AFT to Urge Members to ‘Shop Local’ If Target Fails to Take Stand on ICE

WASHINGTON-AFT President Randi Weingarten sent a new letter today to Target CEO Michael Fiddelke to demand the big-box retailer publicly call out Immigration and Customs Enforcement's continued abuses and long-term harm to the Twin Cities-or the union will draft an official resolution urging its 1.8 million members to "shop local" and buy billions of dollars' worth of annual school supplies elsewhere.

Weingarten's letter comes after Target finally recommitted to diversity on Wednesday following months of pressure from the Target Fast movement. The activists won a new commitment to support Black entrepreneurs, historically Black colleges and universities, and internal programs that support equity and inclusion. But there remains more to be done. At a press conference announcing the win, former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner acknowledged that ICE raids continue to devastate Minneapolis and that the AFT's and the city's fight with the company isn't over.

"Target has taken a step in the right direction by recommitting to promises made on investing in Black-owned businesses and communities," said Weingarten. "That matters. That is progress, and we acknowledge it. But there is more to be done." In her letter, Weingarten says that if there is no movement on ICE, the AFT will be educating teachers "about Target's unwillingness to meet the demands of the Twin Cities community with respect to ICE" and "about alternative retailers who are more attuned to their consumers and communities."

Weingarten first wrote to Target last month in an attempt to kickstart a dialogue on ICE's abuses, but the company failed to meaningfully act. The AFT's 1.8 million members individually spend hundreds of dollars on school supplies at Target each year and directly own nearly 7 million shares in the firm through their public pension funds, with billions more in indirect exposure.

The new letter keeps up the pressure on Target after it posted another quarter of falling revenue and customer traffic in its first set of results released since Fiddelke took the reins of the company last month. Various reports suggest that boycotts have cost the beleaguered big-box retailer more than $12 billion in market value.

Weingarten writes that the AFT will also take its concerns to the AFL-CIO convention to be held in Target's home state of Minnesota in June. The AFT is the AFL-CIO's second-largest affiliate, and delegates representing 15 million workers are set to debate the firm's civil rights track record. Weingarten notes that every Target board director is up for election at its annual general meeting this spring. The AFT "will be involved in efforts to protect long-term shareholder value at Target. We are aware that some key investors and fiduciaries of large plans have expressed similar concerns."

The AFT sent this second letter because Target's leadership needs to understand that there are real consequences for abandoning the people who built its goodwill. Target's silence is not neutral. It is a choice, and it is causing lasting damage to communities-which is why its brand is suffering.

"I hope we can find a better path forward, for our educators and communities, and ultimately for the long-term value of Target and its shareholders," Weingarten concludes.

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The AFT represents 1.8 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; nurses and healthcare workers; and early childhood educators.