Saturday, July 21, 2018

WHERE TO NOW PRO-UNION UFT DISSIDENTS?

The anger in the comments that followed our posts last week on the AFT Convention was understandable and very well placed. At the convention in Pittsburgh, union leaders bragged how virtually everyone is staying in the union after Janus gave us the option to withhold all of our union dues. Some here called it a premature victory lap.

The UFT-NYSUT-AFT leadership headed by Michael Mulgrew and Randi Weingarten's Unity Caucus has deteriorated into being a weak appendage of the corporate establishment wing of the Democratic party and it is not changing. They are probably incapable of doing anything any differently. Even so, I will not come out and say we should rescind our membership in the UFT. It is the lesser of the evils compared to not having any union at all or having an even weaker one.

The problem with the UFT is not that difficult to explain. Unity Caucus demands loyalty as a condition of joining their caucus.To become a Unity member one must agree "to support the decisions of Caucus/Union leadership in public or Union forums." Dissent is not allowed. Anyone outside of the caucus is basically shunned or ignored.

The Unity people go to the AFT Convention or NYSUT Representative Assembly where they vote as a giant bloc. The sheer size of the UFT gives them the opportunity to dominate the AFT and NYSUT because the Unity/UFT leadership can afford to send 750 Delegates to AFT and NYSUT. Those Unity UFT Delegates control committees because the UFT is by far the largest local in both the AFT and NYSUT. After Janus, teachers in the comments here are making a strong case that by withholding union dues, we can starve the Unity beast and force them to change. There is one fatal flaw in that argument. I have asked in response to cite one example in history where a weaker union with fewer members has led to improved salaries and working conditions for workers. Nobody has yet responded. Merely leaving is not the answer.

We can all agree that Unity cares more about Unity Caucus than the rank and file. They have power and they will not relinquish any of it under any circumstances. That control is more important to them than representing union members. How do we change this? Opting out is not the answer. You might save some money and cost Unity some bucks but you are making the situation worse for yourself and everyone else. A commenter said it best the other day:

I'm not opting out. So you got a bad contract last time? What kind of contract will a fraction of the membership win for all? It's not the Koch bros, but the politician sitting opposite you at the bargaining table that you need to worry about. What politician wouldn't like to win some points with the general public by "saving money" (giving us less)?

I was under a terrible AP. (G-d help us all, he's now a P). The union leadership needs to address the bad admins, excessive observations, fair student funding... Any leadership that's not taking care of business needs to be voted out.

This robust argument has one major shortcoming. It is impossible to vote Mulgrew/Unity out. UFT elections are essentially rigged in a very sophisticated way. Anyone who has ever completed Political Science 101 knows that in order to win elected office, a candidate needs to be able to have the voters answer yes to these three simple questions:
1-Do they know you?
2-Do they like you?
3-Do they trust you?

There are close to 200,000 UFT members who are scattered all over the country. Most are not working teachers. Nobody working in a school could possibly get to enough of them to have any possibility of winning a UFT general election as a dissident. We have explored the UFT election farce in depth as recently as last October. Nobody is winning anything beyond the high schools and maybe the middle schools because an opposition group could never get to voters spread out over 1,800 schools, many other worksites such as hospitals and charter schools and of course the retirees who live all around the US and beyond.

Mulgrew/Unity has access to the membership regularly through texts, Facebook, Twitter, the NY Teacher, email along with face-to face meetings with members hosted by Union staff and officers. They pretend to be democratic by allowing one ad buried in the NY Teacher and an email at election time for opposition groups. It is not nearly enough to answer even the "Do they know you?" question. Best case scenario is winning 12 seats (high schools and middle schools) on a 102 member Executive Board. The rank and file knows the opposition in the high schools and somewhat in the middle schools. Having twelve Executive Board seats may move Unity an inch or two in the direction of the membership but there will be no fundamental changes.

I outlined in that October posting what it would take to form a separate high school union. Since there are about 20,000 high school teachers, we would need about 6,000 signatures (30%) on a petition before we have a new contract to go to the Public Employees Relations Board to ask for a separate bargaining unit for high school teachers. It would take about 100 activists to obtain 60 signatures each from high school teachers exclusively. Maybe ten people stepped up to volunteer to obtain signatures when this was raised. It's not enough to scare Mulgrew or Randi into altering how they do business. I can't advocate for that high school union since people aren't willing to do what it would take to form it. Teachers have to step forward beyond anonymous comments.

It would take an even greater effort to get a referendum to decertify the UFT as the teachers' bargaining union.

Enter once again Norm Scott of EdNotes fame. Norm has had it with the Unity Caucus and the opposition caucuses. In his latest post, he recommends a kind of targeted nuclear option because of the difficulty organizing everyone.

Here is the start of Norm's piece:
Warning to Unity trolls --- many of us are discouraging people from pulling dues - telling people to stay in the union. That may not last forever.

If the current structure of the union stays the same there will be moves to get people to not just not pay dues but to take that money and fund a move to organize an alternative. You guys will go nuts and attack the shit out of them and accuse them of dual unionism. You will say they are being funded by the Koch bros (they used to say Ed Notes was funded by Bloomberg).

