The Union Work You Don’t See: What I Learned as an AFT Intern
What do teacher unions really do? An AFT intern shares insights on union advocacy, education policy, and supporting educators through change.
I didn’t really understand what unions did, at least not in any meaningful, practical way. I had a vague sense that they were about collective bargaining, maybe salary negotiations, maybe strikes. But it all felt abstract, almost like background noise in conversations about education policy. Important, sure, but distant.
Working at the AFT changed that completely.
What I’ve come to understand is that unions are not just about contracts, they’re about infrastructure. They are one of the few consistent, organized forces working to stabilize a system that often feels anything but stable. And in this current moment, when education feels increasingly unpredictable, politicized and, at times, under siege, that role becomes even more crucial.
At the AFT, I’ve seen how much of the work is actually about navigating uncertainty. Policy shifts happen quickly. State legislation can reshape classrooms overnight. Federal priorities evolve. And in the middle of all of this are educators who are expected to adapt, respond and continue showing up for students no matter what. The union operates as both a buffer and a bridge in that environment. It absorbs pressure where it can, and where it can’t, it helps educators make sense of what’s happening and how to respond.
One of the most striking things to me has been how expansive the work is. It’s not just labor negotiations. It’s policy analysis, legal strategy, communications, coalition-building, and direct support for educators. It’s thinking about long-term structural change while also responding to immediate crises. That dual focus, on the urgent and the systemic, is something I hadn’t fully appreciated before.
The union operates as both a buffer and a bridge in that environment. It absorbs pressure where it can, and where it can’t, it helps educators make sense of what’s happening and how to respond.
One of the most striking things to me has been how expansive the work is. It’s not just labor negotiations. It’s policy analysis, legal strategy, communications, coalition-building, and direct support for educators. It’s thinking about long-term structural change while also responding to immediate crises. That dual focus, on the urgent and the systemic, is something I hadn’t fully appreciated before.
And then there’s the human element. Before this, I don’t think I fully grasped how isolating teaching can feel, especially right now. The narratives around education are so fragmented and often so politicized that it’s easy for educators to feel like they’re navigating it alone. The union creates a sense of collective identity and shared purpose that pushes back against that isolation. It says, you’re not dealing with this by yourself, and you shouldn’t have to.
What’s also become clear is how much unions shape the broader education landscape, even in ways that aren’t always visible. When we talk about teacher retention, working conditions, or even student outcomes, unions are often part of that story, advocating for policies that make the profession sustainable and the system more equitable. It’s not always clean or straightforward work, but it’s deeply consequential.
Coming into the AFT, I thought I would be observing a piece of the education ecosystem. Instead, I’ve found myself inside one of its central nodes.
And in a time when so much about education feels uncertain—when policies shift quickly, when public trust fluctuates, when the demands on educators keep growing—that kind of institutional presence matters. A lot.
I didn’t understand that before. I do now.
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Aayushi Doshi is a graduate student in Education Policy Studies at George Washington University, based in the Washington, DC area. She currently serves as an intern at the American Federation of Teachers, where she supports work focused on strengthening the public education workforce. Her... See More
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