Friday, November 19, 2021

VOTES DON'T GO UNITY'S WAY AT DELEGATE ASSEMBLY; MULGREW BECOMES COMPLETELY UNHINGED BECAUSE SOMEONE OUTSIDE THE BUILDING IS PLAYING UFT'S TELEPHONE TRANSMISSION OF THE DA TO ABOUT 10 UFTers

I have been going to or listening to Delegate Assembly meetings since 1994. I have been a student of UFT history from the present back to when the Union started in 1960. The last time the UFT leadership was rebuffed by a major Delegate Assembly vote was probably in 1990 when the DA voted down a member loan to the city. A few months later, a loan with better repayment terms was approved by the DA and ratified by the membership. The DA even approved the 1995 Contract with two years of 0% salary increases that the membership later rejected. You probably have to go back to the 1960s to see the Union's leadership lose other important votes at the DA.

It happened this past Wednesday twice and almost a third time at the November 2021 Delegate Assembly. The significance of rank and file UFT Delegates voting against leadership positions cannot be ignored as it hasn't happened in modern memory.

Many of the Delegates are from the majority Unity Caucus (Michael Mulgrew's faction of the UFT). Unity has controlled the Union since the early 1960s. As has been widely documented, Unity requires its members to sign an obligation stating that they will "support the decisions of the caucus/ Union leadership in public or Union forums."  Critics call it the Unity loyalty oath.  Unity members vote the way the leadership tells them to, period full stop! This is real caucus discipline. If a Unity member votes against the Caucus, they can kiss goodbye  most UFT job opportunities. Some of those jobs pay close to or well over $200,000 per annum and they come with a UFT pension as well as a DOE pension. Dissenters can also say goodbye to free all-expense-paid trips to AFT Conventions and NYSUT Representative Assemblies.*

However, this year the Delegates can participate remotely in the hybrid setting. Therefore, nobody, such as their UFT District Representative, can see how each Delegate voted. Unity Delegates are now free to vote as they see fit. We saw on Wednesday that many Unity members freed of their loyalty oath obligations will vote for opposition caucus proposals that they believe are in their interest even if it goes against Unity leaders. Three times during debate at Wednesday's DA UFT Vice Presidents spoke out on one side of an issue but then twice the Delegates rejected what the VP wanted and a third time they came very close to overturning what the VP argued for.

Let's deal with the close call first. From the floor, independent, former Unity Chapter Leader Nick Bacon raised a resolution on healthcare calling for much more transparency in the process if we are going to make changes to healthcare for active employees. Retirees are being pushed onto Medicare (dis)Advantage. Here is what we wrote in our notes of what Bacon stated and the Unity response:

Nick Bacon has a motion for next month for healthcare plan changes. UFT has a large weighted vote on MLC. There have been changes to retiree healthcare and putting new members on HIP. This should come to the DA and we should vote here at the DA before we vote at the MLC on healthcare changes.

Janella Hinds, VP Academic High Schools says having a healthcare committee will allow us to discuss healthcare so when the MLC has to make decisions, we can make informed decisions. We have never had healthcare votes as a right so we should vote against this motion.

An independent Chapter Leader from the Bronx vs the UFT Academic High School Vice President? This is normally a 90% vote or 80% vote against the independent. But no, the vote was 49% in favor of the motion and 51% opposed on the phone. Remember it is a hybrid DA so some are live in the hall and more are on the phone. The live people were not tallied but just raised their voting cards. Someone demanded to know the exact results. Mulgrew didn't allow a count in-person even though it was close. This is in violation of Robert's Rules but I digress. Some opposition Delegates began chanting, "Hands off our Healthcare! They soon thereafter settled down.

Next up was a resolution on lower class sizes through a City Council bill on health code occupancy limits in schools being updated. The resolution was motivated by Elementary School Vice President Karen Alford. She quite cleverly launched a preemptive strike against an amendment that might be raised. VP Alford noted very clearly that we shouldn't negotiate lower class sizes into the Contract because the money would have to come from somewhere else (like salary increases). The amendment is then brought to the floor saying among other objectives that lower class size should be a priority contract negotiating item and then there is an actual debate on making lower class size a contract demand. I thought for sure after the signal from VP Alford and others that the Unity faithful would dutifully vote no on the amendment to make lower class size a priority in contract negotiations. Then, it starts to get crazy when DR William Woodruff calls the question to get a vote on ending the debate. Independent Delegate Daniel Alicea shouts for a point of order on whether the person calling for the end of debate on this fundamental issue is on the UFT payroll. Woodruff is on the payroll and makes close to $200,000 per annum as a District Rep so it is a valid question if he represents his employer (the UFT) or the members in the school where he works one period a day. Woodruff takes a point of personal privilege on how he is insulted but the point that UFT paychecks can influence judgment has been made. I figured the amendment to make lowering class size a contractual demand would easily be defeated.

