Saturday, February 19, 2022

UNITY ATTACKING CAMILLE'S UNION RESUME AS THIN SHOWS THEY CAN'T EVEN DO OPPOSITION RESEARCH HONESTLY

This post is for the Unity Caucus people who have made their line of attack on Camille Eterno that she doesn't have the experience needed to lead the largest union local in the country. They are wrong and most of them know it. If they won't bother to do the opposition research, we will do it for them. Camille has been active in the Union since 1998. She did take some time off to be with our two wonderful kids, Kara and Matthew, who are now 7 and 12 so maybe some of the newer Unity folks don't know her, but she never stopped being an activist fighter within the Union.

Camille was elected Chapter Leader at Queens Gateway when she was only in her second year as a teacher in 1998. Camille won grievances that the UFT said were not winnable. I recall she defended members successfully who were accused of infractions such as theft of services, misconduct in the classroom, lateness issues and so much more. One of her members called her "Chapter Leader Par Excellence". 

Camille was at most UFT functions including awards ceremonies, the Labor Day Parade, the Delegate Assembly, District and Citywide Chapter Leader meetings as well as High School Committee meetings. When the UFT had rallies (yes we actually had citywide rallies in the early 2000s), Camille was there with a healthy contingent from Queens Gateway to Health Sciences. Ask the people who worked with her at Queens Gateway if Camille has a thin union resume. They might disagree.

Did she catch the eye of the Unity leadership? She was invited to join Unity Caucus so many times one would think they were almost stalking her. Ask Randi Weingarten if she invited Camille to come to brunches in Brooklyn. Ask former Queens Borough Rep Rona Freiser if Camille was a good trade unionist. Camille was one of the first people Rona called to be on her District Consultation Committee when Rona was elected District Representative. (Yes, chapter leaders voted for district reps in those days.) Why did the leader of Unity Caucus at the time, Tom Pappas, call Camille personally to ask her to join Unity? Camille was even invited to go to a Unity meeting. Camille went and was repulsed by the top-down way they operated. The people who tried to recruit Camille into Unity were a who's who of the Unity hierarchy.

Long time UFT Secretary Michael Mendel would usually come and say hi and chat with us at DAs that Camille and I both regularly attended together before we had our two amazing kids. Did I mention Camille and I met at a Chapter Leaders meeting when I was Chapter Leader at Jamaica? If she wasn't an active unionist, we would have never met.

Now some of you might say that was a long time ago but what has she done in the Michael Mulgrew years? Camille moved on from Gateway and settled in at Humanities and the Arts High School where she helped get the school off the State's School Under Registration Review list. A collaborative principal, Mercedes Qualls, listened to her staff, including Camille. Within a year Camille was elected UFT Delegate.

Camille never stopped helping UFTers. She was a presence at many school closing hearings during the Bloomberg years. You can see both of us in action here. She is defending public education here; here she is part of the defense of yet another school.

When a new principal came in at Humanities and the Arts and brought in some anti-UFT assistant principals, Camille was ready for a fight but the UFT had changed under Michael Mulgrew and no longer put up much of a resistance against abusive administrators.

Vice President Janella Hinds knows Camille was actively involved in the Union. They sat together at the 2016 UFT vote count when Camille told Janella about the fight Camille was leading at Humanities and the Arts where Camille was the Delegate. Camille was risking her job to help others. State Senator Leroy Comrie is aware she was active on behalf of her school. By the way, Janella told Camille she was going to be in touch so she could help her school against the abusive administration. Camille is still waiting for that call. 

The UFT Grievance Department is fully aware that Camille knows the Contract. The Principal at Humanities and the Arts told Camille she was so busy defending other people so who would defend her. Camille soon thereafter was attacked viciously. 

Camille defended herself and the Chapter quite well. She was at the Grievance Department so often that then Director Ellen Proceda-Gatlin talked about offering her a job. Ellen said she wished she was on her team. Camille's record was totally cleared but she agreed to be an Absent Teacher Reserve rather than go back to her former school. You can check with Carl Cambria if you want to hear from someone who worked at the Grievance Department, now a borough rep, if Camille knows the Contract. 

