Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals

What Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals does

The Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals (RIFTHP) is the largest labor union in Rhode Island, representing 10,000-12,000 educators, health professionals, school support personnel, higher education faculty and staff, state and municipal employees, and retirees across 16 local affiliates. Founded in the late 1960s after Rhode Island teachers won collective bargaining rights, RIFTHP is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and Rhode Island AFL-CIO, connecting the federation to a national network of over one million members. Headquartered at 356 Smith Street in Providence, the union operates on a member-dues revenue model and is governed by elected leadership, with Maribeth Calabro succeeding Frank Flynn as president in October 2024.

RIFTHP delivers representation through collective bargaining, labor negotiations, legislative advocacy (including the Smith Hill Report), and an expanding professional development catalog. PD offerings include the new 2025 Virtual Professional Learning Series on Artificial Intelligence, Trauma Informed Strategies Training, Reading Comprehension Instruction and Beginning Reading Instruction literacy programs, and the Registered Apprenticeship in Teaching pipeline developed in partnership with Rhode Island College, the University of Rhode Island, NEARI, ILSR, and five school districts. The federation also administers workforce development programs such as Pathway to Teaching and Emerging Educators to address teacher shortages. Technology infrastructure consists of a member portal and a Google Site hosting virtual PD sessions; RIFTHP is not a technology vendor and does not develop proprietary AI models.

Commercially, RIFTHP is structured as a nonprofit labor union under Rhode Island law, funded principally by recurring membership dues. Recent notable developments include the charter school unionization at Paul Cuffee Upper School, capture of a $1.1M US Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship sub-grant through Building Futures, and the launch of AI-themed professional learning programming for the Winter/Spring 2025 cohort. RIFTHP does not report commercial revenue, has no external investors, and operates exclusively within Rhode Island with no disclosed geographic expansion plans.

Name

Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals

Legal name

Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals

Website

https://rifthp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RIFTHP is Rhode Island's largest labor union, representing 10,000-12,000 educators, health professionals, and public sector workers across 16 local affiliates. A member-funded affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers and Rhode Island AFL-CIO, it delivers collective bargaining, legislative advocacy, and professional development including a new AI training series.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labor Union Services

NAICS

Labor Unions and Similar Labor Organizations (81393), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Work-Based Learning Programs (Internships, Apprenticeships, Community-Based Instruction) (EDAKANAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

Keywords

• Labor union representation
• Collective bargaining services
• Educator professional development
• Healthcare worker advocacy
• Membership-based union

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, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Member Dues: As a labor union, RIFTHP generates revenue through membership dues from its 10,000-12,000 members who are educators, health professionals, school support personnel, higher education faculty and staff, state and municipal employees, and retirees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RIFTHP is a statewide labor union that provides collective bargaining representation, workplace advocacy, and professional development programs for educators, health professionals, school support personnel, higher education faculty, state and municipal employees, and retirees in Rhode Island. Members access services through 16 local affiliates, including negotiation representation, legislative advocacy via the Smith Hill Report, training programs in AI integration, trauma-informed instruction, literacy, and apprenticeship pathways for aspiring teachers.

Product overview

RIFTHP is a labor union offering professional development programs for educators rather than a traditional product company. Its main offerings include the Virtual Professional Learning Series on Artificial Intelligence (new for 2025), Trauma Informed Strategies Training, and workforce development programs like the Registered Apprenticeship in Teaching and Pathway to Teaching programs. The union also operates a professional development Google Site for hosting virtual training sessions accessible to members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Union Membership Representation Collective bargaining representation, workplace rights advocacy, and labor negotiations for educators, health professionals, school support personnel, higher education faculty, state and municipal employees, and retirees in Rhode Island, delivered through 16 local affiliates.
• RIFTHP Virtual Professional Learning Series on Artificial Intelligence Winter/Spring 2025 virtual professional development sessions helping educators integrate AI tools such as OpenAI/ChatGPT into instructional practices, covering lesson plan creation, test and quiz generation, and instruction personalization. Sessions held virtually from 6:30-8:00pm.
• Trauma Informed Strategies Training A 10-session virtual professional development series designed to help teachers understand how adversity impacts children's developing brains and behaviors, and explore healing strategies for traumatic events.
• Registered Apprenticeship in Teaching Program A $1.1 million subgrant initiative from the US Department of Labor supporting diverse individuals in preparing for teaching careers through a rigorous apprenticeship program in partnership with Rhode Island College, the RI Institute for Labor Studies and Research, and five RI school districts (Central Falls, Cranston, East Providence, Pawtucket, West Warwick).
• Pathway to Teaching Program High school student program offering Dual and Concurrent education courses through Rhode Island College and teacher assistant certification through ILSR to prepare students for traditional educator preparation programs.
• Teacher Assistant / Emerging Educators Programs Programs identifying teacher assistants who want to become certified teachers and helping them overcome barriers in completing coursework and certification requirements, with over 15 years of training and placement in RI school districts.
• Literacy Programs Professional development programs based on the science of reading, including Beginning Reading Instruction (BRI), Reading Comprehension Instruction (RCI), and literacy support for local leaders.
• RIFTHP Professional Development Google Site Online platform hosting virtual PD sessions accessible to RIFTHP members, including recorded content for on-demand professional development.

