Randi Weingarten Resigns

Randi Weingarten, the openly lesbian head of the nation's most powerful teachers union, is resigning as president of the United Federation of Teachers, the group whom she also represents in the union - some say over her long battle with Michael Bloomberg over school control.

Randi Weingarten will announce she is stepping from her post as president of the United Federation of Teachers next week, union sources said Wednesday. Current chief operating officer Michael Mulgrew will take her place until the next UFT election in May 2010, the sources said. Weingarten was elected president of the UFT's parent union, the American Federation of Teachers last year. She has been presidnt of the UFT since 1998. "It's hard to maintain a foot in both jobs," said one union source.

Weingarten had been locked in a local battle with NYC Mayor Bloomberg over teacher layoffs and control of the schools, something the state Senate was to resolve. (HA!) Of late she has been dating CNN contributor Hilary Rosen, lending the local press to call them "lesbian power couple #1."