Ed Notes Online: Unity Caucus Candidates E-K: The 750 AFT Convention Goers Who Vote as ONE

Monday, May 9, 2016

Unity Caucus Candidates E-K: The 750 AFT Convention Goers Who Vote as ONE

Continuing our series of Unity people who are getting a free ride on our dues at a cost of $2 million to Minneapolis this summer to rubber stamp whatever Randi wants - and Randi is actually running as one of OUR delegates. Go figure.

Now say MORE/NA gets 20% of the vote - those 20% are being taxed (dues) without representation at AFT/NYSUT conventions. Is there a law suit somewhere calling for a refund of dues paid to these parent organizations for those voting against Unity?

That is why pumping up the vote for MORE makes a better case for democratizing the UFT and bringing voices free of loyalty oaths to the table. One thing I can say about the MORE candidates who are running - if any of them win they will not be under a MORE loyalty oath and free to push their ideas into the UFT. Imagine if there were even a 100 MORE supporters going to these conventions? We would see a new ball game in the national and state unions.

Previous lists posted on ed notes:

Camille	Eaddy
Evelyn	Edwards
Paul	Egan
Roberta	Eisenberg
Frederick	Eisman
Rosamund	Elbourne
Salvatore	Emanuele
Jacqueline	Endelson
Myra	Entenberg
Claude	Ertel
Marcus	Escobar	DR
Elizabeth	Espert
Giovanni	Espinoza
Alan	Ettman	PTRet
Kerri	Evangelista
Sarah	Evans
Timothy	Evans
Dana	Falciglia	FT
June	Feder
Daniel	Federico
Eileen	Feliciano
Robert	Fernandez
Michele	Ferraro
Eileen	Fields
Tracie	Fields
Patricia	Filomena	PTRet
Katherine	Finkelstein
Sheila	Fishbane
Sandra	Flecha
Melissa	Fleming
Meredith	Fogelman Birmingham
Judy	Forbes
Catalina	Fortino	x
Maria	Francisco
Tanisha	Franks
Rona	Freiser
Ilyana	Frias
Charles	Friedman	Ret
Antonietta	Fuccio
Jay	Futterman
Vincent	Gaglione	Ret
Ellen	Gallin-Procida
Diane	Ganz
Stephen	Gappelberg
Gloria	Garvey
John	Garvey
Yvette	Geary
Ava	Geddis
Analia	Gerard
Judith	Gerowitz	DR 21
Renee	Gestone-Setteducato
Nicole	Giannone Astarita
Ladesha	Gill Bey
Sonya	Gimondo
Mary	Ginese
Mildred	Glaberman
Charles	Goasdoue
Heather	Goldberg
Jason	Goldberg
Steven	Goldberg	DR
Anne	Goldman	Off
Alfred	Gonzales
Mona	Gonzalez
Peter	Goodman
Vivian	Goodman
Shayshana	Gourdine
Diane	Grant
Maggie	Grant
Monique	Green
Gloria	Greenhut
Michelle	Griffin
Steven	Grossman
Iliana	Guzman
Elvera	Hall
Hyacinth	Hall
Greer	Hansen-Velazquez
Anthony	Harmon
John	Harrington
Pearline	Harris
Carol	Harrison	DR
Esta	Heitner
Nichol	Hendricks
Christina	Hepburn
Carolyn	Herbst
Geraldine	Herkowitz
Alexandra	Hernandez
Michael	Herron
Mayra	Hiciano-Cruz
Virginia	Hill
Christine	Hilliard
Janella	Hinds	Off
Leopold	Hoenig
Catherine	Holleran
Deborah	Holt
Tamara	Horowitz
Leah	Hosten
Ricardo	Hoyen
Judith	Huggins
Quentin	Huie
Jasmin	Hunt
Brenda	Hutto
Shauna	Innis
Theresa	Janousek
Mona	Jelks
Raymond	Jenkins
Ann	Johneris
Helena	Johnson
Eula	Jones
Taneeka	Jones
Regina	Joseph-Solomon
Angela	Kahn
William	Kalogeras
Dorothy	Kamps
John	Kamps
Stuart	Kaplan
Mindy	Karten Bornemann
Bonnie	Katz
Herbert	Katz
David	Kazansky	FT
Mary	Keegan
Khiera	Kersey Heggs
Joseph	Kessler	DR
Haseeb	Khawaja
Lynne Ann	Kilroy
Linda	King
Rick	King
Mitch	Klages Bombich
Anthony	Klug	FT
Lillian	Kohler
Michael	Kullman
Iris	Kupferstein
Paul	Kutcher
George	Kuzar Jr

5 comments:

Anonymous said...: So, if MORE wins, they won't go to the convention at all? Or they'll send a small contingent? Or they'll ask delegates to pay their own way? Which is it, Norm?

