Sunday, May 10, 2020

MULGREW PUTS A STOP TO VIRTUALLY ANY ACCOUNTABILITY AT DA (Updated Monday)

 I was sent a copy of the proposed Robert's Rules of Order changes for the electronic Delegate Assembly that will take place on Wednesday. The Dear Leader, Michael Mulgrew and his Unity Caucus, have made a decree that all but the most rudimentary dissent will not be tolerated.

In the name of lack of technology, the UFT has placed severe limits on Robert's Rules of Order for the Delegates Assembly (see below). One of these is no Points of Order. If someone can't raise a Point of Order, then how can there be any accountability? For those who are not familiar with Points of Order, according to Robert's Rules on page 249, "It is the right of every member who notices a breach of the rules to insist on their enforcement." There's basically no accountability if the rules cannot be enforced by the members of a legislative body.

I used to raise Points of Order repeatedly because Mulgrew almost never followed the principle of even-handed debate where there is a speaker for something, followed by a speaker against, followed by a speaker for and then one against. Randi Weingarten used to try to claim that she didn't know which side speakers she called on were going to support to which I told her to please not insult my intelligence as Unity Caucus members support Randi/Mulgrew's resolutions or they will get kicked out of the caucus and lose their union perks.

As for the limits on technology, do you think anyone is really going to buy this one? Am I to understand the UFT does not have the technical capabilities of responding in real-time to ensure that rules are followed? For example, Delegate Johnson notices that the Dear Leader Mulgrew puts through three speakers in a row in favor of the latest Unity proposal to kiss Governor Cuomo's butt or something like that. Delegate Johnson presses 0 and an "operator" answers. Delegate Johnson says, "Point of Order." The operator immediately puts Johnson through. I think in 2020 that technology exists to do this and I gather the UFT can afford it with the money they charge for dues.

This is another one of the new rules:

Motions from Delegates that are directed to the agenda must have been submitted in advance of the meeting.  They will be addressed in the order received

Unity has their own resolutions disposed of beforehand by the Executive Board so they can set the agenda so that all of theirs will be acted on. They can clog the agenda up and not give anyone else a chance to get a motion in. My guess is anything coming through like a motion to have Chapters walk out of unsafe buildings will be screened and will never see the light of day.

How about this new rule?

Operators will ask whether the individual would like to speak for or against the resolution, so that the operators may present speakers on both sides of the debate, if necessary.  Individuals must identify which resolution they want to address and may also include whether they will be speaking for or against the resolution. 

Watch how the usual Unity favorites will be called on to speak during the meeting.

If you are interested in how a deliberative body is supposed to work, try watching the United Kingdom's House of Commons. Since retirement, I've become somewhat of an addict.


Watch the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (Conservative Party) have to be held accountable with the leader of the Labour Party opposition, Keir Starmer, asking six questions. The next biggest party's leader, Ian Blackford from the Scottish National Party, gets to ask two.

This is a mostly remote meeting wth social distancing. Watch this pre-COVID-19 UK PMQ's from last October to see real fireworks in a deliberative body. You can see what I got addicted to after retiring while my kids were at school before I found some part-time employment.  Watch at about the 34-minute mark when a Member of Parliament asks the Prime Minister about lower class size for her son in UK schools.

When I started at the DA and UFT Executive Board in the 1990s, no we were not the House of Commons but there was a lively spirit and some true debate at the DA and Executive Board. They are absent these days and we are the worst for that in my opinion.



Could you imagine the UFT Delegates Assembly following a UK style accountability system? Someone after three months could have asked the Dear Leader Mulgrew about the UFT not pulling members out of infected school buildings in the middle of March. When will that question finally be asked? How about someone asking about us walking out of school buildings that are not safe when we return?


Proposed Robert's Rules of Order Changes

Due to the current coronavirus crisis prohibiting an in-person Delegate Assembly we have to make some changes to our process as a result of technological limitations.  These changes include suspending certain rules and substituting the following in their place. 

The Parliamentarian has reviewed these proposed rule changes and have advised that they comply with Robert’s Rules of Order.  The Parliamentarian will be present at the meeting. 

Procedures that will not be possible due to technology limitations
Amendments to resolutions
Point of order
Point of information
Point of personal privilege
Motion to extend time for debate
All other motions to interrupt debate
Questions

The question period will be 15 minutes. Although this is a change from our last remote Delegate Assembly, this rule is consistent with how a typical in-person Delegate Assembly would be conducted.

Motions

Motions from Delegates that are directed to the agenda must have been submitted in advance of the meeting.  They will be addressed in the order received.

