Union leader derides Obama education chief

The president of the nation’s second-largest teachers union has harsh words for President Barack Obama’s education chief, but stops short of calling for his ouster.

United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten says Education Secretary Arne Duncan needs to listen to parents and teachers, not dismiss their concerns.

In a draft of a speech she will deliver Friday in Los Angeles, Weingarten says the union needs an education secretary who “walks our walk and fights our fight.”

Earlier this month delegates of the largest teachers union – the National Education Association – called for Duncan to quit.

Duncan has been a target for teachers for supporting a California judge’s ruling that struck down tenure and other job protections for public school teachers. They’ve clashed over charter schools and other issues.