Feldman, Sandra (1939- )

US union leader. A teacher, she was a field representative for the United Federation of Teachers. She became the union's executive director, then secretary, and, in 1986, its president. She was the first woman to head this large union.

She was born in New York City, graduated from Brooklyn College, and gained her MA in English literature from New York University (1964). As a young woman she joined the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and was arrested several times on civil rights marches in the South. The United Federation of Teachers was the largest local union of any kind in the USA, representing some 85,000 teachers, guidance counsellors, and teachers' aides. She became known as a tough and dedicated advocate of the labour union movement and the cause of public education.