Providence Teachers Union

What Providence Teachers Union does

Providence Teachers Union (PTU), Local 958, is a labor union founded on January 31, 1947 (originally as the Providence Teachers Alliance), representing roughly 1,700–2,000+ regularly appointed teachers and long-term substitutes employed by the Providence Public School District in Rhode Island. Its functional mandate is collective bargaining, grievance processing, workplace-rights protection, and political advocacy on education policy. Members pay recurring dues to fund union operations; a separate Committee on Political Education (COPE) pledge of $1 per paycheck over 21 pay periods finances political action. Headcount- and revenue-wise, PTU runs a small staff (11–50 employees) headquartered at 99 Corliss Street, Providence, RI.

PTU's core member-facing "products" are information services rather than SaaS: a 12-step Salary Calculator tool that computes annual, bi-weekly, and daily pay given step, credential level, National Board Certification, and longevity; a Pay Schedule; a Medical Benefits portal; a downloadable PDF-based Grievance Form with submitted-by-mail/process workflow; the Emergency Sick Leave Bank (ESLB, established March 1996); a Teacher Evaluation framework aligned to professional standards; a Scholarship program for members and dependents; and a Committee Membership System for joining internal committees (Racial Justice, MLL/Dual Language, Special Education, Curriculum & Testing, etc.). Underlying technology is lightweight—website CMS hosting plus integration with the Frontline platform for HR, payroll, and absence management.

Commercial mechanics are union dues–driven: members' payments fund bargaining, representation, and benefits; COPE contributions fund electoral/political work. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on building delegates at each of the 40+ Providence Public Schools, two field representatives covering geographic zones, joint union-management committees with the district, and legislative advocacy with the Rhode Island General Assembly. Affiliations with AFT, AFL-CIO, RIFTHP, and the Providence Central Labor Council extend PTU's reach beyond its single-employer base. Member expansion is bounded by Providence Public Schools hiring levels, making the single-district employer relationship both the union's primary asset and its principal concentration risk.

Name

Providence Teachers Union

Legal name

Providence Teachers Union

Website

https://proteun.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Providence Teachers Union (Local 958, AFT/AFL-CIO) is the collective bargaining unit for roughly 1,700–2,000+ Providence Public School teachers, providing representation, grievance support, salary/benefits advocacy, and political action funded by member dues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Providence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Union Membership Dues: Members pay union dues which fund union operations, advocacy, and member services. COPE political contributions are separate $1 per paycheck pledge.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Providence Teachers Union (PTU), AFT Local 958, is a labor union representing over 1,700 public school educators in Providence, Rhode Island. It provides collective bargaining for salary and benefits, grievance processing and representation, member benefit programs including an Emergency Sick Leave Bank and scholarships, political advocacy through COPE, and professional development support.

Product overview

Providence Teachers Union operates as a single unified union offering with multiple interconnected member services. The core offerings include the Salary Calculator for compensation planning, PTU Calendar for event coordination, Pay Schedule for payment tracking, Emergency Sick Leave Bank for catastrophic illness coverage, Teacher Evaluation System for professional development tracking, Medical Benefits Portal for healthcare information, PTU Scholarships for educational support, and Committee Membership System for member engagement. These services work together to support over 1,700 Providence public school teachers with their professional, financial, and workplace needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Collective Bargaining Representation
• Grievance Processing Support
• Emergency Sick Leave Bank (ESLB)
• PTU Scholarships Program
• COPE Political Advocacy Committee on Political Education that educates members on political issues and advocates with elected officials, including the Rhode Island General Assembly, on education-related legislation.
• Online Salary Calculator
• Committee Membership System

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• American Federation of Teachers (AFT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 January 1947PTU holds AFT Local 958 charter, granted January 31, 1947. PTU is part of the AFT network providing national labor advocacy, resources, and collective bargaining support for teachers.
• AFL-CIOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 January 1947PTU is affiliated with AFL-CIO, the largest federation of unions in the United States, providing broader labor movement representation and resources.
• Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals (RIFTHP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 January 1947PTU is a member of RIFTHP, the state-level federation coordinating teacher union activities across Rhode Island, united with other local unions from North Providence, Pawtucket, Warwick, and Woonsocket.
• Providence Central Labor CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPTU is affiliated with the Providence Central Labor Council, coordinating with other local labor unions in the Providence area for shared advocacy and community engagement.
• Rhode Island General AssemblycoreOthersPTU advocates with Rhode Island state senators and representatives on education-related legislation affecting teachers, schools, and working conditions.
• Providence Public School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPTU has joint union-management committees with the district including Teacher Evaluation Committee (DTEC), PAR Panel, Teacher Program Committee, Joint Committee, Educational Policy Committee, and Joint Governance Board for autonomous schools.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Providence Fire Fighters Union: IAFF Local 799 representing Providence firefighters — a regional peer as another Providence public-sector labor union, co-located on the Providence Central Labor Council alongside PTU and sharing municipal-level bargaining dynamics.
• Hartford Federation of Teachers: AFT-affiliated local teachers union representing Hartford Public Schools educators in neighboring Connecticut — a regional peer with comparable urban-district bargaining dynamics and member service structure.
• New Haven Federation of Teachers: AFT-affiliated local teachers union representing New Haven Public Schools — a regional peer in a neighboring Connecticut city with similar urban district dynamics and AFT affiliation structure.
• Bridgeport Education Association: NEA-affiliated local teacher association representing Bridgeport Public Schools educators — a regional peer in a neighboring Connecticut urban district, comparable in role though with a different national federation affiliation.

Broad incumbents

• National Education Association: Largest US teacher union federation and principal alternative to AFT — a broad incumbent operating nationally with state and local affiliates, competing with PTU's affiliated federation for educator voice and policy influence.
• American Federation of Teachers: National teachers union federation of which PTU is AFT Local 958 — a broad incumbent providing PTU with national resources, legal support, and policy backing while competing indirectly with NEA for members and influence.

Direct peers

• United Federation of Teachers: AFT Local 2 representing New York City public school teachers and other school employees — a direct peer by function (local teachers union), with a substantially larger scale analog illustrating the operating model at citywide scale.
• Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals: State-level federation coordinating PTU with other Rhode Island teacher locals (North Providence, Pawtucket, Warwick, Woonsocket) — direct peer as the parent state body and policy coordination layer for PTU's advocacy.
• Boston Teachers Union: AFT-affiliated local teachers union representing Boston Public Schools educators — the closest geographic and structural analog to PTU, with similar district-representation model, collective bargaining, and member services focus.
• Chicago Teachers Union: Large AFT-affiliated local teachers union (CTU Local 1) representing Chicago Public Schools educators — a direct peer in role and structure, with a comparable full-service representation model and political action apparatus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PTU958
• Facebookfacebook.com/ptu958
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/providence-teachers-union

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Providence Teachers Union