Camille spent three years as an ATR in part due to UFT indifference to what was going on at Humanities and the Arts. She worked for a year at the High School for American Studies at Lehman College where the Principal, Alessandro Weiss, thought Camille was a highly effective, amazing teacher. They still keep in touch. The next year she was sent to Queens Tech where the administration worked hard to keep her for the year. She was then sent to Veritas Academy where Principal Cheryl Quatrano,  her assistant principals, and teachers saw Camille's teaching talents and picked her up permanently within a month. That was in October of 2019. The first chapter election after that was in 2022. Camille didn't want to take over anyone's job but as soon as there was a Delegate opening, she was recommended by multiple people and easily was elected. That was well before the first DA this school year.

Please ask Yasmin Colon why Camille was not credentialed for 5 months. Mike Sill's personal attack on Camille on Wednesday for not attending DAs was absurd. The UFT District Rep was aware of Camille's election in October as the Election Chair at Veritas entered the information multiple times but the UFT never processed it. The Queens Borough Rep, to be fair, did intervene and thought the situation was resolved. The lame excuse used this month was that she was somehow unsubscibed from the Delegate list. The UFT didn't officially credential Camille to attend live until 4:15 pm on Wednesday, February 16 after she emailed Leroy Barr. Barr saying it was suspicious that she just showed up was comical. Ask Leroy too if Camille hasn't been active. She was in his office in 2017 advocating for her  UFT Chapter and against abusive principals. 

Camille and I help any UFter who asks. For years, Unity supporter Arthur Goldstein would call us, sometimes multiple times a day, to ask for help with union issues. Arthur called on the cell and the house phone at all times night and day. If I wasn't around, Camille would help him out. It's kind of ironic that some of the advice she gave was that he should attend the DA when he used to think it was a waste of time.

Unity's attack on Camille was totally unwarranted and untrue. We've split the union and parenting duties. She is always there when called on.

Back to basics: Can any of our Unity friends make a substantive argument on why Camille's point of order wasn't valid on Wednesday? A deliberative body actually needs time to deliberate and not hear the President pontificate for the majority of its meetings. Camille backed her point of order up by citing Robert's Rules to substantiate how Mulgrew abuses the power of the chair regularly. I used to call him on it repeatedly. We sparred often and I was never called unhinged for arguing with him. Is it because Camille is a woman that Unity is using this line of attack?

Camille is an experienced unionist who will be every bit as tough on anyone who attacks the UFT as she was on Mulgrew. Unlike Mulgrew, she won't be afraid to hear from multiple points of view. I am honored to be her husband and am excited that she is carrying the Union torch now.

Vote United for Change!


48 comments:

Anonymous said...

A solid response.

Unity Supporter

Anonymous said...

Mulgrew and Unity have been a disaster for active UFT members and for Retirees. End Mulgrew's appeasement policies. Vote for Camille Eterno.

Anonymous said...

Mulgrew is a huge shithead. Mulgrew is a liar. Mulgrew makes Putin look like a decent human being. Mulgrew is a much bigger mafia style boss than Putin. Listen to this very important explanation of what the shithead Mulgrew did to the union retirees and find out why he is a liar. Listen to Marianne Pizzitola (President of FDNY EMS retirees association) on the absolutely disgusting misdirection and misinformation of Michael Mulgrew. Mulgrew is highly unethical.
Do not vote for Mulgrew.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCff3LFtosU

James Eterno said...

Anon 2323, You know the rules. This post has zero to do about COVID. Put your comment on a Covid related post and I will put it through.

JR said...

Who cares? What's your point? All you are proving is that it made sense to opt out as you continue to blast unity while knowing they will win re-election easily. Why pay for such a disgusting group of people while your vote is meaningless? Maybe now that they attacked your family you will wise up.

Anonymous said...

This piece from NY retirees.org says it all about why Mulgrew should never, ever be a "leader" in any labor organization! This video needs to be played and discussed in every school at every chapter meeting before UFT elections. A perfect campaign piece for UFC...
Do not allow Mulgrew to stay around destroying the lives of thousands upon thousands of municipal workers from unions across the city!

Anonymous said...

If you want to understand why Mulgrew is so unbelievably cringey pond scum slime, then you absolutely must watch this video explanation of how he threw all city union retirees under the bus.

It is Mr. Mulgrew who pulled off this unethical SLEAZY SHIT:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCff3LFtosU

SEND THE LINK OF THIS VIDEO TO EVERY UNION MEMBER YOU KNOW.
PLEAD WITH THEM NOT TO VOTE FOR THE SLEAZY PEICE OF SHIT MULGREW.

Anonymous said...

MULGREW BETRAYED ALL NY CITY UNION RETIREES.

YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MULGREW'S TREACHERY.

Anonymous said...

The Medicare Advantage Program for retirees is the handiwork of Mulgrew's treachery. Mulgrew could not be more disconnected form the reality of our retirees' hard work on behalf of citizens of NY city.

Mulgrew has now cheated them with his collusion with New York City in promoting his Medicare Advantage fraud.

Mulgrew has violated his fiduciary responsibility towards our retirees.

Anonymous said...

12:17 - the only reason you are not feeling the pain of opting out is because the rest of us who are paying dues are protect yo azz. If you think teachers are being abused now, could you imagine if there was no union in place? No fear of being written up or being called out on their shit? Who do you think is going to go to bat for you, the DOE? Were you able to receive the vacation days that the rest of us dues payers received? Hypocrite.

Anonymous said...

I will print the United for Change PDFs and place them in teacher mailboxes.

The current UFT is so corrupt. I don't know how the UFT "leaders" live with themselves. The NYC DOE is going to hell in a handbasket and the UFT seems to be a passenger in the handbasket!

Anonymous said...

I don't know how any teacher can live with themselves if they vote for
Mulgrew and his Unity hacks. Mulgrew is dishonest and sleazy.

Anonymous said...

1. I wouldn’t care if Camille has been living alone in a cave her entire adulthood. She’s still a better leader than Mulgrew. No offense to Camille but just about anybody is brighter and stronger than Mulgrew. 2. Mulgrew is just the figure head. His priority as was Randi’s is the democrat party. He answers to them. NY democrats like Adams want Medicare Advantage in NYC so the UFT said yes to the democrats like they always do. 3. I support the opt outers. For 125+ bucks a month you can call me all the names you want. Opinions on my character don’t pay the bills but that $125 covers one of my monthly expenses. I don’t blame anyone for opting out from an organization that puts the democrat politicians ahead of dues paying members.

Anonymous said...

I will also place flyers in all teachers mailboxes!
I will tell all my friends to tell their friends! And so on...

Anonymous said...

I still want to be armed with more knowledge than I currently have.
I request a list of the Top Ten Reasons to Vote Against Mulgrew.
Maybe even a separate thread to highlight it.
Thank you.

Anonymous said...

When you opt out, have a spine and opt out of anything, and everything, the Union bargains for. If not, you're just a fraud who is getting benefits off the backs of everyone else.

Anonymous said...

@ 1:04 When you opt out, you are not paying Mulgrew and the UFT to cheat you out of your retirement medical coverage. Mulgrew cheated retirees with his bait and switch to Medicare Advantage. Why would anyone in their right mind pay dues to the fraudulent UFT run by Mulgrew?

JR said...

918 PM,

You, by accident, pointed out another UFT failure. The 7 vacation days were given by the judge. The UFT, Mulgrew said, demanded full pay for 7 days. We got nohting close. We got something that we may never see, or we may not see for 30 years. Oh wait, sounds like delaying retro for 12 years wiht no interest. I guess you consider this a victory. Yeah, thanks but no thanks. I made the right decision.

Your response is the typical unity resonse...It sucks but it's better than nothing...If that's the best they can do, we are getting ripped off bigtime.

Also, you mentioned being written up...I can still be...And I will have to defend myself or pay thousands and thousands of dollars for a lawyer...Either I don't nee the uft or I'm willing to defend myself while putting my career on the line while costing myself way more than dues costs. Not about the money, about being abused and ripped off for decades.

If you want to see more, simply read the daily posts James puts up...

James Eterno said...

We oppose opting out. This is a pro union anti Unity leadership blog. We haven't had to deal with this for a long while but it was agreed to stop the anti-union comments so please stop those comments. Thanks

Anonymous said...

One issue that UFC has been ducking is the pernicious influence of Randi Weingarten. Will Camille have the hutzpah to ignore that delusional gremlin or will she be another bootlicker like Mulgrew? Randi is nearly universally despised and as corrupt as they come. Her thoughts and actions during the pandemic were abysmal. Just look at her Twitter.

Anonymous said...

6:03 - Nonsense. We would've gotten NOTHING but for the UFT fighting for it. Or do you believe the city gave us those 7 days out of the goodness of their hearts? Rhetorical questions, because even you can't be that dumb. Like I said, if you want to opt out, go for it, but stop hanging on like leeches to everything won by the union, because that just makes you a fraud, and a hypocrite

Anonymous said...

