AFT Colorado is the Colorado state-level affiliate for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the second-largest teacher’s union in the United States, a member union of the AFL-CIO. Founded in 1946 as the Colorado Federation of Teachers, the group represents public school employees within the state. 1 2
Bernadette Jiron is the president of the union, while former president Kallie Leyba is the union’s executive director and chief lobbyist. 1
AFT Colorado also represents school health care workers, paraprofessionals, and other school employees in the state. 1 Its largest local is the Douglas County Federation, which represents teachers in the Douglas County School District in suburban and rural areas between the cities of Denver, Colorado Springs, and Aurora. 3
While AFT Colorado does not disclose membership figures, 4 in 2022, it reported $958,585 in revenues to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). 5 6
Relationships With Other Teachers’ Unions
AFT Colorado is one of three state-wide unions representing teachers in Colorado, along with Colorado Workers for Innovative and New Solutions (Colorado WINS) and the Colorado Education Association. 6
Colorado WINS was founded in 2020 as a partnership between the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to represent state employees. 7 Colorado WINS and AFT Colorado are both members of the national AFT, with the former representing employees in the state’s public colleges and universities. 8 9 In 2023, the national American Federation of Teachers (AFT) donated $134,000 in grants to support AFT Colorado’s higher education organizing efforts. 10
In 2020, AFT Colorado and the Colorado Education Association, the state’s National Education Association (NEA) affiliate, announced they were exploring a potential merger between the two teachers’ unions. 11 12 Then-AFT Colorado president Kallie Leyba claimed part of the reason was due to both unions having “a formidable enemy in Betsy DeVos,” the then-U.S. Secretary of Education in the first Trump administration. 4
Political Expenditures
In the 2024 election cycle, AFT Colorado’s political committee reported $60,100 in expenditures to Colorado’s campaign finance regulators. 13
Since its registration in 2003, AFT Colorado’s political committee has reported $1,005,705.00 and $20,470.31 in non-monetary contributions to political candidates and ballot campaigns in the state. 14
References
- “About Us.” AFT Colorado. Accessed December 16, 2024. https://co.aft.org/about-us.
- “AFT Colorado History.” AFT Colorado. Accessed December 16, 2024. https://co.aft.org/about-us/aft-colorado-history.
- “Douglas County School District, Colorado.” Ballotpedia. Accessed December 16, 2024. https://ballotpedia.org/Douglas_County_School_District,_Colorado.
- Meltzer, Erica. “Colorado Teachers Unions Launch Merger Talks.” Chalkbeat, September 15, 2020. https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2020/9/15/21439003/colorado-teachers-unions-launch-merger-talks/.
- “American Federation of Teachers – Colorado – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed December 16, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/840382030.
- “Colorado Education Association – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed December 16, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/840172608.
- “COWINS Constitution and Bylaws.” Colorado WINS, February 7, 2023. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-ncHWo5SqoNtEhloSH93_56rum4-v38N/view.
- Ventrelli, Marissa. “Colorado Governor, Union Sign Partnership Agreement, Boosting State Employees’ Benefits.” Colorado Politics, September 25, 2024. https://www.coloradopolitics.com/governor/colorado-governor-union-sign-partnership-agreement-boosting-state-employees-benefits/article_16074bac-79df-11ef-9321-7f9388ebb22d.html.
- “About AFT Higher Education.” AFT Colorado. Accessed December 16, 2024. https://co.aft.org/about-us/about-aft-higher-education.
- “FORM LM-2 LABOR ORGANIZATION ANNUAL REPORT – American Federation of Teachers.” United States Department of Labor, September 28, 2023. https://olmsapps.dol.gov/query/orgReport.do?rptId=873943&rptForm=LM2Form.
- Sawchuk, Stephen. “More Mergers for NEA, Aft Affiliates.” Education Week, December 1, 2020. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/more-mergers-for-nea-aft-affiliates/2013/02.
- Leyba, Kallie, and Amie Baca-Oehlert. “Joint Statement on Forming an Exploratory Committee on Consolidation.” Colorado Education Association, September 14, 2020. https://coloradoea.org/news-updates/joint-statement-on-forming-an-exploratory-committee-on-consolidation/
- “Committee Detail: AFT COLORADO FEDERATION OF TEACHERS, SCHOOL, HEALTH AND PUBLIC EMPLOYEES (SDC).” Colorado Secretary of State, 2024. https://tracer.sos.colorado.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/CommitteeDetail.aspx?OrgID=13161.
- “Contribution Search: AFT COLORADO.” Colorado Secretary of State, 2024. https://tracer.sos.colorado.gov/PublicSite/SearchPages/ContributionSearch.aspx.