Yesterday, New York State United Teachers (our state union) protested outside the governor's mansion after Governor Andrew Cuomo vetoed a bill he proposed that would have shielded teacher ratings from the results of common core tests for a while. NYSUT President Karen Magee led the protest.
Meanwhile, former UFT District Representative and current NYSUT Executive Vice President Andy Pallotta was inside the mansion as one of the invited guests for an open house.
We're protesting but still keeping that seat at the table.
No ambiguity in the comments coming from Beth Dimino, the President of the Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association and a member of Stronger Together Caucus, the statewide opposition party in NYSUT. Here is what Beth said on Facebook on December 30 concerning the recent Cuomo veto.
Now NYSUT is coming out against Cuomo. Really! It was never Cuomo's intention to support this bill. The proposition was only made to get an endorsement or to prevent a Teachout endorsement. And NYSUT/UFT/AFT leadership fell for the trick. Instead of whining now about this bill that we all knew he would veto, how about working to block a statewide APPR?
Beth also commented on Facebook yesterday along with a link to an NYC Educator post concerning the rigged nature of our union's democracy:
State and National Union Leadership needs to get up from their comfortable seat at the table and start representing rank and file. Our leaders make 3-5 times our salaries and seem to identify more and more with those who oppress teachers, students and public education. True Unionists work for the good of all, they are not self serving. Let us hope they wake up tomorrow morning ready to truly defend public education in the New Year!
Here is Beth again on Facebook reacting to President Karen Magee's attempt to explain NYSUT's positions on television.
Trying to sound politically correct only muddles the waters. Here are the two answers for the next time Madam President. 1) I expected that 98% of the teachers would be effective or highly effective because NY teachers have proven over and over again that they are the best teachers in the world! 2) NYSUT will expend all of its energies to make sure that the tax cap is eliminated. If Mr. Cuomo was happy with a paltry 53% of the electorate to get elected then school districts should not need a 60% margin to pass their budgets. Local School Boards should have the power to determine what their local school expenditures necessitate.
Now there's a leader!
Happy New Year everyone. This is going to be one bumpy ride for us in 2015.
16 comments:
A great start I wish I knew about it. The UFT better grow a spine because Cuomo is going to come at us in big way. Lots of money involved and he smells blood in the water. Eva is sharpening her fangs - she can't wait to feast on NYC's bloated carcass of misspent cash.
Nobody knew about it. Doesn't that say volumes?
Death came by and took the wrong Cuomo. I am sorry but this is what some leaders like Randi Mike Mulgrew Mayor Bloomberg deserve for try to destroy our pension livelihoods and lives for their own benefits.
What do you mean? The leaders are making big money on our backs. They couldn't care less about us basically.
All these union leaders are in the same aristocractic class that the political leaders are in. They pretend to have our interests in mind, that is how the game is played. But in reality, they are only there to serve themselves. This was proven with Mulgrew giving Diblasio a sweetheart deal, and both of them screwing the entire NYC labor force.
And to think we HAVE TO pay $100 a month in union dues for this garbage.
I was there on Wednesday. There were many postings on FB about this and I did share the information both on FB and on Twitter. Pallotta was at the protest to its entirety and he spoke himself. I have many photos from this protest to prove this. The fact that he did get an invite was a joke to many since none of us else did.Pallotta did not take it seriously and since there was still many of us around, he said he would still call Cuomo out to meet us. Any further questions, please feel free to ask.
Many city employees, especially teachers, have deleted their Facebook accounts. I got rid of mine 3 years ago. I have 2 friends who were 3020a-ed and 1 who lost. The DOE has employees trolling social media, especially Facebook. The UFT should have put out an email or text- they did not.
They also posted it on Twitter beforehand. But you are right. There should have been an email and/or text.
Yes, why didn't the UFT text and/or email us? They certainly mobilized a march against the police quickly and effectively (using texts and emails). This could have been a real opportunity to show Cuomo our strength,but it showed the opposite.
None of you are political people, for you want to destroy regimes that have benefited you, but your historical memories are in question. The new leadership, which is always accomplished by any means necessary becomes a toxic clone of the defeated. I know what I have, but fear what the agenda would be in that change in leadership. Thank you, Dr. John Marvul.
Do we fear having true representation? This regime has not benefited us. The past accomplishments are long past and you are correct, people are afraid and will not do what is necessary. This benefits those in power, union and city. The game the union plays is completely apparent. So the result for many of us is to bang our heads against the wall or sit on our hands quietly waiting.
Why didn't Pallotta refuse the invitation instead of trying to have it both ways?
Being inside and outside sends a message.
If this is anyone's idea of mobilizing, we are in deep trouble. How about something from NYSUT to all of us? It would have not been that hard.
How about letting us pick our NYSUT leadership at the school level instead of at large. That would be a nice start.
Has everyone forgotten that we in New York State are in litigation to preserve teacher tenure? We do not want to go the way of California' Vergara case. We know that tenure, unlike what the media would like folks to believe, is due process plain and simple. That the case will be tried in New York City is a coup because the UFT's lawyers will never let us lose this hard won right. Those in Albany who worry about not jettisoning enough bad teachers ought to worry about keeping good ones. People do not go into public education to get rich, but without due process we would stand to lose even more talented professionals.
If the legislature takes away due process or weakens it as they have already done, courts cannot be counted on to help that much. Look at Cuomo's plan. We need to mobilize everything we have to block it. NYSUT' s new leadership is going to be tested. I hope they are up to the challenge.
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