If you follow the money, you start to see a very different picture of what teachers unions have been doing over the last decade — and it’s not just negotiating contracts or fighting for smaller class sizes.
Two new reports are putting hard numbers on something critics have been hinting at for years. According to research from Defending Education, the country’s largest teachers unions — primarily the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers — have funneled roughly $669 million into political causes since 2015. When you zoom out and include their state and local affiliates, that number climbs past $1 billion.
That’s not pocket change. That’s sustained, organized political investment.
The spending didn’t just trickle into a handful of campaigns either. It spread across a wide network of advocacy groups, political committees, and nonprofit organizations. Tens of millions went to major Democratic-aligned PACs like Senate Majority PAC and House Majority PAC. Another $85 million went directly to Democratic Party entities at various levels. Then there’s the broader ecosystem — groups like the State Engagement Fund pulling in over $60 million, and For Our Future Action Fund bringing in more than $40 million.
And it doesn’t stop at traditional politics. The reports show union money also flowing into causes tied to climate policy, ballot initiatives opposing school choice, and organizations like Planned Parenthood, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, and the National Center for Transgender Equality.
Critics say that kind of spending tells you exactly where priorities lie. Rhyen Staley, who led the research, described unions as operating more like a political machine than a labor organization, arguing that influence — not just representation — has become the central goal.
Supporters of the unions would likely counter that political engagement is part of protecting public education, shaping policy, and advocating for issues that affect students and teachers beyond the classroom. But that’s where the tension sits: what counts as advocacy for education versus broader ideological involvement?
Another layer to this is transparency. Union dues fund much of this activity, and critics argue many teachers may not fully realize how extensively those funds are used in the political arena. That’s fueling calls for clearer disclosure and more direct accountability.
All of this is unfolding as unions and allied groups ramp up organizing efforts tied to upcoming protests and demonstrations, signaling that political activity isn’t slowing down — it’s accelerating.
