2,824 Public Employees Helped Opt Out

18,000 Members

$323,875 Saved in Annual Union Dues

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Public Sector Worker Investigation Series · Pennsylvania Union Dues Snapshot

Philadelphia Federation of Teachers · Philadelphia

Where Are Your Union Dues Going?

AFFT’s review of Philadelphia Federation of Teachers filings found the union sent 42.9% of its budget to affiliate unions — and more than 61% flowed to affiliate payments, officer compensation, and employee benefits rather than direct member services. Here is where it went — and how to stop paying for it.

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AFFT Analysis · PFT Local 3
42.9%

Of the budget sent to affiliate unions.

61%+

Of the budget flowing to affiliate payments, officer compensation, and employee benefits rather than direct member services.

Source: Americans for Fair Treatment, Where Do Your Dues Go? — Pennsylvania (July 2026), from public financial filings and campaign finance records.

How Opting Out Works

Three steps. No permission required.

01

Check your window

Most contracts limit resignation to a specific annual window. AFFT will tell you when yours opens for PFT Local 3.

02

Put it in writing

Notify the union and your employer in writing. AFFT provides the language and the addresses so nothing gets rejected on a technicality.

03

Confirm the deduction stops

Check your next pay stub. If dues are still coming out, AFFT helps you follow up until they stop.

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2,824

Public employees helped opt out

18,000

Members nationwide

$323,875

Saved in annual union dues

Start Your Opt-Out

Get your opt-out guide and the full report.

Tell us where you work and AFFT will send the PFT Local 3 resignation steps for your contract — window dates, who to notify, and what to put in writing — along with the complete dues report. Both are free. Neither obligates you to anything, and AFFT never contacts your employer or your union.

Your information is private. We do not share it with third parties.

What’s Inside

Every dollar, with the receipts.

  • Year-by-year political spending, including every PAC and committee that received PFT Local 3 money.
  • Officer and staff compensation pulled directly from the union’s Schedule 11 and 12 disclosures.
  • Per-capita payments to the AFT — the share of your dues that leaves Philadelphia entirely.
  • Full balance sheet, including liabilities most members have never seen.
  • Every footnoted source, so you can verify each figure independently.

Delivered as a PDF the moment you submit the form.

Follow the Money Upstream

Your dues don’t stop in Philadelphia.

PFT Local 3 is an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers. A share of every member’s dues is forwarded up to the national union — money that leaves Philadelphia entirely and is spent on priorities set in Washington. Here is what AFFT found in the AFT’s own filings:

$72M

Spent on union employees.

$600K

Approximate presidential compensation.

PAC

Overwhelmingly partisan federal PAC giving, against declining net assets.

Americans for Fair Treatment, July 2026. Figures from AFT’s own reports.

The full report is one click away.

If any of this tracks with what you’re seeing inside PFT Local 3, get the complete breakdown and a personal follow-up from AFFT.

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