Sunday, March 25, 2007

Have You Voted Today?

There are people in your schools who have not yet voted or are not even aware an election is taking place.

In the last election 70,000 active UFT members DID NOT VOTE. We need you to remind them to vote.

People say the 2006 contract was a holding action till the next one with more givebacks. They also agree that if not for the 40% teacher NO vote on the 2005 contract, Unity would have been emboldened to give back more in 2006.Thus the case: The higher the vote for ICE-TJC, the better the chance to fight givebacks on the next contract.

Without a potent opposition/alternative to Unity, the dictatorship leading to bad decision-making will continue. HELP BUILD THAT ALTERNATIVE!Help get out the Vote for ICE-TJC!The only opposition to Randi Weingarten, ICE-TJC, is under attack. Randi Weingarten’s political party (Unity Caucus) is using their bloated campaign contributions to slander ICE-TJC.

Unity is able to raise vast sums of money because of the patronage jobs they reward their members with. Unity has mailed people a letter distorting the positions of ICE-TJC and our presidential candidate: Kit Wainer. Kit is a decent guy who is the long time chapter leader from Leon Goldstein High School in Brooklyn. He is not advocating an unprepared strike as the answer for every UFT problem. He knows that we would lose an ill-advised strike and all of us would not support one. That does not stop Randi/Unity from making stuff up.

The most ironic charge Randi-Unity made is that Kit is a socialist. We thought “Red Baiting” went out of style when Senator Joseph McCarthy was denounced publicly in the US Senate. The irony is that Randi Weingarten is running on both on the Unity ticket and on former opposition party New Action’s slate.

As Teachers for a Just Contract says in their latest literature: “The New Action members Unity has cross endorsed include longtime open members of the Communist Party USA.” TJC adds, “Weingarten and her predecessors Feldman and Shanker were all socialists, card-carrying members of the Social Democrats USA, an offshoot of the American Socialist Party.”

People’s politics or personal lifestyles are not at issue. We care what their record of achievement is for the members of this union. As students of history, we would rather have socialist Eugene Debs backing us up than Randi Weingarten any day of the week. The real issue is how far Unity and New Action will go to hold onto power. That’s what this misinformation campaign is all about.

Unity certainly can’t run on their record, which is a total failure. They gave away so many of our rights in the 2005 Contract:We lost the right to grieve material in our files.We lost the right to grieve observation reports.We lost the right to say no to hall patrols and cafeteria duty.

We lost the right to start school after Labor Day; we now start in August.

We lost the right to transfer based on seniority.

We lost the right to a job if excessed; we now get in Absent Teacher Reserve positions (subs).

We lost the right to preferred placement if our schools are closed; we now have to hustle for jobs or be placed in ATR positions.

We lost the right to be innocent until proven guilty etc…Unity has the money to mail smear stuff to the members.

All we have to counter it is our mouths, our computers, our telephones, our votes and most importantly the truth.

We need everyone to work for the only real opposition, ICE-TJC.

To vote for all ICE TJC candidates, simply put an X in the ICE-TJC box and then place the envelope inside the secret ballot envelope, seal it, then place it in the outer envelope and put it in the mail. With your support, ICE-TJC will continue to have one agenda: doing what’s right for the members.

Fraternally,

The Independent Community of Educators (ICE)

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

People better be quick about voting. The ballots have to be to AAA by Wednesday to be counted on Thursday.

Anonymous said...

Some people got the replacement envelopes on Saturday. If they mailed their ballot on Friday and get it back Monday and remail it Tuesday there is no guarantee it gets there on time. The deadline for returns should be extended.

Anonymous said...

Good points.

Anonymous said...

Most of the teachers in my school voted ICE/TJC.

Anonymous said...

Some teachers in my school never got ballots. Everyone else said they voted ICETJC.

ed notes online said...

Last time if everyone who told us they voted for ICE actually did we would have had double the votes. There are stories of people being so disgusted with the leadership they tore up the ballots or threw them away. Then there are those who automatically voted for New Action still thinking they were the old opposition. Still one day left to remind people again and again to vote.

Anonymous said...

And if every candidate on the ICE/TJC slate put up some of their own cash, they too could have sent out mailings!!!

Anonymous said...

Second guesser who should form his or her own caucus and run.

Anonymous said...

This time they really mean it Norm. They all are voting ICE and you will get a much bigger percentage than last time.

Anonymous said...

That person from 5:26 then would have criticized the mailing if ICE sent one out. They should start their own caucus and stop being critical of ICE.

Anonymous said...

Hey,

I was the one who told ICE over a year ago to start their own mailings so they could build up votes!

Caucus that!

Anonymous said...

Then come to an ICE meeting and stop complaining on the blog.

Anonymous said...

No thank you because if haven't taken any of my advice here, why would I waste my time in person?

Anonymous said...

Ok, don't come. Just send a check for to help with a mailing.

Anonymous said...

Send ICE the check and a note on what you want in the leaflet. Money talks.

Anonymous said...

Now you ask for contributions???
That request should have been in the mailings a year before the election!! You knew you had at least a 40% chance of getting some bucks after the 05 contract. That's what you call striking when the iron is hot!!!

It was not my place to jump start your campaign, it was yours. In fact it was Norm who believed fiancing wasn't necessary.

Anonymous said...

If you look back at the ICE leaflet after the 2005 contract, I think they were asking for money back then. It looks like they are looking beyond 2007 to reelction in 2010.

Anonymous said...

ICE will listen to anyone. Nobody's ideas are ignored. You just have to show up and instantly you freeze into an ICE Cube.

Anonymous said...

ICE will listen to anyone. Nobody's ideas are ignored. You just have to show up and instantly you freeze into an ICE Cube.

Anonymous said...

I'd rather be an ICE cube than a Unity eunuch.

Anonymous said...

But you won't listen to someone if they are unity or new action. Right?

Anonymous said...

I think there have been New Action people at ICE meetings. Unity people can come too. ICE welcomes all.

Anonymous said...

So is it fair to say that ICE accepts converts?

Anonymous said...

Converts and eunochs too.