Then, a shocking event occured: 61% of the Delegates on the phone supported the amendment that among other things makes lower class size a contract negotiations priority. The leadership clearly lost. Mulgrew reversed course from earlier and now wanted a standing count of the live Delegates as he is on the losing side and more of his people are in the hall than on the phone. Live, they can be watched. The amendment still passes after the live votes are tallied. I don't ever recall the leadership losing like this on a DA vote in my time since 1994.

The drama did not end. The next resolution was introduced by Daniel Alicea that Mulgrew let sit there for 11 months since it was originally raised. It was on ending mayoral control of the NYC schools. Daniel made a thorough speech talking about how mayoral control is undemocratic, discriminatory, and more. This was too much for Mulgrew. Suddenly, he interrupted the speaker in midsentence to complain that someone in the room was broadcasting the proceedings to people outside. (Retiree Advocate had people supporting the healthcare resolution and a person from another opposition caucus was outside the building too.) Mulgrew said shame on the person who was transmitting the meeting. 

Well, I guess he is calling shame on himself as the UFT was broadcasting this meeting through phones to thousands of Delegates and other UFTers can call in to listen too. Any one of them could have sent it through to the people outside. Mulgrew sounded completely unhinged during this tirade. He sent out his "goons" to shut the broadcast off as it supposedly violated UFT rules but he is the one violating the rules by transmitting the meeting through the air through phones. He then ranted about how our enemies would love to hear our deliberations. I got news for you, Mike: they have heard us deliberate for decades. Click here as part of this piece is a Daily News account of the DA and membership meetings before the 1962 strike. Mulgrew finally calmed down and continued the meeting. Daniel very politely took Mulgrew off the hook by withdrawing his motion as it mentioned the mayor's election which is now passed. Daniel asked for there to be a multipartisan new motion on ending mayoral control which sunsets in Albany in June of 2022 before giving up the floor.  

One more resolution followed. It was on school safety. It was introduced and motivated by Alexandera Haridopolos from the opposition MORE Caucus. This motion had been sitting around for months just like the previous one. Supporters of the motion and an amendment to make it timely made clear that they don't want principals taking over school safety as they have too much power. Who could be against reforming school safety by hiring more social workers and guidance counselors but keeping school safety agents out of the hands of principals? This time Unity put up Middle School VP Rich Mantell who gave the Unity line that the amendments on reforming school safety were too confusing. 68% voted for the amendment and 75% voted for the resolution as amended on reforming school safety. The MORE rep's motion carried.

All in all, not a bad day for the new United for Change coalition.  Mulgrew's response will probably be the return of his filibuster next month.


*Update:  I was reminded tonight that this past April in the remote format DA, Unity lost a vote on a comptroller endorsement but they quickly recovered by the next DA. The Unity Caucus Delegate who led the charge against the Corey Johnson for comptroller endorsement, he wanted David Weprin instead, was banished from the Unity retiree Delegate slate. By the next month, Johnson was easily endorsed. The Unity faithful were put back in line. 

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

Poor execution by Mulgrew. Testy and unclear in directions. Pathetic explanations by Janella and Mantell. Janelle says we always did it this way. That's a terrible reason. And the other guy was confused. Well, that's just the start of your argument, not the entirety of it. Biggest fuck up is Leroy. He's supposed to organize the message. Instead of explaining, though, he just threatens and bullies. I don't think it's a pure caucus victory, though. Just shows people will vote independently on remote. Caucus message has to be better. Now that the cracks are showing, perhaps some talent will emerge. Usual dweeb and gimps won't cut it.

Anonymous said...

One of the main problem is that assholes like Mulgrew and the rest of his Unity hacks don't teach anymore. They are not stuck in hellhole classrooms being rated under Danielson by insane admins. These douchebags also get two pensions, one from the DOE and one from the UFT. Thus, none of their platforms effect them. I taught in California for a while in a small district that had a good union. All of the union leaders had to teach but got some time off for union business. They actually knew and understood what being a teacher is actually like and therefore they fought for good causes.