All motions will be automatically deemed seconded.

If the motion is for the current month’s agenda, the individual making the motion will have the opportunity to read the motion but will not be permitted to motivate it.

If the motion is for the next month’s agenda, the individual making the motion will have the opportunity to read the motion and to motivate it. 

During the meeting the Chair will ask members to call in if they want to speak for or against a motion directed towards next month’s agenda. Individuals should address and whether they will be speaking for or against the motion 

For motions directed to next month’s agenda, there will be a maximum of one speaker for and one speaker against.  Speakers will be selected randomly from those who have dialed in.
The motion period will be 10 minutes, as it is during in-person Delegate Assembly meetings.  There will be no extension of time for debate.

Resolutions

All resolutions will be submitted and sent out in advance of the meeting.  Due to the limitations in technology, amendments to the resolutions cannot be permitted.  A resolution will either be approved in its entirety, as drafted, or defeated.

The individual putting forth the resolution will have the opportunity to read and motivate the resolution.

During the meeting, the Chair will ask members to call in if they want to speak for or against a resolution.  Operators will ask whether the individual would like to speak for or against the resolution, so that the operators may present speakers on both sides of the debate, if necessary.  Individuals must identify which resolution they want to address and may also include whether they will be speaking for or against the resolution.

For each resolution, there will be a maximum of 5 speakers. Each speaker will be given 2 minutes to speak.  After a maximum of 5 speakers have had a chance to speak, there will be an automatic calling of the question on each resolution. Speakers will be selected randomly, seeking to include voices both for and against a resolution if necessary.

We will be unable to extend time for debate.

 Voting 
Voting will be done via telephone poll.

Voting lines will be open for 1 minute on each vote.

The Chair or timekeeper will announce when voting on a particular motion or resolution opens, will explain which number to press for ‘yay’ and which number to press for ‘nay’.  The Chair or timekeeper will announce when there is 30 seconds left in the vote and will then announce when the vote closes.

Upon the closing of the vote, the timekeeper will state the percentage of the body that voted ‘yay’ and the percentage of the body that voted ‘nay’.  The Chair will then announce whether the motion or resolution passes or not.

Update:

UFT Executive Board member Mike Schirtzer spoke in favor of democracy at the UFT Executive Board this evening. He was defeated of course but he made a valiant effort.

Here is what he said:

*We are in unchartered waters right now.
Facing the challenges and threats our union has ever faced.
*When you’re in unknown and murky waters, the only thing to do is to set the compass to true north and to proceed with caution.
*Lucky for us, we’re the United Federation of Teachers. and our “true north” has always been Democracy.
*My presence on Executive Board is living proof that our union is indeed Democratic even when it’s challenging.
*Thank God we have the UFT to help guide us through this difficult time. We are in this together, but let’s not sacrifice one bit of what we do, or how we do it.
We know amendments and points of orders are messy and time-consuming.
Let’s keep that compass set to true North as we stick to the democratic rules we have in place now-despite their many challenges- then when we get to the other side of this crisis, in much better shape and stronger than any institution out there.
We believe the answer to motions, points of order and amendments is texting or emailing the Parliamentarian as a clearinghouse to bring it the floor, that’s how we keep democracy secure in our union.

The truth is The Dear Leader Mulgrew and his Unity followers will not liberalize the rules until they are sure they have complete control over the Delegates. It is about control and power for them more than anything sadly. (That's James talking, not Mike.)

28 comments:

  1. The UFT isn’t really a union anymore, and hasn’t been for quite some time. Democracy now? Democracy never. There’s an accounting coming for all and most don’t see it. The false Luddites, at the UFT, should prepare it’s abused and neglected rank and file for a technological tsunami that will obliterate many teaching positions. Mulgrew, by proxy, quietly accepts each new outrage for the status quo of the paycheck. That will be taken last and no one will have the balls left to fight it. This isn’t about pulling dues. If you don’t see it by now, even with that minefield of a three day training, you are lost and deserve Mulgrew. Protest, pull your dues and speak out openly. Pensions could also disappear under a call for an emergency vote. Don’t look for Trump to help when we have Cuomo and deBlasio fighting for the crown of toddler of the year. The Pandemic is just exposing some hard realities on the surface. We have to look into our hearts. You feel it yet?

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  2. You want to know what the problem is? It is the teachers themselves, the ones who read here. A little confusion about 4 CAR days and teachers are all over it. No union democracy and there's one comment. We have met the enemy and they are us.

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  3. Is this a surprise? People always bitched and called me a lowlife, bum, piece of shit, freeloader, scab...When I said I opted out of dues. Why would you expect any different? You guys are never going to learn. This is what $62 a check gets you. Wake up.

