Ed Notes Extended

Friday, March 29, 2019

Unitymustgo: Here’s why I say no to MORE

Voting in the 2019 UFT Elections
I'm postponing publishing my list of people I voted for to publish this.
Unitymustgo! -- Here’s why I say no to MORE. Currently there are several posts/ads from MORE on my Facebook stream. Not one of them speaks of fighting for me. They all speak about social justice issues. That’s all well and good, but I believe the primary purpose of a union is to fight to improve the working conditions and benefits of the people who pay them. Period. Do I care about social issues? Sure I do. Are there tons of social issues that affect our students? Yup there are. They affect many of our members to. Do I believe a teacher’s union should speak up about the social issues that affect members and students? Yes, yes I do. But, and here’s the thing, if you think, I think, the real issue(s) I have with our union is that Unity just doesn’t focus enough on social issues, well then you are really woefully out of touch with your fellow members. Perhaps, even more so than Unity. Not to go off on a tangent, but I actually think Unity isn’t so much out of touch with the real daily, grinding, piercing travesties members have to deal with. I think they have made a conscious calculated decision not to do much about any of it. MORE’s messaging makes me think MORE doesn’t get the simple idea, that members who don’t vote aren’t not voting because they are just so frustrated that the UFT just isn’t doing enough about social justice issues. Nor, does MORE seem to get the even bigger and even simpler idea that those members who are out there actually seeking alternative leadership are most definitely not doing so because of social justice issues. HEAR ME Unity. HEAR ME MORE, HEAR me anybody that wants my support. I want my union to focus on me. Period. There is plenty to do to improve the working conditions and benefits of our members. Can someone? Anyone? Just do that. ....comment on "UFT Election Update: I Vote Thrice": 
There's one point about MORE and the reason you don't see the kind of angst from them about the way teachers are treated in schools. Most of them have found "safe" schools and they bring other MOREs in so we have a few clusters of people working in some of the better schools in the city - which allows them the luxury to focus on social justice instead of the fight for daily survival.

Yesterday I published another comment from Unity Must Go, a longtime anti-Unity chapter leader who has supported the opposition for a decade - he seemed somewhat reluctantly to decide to vote for Solidarity:  UFT Elections: Solidarity Picking up Defections from MORE

The problem with Solidarity is that its main boast is a web site, not a presence in the schools. Now if people like Unitymustgo who is a CL with his own constituency goes beyond voting for Solidarity, they might yet become a real caucus with real people doing real things.

Fighting Unity requires being in the schools --  as you can see from the ballot they have 750-800 running -- while many are retirees and staffers for the UFT, many are also chapter leaders and delegates and have constituencies in their schools. The total of 3 caucuses is less than 150.

Is there a life for the opposition after this election? Let's see how many people see things the way Unitymustgo does. I heard a rough straw poll in what has been a strong opposition and pro-MORE school until now where there were a number of people who had voted for MORE now voting for Unity, and not one vote for Solidarity with one vote for New Action.

While UnityMustGo resisted in 2013, he decided to run with MORE in 2016.

When I met with him in his school and we went for lunch during the last election he mentioned that in his district CL meetings everyone seemed to be Unity or Unity supporters. I pointed to a chapter leader in his district who had always been an ICE supporter and ran with ICE - he hadn't realized that. I've always maintained that anti-Unity CLs should use the monthly CL meetings as an organizing tool. But that hasn't happened, even among the so-called militants.

In my mind, he is a prototypical rank and filer any opposition would want to organize as a backbone of challenging Unity in the schools. But - and this is not an accident - MORE doesn't want people like him precisely because of what he said in his comment -- he wants a union to fight for HIM, not social justice. And MORE doesn't want these type of people.

I don't quite agree with him since I feel there needs to be a balance of SJ and teacher rights.

That was the essence of the internal struggle in MORE from day 1 when it was organized -- I felt we - mostly the ICE people - we were SJ people too - and some allies - kept some balance between SJ and bread and butter --  but ultimately we lost the internal battle.

And we lost because an non-elected faction of MORE vigilantes decided to take drastic action against what they viewed as the opposition to their plan to morph more away from a broad tent - the ICE core. I still think there are a number of MORE supporters who have no idea what really occurred. But they seem perfectly happy to not have the rancor internally even at the expense of democracy -- an analogy to what we see generally in politics.