Anonymous said...

Unity is a corrupt organization. Expose them here, there and everywhere.

Anonymous said...

Guarantee they will get rid of remote option for da ASAP! Watch!

Anonymous said...

Years ago,, I worked for the UFT at the Boro office after work. I Helped with salary. All the full time staff, DRs and others, worked exhausting hours and cared about members. Every full time rep I knew was totally stressed out... just like teachers. So, you can make a case that decisions are bad, but the corruption angle is just wrong. No UFT reps are lazing around on dues payer dime.

James Eterno said...

Where was ut stated that UFT reps are lounging around on dues payer dime?

Anonymous said...

Previous guy said it was corrupt. I said that I saw dedicated people working hard for members. So, from my limited perspective, it was not corrupt.

Anonymous said...

This is the way you describe Daniel Alicia grandstanding for ten minutes on a resolution that is untimely.

Daniel very politely took Mulgrew off the hook by withdrawing his motion as it mentioned the mayor's election which is now passed. Daniel asked for there to be a multipartisan new motion on ending mayoral control which sunsets in Albany in June of 2022 before giving up the floor.

What colossal waste of time and a turn off. This is why UFC will never beat Unity. You're a bunch of perennial lovers and you don't know how to win. Don't waste time. Use every precious moment to look smart and professional, not kooky and ego driven. And you, James, should call out this bullshit. Keep everyone disciplined. Don't excuse that kind of bad behavior. Every time you look bad, Mulgrew looks good.

Anonymous said...

How exactly does one get a union job? I'd love to get out of the classroom.

James Eterno said...

Daniel waited 11 months for his resolution to get to the floor. It was sent to the back of the line in favor of supporting something not controversial like honoring a particular group or for political endorsements or just for Mulgrew tofilibuster.

Daniel had every right to make a speech against mayoral control before withdrawing the motion as moot. I probably would have amended it to force the UFT to go on record on the 2022 sunset of the mayoral control law but Daniel gave the UFT an out by suggesting a multipartisan committee on mayoral control so we can formulate an updated UFT position.

Anonymous said...

Ok. Fair enough. But he still looked very bad. He went on and on and on and then at the end he withdrew. Anyone watching would have had a very poor opinion of him. The opposition needs to be tight and disciplined if you actually want to win this thing. If you're just playing the game, it doesn't matter. But, if you are really thinking that winning is a possibility, then big changes need to happen. And one of those changes is that symbolic grandstanding has gotta end. Every move has to be toward a single goal, winning the election. How did Daniel's actions help win the election? The time he took could have been used to address another resolution, another one that might have been won by the opposition. So, he stole time from a potential winner. Bad strategy. You, as a leader, should forget about that "but he waited patiently for so long" bullshit. Was it a winning strategy? That is the only question, and the asnwer is no. Mulgrew was able to belittle him. "You spent 15 minutes yapping and then withdrew, and you complain that nothing gets done. Brilliant" or somthing like that. Mulgrew looked good and you looked bad. You can't afford that anymore.

Anonymous said...

Great article in the Post about how a teacher at Townsend Harris HS was fired after having sexual relations with a student. The doe and school tried to cover up the scandal, but the school newspaper wrote a story on it. Only difference is this is the only school in the city where the school newspaper cannot be censored by the principal. At all other schools, principals have the right to censor content. This is why we need newspapers at all the schools to have the same rights to keep principals in check. Who knows what would be uncovered if all High School newspapers had the same right.

Anonymous said...

Equal parts talent, doing union work and luck. Start by being elected chapter leader or delegate. Then start going to union rallies and functions. At some point, you'll get noticed and maybe hired for pm staff work. Then, luck comes in.

Jonathan D Halabi said...

When Alicea called the point of order, was he wrong?

District Reps are not automatically delegates.

Chapter Leaders have vote/voice, but the guy is not a chapter leader.

Delegates have vote/voice, is he really elected Delegate for his school, even though he is there one period a day? It's possible, but worth asking. Is it usual for DRs to run for Delegate from their schools? I haven't seen it before, but maybe it is a common thing.

Exec Board and AdCom members have vote/voice in the DA, but he's neither.

You know, we should have a real answer, not just DA bluster.

