RETIREES SHOULD NOT HAVE TO RISK THEIR HEALTH TO GET PETITION SIGNATURES; WE NEED YOUR HELP TO CHALLENGE MULGREW-UNITY

The piece below is copied from EdNotes today. 

I would like to say how much we appreciate Norm Scott and all the other retirees and active people who are working diligently to get United For Change on the ballot for the April UFT election. This could all be done electronically but the ruling Unity Caucus has made it as difficult as possible for us to get on the ballot during a pandemic. 

We hope everyone here donates whatever you can to help us spread the word that Camille Eterno and all of us are a viable alternative to Michael Mulgrew. We've raised over $1,100 in a day. Much of that came from our readers. Thanks to all who have donated.  Let's keep this momentum going. More money means a better chance for us to run a proper election campaign.

UFT Election Ground Hog Day - A Repeating nightmare and this is not a movie: As We Warned UFT Leadership - Teachers/Retirees Down With Covid

 

80 plus Retiree: Norm, I'm still positive with Covid and can't come today to help.

 

UFT Chapter Leader running with UFC: I've been out a week with Covid and haven't been able to petition.

 

HS Teacher: Norm, I'm down with Covid and will be out for a week. I know I promised over 50 signatures from my school but I only reached 30.

 

Elementary school candidate: Can't circulate his petitions because he has pneumonia

If you are pissed off at the Unity gang, donate to United for Change. https://unitedforchange.vote/donate/

Wednesday, Feb. 2 - 

Ground Hog Day - A Repeating nightmare and this is not a movie. While UFC people are in their schools on the lunch hours scrounging for signatures to get on the UFT ballot, Unity people don't seem to be much around schools. Camille Eterno is getting signatues. Let me know if anyone sees Mulgrew in their school doing the same. 

Notice the note for Unity Caucus members: They are meeting at Fashion Industries HS at 6PM next Wednesday. I'm tempted to show up with a picket sign accusing them of trying to murder the opposition.

Many of us have to race around the city collecting petitions and running small mass signing events instead of the one shot events for 60 people at a time we used to run.

But the almost criminal Unity Caucus leadership knew all that when they refused to consider changing some rules for this election.

UFT Exec Bd Vote Opposing Electronic Voting: Mike Shirtzer and another are Lone Dissenters, 13 Reasons For Electronic Voting as Unity Echoes Republican Vote Suppression, MULGREW SAYS PRIVATIZED HEALTHCARE ISN'T PRIVATIZED

The above is only a sampling of how the UFT leadership has put so many people in danger by refusing to delay the petition and election campaign by a few weeks.

I'm helping run a number of mass petitioning events, four this week alone. Last week I met a New Action member last Friday to hand him a stack of 500 petitions for his Staten Island signing event. He used to hold a mass event but this time he had to race from one place to another. On Sunday he handed he petitions to a Queens New Action member who had a signing event in his house on Monday and Tuesday morning. A few promised people couldn't come as they had covid. I met up with him in a KFC parking lot yesterday for the transfer of petitions in time for me to run an event for about 14 people. Saturday I'm going to someone's house fora batch more signatures. 

All the above are retirees, most in their 70s and even 80s. People are coming out of the woodwork to sign, risking their health and welfare. You know why: Medicare. 

A teacher at a major school running with us and petitioning texted: "The biggest reason people give for signing my petitions is the taking away of Medicare for retirees." So, today, I will be holding a signing event for 15 retirees. But instead of taking an hour at amass event I had to stagger their times to keep them safe - and one good friend who is unvaxed was told not to come. I have to track her down at another time. Another signer called last night to say he was still positive. He's 82 years old.

Yes Virginia, Welcome to UFT Elections: Petitioning in the Age of Covid - Unity Caucus Policy Risks Retiree and working member Health

I'm not through with my signing events yet. On Friday I drive to the Bronx to pick up another batch of 500 petitions for a signing event at a diner in the Bronx for 15 people. I haven't eaten in a restuarant yet but for this election I'm forced to to make sure we get on the ballot. I know, I know.  My wife says I'm nuts and promises to lock me in the bedroom for a week if I get covid. One signer will take the petitions to someone's house to cover 5 people on Saturday, pick them up later and then off to another signing event Sunday on Long Island.

Meantime, another batch of up to 60 people will gather to sign another pack on Saturday. 60 people? They are doing it outdoors. 

You might ask why do we have to do all this? Because every single candidate must get at least 100 signatures. Most schools are much smaller. Retirees are not even in a school.  So how does a candidate get all the signatures? Unlike Unity Caucus, which has its own internal mechanism, we have to work to get 100 plus a cushion in dribs and drabs in this Covid election cycle, whereas in the past we just ran two mass events.

And to top this all off, there is a live UFT Election committee meeting today at 4:30 at UFT headquarters with the main purpose to flip a coin on ballot position. I will do a bit of venting. I will also have 500 petitions, each signed by almost 60 people. Shhhhh, don't tell Unity.