American Federation of Teachers New Jersey

What American Federation of Teachers New Jersey does

The American Federation of Teachers New Jersey (AFTNJ) is a 501(c)(5) nonprofit labor union founded in 1938 (originally chartered as the New Jersey State Federation of Teachers) and affiliated with both the national American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the AFL-CIO. Headquartered at 629 Amboy Ave., Suite 301 in Edison, New Jersey, AFTNJ represents more than 30,000 PreK-12 and higher education workers through a network of 43 affiliated local unions, making it the largest higher education union in New Jersey. Its membership spans the state's largest public school district (Newark), regional K-12 systems including Perth Amboy and North Bergen, universities such as Rutgers, Montclair State, Kean, and NJIT, and at least ten community colleges, covering full- and part-time faculty, graduate workers, postdoctoral researchers, adjunct faculty, and administrative/professional staff.

AFTNJ generates revenue primarily through recurring membership dues collected via its 43 locals; financial details are not publicly disclosed. Its core "products" are representational services — collective bargaining, contract negotiation, grievance handling, legal protection (including Weingarten Rights enforcement), political advocacy through the Committee on Political Education (COPE), professional development programs run with AFT (e.g., Foundations of Effective Teaching), and member benefits. The go-to-market is community-led: the organization grows by chartering new locals, recruiting individual education workers into existing locals, and mobilizing members via labor walks, phone banks, legislative conferences, and candidate endorsements. There is no proprietary technology product; the operating "platform" is the federated local structure and AFL-CIO/AFT political infrastructure.

Operationally, AFTNJ is active and outwardly focused: it held its biennial Convention and Legislative Conference on April 18, 2026 to seat 2026–28 officers, hired Leon Boone III as Political Director in February 2026, and is currently campaigning to extend affordable State Health Benefits Program access to adjunct faculty, with member testimony delivered to the NJ Senate Higher Education Committee in May 2026. Governance is democratic, with leadership elected through conventions and a delegate assembly drawn from all 43 locals.

Name

American Federation of Teachers New Jersey

Legal name

American Federation of Teachers New Jersey, AFL-CIO

Website

https://aftnj.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1938

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AFTNJ is a 501(c)(5) labor union founded in 1938 representing more than 30,000 PreK-12 and higher education workers across New Jersey through 43 affiliated local unions. It is the state's largest higher education union, providing collective bargaining, political advocacy, and member services to educators statewide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labor Union Representation Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Labor Relations & Union Management Training (EDABAIAK)

Keywords

• Labor union representation
• Collective bargaining services
• Education worker advocacy
• Professional development training
• Member benefits administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Fords

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Union Membership Dues: AFTNJ generates revenue through membership dues paid by its 30,000-plus represented education workers across New Jersey's PreK-12 and higher education sectors. These dues fund union operations, collective bargaining activities, political advocacy, member services, and organizing efforts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AFTNJ is a labor union that organizes, represents, and advocates for education professionals (preK-12 teachers, paraprofessionals, school-related staff) and higher-education faculty across New Jersey. It delivers collective bargaining, contract enforcement, grievance support, political lobbying, professional development, and member-benefit programs funded through membership dues. Its core "product" is labor representation and advocacy for individual education workers and their bargaining units.

