AFT Response to Project Veritas Video

WASHINGTON—American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten and AFT Michigan President David Hecker issued the following joint statement in response to a Project Veritas video posted today:

“AFT Michigan works every day to support students, teachers, and access to high-quality public education for all. Today, a widely discredited political attack group released a heavily spliced video intended to undermine educators and the unions that represent them. 

“In making the video, an anti-union operative misrepresenting herself to be a college intern trespassed and stole documents from an AFT union office in an effort to suggest that unions should not represent their members. It’s a vigilante, politically motivated smear tactic, and it does nothing to improve public education or protect students.  

“In this particular case, following accusations of a teacher’s misconduct with a child of a woman he was dating years before, the union and district officials worked together to separate a teacher from service and make sure students were protected. To this day, the teacher denies the accusations, and no charges have been filed. AFT Michigan continues to prioritize the well-being of students and the promise of high-quality public education in Michigan.”

For more background, please see this document.