Jonathan Halabi

Anonymous said...

I still haven't seen one blogger state that they have signed UFT's class size petition or that they are helping their Chapter Leader organize their school's day of action to lower class size.
Let's act

James Eterno said...

I signed the petition.

Anonymous said...

You have a dead link in your post to the unity loyalty oath

James Eterno said...

Try now 9:19.

James Eterno said...

District reps are union employees on the clock during DAs.They are being paid to be there.Rank and file Delegates are at DAs for free. That is totally unfair. Drawing a paycheck from the Union while serving at the pleasure of the UFT President will tend to cloud your judgment.

Anonymous said...

Questioning whether Woodruff is a delegate played right into unity's hand. You only do that if you know the answer already. Instead you give him the opportunity to beat your brains out. Jonathan and James, you are both thinking like losers. Just hoping to get a gotcha. If you want to play that game, wait for a DR who you know is not a DA member to vote, then raise the issue. But even then, how does that gotcha help you win an election? It's a distraction. You guys don't have what it takes to win. Your mentality is schoolyard am too am not stuff. Start thinking big. Unity is cracking. Eyes on prize, boys.

Anonymous said...

Daniel Alicea is a real threat. Unity will do anything and everything to silence him. Keep going Daniel.

Anonymous said...

@7:30

I haven't seen UFT's class size petition, and my Chapter Leader has mentioned nothing about the school's day of action.

Anonymous said...

You don't get the emails? Should try logging in uft website and updating your information. I get texts and emails about everything.

B said...

As a new delegate (and attended my first ever in-person DA Wednesday), is there a simple history I could read about the history of Unity within the union?

Anonymous said...

Ok, so now that you wrote another post demeaning Mulgrew while demanding we pay dues...What exactly do you want? Oh, yeah, vote. So after Mulgrew wins by a landslide again...?

Anonymous said...

Unity is the controlling caucus within uft. There are other caucuses, but they are pathetic. Unity is moribund, but there's currently no feasible alternative. See in a few weeks when the unite for change fusion nominates some old Communist, or some cross-eyed gimp, for the candidacy.

Anonymous said...

Show some leadership
Ask the chapter leader where a copy of the petition is and how can you help
You know there is a petition, and a day of action, you read it here
Don't blame others for your inaction

Anonymous said...

9:50 PM. LOL. Where did I blame anyone, you reading comprehension challenged fool? I was merely responding that I hadn't seen it because I thought it was being promoted through the schools and the Chapter Leaders. Frankly, I don't give a damn, and don't want to go around chasing down a copy of the petition and I am not spending a minute of my time asking how I can help. However, 9:50 AM was very helpful, jogged my memory and I checked my email and there it was. Ask not what I can do for them, ask what they can do for me. ROFLMAO. I blame YOU for the inaction of myself and others because people like YOU turn people off from doing a damn thing. How about you show some leadership and stop acting like a keyboard warrior.

Anonymous said...

9:50 likes to pretend that pontificating on a blog like a hall monitor is showing leadership and taking action.

Anonymous said...

Thousands have signed petitions and have started preparing for a day of action to reduce class size.
Good thing you are in the minority and most teachers care about trying to improve the schools.

Anonymous said...

6:01 you know nothing about me or what I do to try to improve my school and my student's lives on a day to day basis, and on my own time to boot. But tbravo for you, you signed a piece of paper. The only thing you care about is, "boo hoo, waah", your class size is too big on paper. I thought most students werent coming to school? Quit your bellyaching.

Anonymous said...

1:15, Yes but even though they are not coming to school, we are still responsible for them. We have to do endless outreach which takes up precious lesson planning and grading time. Fewer students on paper means fewer LTAs and less outreach.

Anonymous said...

7:38 - most people on here say they don't do outreach, so stop lying. I do endless outreach for the students who are sitting in front of me and that's why my classes aren't chaotic. Let the attendance team worry about outreach to the absentee students. They're just trying to get you to do their job.

And what grading if they're not coming in? NS, NS, NS, NS, NS, what's so hard about that? Just stop it. Sounds to me that you all want 20 on paper, and 7 or so in the chairs.

Anonymous said...

4:47: I agree with you. We should only worry about the students who are coming. Why waste time on LTAs. You call their homes, they appear once or twice and go back to cutting. It's not our jobs to get them to attend class. We have enough work to do with lesson planning, grading and outreach for our regular attendees.