Sunday, June 14, 2020

ICEUFTBLOG OPPOSED UFT DE BLASIO ENDORSEMENT IN 2017

The UFT got it totally wrong in endorsing Bill de Blasio's reelection in 2017. There was ample evidence in the mayor's first term that he was not an ally to teachers (see 2014 Contract for major details). 

Now that the results from almost two and a half years of term two are in, we can safely say we've been vindicated in opposing de Blasio at the Delegate Assembly. City and DOE negotiators take the UFT to the cleaners each time we negotiate anything and the anti-teacher Department of Education from Mayor Bloomberg's days remains intact.

Covid-19 magnified municipal managerial incompetence we already knew existed in the schools. It is widely documented how de Blasio and Governor Cuomo messed up the COVID-19 pandemic in its early stages by dithering and that ended up costing lives. (The Wall Street Journal link is behind a paywall, but there is a good summary here.)   

While leaders in states like California and Ohio acted quickly to contain the spread, Messrs. Cuomo and de Blasio delayed taking measures to close the state and city even as the number of cases swelled, despite warnings from doctors, nurses, and schoolteachers. California issued a statewide lockdown with 1,005 cases as of March 19, while New York remained open with 5,704 cases, according to updated Johns Hopkins data.

In terms of overall popularity, the pandemic has impacted on de Blasio far more than the Governor. Here are some numbers from a spring 2020 poll that show de Blasio in the Trump range on favorability:

De Blasio fared far worse [than Governor Cuomo], with a 40% approval rating. More than a third of voters, 31%, said he is doing a poor job of handling the crisis; while 14% gave him an excellent rating; 28% said he is doing a good job; and 26% said he is doing a fair job of it. 

Anyone can be a Monday morning quarterback, but this blog opposed de Blasio's reelection from the getgo. In this piece from February 2017, ICEUFTblog tells the story of how I attempted to speak out against the UFT de Blasio endorsement at the Delegate Assembly but was shut up by Leroy Barr. Barr did not allow a response after UFT President Michael Mulgrew left the chair and spoke out for de Blasio who was waiting in the hallway to speak. 

In retrospect, no de Blasio endorsement was a very good position to take in 2017. de Blasio was not our friend, has not been our friend during COVID-19 and more than likely will not be our friend when UFTers and students probably return to school buildings in the fall. UFT endorsements should be earned.

From our 2017 post:

The main problem was that after calling on the President, temporary chair Barr had an obligation to call on a speaker against. Instead, he called on a Unity person. Caucus obligations require that Unity members support leadership positions in union and public forums so I was totally right in calling for a point of order.

If readers would like chapter and verse, in Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised it says on page 31 in paragraph 3: "In cases where the chair knows that persons seeking the floor have opposite opinions on the question, the chair should let the floor alternate between those favoring and those opposing the measure."

Since I raised my objection immediately, I should have been recognized. Instead, Leroy gave a speech about how the UFT as a courtesy called on a speaker against but they don't have to. I wonder what his definition of debate is.

I immediately objected to the ruling of the chair but Leroy moved on to a vote as if I wasn't even there. According to Roberts Rules on page 256, appeals are taken from the chair and go to the assembly. I never had a chance as they didn't even give me a microphone throughout the entire process. I had to shout. What a disgrace.

Actually, I should feel pretty good about the whole fiasco. The reason they were rushing through the non-debate was because the mayor himself was right outside in the hallway probably listening in as there are closed circuit televisions out in the hallway. Leroy Barr and Michael Mulgrew wouldn't permit me to talk against de Blasio while he was in the building. Democracy be damned.

What I wanted to say:
I rise in opposition to endorsing Mayor Bill de Blasio's reelection bid. The timing is very questionable.

There are two investigations on de Blasio's fundraising taking place right now. Do we really believe a federal prosecutor and a local district attorney are both going to spend all of this time and money looking at the mayor's fundraising and indict nobody close to the mayor or the mayor himself? 

The question I hear in the schools is if it is actually worse now compared to when Bloomberg was mayor. Yes we have a contract but the mayor gave us paltry raises and he had us make an interest free loan to the city that won't be paid back in full until 2020 while the city now has record budget surpluses and reserves. 

