UNITED TEACHERS OF LOS ANGELES PRESIDENT SAYS LA SCHOOLS MUCH SAFER FROM COVID-19 COMPARED TO CHICAGO AND NYC

The video linked here and embedded below is from UTLA President Cicily Myart-Cruz. On May 28 she compared Covid-19 numbers from schools in the three largest cities in the United States. Nobody here will be shocked that the NYC schools finished last by a large number since buildings were open most of the year. Whenever UFT President Michael Mulgrew and Mayor Bill de Blasio say how safe the NYC schools have been when it comes to COVID-19, play them this recording from Myart-Cruz.

She says: 

Our COVID 19 negotiations are responsible for the lowest number of infections among the nation's largest school districts. According to the online dashboard, for New York City schools, NYC has had nearly 26,000 Coronavirus cases since reopening in September. According to Chicago's dashboard, schools there have had about 1,700 cases since they opened in March. LAUSD has had fewer than 300 cases since reopening in April.

Myart-Cruz asserts that not reopening too fast in spite of political pressure saved lives. She subsequently talks about how she has surveyed her members to find out how they want the federal and state COVID recovery funds to be spent. In the video, she announced that the members responded that they want lower class sizes and salary increases as their top two priorities. When is the UFT planning on surveying its members on how to spend stimulus funds?

Give me a militant union like UTLA that involves its members over one like the UFT that believes backroom deals can resolve all of the issues the union's rank and file face.

Please watch the video for yourself.