On Aug. 14, Social Security will mark its 90th anniversary—but instead of celebrating, labor leaders and activists say the program faces the gravest threats in its history. Speaking during a virtual town hall on Aug. 7, AFT President Randi Weingarten warned that the Trump administration is pursuing policies aimed at dismantling Social Security. “They’re not going to tell people that they don’t want it,” she said. “We have to fight in every which way we can, particularly those of us who are not yet on Social Security, … for people to have it and to keep it … for our children and our

AFT-Wisconsin Executive Board

President: Jon Shelton, Local 6511

I am proud to serve as the elected president of AFT-Wisconsin, a position I’ve held since 2025. I spend every day working with educators and other public employees across the state to build power in our workplaces. I have also served as president of UWGB-United, the faculty and staff union at UW-Green Bay, and four terms as Vice President for higher education of AFT-W.  In that capacity, I’ve worked with my colleagues to fight for faculty, staff, and student voice in the UW system; to protect academic freedom; and to make sure all

In AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest New York Times  column, she describes what it is exactly that unions do. Though unions are the most popular they have been in decades, anti-union sentiment still thrives in red states and across the nation. “Several years ago, The Atlantic ran a story whose headline made even me, a labor leader, scratch my head: ‘Union Membership: Very Sexy,’” Weingarten writes in the column. “The gist was that higher wages, health benefits and job security—all associated with union membership—boost one’s chances of getting married. Belonging to a union doesn’t actually guarantee happily ever after, but it does help working people have a better life in the here and now.” Click through to read the full column.