The contract terms are insulting enough but what really concerns me is how the mayor and his chancellor have kept the Bloomberg-Klein system at the DOE basically intact. NY1 reported last month that spending on bureaucrats is up a whopping 70% at DOE Central compared to when Bloomberg was in power. Spending is up considerably at the DOE on non personnel costs too. What is this money being spent on? Not the classroom. Most of Bloomberg's people kept their jobs at DOE and new blood has been added. Extra money is certainly not going into the classroom.

As my colleague Marc Epstein said, "de Blasio-Farina cemented Bloomberg-Klein into the DNA of the system." My wife Camille was at a recent arbitration where the UFT did great for her but there were three DOE attorneys on the other side. Two were training. The DOE's anti-teacher army at the Office of Labor Relations continues their work to destroy teachers. De Blasio has done very little, if anything, in three+ years to stop the war on teachers. For that, does he really deserve our early, unqualified support.

I don't favor endorsing a pro-charter Democrat or a Republican but when a mayor and his chancellor show they do not support our members and there is a corruption scandal surrounding that mayor, now might be the time to consider staying neutral. The mayor needs to do something concrete to earn our endorsement.

That was three years before COVID-19. The UFT is even more dictatorial nowadays while the Mayor has Trump level approval numbers and might be facing a vote of no confidence from the City Council. 

It's really sad that UFT members don't demand change within the Union, not to dump a union. We really need a real, democratic union now.

85 comments:

Anonymous said...

So your speaking was as successful as speaking against the 2014 contract...IGNORED AND SHUT DOWN...But telling us to pay more dues...Make sense? Not to me. How has it worked out? Weren't de blasio and farina our friends? Mulgrew said that.

James Eterno said...

Answer is to fix union that we need, not abandon union. If the government is corrupt, you don't become an anarchist.

Anonymous said...

All your talking, thousands of blog comments by many, same result.

Shelley said...

How would not endorsing the mayor's reelection have changed anything? Send a message that endorsements have to be earned? How exactly would the mayor earn our endorsement? With more money? And we were doing what to deserve more money than the people that got the vote out for him and voted for him?
Here's more Monday morning quarterbacking, the mayor didn't need our endorsement, he cruised to victory. In fact, he didn't need much to defeat his opponent, a Trump supporter, right wing conservative. So what would an earned endorsement have done to help the mayor win? Nothing. If we didn't endorse him were we gonna get on the phones for his opponent? Were we gonna run adds against him? No. The very small constituency that actually vote in mayoral elections were not focused on teacher pay, unless they were against him, so the endorsement or no endorsement was not significant enough to leverage a better deal. The mayor had his priorities and we were not on the list. His schools agenda from the start was to get public Pre-K and for that he didn't need our endorsement. But how could we not endorse, if not him, personally, his best idea and initiative in education and one of the best we've seen in decades?

James, honestly, this is worse than Monday morning Quarterbacking. This i sour grapes and kickem when they down.

Anonymous said...

A white student is four times less likely to be admitted to a top university than a black student with the same grades and test scores. Isnt this what carranza is doing? Making a fake way fro people into testing schools.

If that isn't systemic racism, then what is?

Don't you think we have gone too far the wrong way, no discipline code, no crime, no cops, always making excuses for failure? Where is the uft in helping the problem. Since they are not, their members are being tortured.

Anonymous said...

Cops and teachers should both walk off...

Anonymous said...

Ok, so after 20 years of not fixing it, what is the next option?

Anonymous said...

After reading this i realized something...Students are correct, teachers are pussy.

Anonymous said...

Representatives within the union can be replaced through elections.

James Eterno said...

I could have given up so many times but I keep trying, hoping and praying. All that I can do.

Anonymous said...

Dont blame you, but not happening. Last chance to opt out. Wait till we get destroyed in September. Some will never learn.

Anonymous said...

Good luck in September, duespayers. We will see if the uft does more than say something.

Florida reported record levels of new COVID-19 cases this weekend as more beaches reopened in the Sunshine State.

China is reporting the biggest coronavirus outbreak it has seen in months.

BREAKING June 14 COVID Update: The first verdict in the May state openings is in. It paints an abundantly clear picture & it’s not good.

Anonymous said...

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday that New York state had again reported the lowest number of hospitalizations and new deaths from the coronavirus--but he said the state has received 25,000 complaints about businesses violating reopening rules and warned reopenings could be reined in if local governments don't take action.

Did he roll anything back during protest, rioting or looting?

Anonymous said...

Serious question, why don't the teachers or the union or the city ever discuss this if they really want to help and solve problems? Stats clearly show 2 parent households do far better.
How can we pretend to be helping when we aren't being truthful? The single greatest problem poor black people face (and society as a whole) is the breakdown of the family. Nearly all dysfunction can be traced back to the home.

And yet Black Lives Matter wants to, in their own words, "disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure."

Michael Thomas said...

“Fix the union” is easier said than done, and no rational person wants to destroy the union. But there is a possible compromise. Organize an opt-out movement in which members would place withheld dues in an escrow account until the union reaches agreed-upon benchmarks. The funds could be used to provide attorney representation in 3020-a hearings. The remaining funds would be given to the union once it got its act together. I haven’t thought it all the way through, but I think it’s a way for a relatively small number of people to have a significant impact.

James Eterno said...

Already checked it out. Who is willing to volunteer to step up to be the public face of the organized opt out that I called a dues strike? Nobody and then everyone would lose their leverage at the chapter level where the union is still democratic. If chapters were willing to go on a dues strike, then maybe you would have something.

James Eterno said...

I hope that is your real name Michael. That is a rarity here if it is. Much respect too if that is who you are.

Anonymous said...

You would need to get this to at least 20k people.

Anonymous said...

I admit I already opted out. My question for the other 80,000 people is...What would make you opt out? If not what we've already been smacked with, and more keeps coming, then what would convince you? Can someone email the Chapter Leaders and see who is on board?

Anonymous said...

I just have a bad feeling, on July 1, we will regret not opting out. We will realize we were played again, have to go through another whole year paying dues, and then hear from the uft what a great job they are doing and why dues are so important, and then next year we will forget again.

Anonymous said...

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in wolve's clothing but inwardly are helpless sheep sucking up to Cuomo and de Blasio.

Anonymous said...

We need representation at school. It is not all about Mulgrew. Can't be chapter leader if not in UFT.

Anonymous said...

Again, where is the uft? Just bowing down. Councilman Robert Holden is demanding Mayor de Blasio remove schools Chancellor Richard Carranza amid the school chief’s war of words with parents of special-education children.

Holden, a Queens lawmaker and college professor who has repeatedly clashed with Carranza, wrote to Hizzoner Friday blasting a recent tweet by the chancellor that “diminished and mocked the concerns of parents” over summer programs for their kids.

Anonymous said...

Uft?

For everyone in #Arizona, #Florida, #Georgia, #Texas etc who are not aware of #COVID, please take the time to read my journal entries from the frontlines of the pandemic in NYC beginning in March, where 20,000 people died in 10 weeks. http://cleavonmd.com/journal

Anonymous said...

The chance of this happening is 0 percent. I already opted out. Good luck.

Anonymous said...

As far as I am concerned it is the the UFT that has "broken their contract" with us, the rank and file,

The UFT has broken the contract with us by not representing us.
The UFT has brokent the contract by selling us outtime and again.
The UFT has brokent the contract by throwing us under the bus.
The UFT hass broken thge contract by wilfulfully sending us into unsafe buildimngs.

As far as I am concerned we should not continue paying dues and they are lucky we are not demanding that they refund our dues for the past 50 years.
TO HELL WITH THE UFT!

Anonymous said...

Anyone else’s admin asking them to come in this week to clean their classroom?

Anonymous said...

I think about how many times I asked for the slightest help from a DR, Amy, Sill, Hinds, Mulgrew...Never got any. Usually, my email isn't even returned. Would I pay $124 a month for that? Hell no. I just sent my opt out to newchoiceny

Anonymous said...

Voters in Detroit and Baltimore voting dem, keeping getting destroyed, keeping voting for dems, who blame others.

Teachers keep voting Mulgrew, keep getting destroyed, keep voting for him, wont opt out, keep getting screwed, then complain more.

Anonymous said...

newchoiceny.com is the site to use to stop union dues in JUNE. Save yourself money.

Anonymous said...

This who destroys us in negotiations.
How embarrassing. De Blasio is participating in massive marches that obviously violate social distancing protocols, while telling his contact tracers they must not ask whether the infected have attended a march or rally. This is all a sick joke.

James Eterno said...

Helping a Koch funded project is not going to get us better wages or working conditions. You will have no say in chapter level decisions. It is an anti- union pro Charter school move.

jr said...

James, you keep saying the same thing and nothing ever changes with the uft. If they would do their job i would be glad to pay. They havent and they wont. They are gonna sucker us again. I waited as long as i can, thru all the bad contracts thru march 17-19, etc, and the best mulgrew can say, with my life on the line this september, is that he will say something if i get sent to die. No thanks.
There is no point in even writing on this blog. Nothing will change. Those who opt out, the few of us, will do so, everyone else will pay to keep taking beatings from their own union.
Im tired of the giveback parade. Im tired of the disrespect. Im tired of the fake open market. Im tired of the grade fraud.
Honestly, the job is torture. There is no student respect, the discipline code has been thrown out, no more suspensions, the grading system is fraudulent, we must pass everybody, cell phones all over...Teachers are passing people who don't even show up. Our hands have been totally tied. It is hard to stomach seeing teachers pass students with 9% attendance. I don't do it, but most do. This is the expectation these days. Everyone gets a free ride in order to have fake stats. They don't let us suspend then they say there has never been a lower suspension rate. They make everyone pass and they say the graduation rate has never been higher. Students graduate high school unable to write a sentence. How could a student be absent all the time but get a chance in June to "Make up their missed work?" How is it that they "Did enough?" A teacher never gets called in by a principal for passing too many people, but they sure get called in for failing too many.
Dangerous neighborhoods...need me to go on?

Anonymous said...

This same idiot, I recognize the writing style, opts out here each day. Do the Kochs pay you scab?

Anonymous said...

Same five people opt out repeatedly. Ridiculous.

Anonymous said...

Nice job James, so much for the mass opt out/dues strike. You got zero people to join.

Anonymous said...

I guess the non-scabs are content. How sad.

James Eterno said...

Read what I wrote.I came out against an opt out or dues strike. UFT is still democratic and important at school level. By your definition, I was successful as I encourage people to stay in the union.

Anonymous said...

you wrote about a dues strike yesterday.

Anonymous said...

Oh, so if you encourage no opt out you must encourage more of the same.

James Eterno said...

This is what I wrote yesterday:
It's really sad that UFT members don't demand change within the Union, not to dump a union. We really need a real, democratic union now.

James Eterno said...

Hardly calling for a dues strike.

James Eterno said...

I also said if chapters were willing, you may have something. They're not willing. Stay and fix the UFT.

Anonymous said...

If this list means nothing, what can I say?
March 17-19
1.3% raises over almost 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

James Eterno said...

You folks who are in favor of opting out need to start your own blog and movement. This is a pro union blog.

Anonymous said...

What happened to you screaming about us going into infected buildings in march, unity knew full well about...

Anonymous said...

So nobody will opt out, nobody can opt out, CLs wont do anything, unity cant get voted out...Now what?

James Eterno said...

My response is we need a union. Being outside will not fix any of this 12:13. Even a thousand lone wolves opting out will not change anything but will get a thousand people disenfranchised in their schools. I do not favor that.

Anonymous said...

You can't vote opposition if you opt out. You opt outers are useless to us. GO AWAY. WE'RE PRO UNION.

Anonymous said...

Shitty union is better than no union. Go work for Eva. Practice what you preach opt outers.

Anonymous said...

Vote opp when mulgrew gets 90%? Try again.

Anonymous said...

Let me know in 20 years why nothing has changed, but it is ok to pay for a shitty union.

Anonymous said...

You do nothing to organize an oppostion and wonder why Mulgrew wins.

Anonymous said...

Why do you still read this blog and comment? Wasting all of our time.

Anonymous said...

All the bickering...so what will happen when we are sent in on Sep 8?

Anonymous said...

Just remember...MULGREW PROMISES MEMBERS HE WILL SPEAK OUT IF HE LOSES CONFIDENCE IN REOPENING

Anonymous said...

Our friend.
Yes. This is actually happening now!

Bill de Blasio is Welding the gates at the biggest park in the Jewish community, (Borough Park, Brooklyn) So your child shouldn't try to break in. While Hundreds of thousands of people gathered yesterday at Brooklyn Museum.

Anonymous said...

You trust the uft against gates and cuomo reimagining schools?

Anonymous said...

Absolutely crazy to opt out. We NEED a union, regardless of its flaws. If we didn't have a union, I guarantee we would be paid a lot less, have no pension, and pay lots of $ for health benefits. Public servant jobs always get the short end of the stick. The union is the last line of defense for the middle class and essential workers like us.

Anonymous said...

So to all those who opted out of the union- are you walking out of school sept 8th as well?

Anonymous said...

Eva Moskowitz has positions for those opting out.

Anonymous said...

321, who is walking out on sept 8?

Anonymous said...

Nobody is walking out, opt out or not.

Anonymous said...

If there's COVID-19, I am not walking in. I will have my doctor write up the note I need.

waitingforsupport said...

@10:44 pm... this sounds familiar .

waitingforsupport said...

@jr...tell it to the newspapers. Send what you just wrote to a reporter, anonymously.

James Eterno said...

We never endorsed Cuomo and he easily won Shelley. Just because someone appears to be inevitable doesn't mean we should back him/her.

waitingforsupport said...

@12:22 and all the complainers seeking a leader to step up: why don't you email your colleagues and ask for their stories. Share those stories with the newspapers or send them to Morgan Freeman. He is posting about injustices. Im sure if he receives emails from nyc school teachers talking about how the doe is harming students it will wake up: the doe and uft. If you want the uft to act you will have to shine a light on them. This blogging will help no one. Imo

waitingforsupport said...

@1:41: what are you willing to do when you are sent in on Sep 8th? What
Are
You
Willing
To do?
If you have to make a decision today, what would be your decision?

Anonymous said...

Well, it wont be gone by September.

Anonymous said...

Then you know what I am doing. Getting a note.

waitingforsupport said...

@3:19 pm. Agreed. Right now we are losing because the dividers and conquerors have figured out the formula: Wag the dog (black and brown crazy, lazy, welfare,etc) in order to keep their feet on all of our collective necks. Do you need proof: look at March. Did your employer require you to sit in a petri dish for not 1, not 2, but 3 days? What are you doing? Still whining about people who ARE DOING SOMETHING BY PROTESTING. The eyes of the young generation are wide ooen. They are at least not sitting on their collective azz waiting for someone to do the right thing. I am beginning to have some faith in the young generation who say FU to color,gender, etc.
All of these bloggers can get together with colleagues and write about what's happening in your school regarding grades and discipline. It's a win win. Imo

Anonymous said...

How is that meaningful when the other 100k cant get a note?

Anonymous said...

You aren't serious? It isn't that hard to get a doctor's note. You have all summer. Would you like the number of my doctor?

Anonymous said...

A note that says what?

waitingforsupport said...

@4:45pm: ha ha ha ha good one.

Eric said...

YOU getting a note for yourself isn't exactly union solidarity.

Anonymous said...

That you have something that makes you at risk. Do I need to spell it out? No, we have three classes of DOE employees. Most are the cowardly lion who need courage. Plenty are the scarecrow who require a brain and many administrators are the tin man who need a heart. Put it all together you have the DOE.

Anonymous said...

The administrators are more like the scarecrow and tin man put together.

Anonymous said...

So unity of the uft will be trying to get a fake drs note?

Anonymous said...

im 3:21- i ask who's walking out- you all speak of opting out to make a stand, and those of us who stay in the uft are sheep, cowards, etc- well heres' your chance to make a stand, will you do it?
i thought not
all words- no action- just like the uft

Anonymous said...

We cant all get that fake note. How does that help your fellow teachers?

Anonymous said...

If you can't get a doctor's note, you are the scarecrow.

Anonymous said...

funny 727, so the opt out inaction, but you paying the uft, who you compare to the optout, is smart?

Anonymous said...

According to NYPD:
Murder Up 25%
Burglary Up 47%
Thank you
@NYCMayor