But imagine even 100 people kicking in $1400 bucks to start an ad campaign to get people to join them. They would say how pro union they are but that Unity has failed some crucial tests of unionism. 


Norm's conclusion:

Let's see what happens over the next 3 years. The danger is if the Koch type people use e4e to do exactly this. Don't think Randi is not aware of this danger and that is why they are trying to co-opt E4e.

So, the Unity machine may be able to keep membership through threats and intimidation. But one day some people may just decide to look for an alternative.


I think teachers have to do more than look for an alternative. They have to become that alternative.

Maybe something can get up and running on social media. Norm has suggested that teachers who want change should start a Facebook group and get as many people as possible to agree to collectively threaten to withhold union dues unless the UFT agrees to a series of changes such as each division (high schools, middle schools, elementary schools, functionals [non-teaching UFT members]) electing their own vice presidents instead of every UFT member voting for the divisional VPs at large. Other reforms would be Chapter Leaders or members in a district voting for District Representatives instead of Mulgrew appointing them or proportional representation for the UFT election (get 20% of the vote, then you win 20% of the seats on the UFT Executive Board, the AFT Convention Delegates and the NYSUT Representative Assembly Delegates). These are good ideas but maybe teachers have their own suggestions on what to fight for. Teachers have called for two observations per year, placing Absent Teacher Reserves in schools that they choose. How about calling for a union that protects its members as a primary goal and makes everything else secondary in this dangerous time for working people? All of this will amount to nothing if teachers are not willing to come out of the shadows and fight for it.

I have been an activist since 1995. I have never been so pessimistic. I find myself promoting a union whose leadership I think has led us to this state by conceding in so many ways to management, thus making the bulk of the rank and file indifferent toward the union. On the other hand, if the people working in the schools are not willing to come together for some kind of alternative, then yes Unity is better than having no union or one where thousands and thousands drop out. We will have even less leverage than we have now.

As John G stated on EdNotes, "For those of us who would like the union to reform, the options are between 'sucks' and 'sucks more'." 

It doesn't have to be that way. We have each other. That sounds overly sentimental but it's true. If enough UFT members come together in that union spirit, it can make a difference. If it is every teacher for herself/himself, then a middle class lifestyle for teachers will slowly melt away and all of us who fail to take action will be playing a part in the melting process.

35 comments:

jr said...

And nothing changes, yes, its a matter, at least somewhat of proving a point, or revenge, i wont contribute to my own demise any more. This job is a joke, just like the student grades, it is no longer a career.

Anonymous said...

Continuing to pay is allowing the sham to go on. If unity cared, the last contract would have never been brought yo us, working conditions would be better, we wouldnt be paying for childcare leave, etc. They are already gloating that nobody left. Tired of the abuse.

Anonymous said...

How useful is the uft when i cant sleep at night and my heart is pounding through my chest every day?

Anonymous said...

UFT has kept our wages stagnant and gotten us a decline in salary against inflation over a 10 year period. Inflation has eaten away at the retro over 11 years.

Anonymous said...

The money isnt the issue. The job is destructive and sickening.

Anonymous said...

Read above, cant sleep and heart pounding...Which speaks to the fact that the union has abandoned us on the student discipline issue.

Anonymous said...

The scam continues...My summer school is an 18 day program, students now know they can no show 2 classes for a 5 month term and make it up in 3 weeks during the summer. Of course they are absent several times over the 18 days, spend the 5 hours with cell phone in hand, good enough I guess.

Anonymous said...

ocasio cortez says low lifes deserve a better wage but 10% over 8 years is good enough for us.

Anonymous said...

The uft can keep their fucking lawyer. I will save the $60 per check.

Anonymous said...

7:59:

It is clear which side you are on. As the song says, “you can be a union man or you can be a scab”

Anonymous said...

None of us stepping up to try to solve the problem. Sad.

Anonymous said...

Not a scab. I USED TO BE proud to be in the uft until they completely sold us out. Its really the only thing I can do that they might understand. Ive tried to wait patiently for 20 years.

Anonymous said...

Stop rationalizing and help form an alternative.

Anonymous said...

I’m not proud to be in the UFT, I try to keep it quiet. It’s a union in name only. Call it what it is
a protection racket that doesn’t even do that. Worse they and their fat goons are laughing all the way to the bank, while morons call people that think for themselves scabs.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, think for ourselves based upon the failure of uft leadership. When is enough, enough?

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

I just sent this to Mulgrew and Sill...
No, I don't think you get it. I specifically wrote ATRs and non ATRs. I don't think you get the feeling of abandonment we feel. I don't think you understand what kind of mockery this job has become. I don't think you understand when I am called faggot or white piece of shit and nothing is done. I don't think you understand when a teacher is assaulted, physically assaulted and nothing happens because we don't suspend anymore. Do you understand a 10% raise over 8 years, half the cost of living, or having this current contract extended 3 times for no reason? How about waiting 11 years for retro with no interest? How about principals doing whatever they want and chapter leaders too afraid or too stupid to say anything? How about pension consultations where the expert gives wrong info. How about me being unable to sleep at night? The list goes on and on, and honestly, if the current DOE teaching staff wasn't so young and stupid, many more would drop out and walk out. This has become a job of "Blame the white man for everything." And of course pass everybody, under any circumstances. So yes, I am still waiting for UFT leadership to step up and assist.

ed notes online said...

