Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Randi/Unity Caucus Lauded Elia/Bill Gates and Booed Those Who Walked Out at 2010 AFT Convention

All of those teachers applauding and cheering for Gates will come to regret it.
NYC EducatorSunday, July 11, 2010: It's remarkable they will tolerate those who would destroy us, but no variation from their strictly prescribed point of view.
At the 2010 AFT convention in Seattle, Unity Caucus and allies cheered Elia and Gates over the Hillsborough Fl teacher evaluation project. We had some fun with Gates and Randi (though I didn't do the Gates photoshop). Video here:

Here is a point Leonie made about Elia's resignation:
The serious concerns we expressed yesterday and shared with the Board of Regents about NYSED's new proposed privacy regs were overwhelmed in news of Commissioner Elia's sudden resignation.  What wasn't reported on in the media crush, at least as far as I've noticed, is that the Regents were set to discuss whether to fire her during their annual retreat that started yesterday afternoon.  Clearly, Elia jumped the gun with her announcement and as a result, she was able to control the narrative, with many of the news stories featured overly positive review of her regime.

Last year, the final RAND report on the teacher evaluation project was released, showing that the initiative she led in Hillsborough County before she was fired by that school board and came to NY had no positive results and in fact, resulted in less access to effective teachers for high-needs kids.  In addition, the initiative left the district in severe fiscal disarray....
Leonie Haimson: https://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2019/07/commissioner-elia-resigns-lets-hope-for.html
The NYC Unity machine booed us as we walked out on Bill Gates.

Notice how they now go silent. They will never admit their mistakes and will continue to make them.

Here is coverage at Ed Notes and by George Schmidt at Substance:
Jul 11, 2010 - [A separate report in Substance will cover the walkout and protests from some of the delegates]. ... 2010, as delegates listened to the speech of billionaire Bill Gates. ... Speech To AFT Convention By Bill Gates, http://www.aft.
Jul 11, 2010 - There were 3,000+ delegates at the AFT convention, maybe 40 walked out in protest. ... And many anti-Gates appearance people did not walk out - most of the ... California Teacher Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 9:12:00 PM EDT.
Jul 2, 2010 - Beginning July 8, the AFT convention will take place in Seattle. That city's favorite son, Bill Gates will address the convention. .... Michael Fiorillo Friday, July 2, 2010 at 10:33:00 AM EDT ..... shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, organized a national walk outto memoriali.
Some of the comments from 9 years ago are interesting:
  1. It's remarkable they will tolerate those who would destroy us, but no variation from their strictly prescribed point of view.
    Reply
  2. I was supposed to go to the convention, but I had no choice but not to attend. I am appalled that those in attendance did not walk out with the other 60 delegates. Here's a man who destroyed public education, who had an obvious ulterior motive to put a halt on unionism in the public schools, who wanted to keep minority children behind the eight ball as much as possible so that the achievement gap would be as wide as the grand canyon and was hailed as an advocate for public education by giving him a standing ovation by those who stayed behind to hear his speech. What the hell is happening to the freaking members? Do the delegates think that having these rapist's reforms (yes, I feel that gates and the billionaire boys raped public education) of the public schools by gates, walton family, et al is something to be proud of? The shame of seeing the delegates stand up to give gates a standing ovation is as sickening as allowing a murderer/rapist/robber/psychopath to dine with your immediate family.

    I am ecstatic that I didn't go because I would have walked out, too. Just seeing the video stirs up more anger at the Randi and the stepford delegates.
    Reply
  3. Like Bloomberg, Gates is one of tjose who thinks they can buy whatever they want. So, what did it cost him to get Weingarten to invite him to speak at the convention?

    Or, is she instead like the pol Murray Kempton once wrote about, who gave away what a lesser soul would have sold for money?
    Reply
  4. All of those teachers applauding and cheering for Gates will come to regret it.
    Reply
  5. I'm not sure about that. I think they like the free trips, feeling important, and the hope that one day they too will have a union job with a second salary and pension.
    Reply
  6. Randi shows her true colors!

    Telling some of your members" I thought you were leaving"


    What a display of solidarity! 


    Oh yeah! that's right you're a lawyer not a union leader.
    Reply
  7. Norm, your coverage of this is just as slanted as the regular crud found daily in the NY Post.

    Tell the truth for once.

    There were 3,000+ delegates at the AFT convention, maybe 40 walked out in protest. Several of them were your ICE/GEM friends who were not there as elected delegates but still somehow managed to finagle their way in posing as visitors with other locals.

    If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the video tape you provided is priceless. Watch it. That's not your hated UFT delegates leading the cheers. It's 3,000 delegates from various locals all over the country unhappy with the lack of professionalism. Look at the various union identifications they are wearing. They are clearly visible.

    Why did you neglect to mention the emotional pleas before the protest from the Washington State AFT President about not embarrassing her in her home state? Others echoed her comments. Not one of them was from NYC.

    Why not write an expose on how your fellow ICE/GEMers managed to get on the floor when they were not elected delegates? How did Lisa North and Gloria Brandman manage to legitimately get on the AFT convention floor?

    Why not mention the interruptions during educational, political, and international resolutions from a handful of people which stopped debate on important policy to make juvenile anti-Gates comments? Why not mention how they were booed by 3000+ elected delegates?

    Finally, why is there no mention of Yvette Felarca's role in the protest? Felarca tried to rally people to join the Gates protest before the previous session ended. The 3,000 delegates swatted her attempt like a fly. She then ran against Randi for the AFT presidency and lost big time. Randi received 95% of the vote. The UFT delegates alone could not have provided that landslide victory. Clearly others voted for her as well.

    Maybe your perspective is just skewed and wrong.
    Reply
  8. In case you don't get it - ed notes is BIASED. Just like you Unity slugs have your version of alternate reality.

    Sure, I'll tell the truth just like the NY Teacher does. 

    So I put up a video that tells the truth even according to you.

    After 30 plus years of going to conventions you should full well know that visitors are allowed on the floor. Gloria and Lisa registered legally.

    And many anti-Gates appearance people did not walk out - most of the Chicago delegates were opposed but did respect - they just sat there and didn't applaud - probably you'll attack them for not singing na-na.
    Reply
  9. Thanks for that video... his suck-up verbiage made the talk seem a little conciliatory to me. I wonder how many remained in the hall out of curiosity to see what he would say. If I had been there, I would've definitely been interested in how he would address a room full of teachers, especially after placing us in the same category as malaria and AIDS. Judging by this video, he seems to be a fairly vapid speaker. I think I would have been unimpressed. He made me think of Arne Duncan. For a guy with a lot of power, he comes off like a meal worm.

    I wonder how many of those 3000 cheering teachers work in the suburbs and are clueless about current education policy and politics. When I talk to my counterparts at more affluent schools, they seem to occupy a parallel universe. It's pretty amazing.
    Reply
Those mindlessly loyal morons supporting and cheering Gates at Randi's behest---and yelling "Nah nah nah-nah, hey, hey, hey, Goodbye" when the anti-Gates protesters were being ejected from the auditorium---were made up of retired or soon-to-be-retired teachers.  Well guess how Bill Gates thanked them for their support later that week?  He gave a speech condemning those same retired/soon-to-be retired teachers as greedy and selfish for sucking down excessive and undeserved pensions, and those teachers selfishly take that money that could have gone to schools.   That's Bill Gates' way of thanking them for cheering him.

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