Mulgrew Must Step Down | Teacher Letter in Queens Tribune

Teacher Stephany Verra puts forth a pretty good summary of the Unity Caucus leadership. But even if Mulgrew took her advice Unity Caucus would just put a clone in his place to do the same things. It is time to rally people to break the Unity 60 year power grip on our local, state and national union. Every vote going to MORE/New Action is another nail in their coffin even if we don't win the entire enchilada this time. Break their control over the schools through their district rep management structure. I don't know Stephany Verra but she gets it -- now if she has to get others to vote for MORE/New Action.

Are education departments in local universities virtually empty? My yoga teacher today told me she has one more year to go at Brooklyn College. I have to check with her. If there were a teacher shortage they might actually have to end the ATR crisis.

To The Editor:
Since Former Mayor Mike Bloomberg took office in 2002 and assumed control of New York City schools, the leadership in the IFT has been complicit in the privatization of public school scheme, supportive of incessant testing, allowing UFT members to become victims of age discrimination and ultimately is clearly part of the scheme to deprofessionalize the teaching profession.
UFT President Michael Mulgrew, a huge supporter of the highly unpopular Common Core standard and data-driven teaching and learning, has been largely unresponsive to members’ concerns and in many cases pleas for help. What kind of labor leader would ignore his or her numbers? Members pay a tremendous amount in dues every year.

What have they gotten in return? Teachers have been abused, harassed, brought up on false charges and even fired. Teachers in many schools continue to work in hostile environments – with administrators who are incompetent, inexperienced and/or abusive. They continue to harass teachers because they know very well that the UFT will do nothing about it.

The City is currently in the process of settling lawsuits against them brought on by teachers through private attorneys for this abuse and harassment. Is this how taxpayers’ funds for public schools are being wasted? Does the Department of Education really need hundreds of lawyers currently employed by the New York City Department of Education?

Despite what Mulgrew says publicly, the UFT leadership has taken NO steps to improve the working conditions of teachers. None. The education departments in local universities are virtually empty. We are at a precipice of a teacher shortage in New York City. The biggest losers of a teacher shortage will be the students.

Mulgrew must accept the blame for the teacher shortage, miserable working environment in many schools and his reluctance to call for the removal of hundreds of  horrible school administrators still in our schools.

Stephany Verra,
Little Neck

http://queenstribune.com/mulgrew-must-step-down/