Product overview

American Federation of Teachers New Jersey (AFTNJ) is a labor union representing over 30,000 PreK-12 and higher education workers across New Jersey. It is the state's largest higher education union, with membership also including the largest public school district (Newark). The organization provides union representation services including collective bargaining advocacy, legislative lobbying, member benefits programs, and professional development support for educators and education staff.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Union Membership / Labor Representation Membership product providing collective bargaining representation, contract enforcement, grievance support, and labor-rights advocacy for individual education and public-sector workers in New Jersey.
• Collective Bargaining & Contract Negotiation Negotiation of collective bargaining agreements covering wages, benefits, working conditions, class size, planning time, and related terms for represented bargaining units.
• Political Advocacy and Lobbying State and federal lobbying, voter engagement, and political action committee (COPE/PAC) work on education funding, labor policy, pension security, and workers' rights.
• Professional Development and Training Continuing-education workshops, conferences, leadership development, and instructional resources for educators and support staff.
• Scholarship and Member-Benefit Programs Member-benefit programs including scholarships (e.g., AFTNJ Education Foundation), insurance options, retirement-resources access, and discounts offered through AFT-affiliated benefit providers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30,000+ education workers represented
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 March 2018HPAE union partnered with AFTNJ and Newark Teachers Union in endorsing Ras Baraka for Newark Mayor. HPAE represents nurses and health professionals at University Hospital, and the joint endorsement focused on collaboration to strengthen public education and healthcare.
• American Federation of Teachers (AFT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFT is the parent organization and national federation to which AFTNJ is affiliated. AFTNJ operates under AFT's constitution and bylaws, benefiting from national union resources, political networks, professional development programs (such as 'Foundations of Effective Teaching' and 'Strategies for Student Success'), and collective bargaining support. AFT President Randi Weingarten participates in AFTNJ events and activities.
• AFL-CIOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFTNJ is affiliated with the AFL-CIO labor federation, participating in joint political activities such as labor walks coordinated through County Central Labor Bodies (CLCs) across New Jersey, including Monmouth/Ocean, Hudson, Essex/West Hudson, Bergen, Burlington, Passaic, Southern, Union, Atlantic/Cape May, Mercer, and Middlesex/Somerset CLCs.
• New Jersey AFL-CIO County Central Labor Bodies (CLCs)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerAFTNJ works with multiple County Central Labor Bodies across New Jersey including IBEW 400 (Monmouth/Ocean), MEBA D-1 (Hudson), RWDSU 108 (Essex/West Hudson), IBEW 164 (Bergen), CWA 1036 (Burlington), UFCW 1262 (Passaic), Teamsters 331 (Atlantic/Cape May), SMWIA 22 (Union), IBEW 269 (Mercer), and IBEW 456 (Middlesex/Somerset) to coordinate labor walks and political mobilization efforts.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• National Education Association (NEA): Largest U.S. teacher union and counterpart federation to AFT. Represents similar K-12 and higher ed constituencies nationwide and competes with AFT nationally for member affiliation and political influence.
• American Federation of Teachers (AFT): National parent federation to which AFTNJ is affiliated. Operates as a broad incumbent offering shared professional development, organizing resources, and political infrastructure across all affiliated state federations including AFTNJ.

Others

• AFL-CIO: National labor federation of which AFTNJ is an affiliate. Provides political mobilization infrastructure, labor walk coordination, and central labor body connections that AFTNJ leverages for NJ advocacy.
• Teamsters: Major national labor union with NJ locals (e.g., Teamsters 331) participating in shared labor walks and CLC coordination with AFTNJ. Operates in adjacent rather than overlapping membership segments.

Direct peers

• New Jersey Education Association (NJEA): The dominant competing NJ teacher union (NEA-affiliated). Directly competes with AFTNJ for membership of NJ public school educators, K-12 collective bargaining rights, and political endorsements in Trenton.
• AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees): Major public-sector labor union representing similar public employees including education support staff. Competes for the same NJ public employee membership pool and operates parallel collective bargaining and political endorsement machinery.
• New Jersey State AFL-CIO: State-level federation counterpart to AFTNJ. Coordinates joint labor walks, CLC activity, and political endorsements across all NJ labor unions including AFTNJ.
• Service Employees International Union (SEIU): Major U.S. labor union with overlapping public-sector membership including higher ed and healthcare workers. Operates comparable collective bargaining, organizing, and political mobilization infrastructure in NJ and nationally.

Emerging players

• American Association of University Professors (AAUP): Faculty-focused higher ed organization with NJ chapters affiliated to AFTNJ. Competes in representing academic tenure, academic freedom, and faculty governance at NJ colleges and universities.

Regional players

• Communications Workers of America (CWA): Major union with significant NJ membership including CWA 1036 covering public sector workers. Coordinates with AFTNJ via County Central Labor Bodies and competes in some public-sector bargaining units.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AFTNJ
• Facebookfacebook.com/aftnj
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aft-new-jersey
• Instagraminstagram.com/aftnewjersey

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Federation of Teachers New Jersey