Will delegates and chapter leaders no longer be allowed to give reports to their staffs?
Go to a UFT Executive Board meeting or a Delegate Assembly and look for "free and open debate"? Democratic deliberations? They have to be kidding.
And whose
permission are they talking about? Will the NY Teacher ask each and every person at a meeting if it is ok to disseminate their information?This resolution is no different from all the other resolutions at the DA. Just unenforceable words.
My taping parts of the gathering in the UFT ATR info session last Monday created absolute panic on the part of Randi Weingarten. Weingarten has always attempted to paint opposition points of view as a 5th column when in fact the biggest leaker is Weingarten. In all of the years I have been around the UFT incidents of information leaving the union meetings via videotape have been few and far between. She pulled the same stuff at the October meeting by giving the impression that Elizabeth Green had infiltrated the meeting (a lie.)
Make no mistake about it. This resolution has noting to do with the chapter leaders, delegates and members but with the leadership attempt to keep their own "speaking out of 2 sides of their mouths" words from getting out to the members. The Unity mob is ready to pass any restriction on democracy. This is only the beginning. Still to come: Why not add that any union member who puts info out to media or blogs should be tossed from the union? In fact Randi even mentioned the blogs in her attack on me at that meeting and I challenged her by saying, "Next you'll tell us we can't write about what you say." She didn't respond.
In order to enforce this will they have security guards confiscate all cell phones at these meetings?
They know full well the contrast between the images of the wine and cheese guzzling Unity crowd and the people in the cold at Tweed will be very embarrassing. And so it will be.
Here is the resolution Unity Caucus will present to Monday night's UFT Exec. Bd meeting.
Motion: To recommend to the executive board and delegate assembly the following resolution on the Confidentiality of Union Meetings:
WHEREAS, it is essential that UFT chapter leaders, delegates and members have the full confidence that they can speak honestly and frankly in union meetings without fear that their words and their images will be reproduced in the news media or on the Internet without their knowledge or permission; and
WHEREAS, without such meetings and the free and open debate among union members that they allow, the democratic deliberations of the UFT are diminished and the ability of the union to learn and represent the views of its school-based leadership and members is undermined; and
WHEREAS, in recent weeks UFT member meetings have been surreptitiously recorded and transmitted to the news media, reporters have been invited to attend union meetings without identifying themselves, and video cameras have been brought into such meetings for the purpose of recording the proceedings – all without the consent of those present at the meetings; and
WHEREAS, there are ample opportunities for those who wish to speak to the news media and make their views known publicly to do so outside of union meetings; therefore be it
RESOLVED, that this Delegate Assembly affirm the vital principle that our union be able to hold union meetings, without outside news media present and without the proceedings being recorded and disseminated in public forums, in order to encourage the widest possible freedom of communication and deliberation among union members and leaders; and be it further
RESOLVED, that this Delegate Assembly call upon all in its ranks to respect the right of their fellow members to meet and deliberate in union meetings, secure in the knowledge that their words and their images will not be transmitted or reproduced without their permission.
I would love to see the pictures of the UFT suits who boycotted the ATR rally.
ReplyDeleteThe whole point of union meetings is to pass information back and forth between the management and the members. Why not tape all the events at which union business takes place and pass them around. It would keep everybody honest.
ReplyDeleteUFT management hasn't shown any interest in doing this themselves, and it's obvious why. They're afraid people will see the fiefdom they're running at 52 Broadway, where they collect our dues, and we've got as much say in the way things are going as a bunch of peasants.
Oh Woodlass,
ReplyDeleteDon't ye talk about me Queen liketh that!
Go eat cake!
Now let me be
to sip my wine
and don't you try
to take my pride
What happened on the 24th is the stuff films are made of
oh that's right
there is a film.
Anonymous 10:51. You forgot to say " Let me eat my cheese and sip my wine and leave the ATRs frezing at TWEED while I boycott the RALLY"
ReplyDeleteYou RW gang have no shame taking the members dues.
Per Freedonhouse.org
ReplyDeleteThere is a complex series of reasons for the decline of global press freedom, some of which derive from broad political trends, while others are specific to the media environment:
1. Pushback against Democracy: A growing drive to neutralize or eliminate all potential sources of political opposition has materialized in a number of crucial countries, with the press as a principal target.
2. Political Upheaval: Coups and states of emergency brought on by political unrest or civil war have taken place in a growing number of formerly democratic settings, especially in Asia, with a damaging impact on press freedom.
3. Violence Targeting Journalists: The tragic murder of crusading Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya is but one of the latest examples of what has become a disturbing global trend. The killing and physical harassment of reporters is a particular problem in Latin America, where Mexico has recently replaced Colombia as the most dangerous environment, as well as in South and Southeast Asia, Russia, and Iraq.
4. Legislation Prohibiting Blasphemy, Hate Speech, Insult, and “Endangering National Security”: Governments have increasingly resorted to legal action in efforts to punish the press for critical reports on the political leadership, as well as for “inciting hatred,” commenting on sensitive topics such as religion or ethnicity, or “endangering national security.”
Geez...formerly democratic settings! Is this us?
Ridiculous. Norman Scott is a retiree delegate and should have the right to film and take pictures. He was elected and his constituents expect him to report back.
ReplyDeleteNorm's reports are more believeable than the ones Unity Caucus suits give them.
ReplyDeleteWhat are we Delegate Assembly Anonymous?
ReplyDelete