Randi Weingartens dirty back-to-school war on Target

Randi Weingarten knows full well that back-to-school shopping hits household budgets hard.Teachers dig into their own pockets for classroom supplies; families stretch every dollar to cover notebooks, backpacks and clothes.Yet the president of the American Federation of Teachers is using this very moment to push shoppers toward stores that employ unionized workers — even when those retailers are pricier.Weingarten has launched an all-out campaign, complete with a dedicated website and a raft of print and digital ads, aimed at convincing teachers and parents to steer clear of Target.The reason has nothing to do with the chain’s prices or product quality — and everything to do with partisan politics.According to its own public materials, the AFT launched its “Shop Smart, Support Working Families” campaign because Target has refused to condemn the enforcement operations conducted by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.In other words, it’s punishing the company for failing to take a political stand against federal agents doing their jobs.The union’s website features a locator tool that claims it will help users find “back-to-school retailers that support union values.”I tested the union’s new tool myself, entering San Antonio, Texas, as my location.Within a 10-mile radius, the site returned three stores — all of them Macy’s outlets.That’s not a coincidence; the tool filters for retailers that “employ a significant number of unionized employees.”The practical result: Teachers and parents get steered toward higher-priced options during a season that Weingarten herself acknowledges is a financial strain.Weingarten, who collects more than $500,000 a year in total compensation, sits comfortably in the top 5% of earners.Yet while rank-and-file educators worry about covering basic classroom needs out of pocket, she deploys the union’s platform for political warfare over an unrelated agenda.The mismatch is glaring.Meanwhile, the same AFT materi...