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The 2017 Pension Political Power 25: Randi Weingarten
No. 25. Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teacher
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
 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 |