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The 2017 Pension Political Power 25: Randi Weingarten

No. 25. Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teacher

25. Randi Weingarten
President, American
Federation of Teachers

Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers, is among the most impassioned leaders fighting for defined benefit pension plans. Representing 1.6 million teachers nationwide, the 59-year-old has a big budget and considerable political power behind her, but she’s got good reason for concern: There’s no doubt that she and the teachers she serves will lose influence under Republican President Donald Trump. Since Trump nominated charter school advocate Betsy DeVos (No. 3) to head the Department of Education, Weingarten has been using her bully pulpit to slam DeVos on her charter record and her support for the restructuring of government pensions in Michigan. Weingarten continues to battle hedge funds that manage teachers’ pension investments, calling for institutional investors to shun managers with high costs and those who work against issues important to teachers. — Julie Segal


The 2017 Pension Political Power 25

1. Andy Puzder
Secretary of Labor
2. Bruce Rauner
Governor of Illinois
3. Betsy DeVos
Secretary of Education
4. Laura & John Arnold
Founders,
Laura and John Arnold Foundation
5. Steven Mnuchin
Secretary of the Treasury
6. Wilbur Ross
Secretary of Commerce
7. Tani Cantil-Sakauye
California Chief Justice
8. Paul Ryan
Speaker of the House
9. Anthony Scaramucci
Founder, SkyBridge Capital
10. Kevin de León
California State Senator and President Pro Tempore
11. Mike Enzi
Chairman, Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security
12. Steve Sweeney
President,
New Jersey State Senate
13. Jerry Brown
Governor of California
14. Corey Lewandowski
Co-founder, Avenue Strategies
15. Paul Singer
President,
Elliott Management Corp.
16. Randel Johnson
Senior Vice President, Labor, Immigration, and Employee Benefits, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
17. Joe Manchin
U.S. Senator
18. Kenneth Feinberg
Founder and managingpartner, Feinberg Rozen
19. Scott Walker
Governor of Wisconsin
20. Richard Trumka
President, AFL-CIO
21. Mike Rawlings
Mayor of Dallas
22. Elizabeth Warren
U.S. Senator
23. Kent Mason
Partner,
Davis & Harman
24. Bernie Sanders
U.S. Senator
25. Randi Weingarten
President, American Federation of Teachers

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