Missing InACTION: Is Michael Mulgrew in Witness Protection? - Last UPDATED Aug 28 3:30 PM

UPDATE: Saturday August 28 - There are rumors Mulgrew surfaced in a video somewhere -- I think it is a hologram - or a robot.

With all the swirl about school openings, Mulgrew has been invisible.  Oh, the UFT has put out some statements in his name,

This decision is not up to the union. However, while the mayor is asserting his legal authority to mandate the vaccine for city employees, by law the details of this mandate must be negotiated with the UFT and other unions, and if necessary resolved by arbitration.

Has anyone actually seen Mulgrew anywhere? Maybe he is being held against his will by anti-vaxers in Staten Island.

Peter at South Bronx - Mike Mulgrew Has Abrogated His Duty To Keep Members Safe-"Perhaps Uncle Mike is deep within the bowels of 52 Broadway formulating a plan of safety in the "UFT War room."

 

James at the ICE blog has been yeoman work keeping us informed on the updates on back to school/virus/mandates:

MULGREW'S EMAIL ON MANDATED VACCINES

Leave it to Michael Mulgrew to at least figure out when he made a completely unforced error. In yesterday's statement, the UFT President claimed: "Our first priority is keeping our kids safe and the schools opened." He neglected to mention UFT members who pay dues and his salary. Well in the latest email, (see below), he has added the UFT members. It took him a while but at least he figured out who he is supposed to represent and included the members. That's progress, everyone.

Is Mulgrew in or out? His fears of the right wing anti-vax, anti-mask UFT members pulling their dues is palpable. Chicago and LA, the two next largest cities with strong left wing unions leading the way, have much stronger push back for safe school openings while we have Mr. Wishy Washy.

Recently Mulgrew's lack of presence at a seemingly important event was noticed:

Randi, Ed Secty Cardona and UFT second in command Leroy Barr at Bronx DOE Event -

It says something that Mulgrew wasn’t there. This is the US secretary of education and Randi .. but LeRoy was there .... Vacation? “Sorry Mr. Secretary of Ed. I’m on vaca …” no no no. Sick. Death in the family or on the outs. Those are the only reasons that make sense to me for why a Union president would not be present for a visit from a federal official.....  UFT member comment

Secretary Cardona to Join New York City Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter, AFT President Randi Weingarten & Students to Highlight Importance of Social and Emotional Learning, Vaccinations.....
U.S. Department of Education

An event in a NYC school with the chancellor and the US secretary of education takes place in a NYC public school and there's Randi, the national president - which is not out of the ordinary but the absence of UFT President Mulgrew was noticed, especially when Leroy Barr, the most probable successor if Mulgrew were to leave, posted about his presence. 

 

Hmmm, has Mulgrew grown su unpopular with UFT members (and even with some in Unity Caucus) he is in hiding? I expect we will see him soon. Is there even a chance that he doesn't run for UFT president next year? I doubt it because if he was moving on they would have handed it over to his successor by now.

 

For the inside baseball UFT crowd that have been privately speculating for the past year and a half over the rising unpopularity of Mulgrew with working UFT members over safe schools and with retirees over the Medicare sellout, Mulgrew's absence was a cause for speculation over his future, especially with the pending UFT election coming this school year and the nascent prospect of a united opposition making a dent in Unity control. 

The UFT has only changed presidents 3 times in the past 31 years and each time the new president was installed a year in advance of an election. That time frame for Unity Caucus replacing Mulgrew has past, so this speculation may be meaningless. Maybe there is a rift of sorts between Randi and Mulgrew and this is a sign. 

But they need each other since control of the AFT is based on Unity Caucus. Leroy Barr is the head of Unity ---- but from all reports Leroy and Mulgrew are two of the three men and one woman (maybe two women from the latest scuttlebutt) in the room making decisions for the UFT -- how did that Stringer endorsement work out?

Chicago an LA have required teacher vaxes while NYC has not and Mulgew has not called for it. Word is that he is bombarded by UFT right wingers and anti-vax and anti-mask people and the hierarchy fears these people more than the progressive wing.
 

The different responses and open bargaining of the UFT and CTU and UTLA and the outcomes are stark:

https://www.ctulocal1.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Fall-CPS-2021-Bargaining-Demand-Status-2021-08-25.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2QQQQ_v_h7k3P2s2T3CYmHxEiqW4X1BTeywCkp_Cgx-yp9j_CJgIO59ek