Oh, No, Thompson

Another UFT/AFT-devised disaster in the making.....the UFT leadership instead went with the candidate who said Bloomberg did the right thing by screwing teachers out of the 8% pattern. ... You can be sure if Thompson is elected, he will turn his back on teachers and pursue the ed deform policies his co-chair, Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch, and his DFER/charter buddies want him to pursue.... Perdido Street School

We predicted this on May 18:

 3-card monte scam

UFT Tilts to Thompson: Tisch, D'Amato, New Action Overjoyed, de Blasio branded as"Left" While SEIU Endorses him

Before the DA yesterday there were actually some people who had doubts about the Thompson endorsement as UFT insiders tried to fool people into thinking there was actually a democratic process by leaking, "This is not a done deal, de Blasio is still in the running." I told everyone I was putting $2 million down on a bet if they want to match -- I had it in cash.

Here are some reports from RBE at Perdido:

Daily News: Weingarten Behind The Thompson/UFT Endorsement

From the Daily News politics blog:

Sources in the labor movement told the Daily News that former UFT President Randi Weingarten, now head of the UFT’s national parent, the American Federation of Teachers, was a deciding factor in the union’s selection.

Weingarten had personally endorsed Thompson and pressed Mulgrew, her hand-picked successor at the UFT, to support Thompson as well, the sources said.

Not a surprise. Weingarten still runs this union.

Remember when the Unity slugs were leaving comments during the election that Randi was gone and Mulgrew was in charge? I once wrote that Mulgrew was ironing Randi's clothes. Nothing has changed. More from RBE:

Mulgrew's Explanation On The Thompson Endorsement Is Just Lame

Here it is - the rationale for the UFT's endorsement of Bill Thompson for mayor:

And from James and Ellen at ICE: DA REPORT: THOMPSON CORONATION

Thompson was endorsed by the Delegates and then he appeared out of nowhere and addressed the crowd.  (It is amazing how Thompson knew how this vote was going to go and a bunch of UFT for Thompson posters also magically appeared. I also got my first robo-call from Mulgrew a few minutes later in support of Thompson.  This endorsement was a big secret?  Yeah right. Bloggers all called it right last month.)

No longer being allowed into delegate assemblies even when there is room I was on the 2nd floor watching on tv and tweeting.

I retweeted Charter school center slug's pro-Thompson tweet

Michael Regnier ‏@MichaelRegnier 12h

. @BillThompsonNYC "spoke out in support of expanding our city’s many extraordinary charter schools."

YES. Bill, Meryl and Alphonse can give Eva her 40 schools pound of flesh.

Here are some of my tweets which express the sense of things as they developed:

‏@NormScott1 12h

@uft will endorse Thompson based on research: as per ny times art today, high end toilet paper users will decide this election

@uft thompson endorsement but many tchrs will vote Liu first and DeBlasio 2nd with boo to D'amato-Tisch tag team

New @uft button: 12-31-17 for end of Thompson reign as mayor.

Retiree @uft Tom murphy calls question. Suppression of debate won't help get unity for thompson

@uft allows only 1 speaker opposed to speak agst thompson endorsement yet expects unanimous support

@uft hands over uft to anti-union D'Amato and Tisch who gave us bad eval plan. Orwellian. A delegate says:  this is like the world wrestling federation 

@thompson shows up. Surprise surprise. Uft leadership supression of discussion will lead to division.

@uft gives Thompson speaking time while shutting up members

This after my retiring UFT official pal Michael Mendel made a plea for unity no matter where you stand. How do you get unity when you at the very least don't give people a chance to make the case against Thompson? Peter Lamphere's point of order was turned away by Mulgrew. That is why Bloomberg's prediction about UFT support is a kiss of death. If you can't run a democratic union most of your members don't give a shit. I wonder of the UFT can get out the same percentage of people to vote for Thompson as they got to vote in the UFT elections? Can the retiree vote in Florida count? You see, it's elementary. Run an undemocratic union and you dissipate your ability to get people to do what you want. Compare that to Chicago where over 90% of the teachers voted to strike and 60% (I think) voted in their elections.

RBE made the same point:

Given the abysmal turnout in the UFT elections, given that the UFT power base (the retirees) mostly resides in Florida and can't vote in a NYC election, and given that many teachers in the UFT couldn't care a whit who Mikey Mulgrew wants them to vote for in September, I don't think this endorsement helps Thompson all that much outside of the extra cash the UFT brings. 

Then they started passing out Thompson posters.

1. Norm Scott ‏@NormScott1 12h

   @gothamschools #uftvotes they must have super fast printers

   Then I noticed jumping into the fray, Moaning Mona Davids, who supported the anti-union film Won't Back Down, has so much astroturf on her you need a sandblaster to get it off.
   
   Arthur Goldstein ‏@TeacherArthurG 14h
   

   So proud @UFT endorses @BillThompsonNYC, who opposes teacher raises. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/afford-4-raise-teachers-mayoral-candidate-thompson-article-1.383354 …

   
   

   NYC Parents Union ‏@NYCParentsUnion

   @TeacherArthurG @UFT @BillThompsonNYC Don't worry, I'm sure he's reversed stance on that. Don't worry he'll take care of you all first :)

   
   NYC Parents Union ‏@NYCParentsUnion 13h
   

   @TeacherArthurG @UFT @BillThompsonNYC If he wins, teachers will be all set. He'd owe his mayoralty to teachers, you all will get all u want

   
   

   Yes, that same Mona who for a time got some bucks and support from the UFT but like every relationship she touches, turns to shit, is complaining about the UFT. 

   
   So I responded:

   
   
2. Norm Scott ‏@NormScott1 12h

   @NYCParentsUnion @TeacherArthurG @UFT @BillThompsonNYC But we won't get what u got for supporting film Won't Back Down. Good taste in movies