--- but Unity Must GO is right about the MORE messaging. It is purposely designed to not attract him or the mainstream of the UFT but a particular slice of young social justice oriented teachers - it's a dog whistle and the entire election for MORE in not running to win anything in a limited campaign was to have the opportunity to put out those dog whistles in the hope of attracting the left in the UFT. And they have been successful to a limited extent with new people who are fundamentally clueless about the UFT - some still call me for info.

A key event for MORE is the monthly happy hours with teachers from the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) before the MORE meetings -- this has become the main organizing tool of MORE.

So for those who think MORE may be going away, don't bet on it -- there will always be a left in the UFT who will go along with the program put out by MORE. Expect them to operate the same way in the 2022 UFT elections. The problem with the MORE plan is that it actually makes Unity stronger and gives them even less influence - but they don't worry about that -- MORE is about recruitment, not influencing real change.

I wouldn't be shocked to see the exact same scenario played out in 2022. Which is why I advocate throwing in the towel in terms of a formal opposition to Unity - just don't run in elections. And why I support Arthur, Mike and Mindy for running with Unity where they are at least free to advocate - in a limited manner --- but given the alternative what else is there to do? My problem with them is voting the straight Unity slate, endorsing a caucus that has made Unity Must Go so disgusted - and a betrayal of loyal supporters of our blogs like him. At best it is insensitive politically.

I may organize a post-election forum which I will call: What is to be done? (ref, intentional).

3 comments:

  1. Huh? MORE's social media has tons of posts about teacher tenure, abusive admin, and lack of UFT democracy/////you obviously don't agree with the last point as being truthful, and maybe the other points, too, but MORE does have CLs who are fighting for "bread and butter" issues and would do so if elected to the UFT office///calling these dog whistles seems a bit dramatic/////this is just an election campaign/////this what is done////this is what they believe in/////sorry to hear about your troubles with MORE but some of these claims seem hyperbolic and the attack on MORE members being at "safe" schools seems like a separate standards than other caucuses might be held on your blog, as well as unfair to the students who attend our schools in NYC////also you know some of these people on the officer slate so you know some of them work at very difficult////also your blog is dripping with jealousy and broken heart////that said, good job breaking the paul egan story!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anyone else see this for the unfair and distasteful misuse of power it is? I received the following e-mail. It was sent to Chapter Leaders with the title "Please send to your members."


    ---------- Forwarded message ---------
    From: Anthony Scimeca
    Date: Wed, Mar 27, 2019 at 3:51 PM
    Subject: Please send to your members
    To: Anthony Scimeca


    Dear Chapter Leader,



    Please share with your members









    Dear District 27 Chapter Leaders,





    One of the most important rights of being a UFT member is the ability to choose your union’s leadership. This spring, we will elect 12 officer positions including president as well as 90 Executive Board members, AFT regular and special convention delegates, NYSUT regular and special RA delegates, NEA regular and special convention delegates, and AFT and NYSUT Retiree Council convention delegates. All positions have three-year terms. Five of our own Chapter Leaders are running for Delegate Convention with UNITY: Lawrence Knight, Arthur Zander, Sandy Wilks-Duplan, Has Marryshow, and myself, Anthony Scimeca III. Please vote for us by checking off the UNITY Box and encourage your entire staff to do the same.



    The American Arbitration Association, which is administering the election, is mailing out confidential ballots to members' homes on March 25. Please look out for an envelope that says "Urgent — Official U.F.T. Ballot Enclosed." Don't throw it away!

    Your ballot must reach the American Arbitration Association no later than 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16. Ballots will be counted on Wednesday, April 17. Do not sign your name on your ballot.



    Thank you in advance.



    In Unity,

    Anthony Scimeca III

    Chapter Leader

    ReplyDelete
  3. LOL, I just logged onto facebook and MORE has a new post/ad. A short little slideshow style video pandering to every B & B issue you can think of. Good for them. I hope they mean it, and I do wish them well. Now let's pray pigs learn to fly in the next 2 weeks.

    ReplyDelete

Comments are welcome. Irrelevant and abusive comments will be deleted, as will all commercial links. Comment moderation is on, so if your comment does not appear it is because I have not been at my computer (I do not do cell phone moderating). Or because your comment is irrelevant or idiotic.