AFT

What AFT does

AFT (American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO) is a U.S. labor union federation founded in 1916, headquartered at 555 New Jersey Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C., and affiliated with AFL-CIO as a founding member. It represents approximately 1.8 million members across seven primary constituencies: pre-K through 12th-grade teachers, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel, higher education faculty and staff, nurses and healthcare workers, federal/state/local government employees, early childhood educators, and retirees. AFT is structured as a federation of autonomous state and local affiliates (e.g., United Federation of Teachers, AFT-Oregon, Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico); members join through these affiliates rather than directly with AFT national.

Name

AFT

Legal name

American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO

Website

https://aft.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1916

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

AFT is a 1.8 million-member U.S. labor union federation representing teachers, healthcare workers, and public employees through a network of local and state affiliates under AFL-CIO.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labor Union Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Labor Relations & Union Management Training (EDABAIAK), HR Compliance, Employment Law & Employee Relations Training (EDABAIAE)

Keywords

• Labor union representation
• Collective bargaining services
• Educator advocacy
• Public employee union
• Professional development training

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: AFT generates primary revenue through membership dues paid by its 1.8 million members — pre-K through 12th-grade teachers, paraprofessionals, higher education faculty, nurses and healthcare workers, public employees, and retirees. Dues fund union operations, organizing, collective bargaining, and political advocacy.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AFT is a labor union federation representing 1.8 million professionals in pre-K-12 education, higher education, healthcare, and public services. It provides collective bargaining, legal representation, advocacy campaigns, publications, professional development, and member resource portals such as the Share My Lesson platform and the Health Hub.

Product overview

AFT (American Federation of Teachers) is a labor union representing 1.8 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers, paraprofessionals, higher education faculty, nurses, healthcare workers, and public employees. AFT offers member services including publications (American Educator, AFT Health Care), the Share My Lesson educational resource platform, the Health Hub resource portal, and advocacy campaigns (Protect Our Kids, Code Red, Reading Opens The World). AFT also operates the National Academy for AI Instruction in partnership with Anthropic, Microsoft, and OpenAI to train teachers on advanced AI tools, along with member communication services including SMS text messaging and the AFT Voices blog platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• American Educator: AFT's official periodical publication covering education policy, teaching strategies, and union activities
• AFT Health Care
• Code Red
• AFT Voices
• Reading Opens The World
• Union Talk

Products and services

• American Educator AFT's quarterly periodical featuring articles on teaching strategies, educational research, union activities, and professional development for educators.
• AFT Health Care AFT's healthcare publication covering workplace safety, staffing standards, and labor rights for nurses and health professionals.
• Share My Lesson AFT-operated online platform providing educators with lesson plans, teaching resources, and instructional content.
• Health Hub AFT member resource portal providing webinars, OSHA resources, mental health support, vaccines information, and workplace-violence prevention materials.
• Reading Opens The World AFT literacy initiative providing free books and reading resources to students and families across AFT communities.
• Protect Our Kids Campaign AFT advocacy campaign opposing federal education cuts and protecting services for students in poverty and students with disabilities.
• Code Red Campaign AFT healthcare advocacy campaign addressing the dangers of understaffed hospitals and corporate practices in healthcare.
• National Academy for AI Instruction Five-year, $23 million partnership between AFT and Anthropic, Microsoft, and OpenAI that trains 400,000 teachers on advanced AI use in instruction.
• Member SMS Text Program SMS-based member communication service delivering action alerts, event updates, and legislative advocacy messages.
• Student Debt & Public Service Loan Forgiveness Hub Member resource center helping AFT members navigate student debt relief options and Public Service Loan Forgiveness programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• The National Academy for AI Instruction aims to train 400,000 teachers on advanced AI use in instruction through a $23 million five-year partnership.

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MicrosoftcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2025Microsoft is a key technology partner in the National Academy for AI Instruction, a five-year, $23 million partnership with AFT to train 400,000 teachers on advanced AI use in instruction. Microsoft is also mentioned alongside Anthropic and OpenAI as co-developers of AI training curriculum.
• AnthropiccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2025Anthropic is a technology partner in the National Academy for AI Instruction, contributing AI expertise and tools to help AFT train 400,000 teachers on advanced AI applications in the classroom.
• OpenAIcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2025OpenAI is a partner in the National Academy for AI Instruction, contributing ChatGPT and AI training support as part of the $23 million five-year initiative to advance AI literacy among teachers.
• Asociación de Maestros de Puerto RicominorOthersPuerto Rico's teachers union is an AFT affiliate, participating in events like SOMOS conference and receiving support from AFT for hurricane relief and education initiatives on the island.
• American Association of University ProfessorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAAUP partnered with AFT to unveil a blueprint to protect higher education from political attacks ahead of the 2026 midterms, representing shared advocacy for academic freedom and university integrity.
• Asian American Legal Defense and Education FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAALDEF partnered with AFT to represent Filipino immigrant nurses challenging predatory 'stay-or-pay' employment contracts (TRAPs) through NLRB charges and litigation.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National Education Association (NEA): The largest U.S. teachers' union and AFT's direct counterpart in K-12 educator representation. Both compete for the same members, conduct collective bargaining in public schools, and engage in federal education policy advocacy, making NEA AFT's closest peer.
• Service Employees International Union (SEIU): Major U.S. labor union with significant overlap in healthcare worker and public employee representation. SEIU competes directly with AFT in organizing nurses, hospital staff, and government workers, sharing similar collective-bargaining and political-advocacy models.
• American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME): Largest U.S. union for public-sector employees including government workers and healthcare professionals. Directly comparable to AFT's public-employee segment in member base, dues-funded operating model, and collective-bargaining focus.
• National Nurses United (NNU): The largest U.S. nurses' union and registered nursing organization. Comparable to AFT's healthcare worker segment, particularly around staffing-ratio advocacy, patient-safety campaigns, and collective bargaining for nursing professionals.
• American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE): Largest federal-employee union, directly comparable to AFT's federal-government-worker segment. Shares collective-bargaining, grievance, and political-advocacy functions for U.S. civil servants.

Broad incumbents

• AFL-CIO: AFT's parent federation and the largest U.S. labor federation, representing 60+ affiliated unions. Comparable as a labor umbrella organization coordinating collective bargaining, political advocacy, and member services across diverse industries.
• American Nurses Association (ANA): The premier professional membership organization for U.S. nurses, representing over 4 million RNs. Comparable to AFT's professional-association function for healthcare workers, offering credentialing, advocacy, and continuing education.
• International Brotherhood of Teamsters: One of the largest U.S. labor unions, with a diversified membership across transportation, logistics, and public services. Comparable federation-style structure, dues-funded model, and national political advocacy presence.
• Change to Win: Coalition of major U.S. unions (including SEIU, Teamsters, and others) focused on organizing and mobilizing workers. Comparable as a labor-federation model with overlapping membership and shared political-advocacy infrastructure.

Others

• United Auto Workers (UAW): Major U.S. labor union with a strong collective-bargaining track record and recent high-profile organizing wins. Comparable in union operating model, dues-funded structure, and aggressive organizing tactics targeting major employers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AFTunion
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCdaoJ8gUQ12aLC5kZFwUbRQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/AFTunion
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-federation-of-teachers
• Instagraminstagram.com/aftunion

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AFT