporations instead of squeezing homeowners, and pushing back against TIF subsidies for luxury developers while schools crumble.
Recent victories? The Chicago Teachers Union secured green schools with electric buses and solar panels. Oakland won dedicated funding for "Black Thriving Community Schools." Los Angeles established a $1 million immigration legal defense fund. St. Paul forced their district to divest from banks that refuse to maintain foreclosed properties.
This isn't "special interest" politics. This is what democracy looks like when it actually works for people instead of portfolios.
The Billionaire Playbook: A Three-Step Guide to Destroying Public Education
Let's talk about the opposition. Because while teachers are bargaining for school nurses and lead-free water, billionaires are spending tens of millions to ensure those negotiations never happen.
The Key Players:
Jeff Yass (Susquehanna International Group): The "Voucher King" has spent over $80 million in the 2025-2026 cycle alone, funding PACs like the School Freedom Fund that target pro-union candidates in primaries.
Garry Tan (Y Combinator): Launched "Garry's List," a dark-money group in California that openly targets public-sector unions and has maxed out contributions ($78,400 per candidate!) to anti-union school board candidates in San Francisco and San Jose.
The Walton Family (Walmart): The largest financial engine behind charter schools and voucher schemes, funneling over $10 million into local school board races this year.
Betsy DeVos (American Federation for Children): The architect of "Universal School Choice," her AFC Victory Fund has been credited with passing voucher laws in Texas, Idaho, and Tennessee.
Reed Hastings (Netflix): Called elected school boards "obsolete" and funds non-unionized charter schools.
The Three-Pronged Attack:
Legislative Assault: Funding "Right to Work" laws and bills that strip unions of the ability to bargain over anything except base wages—no class sizes, no safety protocols, no benefits.
Universal Vouchers: As of 2026, 18 states have passed "universal" school choice laws that redirect public money to private and religious schools where teachers have no union protections. The federal "One Big Beautiful Bill" of 2025 created a tax credit system that diverts up to $50 billion annually away from public schools.
Strategic Litigation: Funding lawsuits that challenge union seniority rules and dues collection, making it harder for unions to maintain membership and financial stability.
The Narrative War: Greedy Monsters vs. Actual Human Beings
Here's the thing the billionaires are counting on: that you don't actually know any teachers.
Because if you do—if you've ever met the person who stays late to tutor your struggling kid, who buys classroom supplies with their own money, who learns CPR and active shooter protocols and still shows up every day with a smile—you know they're not greedy monsters.
They're the people who watch and shape your children during their growth and development. They're the ones who notice when a kid comes to school hungry, when a family is struggling, when a student is being bullied. They're the ones who, despite being blamed for every societal ill from test scores to TikTok, keep showing up.
Most parents know this. Most Americans who actually interact with teachers know this.
The billionaires are betting you'll forget.
The Stakes: Democracy or Oligarchy?
This isn't just about teacher salaries or class sizes. It's about whether we believe in the foundational principle that an educated citizenry is the bedrock of democracy—or whether we're willing to let education become another luxury good, available only to those who can afford it.
The billionaire oligarchy wants you to believe that unions are the problem. That teachers are overpaid. That privatization equals innovation.
But here's what they're really afraid of: organized workers with a collective voice. Because when teachers, parents, and communities stand together and demand fully funded public schools, living wages, and a system that serves all children—not just the profitable ones—that's a threat to the entire project of turning democracy into a marketplace.
So yes, teachers' unions are bargaining for the common good. They're fighting for smaller class sizes and school nurses and affordable housing and green schools and immigrant defense funds.
And if that makes them the enemy of billionaires?
Good.
That means they're doing it right.
What You Can Do
Know who's funding your local school board race. Check your state's campaign finance portal. Look for "independent expenditures" and dark money transfers.
Support your local union. Attend school board meetings. Speak up for public education.
Follow the money. Organizations like OpenSecrets.org track billionaire spending on education policy.
Remember what Adams and Jefferson knew: Public education isn't a business. It's the foundation of freedom.
The billionaires have the money. But we have the numbers, the truth, and the teachers.
Let's act like it.
For more information on teacher union advocacy, visit nea.org and aft.org. To track billionaire spending in your local school board race, check your state's Secretary of State campaign finance portal or OpenSecrets.org.