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• United Way of Rhode IslandflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2024Partnership on Children's Book Drive - over 100 volunteers sorted 30,000+ books; partnership has distributed over 300,000 books to children over 11 years.
• American Federation of Teachers (AFT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization affiliation providing national union leadership, resources, advocacy networks, professional development programs (AFT TEACH), and collective bargaining support. RIFTHP joins over 1 million AFT members.
• Rhode Island AFL-CIOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState labor federation affiliation providing broader labor movement connections and collective advocacy power across Rhode Island's working families.
• RI Institute for Labor Studies and Research (ILSR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Registered Apprenticeship in Teaching program; has been successfully training and placing teacher assistants in RI school districts for over 15 years through its Emerging Educators Program.
• Building FuturesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead organization on $1.1 million Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship Hub grant. RIFTHP received a sub-grant as part of this initiative.
• National Education Association Rhode Island (NEARI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation association partner collaborating on educator workforce development initiatives and Registered Apprenticeship in Teaching program.
• Rhode Island CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigher education partner for apprenticeship program, providing coursework assessment and Individual Apprenticeship Plan development for teacher assistants pursuing certification.
• University of Rhode IslandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigher education partner supporting the Registered Apprenticeship in Teaching initiative.
• RI School Districts (Central Falls, Cranston, East Providence, Pawtucket, West Warwick)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFive school districts with Labor-Management teams participating in the Registered Apprenticeship in Teaching program to support teacher assistants in becoming certified teachers.
• Books Are WingsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner in book distribution initiative for afterschool and summer learning programs serving Rhode Island children.
• Women UnitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnited Way affinity group participating in Children's Book Drive volunteer efforts.
• Albert Shanker InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThink tank partnership providing research on teaching reading and literacy instruction through civic education content shared on RIFTHP website.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Service Employees International Union (SEIU): SEIU is one of the largest US labor unions representing healthcare workers, public employees, and education support staff — directly overlapping RIFTHP's health professional and public employee member segments. SEIU competes for the same healthcare and school support worker organizing opportunities in RI and neighboring states.
• National Education Association Rhode Island (NEARI): NEARI is the Rhode Island affiliate of the National Education Association and the primary competing teacher union in the state. It serves the same K-12 educator population RIFTHP organizes, competing directly for member loyalty, local affiliations, and collective bargaining representation rights across RI school districts.
• American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME): AFSCME is a major US labor union representing public employees in state and local government — directly competing with RIFTHP for municipal and state employee members in RI. AFSCME organizes in the same state agencies and public sector workplaces where RIFTHP has existing representation.
• National Nurses United (NNU): NNU is the largest US union specifically for registered nurses, with active organizing in hospitals and healthcare systems. Comparable as a labor union whose core membership overlaps with RIFTHP's health professional segment, competing for nursing representation in RI hospitals.

Regional players

• Connecticut Education Association (CEA): CEA is the statewide professional association for Connecticut educators and the state's NEA affiliate. Comparable as a regional teacher union serving K-12 educators in a neighboring New England state, with similar collective bargaining structures, professional development offerings, and membership base composition.
• New York State United Teachers (NYSUT): NYSUT is one of the largest US state teacher unions representing over 600,000 educators and school-related professionals in New York. Comparable as an AFT/NEA dual-affiliated state union with overlapping structure, services, and member segments (educators, health professionals, public employees), though operating at significantly larger scale in a neighboring state.
• Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA): MTA is the largest NEA affiliate in Massachusetts and represents K-12 educators, higher education faculty, and education support professionals in the neighboring New England state. Highly comparable in structure, member composition, and services to RIFTHP, but operating in a different state with its own collective bargaining framework.

Broad incumbents

• American Federation of Teachers (AFT): AFT is the national labor union federation to which RIFTHP is affiliated. It represents over 1 million educators and healthcare professionals and provides the strategic framework, national advocacy, and resources that RIFTHP leverages. Comparable as the parent organization operating at national scale with the same union model.
• AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations): AFL-CIO is the national labor federation representing 12.5 million workers across 60+ unions. RIFTHP is affiliated through its state chapter, and AFL-CIO provides the broader labor movement coordination, policy advocacy, and political infrastructure that frames RIFTHP's operating environment as a labor organization.
• Rhode Island AFL-CIO: RI AFL-CIO is the state labor federation of which RIFTHP is an affiliate. Comparable as a labor umbrella organization operating at the state level, providing broader labor movement coordination and collective advocacy power across RI's working families alongside its constituent unions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rifthp
• Facebookfacebook.com/RIFTHP
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-rhode-island-federation-of-teachers-and-health-professionals

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals