In UFT world, the election is basically over before it starts because there is no way for a candidate to get to the almost 200,000 voters scattered around the country as retirees vote. Candidates opposed to the current leadership have no way for voters to be able to answer the three questions from Politics 101 that voters must respond affirmatively to before they will vote for you:
1-Do they know you?
2-Do they like you?
3-Do they trust you?
The Unity Caucus (Michael Mulgrew's political party) has run the UFT for almost 60 years. Unity keeps very tight control of information that flows from the Union. They also run a giant patronage machine with perks such as union jobs and expense paid trips to conventions. Competence is secondary to caucus loyalty when it comes to obtaining a UFT position. Chapter Leaders who are Unity get the goodies. In exchange they promote the caucus loyally. If they question anything too loudly, it's goodbye perks.
The Unity structure with no accountability at the top explains our current predicament where the majority of the rank and file seem to want to fight the Mayor and Chancellor to keep learning fully remote in the fall but the UFT President just delays for time. Mulgrew's main worry is losing union dues (automatic dues checkoff) if we stage a job action so he has chosen to dither hoping the DOE's plan for blended learning will collapse under the weight of its stupidity.
Within this morally bankrupt union system, different caucuses have tried to fight Unity over the decades. The group that finished second in the 2019 UFT Election was UFT Solidarity. Lydia, a social studies teacher at Clara Barton High School, plays a role as the leader of the UFT opposition. She is the Shadow President. While the UFT may not recognize her, the media can turn to the opposition leader for dissident viewpoints within the UFT. Lydia represents thousands of UFT members who voted for her and her caucus. She deserves a voice.
Lydia was invited to be on a BronxNet TV program called Today's Verdict.
From UFT Solidarity:
Tune in tomorrow August 6th at 9:00am/1:00pm/9:30pm and then again on Friday at 6:30am and 12:30pm on Optimum CH 67 ,FiOs CH 2133 to watch Lydia Howrilka be interviewed on @bronxnettv Today's Verdict!
We talk about #uftsolidarity, #covid19, #backtoschool and safety!
If you do not have cable it will stream live at www.bronxnet.org!
As someone who was once leader of the opposition in the UFT, all I have to say is GO LYDIA!!!
Update:I watched Lydia this morning and so can you. She did just fine.
Her portion starts around 11 and a half minutes.
27 comments:
But please dont opt out. It really matters.
WaPo
I'm sorry, but it’s a fantasy’
Jeff Gregorich, superintendent, on trying to reopen his schools safely
As told to Eli Saslow
This is my choice, but I’m starting to wish that it wasn’t. I don’t feel qualified. I’ve been a superintendent for 20 years, so I guess I should be used to making decisions, but I keep getting lost in my head. I’ll be in my office looking at a blank computer screen, and then all of the sudden I realize a whole hour’s gone by. I’m worried. I’m worried about everything. Each possibility I come up with is a bad one.
The governor has told us we have to open our schools to students on August 17th, or else we miss out on five percent of our funding. I run a high-needs district in middle-of-nowhere Arizona. We’re 90 percent Hispanic and more than 90 percent free-and-reduced lunch. These kids need every dollar we can get. But covid is spreading all over this area and hitting my staff, and now it feels like there’s a gun to my head. I already lost one teacher to this virus. Do I risk opening back up even if it’s going to cost us more lives? Or do we run school remotely and end up depriving these kids?
Mulgrew will choose his dues over our lives. Trump and Mulgrew are actually both similar. But for some reason, according to james, 99.9% still pay.
Where we have a national 2 party system where, regardless of your political beliefs, you get to hear both sides the Unity Caucus has done a tremendous job of making it seem like it's the only viable choice. Mulgrew is front and center on the news and in the paper and there is no way to get a word in.
In addition, the strong arm tactics of the Unity Caucus make sure the other voices are not heard. I am familiar with a situation where the UFT voting flyer was put in mailboxes for the last election and hand written on it were instructions for all staff on how to vote for the Unity line.
This has to be the impetus for change.
So now people are in the summer school staff meeting saying that they will simply edit student tests grades, drop failing grades and change their grade book to pass everyone. Wow. What a sham.
Like many of u, I am very nervous about returning to the classroom. The thought of it practically sends me into full-blown anxiety, in addition to the anxiety many of us r feeling on a daily basis. I do not qualify for a remote accommodation, btw.
I am seriously considering resigning. I am so disheartened and disappointed in NYC leadership, both DOE and city in general. I’ve thought a lot abt it and my health (both mental / physical) is not worth it.
I absolutely love my school, but I hate NY more than I love my school.. and I’ve been contemplating leaving for a long time and moving elsewhere l. This situation is just the final nail in the coffin for me.
I want to wait and c what happens, but I am afraid it will be too late to resign. Any feedback would b appreciated.
Dont worry, mulgrew is in charge. I'm looking at these school openings and I'm so worried about students, about teachers, about bus drivers, about cafeteria workers, about janitors, about counselors, and worried about all of these people's families and neighbors. I don't see any way this doesn't end in disaster.
Any word on how PE in a gym would run?
UFT
“I am preparing to do whatever we need to do if we think the schools are not safe and the city disagrees with us.” - UFT President Michael Mulgrew
March on the UFT and demand real change. Mulgrew has to go. Mulgrew continually screws things up and can not be trusted - he has and will always snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. There’s no way retirees should be voting in elections - no other union in the country allows it - as a retiree I reject it and the whole Unity rackett. All retirees should do the same, but Mulgrew is constantly down in Boca Raton schmoozing with the retirees, who regard him as the Irish Yul Brenner and themselves as actors in ‘The King and I’. Disgusting!
Twitter hired Kamala Harris’s press secretary to decide what the President of the United States is allowed to say on Twitter.
I wonder why people vote trump. Maybe just to go against the ridiculous double standard in this country.
UFT and @nysut sound like the inevitable cave on reopening is about to happen.
EVERY teacher who gets lifelong damage from covid or dies from it b/c UFT signed off on reopening is Mulgrew's responsibility.
Obviously the responsibility of Cuomo/De Blasio/Carranza too.
But Mulgrew could put a stop to this if he wanted to.
See @CTULocal1 for what a STRONG union does to fight for its members.
Check out this letter from Mulgrew! Guess those awful provisions of the sample schedules were actually negotiated:
Dear ____,
We cannot contemplate the reopening of New York City schools until Mayor Bill de Blasio's plans meet the safety standards that our children and members need. But we continue to negotiate with the Department of Education on terms and conditions of employment related to the blended learning model because even if we don’t return to buildings in September, this model is likely to be implemented at some point in the future.
We recently concluded negotiations with the DOE on new model schedules for teachers if school buildings reopen. Your work day will be six hours and 50 minutes, though you will only have to be in the building for six hours and 20 minutes each day. Some elements will remain the same, such as a duty-free lunch, but we were able to persuade the DOE to adjust the regular schedule — and eliminate the 155 minutes of extended time — to give you more time to plan instruction and connect with families.
Here are the highlights:
30 minutes daily for instructional coordination: The first half hour of your school day, before classes start, will be dedicated to the coordination of instruction between in-person and remote educators teaching the same students and between co-teachers in Integrated Co-Teaching classes. In secondary schools, this time is in addition to your administrative period.
Option to prepare remotely: While schools are operating in the blended learning model, the final 30 minutes of your day will be a prep period. We fought to ensure that you could decide whether to prep in school or remotely during that half hour. The teacher alone makes this decision. Accordingly, your school day will end 30 minutes early, and you will have to be in your school building for only six hours and 20 minutes.
More time to engage families: All teachers will have 20 minutes per day for office hours. Instead of one weekly Parent Engagement period, you will now have 20 minutes built into your daily schedule to check in with your students and their families.
Synchronous instruction will be part of remote learning: One takeaway from the spring was the importance of synchronous or “live” instruction to keep our students, particularly our young students, engaged in remote learning. Remote teachers this fall will be expected to participate in synchronous instruction for some portion of each day. We are still negotiating the details with the DOE.
Instructional lunch for students: Using the Breakfast in the Classroom model from elementary schools, many students will have instructional lunches to maximize their class time and minimize their contact with children outside their own class groups. Since not all types of instruction can happen during student lunch, school communities should discuss the types of instruction that can effectively happen during this time. You will still have a duty-free lunch, so in many cases a different teacher will teach your students during the instructional lunch period.
Monthly faculty and grade or department conferences: Schools may hold one faculty conference and one grade or department conference per month, in accordance with the regular DOE-UFT contract. These 40-minute meetings will occur at the end of the school day, immediately prior to the teacher’s 30-minute prep. During this time, teachers can engage in administrative duties or professional learning as assigned by the principal.
See the DOE guidance on schedules and instruction »
Even as we negotiate the details of the blended learning model with the DOE, we have not signed off on the reopening of school buildings in September. We will not return until the city addresses issues such as the shortcomings in its testing and tracing protocols and the lack of a school nurse in every building.
We will continue to fight to defend the health and safety of our school communities. Under no circumstances will we allow UFT members and our students to be put in danger.
James, the recording of the broadcast is online:
www.bronxnet.org/watch/videos/10307
https://youtu.be/gZD7jSZgJGA
Lydia's portion goes from 11 min. 28 sec. to 20 min. 47 sec.
Contract? Dues?
“Instructional lunch”?! Are you kidding me, UFT? How is this even remotely effective for students and teachers?
When is the last time UFT has been in a MS or HS classroom?
seana,
There is no time limit for resignation, although there might be one for a leave, and there most likely is one for a sabbatical. I'm retired, but I would suggest waiting to see what happens. For some reason, this governor waits until the last minute to make a decision. In the meantime, make sure that you're able to support yourself and look into other employment, including out of NY, if you want. It is not so easy to get a teaching job outside of NYC in my experience, but it is not impossible. Good Luck!
We have questions too. As far as we can tell, kids are eating TWO meals a day w/ out masks in poorly ventilated classrooms. This is dangerous. & w/ out breaks. & inexplicably, the
@UFT agreed to shorten our prep time.
Spring break comp? It is almost september.
Mr Mulgrew - are you listening to us teachers and staff? We are afraid to go back to school! We can’t make this happen, with what money and resources? You aren’t listening to us! You aren’t hearing our VOICES! Who is watching our kids when they aren’t in school and we are made to be in person? WHO???? Be our leader!
There is no leadership. A leader would tell you "the only thing we have to fear is, fear itself; nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." (and I'm no FDR fan!)
Mulgrew is not a leader. Trump, who peddles vaccine fantasies and wants to print more Monopoly money, is not a leader. Neither are Biden, Cuomo, and DiBlasio who want you to hide in your basement like them.
a temporary shutdown for the good of all is a small sacrifice for the betterment of the United States of America. It's a give back to your fellow man.
Someone asked me yesterday, why NYC looks like the only school district in the country that will end up opening this Fall? The answer is somewhat complicated, but also simple. New York City public school teachers have allowed their union to make decisions for them. The UFT has become increasingly distanced from its rank-and-file, intentionally, while at the same time the rank-and-file relinquished its obligations of supervision of their union - somewhat unintentionally - in that with the enormous workloads and responsibilities, it was just easier. Much easier for many of us because of the enormous trust we had in our elected union officials to protect, defend and elevate the profession we once loved. That trust was betrayed time and time again, under the varied guises of fear. However, it wasn’t fear that directed Unity - the UFT’s monopolized caucus political machine, it was control. Questions weren’t asked or answered concerning teachers or their increasingly abject positions and overwhelming targeted disrespect - the questions that were asked and answered were, ‘How do we maintain personal/ (Unity caucus) power, protect and reward friends, punish and eliminate enemies or those that dare question the status quo? They plotted and ensured an always rigged election, they generously rewarded supplicants and silenced detractors in various and inconceivable ways - joining forces with those very entities they were and are paid to defend us from.
Now teachers are in turmoil - completely anguished and afraid. Mulgrew is accommodating deBlasio’s demands, while remaining silent on your’s. What to do?
Stop being afraid of the very people you pay to protect you. Think about how awful that is. Give up your anonymity and speak out. If you’re afraid of death in September, put your face mask on and march on 52 Broadway. Do you fear the UFT more than death or the loss of your loved ones? Demand Mulgrew’s attention. His whole ethos is centered around dues and control. If he sees a viable threat to either of those goals, he will listen.
Jim Mills
Why would it be "too late" to resign
You say you will move out of nyc and not teach at the nycdoe again.
So do what you want when you want.
Why are you worried about 30 days notice over your physical and mental health?
What do you think the DOE can do to you ?????
to 8:36 Anyone surprised by this voting flyer pushing for the Unity caucus?
to 9:44. Email I received stated PE would be 6ft apart for low intensity, 12ft apart for moderate to high intensity. No sharing of equipment. How they get water is not explained. PE is better of remote on at home days.
to 11:41. Instructional lunch actually makes sense if done right (IF!). Eating is not the problem. It's talking with masks down. If kids are silent maybe during a read-a-loud or watching an instructional video lunch can be safe. Of course it's a big if and expectation in hoping kids eat in silence. The idea works, the execution of it coupled with the cooperation of the students won't.
to 11:42. Limit to eat-in-breakfast and take home lunch. This way only 1 meal in classroom.
to the other 11:42 50 million people lost jobs and we had to work a few extra days when we were in lockdown at home on a modified schedule. We aren't frontline workers. We are still getting paid. Let's drop the spring break pay. It sounds petty at this point.
@Jim Mills: 100%. Right on. Preach. Exactly and spot on.
Excuse me, mulgrew said they were going to court and going after full pay for all 7 days. He said that at the last town hall.
Lydia finished 2nd.
More finished 3rd
New Action finished 4th
There’s one part of the answer.
Four different groups competing with each other for a slice and not even getting a sliver.
Unity will never be beaten overall due to retiree votes but could be beaten in the schools.
Since 2010 I and others have advocated for one caucus only so there is a clear opponent not a mish mosh.
But everyone has their agenda and that allows unity to continue to dominate.
Post a Comment