James - why do you keep telling people to stop the opt out comments when all you have to do is not let them through.

Anonymous said...

Randy is not universally despised. Only by right wingers.

Not will to die yet said...

Feb 22 7:40
Are you related to Mulgrew?
Do you live under a rock ?
What additional information do you need ?
I don’t even think you can fog a mirror with your breathe …Please smarten up. You posted your idiotic request on this blog . Come on you know how useless Mulgrew is.

Anonymous said...

6:47 Another issue the UFC and this blog have been ducking (I know because my posts and others I know haven't made it here) is courting the vote of the right. Not the "extreme election denying and would have been there Jan 6th if they could right" but conservative people who don't care for the cancel culture and woke mob. The right who recognize the black lives matter but don't support the tactics of the group Black Lives Matter. The conservatives who can meet in the middle with the liberals. It seems like people like us have been left out of the equation and while I am sure we are not the majority of this union we have just as much at stake when it comes to retirement, our medical, and our safety. And we are a large group of voters who dislike Mulgrew but could live with the status quo if we don't hear something new and inclusive to us.

Publically challenge Mulgrew to a debate. We need to see him challenged by an intelligent, prepared woman like Mrs. Eterno.

Anonymous said...

7:58 - you didn't answer the question, not even a little bit, and it's a very legitimate question. If you don't know, don't speak on it. You debate like a 6th grader.

Anonymous said...

9:31 - blather.

Anonymous said...

9:31pm, bravo. A well reasoned plea. Unfortunately, it will probably fall on deaf ears.

A lot of stubborn folks here can’t admit when they are wrong or even compromise. Hence, the censorship and childish name calling coupled with the defense of corrupt institutions and figures like the CCP and Randi Weingarten.

Because for many, “if the party tells me 5 fingers then 5 is what I'll say
No matter that the 4 displayed are waving in my face”.

Sound familiar?

JR said...

750, so you are cool settling for scraps, like wating 12 years for retro with 0 interest or getting a 7 and a half year deal for 10% in raises, averaging 1.3% per year...That is the better than nothing doctrine. I agree, it is better than nothing. Just not good enough. And based on James' writing and many daily posts, many agree.

I have asked for very few things during my career. I have never gotten an Unsatisfactory or Ineffective or even a Developing. When I ask for help with the Open Market, when I'm not even being interviewed, or ask them to enforce the hardship travel clause already in the contract and they tell me they agree but they can't help, the time is up. If you had to travel 4-5 hours a day to work, you may have a change of heart.

Anonymous said...

LOL. 7% TDA is better than nothing, and it's a good rate. But 8.25% would've made me hundreds of thousands of dollars more over my lifetime. Why did it get worse? Why did we never negotaite it back? We had it. People don't seem to realize what 1.25% is, compounding on a large amount of money. "Strongest union in the country" couldn't figure out how to get it back, or some of it?

Of course the city wated to give us nothing for April 2020, but let us realize Mulgrew didn;t get what was requested.

Wouldn't Lydia or Ms. Eterno or anyone else acting as UFT President gotten the same thing as the judge made the decision and figured out the vacation day thing. Did Mulgrew suggest 7 vacation days?

Anonymous said...

10:50 Boo hoo, "waaah". A lot of people don't care that Mulgrew didn't get what was requested, in fact, many people were happy about the 7 vacation days and you just sound like a whiner. Nice way to try and change the subject but the issue was if you're not paying dues you deserve NOTHING that is negotiated. Want to opt out, negotiate for yourself and stop riding on the coattails of the dues payers. It's that simple.

Anonymous said...

10:44 - maybe I should go slower. Nobody is ok with settling for scraps which is why this blog is dedicated to change, although I doubt Camille will get everything she fights for. But if you want to opt out, and blather on about it on a blog that is not yours after being told to stop it many times, you shouldn't receive ANY union benefits. Is that clearer? No dues, no benefits. Period. Some of the same folks opting out are the same ones wanting support on the mandate issue. WHY? You're not dues paying members. You deserve nothing.

Anonymous said...

BTW @10:50 - what does Lydia, or Eterno have to do with getting the same thing? If you're not paying dues you don't deserve anything under them either. It doesn't matter whether Mulgrew suggested it or not, you buffoon. It was only before the Judge because the union took it there.

Anonymous said...

Not will to die yet--

To be clear, I (the aforementioned 7:40) despise Mulgrew as a person.
As a union leader, I am sick of his backroom deals that never consult the membership.
From this blog, I can see how he uses assemblies as a bully pulpit.
I think you misunderstood my post as some kind of challenge to say, "Hey, what's so bad about the guy?"
On the contrary-- I am sincerely requesting a list from James, et.al. of specific moments in Mulgrew's tenure when he failed the union, like every time they were sending us back into the schools as the positivity rates climbed and all he could offer was "I am very angry about this but I assure you we will fight this and ask for more safety protocols."
I wanted more details than that, specifically about the financial aspects and contract negotiations, something I admit is an area in which I am weak.
If I was to present arguments to my colleagues to encourage a UfC vote, I wanted to have more information than I currently do.
That being said, your hasty attempts to insult me were unprovoked and show a greater lack of understanding than that of which you accuse me.
I will both assume and accept your apology.
Regards,
-- Dawkins.

Not will to die yet said...

9:45
Look at our last contact.
Look at the broken promise for full play for working spring break.
You seem like a Mulgrew hack.
I debate like an 8 th grader not a 7 th grader.

Anonymous said...

10:50 you still haven't made an argument as to why you should continue to get the same benefits as dues payers if you're not paying dues.

Anonymous said...

Nice straw man but my position on opting out has nothing to do with Mulgrew and you screeching about "Mulgrew hack" is lame and tired. Stop crying about 7 days vs full pay. You opt out you should get NOTHING. Go fight your own battles.

James Eterno said...

Second and final request: Please stop the opt out debate. This is the wrong place for it. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

The SCOTUS said we could.

Now, back to the UFT failures...But they are doing amazing work...

Given recent bargaining decisions by our union leadership, retired UFT members will likely be stuck having to choose between sacrificing choice of doctors and access to medical care in order to maintain costs, or being willing to pay more in order to maintain current benefits.

Newer UFT members are also facing severely limited health plan choices for themselves and their families. UFT President Michael Mulgrew is fine with our employer auctioning away members’ healthcare benefits to the highest bidder…

We are not being protected.

Anonymous said...

RE MEDICAL...My mom and my dad, retired DOE teachers, are in their 90s now, and I can state that from their perspective, this switch has been a confounding and worrisome disaster. UFT needs to do better, yet here we are again with our president blaming straw men "spreading misinformation" while even IF the new plan is worthy, the UFT's own messaging has been unclear and confusing at best. That so many thousands have opted out in the face of dramatically increased rates is telling.

It cost hundreds of dollars per month just to keep what you had.

Pathetic.

Anonymous said...

A truly worthwhile unuin sends people to die in March of 2020. Enough said.

Anonymous said...

@10:39 unuin? Really. You're kidding right?

Anonymous said...

Truly solid post on Mrs. Eterno. She's got my vote.

Friend who said the Unity line is "it sucks but it's better than nothing" is 1k % correct. The Unity drones should tattoo it on their foreheads. "Unity (we) suck but (we're) better than nothing." That way all the sheep who have been rubber stamp voting for them for years MIGHT finally get it. Msybe...One would hope...but...

Anonymous said...

@9:49 what a stupid post and lack of reading comprehension. The person who said that was doing nothing more than rationalizing opting out, while still collecting all of the benefits of being in a union, while not paying to be in a union. It had nothing to do with rubber stamp voting, try as you all might to try and make it about that. Learn to read, why dontcha? Then again, you sound like the original fool who wrote that.

Anonymous said...

@9:49 except you've got it all wrong since the ones threatening to vote for Mulgrew and saying "we suck but we're better than nothing" are those who are crying about vaccine mandates, and those are also the ones who come to this blog to whine about opting out. You've heard it "waaah, if you support mandates we'll vote for Mulgrew".

Too lazy to set up your own blogs and advocate for a candidate who will come out against mandates. Better to sit on your asses and come to James' blog and harangue him about mandates and about his position on opting out.

Grow a pair, get a life, and stop being a troll.

Anonymous said...

From Tuesday, February 22 "I request a list of the Top Ten Reasons to Vote Against Mulgrew."

Still no list, eh?

Anonymous said...

322. https://unitedforchange.vote/

Reasons are all on the website. There are flyers you can view, and download as well. Spread the word to fellow UFTers! Thank you!

waitingforsupport said...

@7:40 am. Please share your top ten reasons TO vote for Mulgrew or to NOT vote at all.