Major teachers’ unions are asking their members to be absent. target It’s the latest development in a series of boycotts targeting the retail giant as it shows signs of recovery when it comes to shopping for back-to-school essentials, CNBC has learned.
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) passed a resolution Thursday asking its 1.8 million members to shop locally instead of at Target, saying the company is not adequately responding to a surge in federal immigration enforcement in its Minneapolis hometown this winter. Federal agents shot and killed two Americans, Renee Good and Alex Preti, during the operation.
Unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO plan to seek similar resolutions at the AFL-CIO’s convention in Minneapolis this summer, as well as at conventions held by other organizations such as the NAACP and LULAC, AFT President Randi Weingarten said.
Target declined to comment specifically on AFT’s resolution, but said in a statement that it has a “long-standing commitment to strengthening the communities we serve,” including donating 5% of its profits since its founding and offering discounts to educators as part of its Teacher Appreciation Program.
Target’s annual sales have declined for the past three years in a row, but the company’s new CEO, Michael Fidelke, laid out an ambitious plan earlier this month to revamp its stores and add more appealing products to get sales back up. The company said it expects net sales for the current fiscal year to increase about 2% from last year, and that it expects sales to increase quarterly.
It’s unclear whether and how much AFT’s call for a back-to-school boycott will hurt Target, which is trying to win back customers. Earlier this month, Atlanta-area pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant announced the end of a year-long boycott of the company, dubbed Target Fast, that began after the company rolled back major diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Bryant said in a press conference that Target has demonstrated its commitment to Black communities through investments in Black businesses and donations to historically Black colleges and universities. But other activists leading separate boycotts, including former Ohio Sen. Nina Turner, said they continue to urge shoppers to avoid Target.
AFT previously supported and participated in a boycott of Target over DEI rollbacks.
The company attributed some of the revenue loss to the fallout from the DEI decision, as well as other factors such as company failures with product, a poor in-store experience and weak discretionary spending.
At an investor meeting in Minneapolis in early March, Fidelke emphasized that this is “a new chapter for Target.” He said the company is “committed to building connections with new guests, deepening relationships with existing guests, and regaining trust with guests we have disappointed.”
In a separate email to Target employees earlier this month, Fidelke highlighted how the retailer is executing on its strategy, including cutting prices on more than 3,000 items and opening its 2,000th store. He noted that the Target Fast boycott has ended and said Target has also made progress in restoring trust.
He said Target is in “ongoing dialogue with the organizers” of the boycott and that they “recognize the meaningful contributions Target has made and will continue to make to the Black community.”
In an interview with CNBC, Weingarten said the AFT boycott focuses on Target’s lack of response to the proliferation of aggressive and violent immigration enforcement in its own backyard. Weingarten said AFT sent a letter to Target urging them to meet with Target staff and make their voices heard before the union moves to pass the resolution.
“Target has been negotiating with our colleagues in the civil rights community for weeks and weeks,” she said. “They could have very easily addressed both[DEI and immigration concerns]but they chose not to.”
He said Target is “more concerned about collaborating with the Trump administration than with the communities that have made us a profitable company.”
Fidelke, along with dozens of executives from Minnesota-based companies, co-signed a letter in late January calling for an “immediate de-escalation” of tensions in the state in the wake of Preti’s shooting death. But the letter did not name the shooting victims as Preti or Goode or criticize the president, immigration policy or federal officials.
Fidelke also shared a video message with employees that more directly acknowledged current events, but stopped short of calling for ICE agents to leave the city or hold them accountable for the two shooting deaths.
Weingarten called the CEOs’ letter “insulting” and said it “basically condemns both sides.”
He said the union, which includes many teachers, could have the biggest financial impact during the back-to-school season this summer and fall. By passing the resolution now, the AFT can inform member states and “give the targets enough time to come to their senses,” she said.