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  4. So what does opting out get us? You save money. Big deal. A few individual opt outs ain't gonna change Mulgrew.

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  5. $62 in union dues twice a month is not worth it. Stop Dues in June at:
    newchoiceny.com

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  6. Just when you think the UFT can't sink any lower they pull this shit. Disgusting beyond words.

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  7. What's really sad is you won't see it covered anywhere but here.

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  8. So what does opting out get us? So what does you paying $1600 a year get you other than unity laughing at you and abusing you? How else would you like to teach them a lesson? How would you like to tell them that you aren't taking it anymore? Have a better suggestion? THEY SENT US TO DIE. They knew buildings were infected. Even if your building wasn't, that was just luck. And they still made us travel on infected buses and trains. Hear an apology yet?

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  9. I opted out in summer of 2018. Proven correct every day.

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  10. You are not correct because nothing has gotten better.

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  11. But I'm not getting ripped off...Im not paying for own demise.

    For example, this is what mulgrew sent us into...New York State has had 7.44% of all COVID-19 deaths (and 8.1% of cases) worldwide. We are 0.2% of the population.

    No matter who else is to blame, by any metric New York's leadership has utterly and tragically failed

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  12. Ok 354pm, keep paying, that is your call.

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  13. If you work for NYCDOE, you are still getting treated like shit probably. Some of us will run for union office in our school to make a difference. You will never help anyone but yourself.

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  14. If you are so independent, I hope you didn't show up March 17, 18 or 19 for work. Don't blame Mulgrew. You aren't a dues paying UFT member but you expect UFT to do right by you?

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  15. I paid dues for 20 years. They had 2 decades to do right by me. If you are happy with the uft, keep paying. If you like the covid response, the 2014 and 2005 contract, the observation system, the loss of 8.25% TDA, the longer workday, the PD system, the retro held for 11 years with no interest, the 1% raises, the 0 plus 0 in 2011 and 2012, the sick bank getting cut in half upon leaving, the zero discipline code...Good for you.

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  16. How will it get better if a few hundred drop out?

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  17. How many were laid off when Bloomberg tried to end seniority layoffs? Who even still has a pension today? We beat the constitutional convention. No context 5:13.

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  18. And here is the uft, today, making para vs teacher salary, a race issue...

    UFT
    @UFT
    ·
    32m
    Paraprofessionals, who are much more likely to be black or Hispanic than traditional classroom teachers and earn significantly less money, have been the hardest hit.

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  19. HAHA. Ask tier 6 about a pension the will never see...

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  20. Look at the givebacks above, and there are many others...Remember having to go back to work in August, then exchanging the giveback to give up the 8.25%? So we gave something up for no reason, then gave up something bigger to get back the 1st thing we gave back.

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  21. Is this all out of context?

    1.3% raises over 11 years, retro held back with no interest for 11 years
    WE are the only group who had TDA reduced from 8.25% to 7%
    no discipline code
    fake grades
    fake grad rates
    fake suspension rates
    higher medical co-pays
    absentee chapter leaders
    abusive admin
    abusive students
    cell phones in buildings
    open market fraud
    no travel hardship transfers
    getting blamed for students not caring, not being present, being in poverty
    screwed observation system
    2014 contract extended twice with 0 raise

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  22. So they waited bloomberg out so nobody would get laid off, to sign the worst contract in union history with de blasio? Is that what you are saying?

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  23. How come cuny and csa didnt give up 8.25%?

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  24. This is why nothing will ever change, you ready unity hacks still on this blog saying how wonderful everything is...

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  25. Mulgrew says ven if we figure social distancing, how will we program? It will be very difficult. Adding special ed. services will make it even more difficult. Short of a cure, we will plan for social distancing, staggered schedules, and what to do if we are shut down. We have to develop a hybrid instructional model. We are planning. Our curriculum project is paying off because it may make things easier. If we can get a plan before we end this school year it will help in September.

    Makes no mention of teachers having to travel, where they could get infected. Or, even if there are less students, who is to say staff can't get infected with less students...

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  26. Thanks for the voting info. Is there a way to do this on computer? We'll call if we have to.

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  27. @Monday May 11 9:40 100% agree. Teachers heads only perk up over a few CAR days and the raise a paycheck later than they thought. They've already forgotten they were and will continue to be sent into unsafe schools as the DOE continues to lie about following protocols and Mulgrew continues to silence voices of dissent.

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  28. BREAKING: Los Angeles County’s stay-at-home orders extended for the next 3 months - KTLA

    Yeah, school in September...

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