Statement of Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union

Washington, DC-SEIU president Andy Stern issued the following statement on the election of Randi Weingarten to lead the American Federation of Teachers:

Anyone concerned with education and the state of our public schools knows that we are at a crossroads and there are some tough choices ahead. The American Federation of Teachers today demonstrated that it is ready to tackle those challenges head on with the election of Randi Weingarten to lead its 1.4 million members.

"As president of the United Federation of Teachers, Randi has been a creative and effective advocate for her members and their students, understanding that the needs of and outcomes for both are inextricably linked. She has challenged teachers, parents, administrators and community leaders to step up to the plate in the interest of building better schools and serving our kids better. She has presented a plan for accountability that expands beyond simple test scores to include transparency, fairness and accuracy to bolster student achievement.

"SEIU's members are deeply committed to quality public education and we know as well as anyone the importance of teachers to making sure our children succeed. The American Federation of Teachers has been a good partner to SEIU, and we look forward to working with Randi, her new leadership team and the AFT to help prepare our kids to compete and thrive in the 21st century.

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