And if Jia is elected UFT Prez and goes on to become AFT Prez, and still needs to be a delegate from a local, is it okay if UFT gives her a place on ballot? Will u still say wtf then?; Monday, May 9, 2016 at 11:08:00 PM EDT
ed notes online said...: If MORE wins you may still get to go because it will be proportional based on vote % like many primaries -- note how you never even touch on that key question.
You all vote as one so you might as well send Mulgrew to cast 750 votes and save us $2 million bucks.
And Randi needs a local? Why take up slots from real teachers. Send her from Minnesota. actually she is president so why does she need a local.
And look how many retirees on your list while working teachers get no voice.
Do these lists make you nervous? I bet most teachers in the schools don't even know their Unity CL is getting this perk.; Tuesday, May 10, 2016 at 12:00:00 AM EDT
James Eterno said...: Great public service Norm. Thank you.; Tuesday, May 10, 2016 at 4:32:00 AM EDT
Anonymous said...: Why would the list make anyone nervous? The convention is a show of force. One man can't have a convention. Let's concede your point re proportionality, but I dont see how we save money on conventions w MORE. I dont know rules but I think it makes sense that Randy needs to be part of a local.; Tuesday, May 10, 2016 at 9:12:00 AM EDT
Anonymous said...: Why are Unity slugs stopping by to defend themselves?; Thursday, May 12, 2016 at 7:44:00 AM EDT

"A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford

What media call "philanthropy" for the public schools are actually seed monies to establish a private "market" in publicly-financed education - an enterprise worth trillions if successfully penetrated by corporate America. Cory Booker, one of the "New Black Leaders" financed by the filthy rich, is key to creating a "nationwide corporate-managed schools network paid for by public funds but run by private managers.

"Ed Reformers" want to cash in on public education and to control its content and outcome, not improve it. Provide great education? Baby boomers had as close as this country has ever gotten to it when we were growing up. The Ed Reform Movement has no interest in seeing such a well-educated, democratically astute population ever again.

http://blackagendareport.com/content/cory-booker-clear-and-present-threat-public-education

History of the UFT Pre-Weingarten Years

This award-winning series of articles by Jack Schierenbeck originally appeared in the New York Teacher in 1996 and 1997.

Naturally, from a certain point of view. But, despite certain biases, Schierenbeck, a great guy, was one of the best NY Teacher reporters so this is worth reading. Jack suffered a debilitating stroke many years ago (I used to get secret donations to ed notes from him through a 3rd source.)

This chapter looks interesting:

Class struggles: The UFT story, part 3

“The schism in the union over radical politics [is] a major reason for stalling the growth of a teacher union for decades.” Revolutionary politics and ideology take center stage, as the original Teachers Union becomes a battlefield, pitting leftist against leftist and splitting the union.

Clarence Taylor's "Reds at the Blackboard" focused on the old Teachers Union which disbanded in 1964 after suffering from anti-left attacks.

Of course for another view, check out the review at New Politics of the Kahlenberg Bio on Shanker by Vera Pavone and me: Albert Shanker: Ruthless Neocon

Effective Union Organizing

A video series put together by Jason Mann from the British Columbia Federation of Teachers about social media and how to use it for effective union organizing.

The first series was called New Media For Union Activists Roadmap and it's still available on-line at:
http://www.newmediabootcamp.ca/welcome/
I watched some of them and need to rewatch as they are loaded with information.

The second series started last week and it's called "Online Campaigning for Union Activists"

You can sign up for this free series at :
http://act.bcfed.ca/online-campaigning-for-union-activists/

You Don't Have A Choice - Join the Revolt

Ex-Harlem Success Teacher Comments on Eva the Diva

Ex-HSA Teacher has left a new comment on your post "Fear and Loathing at Evil's Harlem Success Empire ...":

I am a former Harlem Success teacher. Not many people who work/worked for her like her very much. I once made the comment that she is very nice when I first was hired. Two of her closest colleague responded immediately almost in unison, "Eve is not nice!" Over time I realized that there was a lot of political games going on. Another colleague once said to me that he was tired of "being part of a political campaign." Sending out 15,000 applications for only 400 seats in a school is reprehensible. The money that paid for those mass mailings could have paid the yearly salary of another teacher not to mention the heartache of all those parents who applied but did not get a spot. She does good work trying to give disadvantaged students a quality public school education but at a great cost to staff AND the school's educational budget! school budget.