Anyone leaving the Koch bros web site to opt out is an anti-union troll. Their link should be removed. I am not posting any comments on ed notes that has that link.

James Eterno said...

As we agreed Norm, the link the Koch Brothers sight has been removed and I will continue to take it out when it comes back. Sometimes, I'm not fast enough to keep up with the anti-union trolls.

Anonymous said...

Im 246, I did not post the link. However, I feel strongly that we have been destroyed by our own union and the low quality student.

James Eterno said...

I agree on the union not being there for us but the students are the reason we have jobs.Yeah some are a real challenge but it is administration that allows them to do whatever they want in certain schools.

ed notes online said...

Let me address some of the issues here.
Unity has people in hundreds of schools to drown out the opposition and unless an opposition has an active person in hundreds of schools it will never be able to compete. The biggest threat to Unity would be a growing opposition not by their vote totals but by the numbers willing to challenge Unity at the school and district level and organize people in their own and neighboring schools. Build a network.
As I've said 12,000 people voted against Unity. All it would have taken was for 300 of them to have become active in the battle against Unity. Instead they dribbled in by single digits and as many didn't stay around. So the opposition has become a zero sum game. Shrinking. This makes Unity stronger.
Last summer I would have told the disaffected to join MORE in fighting Unity but I've come to see MORE cannot and does not really want to fight Unity except on a few issues. If people who are disaffected had come into MORE they could have made MORE take stronger stands on issues directly affecting teachers. People like Schirtzer and Giambalvo and South Bronx would not have been purged. Arthur Goldstein would still be involved. But the MORE ship has sailed and we are left with not much of a voice anywhere but on the blogs.
I am not for forming new caucuses. Forget the UFT elections -- they are fundamentally irrelevant and a waste of time. No caucus has grown as an outcome of being involved. But where are people to go to organize against Unity? I don't really know anymore.
Say a few dozen people focused on an issue like organizing a campaign for some fundamental changes in the UFT structure -- like election of district reps -- these people are the weak links in the UFT because they are in touch with every school in their districts and they have the power to target the worst principals and do some organizing against them in the school neighborhoods -- but they don't want to get their hands dirty.

Maybe put up a petition like Emily Jackson did - in this case that UFT members would sign pledging say 5% of the dues to go to some organizing effort. Emily got 80,000 sigs. You all claim that there is immense dissatisfaction in the schools -- there should be thousands of people willing to sign something calling for changes. Or a closed and moderated facebook page. Do something. Anything but bitching all the time.
ICEUFT is beyond doing very much other than meeting and talking about things. But if people want to get something started James and me and Mike will provide some advice and support. But you can't just sit there and wait for us to do it. We can help some of you get together with each other to at least feel you have a support group.
This is a union of 125,000 active members and there are not even a few dozen people willing to take action? Maybe they are not as unhappy on the whole as people say and this blog attracts a few disgruntled who are not representative of the whole. Because I don't get how people can keep eating shit and not reacting.

Anonymous said...

There is dissatisfaction, but people all say there is nothing we can do or are afraid or are leaving anyway. My school has 380 students, 10 teachers left in june.

Anonymous said...

I gotta say, as 246 said, its tough to be a white male in this system. We are almost always to blame, always the target.

Anonymous said...

I’m a white male, but have never thought of myself in those terms. I’ve rarely had any kid bring up race to me in 28 years of teaching. I have been called a nigger, and not in the friendly way, quite often. The schools are dangerous now for every teacher especially the inexperienced, which is almost every teacher now. On this site I’ve seen people attacked for not being racists, including myself. BTW the entire system is run by a white male - Bill DeBlasio.

Anonymous said...

Who favors criminals...

James Eterno said...

"Do something. Anything but bitching all the time." Norm said it. It's not all that complicated.

Anonymous said...

I did. I opted out.

Anonymous said...

That just leaves us in worse shape.

Anonymous said...

I didnt have a choice. Enough is enough.

Anonymous said...

Great to come here and find out how tough it is to be white in America.

Anonymous said...

6:42, I come here to discover how I have oppressed my victims for decades and didn't even know it. Imagine my surprise!

Anonymous said...

6:42, btw thanks for waking evil people re their role in oppressive power structures. They should be shamed for the way they were born. Roflmao?

Anonymous said...

Actually no one bitches more than you James. You complain about everything from UFT to school principals to Janis. Just shut up and go somewhere. No ome will miss you.

James Eterno said...

I had it quite good the last three and a half years at Middle College. I didn't complain much at all there.

My family would certainly miss me I think. Not sure if you are Unity, Koch bros right wing troll or CSA 9;04 pm but it's fine that you don't like me. Wonder why you read this blog.