UFT President Randi Weingarten speaking at press conference.
The survey of more than 7,500 AFT members — educators, healthcare workers and public service employees — found that 74 percent report living month to month, while more than a third said they cannot cover all of their monthly bills. The findings were unveiled at a news conference in Orlando that included U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) and researchers from the Debt Collection Lab at Princeton University.
The results paint a sobering picture of middle-class erosion: nine in 10 respondents said they cannot save enough for retirement, more than 8 in 10 identified housing costs as a challenge, and more than half said they are worse off financially since President Donald Trump returned to office.
"Working people are getting squeezed from every direction," said AFT President Randi Weingarten. "In this economy, AFT members no longer feel like they have a shot at the American dream, and Donald Trump's failed policies aren't helping."
The survey also revealed that rising energy costs have become a flashpoint for financial distress, ranking second among the largest drivers of hardship. More than seven in eight respondents cited climbing utility bills as a challenge, with nearly one in four describing them as a "major challenge."
Matthew, a Texas teacher who has been in the classroom since 2007, said the financial pressure reached a breaking point last December when his electricity was cut off. Medical debt related to his child's special needs care, compounded by high energy costs, left him unable to keep up with utility payments before the holidays.
"We got really behind and power was disconnected before Christmas," he said in a written response to the survey.
To cope with mounting costs, workers are increasingly turning to debt. The survey found that more than half of respondents paid only the minimum monthly payment on credit cards, while nearly one in three used credit cards to pay utility bills. One in five used a credit card to make a payment on another debt, and one in eight used credit to cover rent. Sixteen percent reported taking on buy now, pay later loans.
Nearly half — 49 percent — said they paid for medical or dental care with a credit card over the past year. Healthcare costs are pushing workers deeper into financial instability, the survey found, with many describing a cycle of borrowing that is difficult to escape.
Jodi, a nurse from Oregon, captured the emotional toll. "The constant struggle and pressure of not having enough money to pay the household bills and buying food are affecting me physically, mentally and emotionally," she said. "I am losing hope that I will be able to retire."
Karla, a civil servant from New York, said she recently filed for bankruptcy and has had to borrow money from her mother to cover basic expenses. "I am doing everything I can to stay afloat," she said.
In response to the findings, the AFT on Wednesday launched its "Fight for Affordability" campaign, a suite of consumer tools and financial literacy resources focused initially on medical debt. The initiative includes a debt clinic, online educational videos, and an AFT Debt Navigator tool developed with the Debt Collection Lab to help members find resources tailored to their situations.
"Families are being crushed by an affordability crisis while big banks pull in record profits," said Frost. "It is long past time we stop letting corporations profit off people's struggle."
The survey was conducted in partnership with Protect Borrowers, a borrower advocacy organization whose executive director, Mike Pierce, said the findings offer "a chilling glimpse into the financial struggles of working families across the country."