Davis Guggenheim Compared to Riefenstahl

“Waiting for Superman" is the second most intellectually dishonest piece of documentary work I have seen. It is surpassed only by Leni Riefenstahl's "Triumph of the Will," the pro-Hitler propaganda classic, in that regard. Uses personal narratives of adorable children to create narrative suspense that overrides public policy discussion with pure emotion in unscrupulous attack on teachers and their unions, among others

Timothy Tyson
Professor of African American Studies and History
Duke University

How Teaching Experience Makes a Difference

Even as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Michelle Rhee and others around the nation are arguing for experienced teachers to be laid off regardless of seniority, every single study shows teaching experience matters. In fact, the only two observable factors that have been found consistently to lead to higher student achievement are class size and teacher experience, so that it’s ironic that these same individuals are trying to undermine both.
- Leonie Haimson on Parents Across America web site

Full article with charts here.

Weingarten/Gates Foundation announce drone-driven teacher evaluation

According to a press release issued by the Gates Foundation, the AFT and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, these three have entered a ground-breaking partnership to evaluate teachers utilizing the drone technology that has revolutionized warfare in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. A bird-size device floats up to 400 feet above a classroom and instantly beams live video of teachers in action to agents at desks at Teacher Quality Inspection Stations established by the AFT and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.

When asked if the drones were authorized to drop bombs on teachers who exhibit inadequacy, Chester E. Finn, Jr., president of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, replied, "Don't be ridiculous. Gates money puts other methods at our disposal."

Randi Weingarten, president of the 1.5-million-member American Federation of Teachers said the powerful union has signed on to the drone project...

More at Substance

The Real Reason Behind Push for Standardized Tests: It's All About the Adults

On standardized testing in our schools

A must read article about the standardized test industry.
Written by an insider who has worked as a test scorer, the article outlines a multinational industry based on an army of temporary workers paid by the piece at $0.30 to $0.70 per test, translated in the need to grade 40 tests per hour to make a $12 salary. The article goes on to show how the companies gauge the grading "results" based on the need to ensure new contracts to continue profiting off of our youth. The original article is from Monthly Review. Here it is on Schools Matter blog.

http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2010/12/on-growing-use-of-corporate-test.html

Parallels between America today and Germany in the 1920's and early 30's

"Resentment and obstruction are all the right wing in America have to peddle. Their policies are utterly discredited. Their ideology - even by its own standards - is a sham. They are so bereft of leaders, their de facto leader is a former drug addicted, thrice-divorced radio talk show host. That is literally the best they can muster. But they have built a national franchise inciting the downwardly mobile to blame the government, not the right, for their problems, exactly as Hitler did in the 1920s."

The US Is Facing a Weimar Moment

Published on Sunday, March 15, 2009 by CommonDreams.org

Chicago View of Unity/UFT on Charters

After many meetings and debates, the Chicago delegation succeeded in working with the New York United Federation of Teachers, Local 2 (UFT) to push the AFT to take stronger stands on charter school accountability and school closings — though many delegates from Chicago would have liked the language to have been even stronger.

Generally speaking, the New York delegation represented organizing charters as the best model for handling their role in reshaping unions, despite the fact that according to many reports few charter schools in New York have been organized as is the case in Chicago. This logic is the same touted by the Progressive Caucus of the AFT. The few that have been organized are a part of the UFT local though they have separate contracts negotiated with the help of UFT. The Chicago delegation reflection the mindset that allowing new charters to continue to proliferate while attempting to organize existing charters is an end game in which public schools and the union lose.

Jen Johnson, CTU, Local 1 in Substance

Ed Notes Greatest Hits: HSA Rally and Founding of GEM

SEE MY VIDEO ON HARLEM SUCCESS RALLY 2009:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEp7rg_L5JI

Angel Gonzalez and I attended that rally and used the footage to promote our conference on Mar. 28, 2009, which is where the concept of a group like GEM emerged. Until then we had basically been a committee of ICE working with the NYCORE high stakes testing group. The actions of Eva and crew helped spawn GEM. Mommie Dearest!!

I have more video somewhere. I was hoping to get Leni Riefenstahl to edit it but she died. We would have called it "Triumph of the Hedge Fund Operators."

Ed Notes Extended

Monday, May 9, 2016

Unity Caucus Candidates E-K: The 750 AFT Convention Goers Who Vote as ONE

5 comments: