Union leaders' exit from DNC exposes 'mind-boggling' tensions inside Democratic party

[KPN]

Opinion piece in The Guardian this morning.
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Randi Weingarten and Lee Saunders quit the Democratic National Committee, saying it isn’t doing enough to “open the gates” and win back the support of working-class voters. Ken Martin, the new DNC chair, and his allies told the Guardian that the party was focused on doing exactly that.

Weingarten, president of the 1.8-million-member American Federation of Teachers, resigned after Martin did not renominate her to serve on the DNC’s important rules committee. In her resignation letter, Weingarten wrote that education, healthcare and public service workers were in “an existential battle” due to Donald Trump’s attacks and that she did not “want to be the one who keeps questioning why we are not enlarging our tent”.

Saunders, the long-time president of the 1.3-million-member American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, also issued a critical statement. “These are new times. They deserve new strategies,” he said. “We must evolve to meet the urgency of the moment. This is not a time to close ranks or turn inward … It is our responsibility to open the gates [and] welcome others.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/25/dnc-union-leaders-democratic-party
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Much more in the article.

[Lancero]

1. Public opinion is that our party is now the controlled opposition party.

Our leadership hasn't exactly done much to dissuade that - Maybe we just need to write a more strongly worded letter?

[purple_haze]

2. shocking

NOT.

def not the party i grew up with.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

3. The consultant class makes money whether we win or lose. Remember that.

[Bettie]

8. And they are the ones

who suck up every penny we send in...so they can tell candidates to be real quiet about who the enemy really is.

[Kid Berwyn]

10. THIS!

We could have used a sliver of the billion dollar advantage to point out Trump’s true nature, but no.

[BeyondGeography]

4. Here's a good chat about that

?si=H2kK2dLgCqO1xxpG

[-misanthroptimist]

5. If the Democratic Party wants to survive...

...they need to go left economically in a big way. What's more persuasive to voters, money in their pockets or some ginned up fear with which they have no direct contact?

And seriously, have the leadership not noticed that the less they supported unions, the harder it became to win elections?

[AStern]

6. I'm very happy to see push back to the Conservative/Corporate wing of the party

They're the reason Democrats keep losing.

[WiVoter]

7. The NEA Is The Largest Teacher's Union In The U.S.

Why do we hear from the AFT more often? Almost exclusively Randy Weingarten on the talk shows and other media?

They often work together, but mergers have been unsuccessful, with the AFT favoring a merger. I’m wondering where the NEA is on this.

[W_HAMILTON]

9. Some want to make this sound more principled and idealistic when it's nothing more than your typical power struggle.

Weingarten and Saunders both supported someone other than Ken Martin for DNC chairman. Needless to say, that person lost.

Martin decided to add some new blood to leadership -- isn't that what some people claim they want? -- and it resulted in Weingarten, in particular, losing a seat on a committee she's been on since 2009. He offered to reappoint her to a different committee she's been on -- since 2002... -- but she declined and resigned from the DNC and now claims it's because we aren't working hard enough to win the votes of the working people.

Yeah, that's the ticket!