During the meeting, BX D9 DR Aqeel Williams sent his CL group chat memes that mocked retiree delegates for being old while they were speaking.... A Unity Caucus snitch
Not only is he a fellow union member, but he’s an employee & should hold himself to a better standard of behavior than he is demonstrating...
wow - jokes and politics and caucus aside - that’s real messed up- we never made fun of tom murphy or George Altomare like that / ever - these are fellow unions members and veteran educators - i really don’t like that....
Jeff Kaufman at the ICE Blog makes a strong statement:
Ageism Is Anti-Union: Why Aqeel Williams’s Mocking of UFT Retiree Delegates Should Alarm Us All
And Arthur: https://arthurgoldstein.substack.com/p/unity-district-rep-use-ageist-stereotypes
Thursday, November 14, 2024
I was going to write about yesterday's DA and other breaking news today, but first I had to get this out of the way. Unity people are nervous about losing power and not happy because RA retirees have been a major factor in the two DAs so far, so Williams in his boredom is getting his jollies. Is this how he views the D9 members he represents who are approaching retirement age?
I doubt Aqeel Williams mocked the Unity retiree delegates we replaced. Would he have dared mock George Altomare?
He was on the clock being paid by our union dues as a UFT district representative. (Check time stamp.)
31 comments:
This is gross behavior. Ageism, plain and simple. This needs immediate attention and correction.
I don't trust him at all. Right after Covid he visited our school and said that the UFT push to put retirees into Medicare Advantage will be a great thing and that folks have nothing to worry about. Shortly after the truth came out that it sucks, he never took back his word. I hope he gets fired.
Not condoning or trying to paper over anything but are we really at the phase of election season where whole posts are being dedicated to stuff like this? Don't we typically save these for after the holidays?
And this all comes on the heels of ABC (whatever that is) releasing what amounted to an idea for a plan. This tit for tat stuff aint it if folks are serious about winning. I don't think they are - its another vanity project brought to us by the wizard behind educators of nyc.
ABC is a vanity project? Call it whatever you want. I'd vote for a bag of hammers before I vote Unity in the next election.
Unbelievable! First the two leaked playbook sheets on how to undermine our elected retirees and now this! Mr. Williams should publicly stand up and ask for forgiveness from our elected representatives. If he doesn’t have the strength of character to do that, he should resign or be terminated, post haste.
I have voted for the Unity Caucus for 42 years — they just lost this “retired geezer’s” vote! And I will be encouraging my elementary teacher niece to do the same. Absolutely no respect!
Are you a retiree? Would you like to be disparaged as a “geezer”? Would offensive comments about someone’s race or sex be tolerated? There is no excuse for this kind of dismissive attitude, ESPECIALLY coming from a union representative!
If he doesn’t, retiree delegates should take a point of personal privilege or call for a motion of censure.
How long has Unity been harboring anti-union animus? First, Adam Shapiro’s cyber-bullying of a full-time para. Now, Aqueel Willams’ and Unity chapter leaders denigrating longtime union retirees?
The libel spread here against Mr. A Williams is worse than anything else. Lighten up.
Bronx Unity District Rep discriminates against UFT retirees. On the clock and on our dime! Mulgrew will let it slide. What does he care. You lost the respect and the vote of this retiree.
What’s abc?
Still unclear what abc is
ABC are the letters preceding DEF.
So instead of maybe advising a colleague that some banter would become the sudden marker of his personality…we have professionals who run to blogs? Highly disappointed with the screenshots since that’s a breach of professional privacy. Just to clarify these “small” screenshot is not indicative of his character at all. Quite disappointed from one educator to another.
If Williams had done this inside of school with other teachers, he would’ve been fired. It’s one of the things the city has zero tolerance for - anyone being targeted and ridiculed because of their age. I was once having a heated argument with another teacher, who is only a couple years older than me, who dismissively and publicly said I didn’t know as much as her, as she was older than me(!). The lady was nuts, but somebody reported it. I got a visit from a city bureaucrat asking me to testify against her for age discrimination. (I found the whole thing very bizarre. I did not, as much as I detested her.) This wasn’t just targeting one person, but all retirees - Williams should apologize, at minimum.
Yes of course. When a Unity District Rep engages in discrimination of UFT retirees, Unity propriety dictates we keep that discrimination behind closed doors. How dare we demand better of our UFT leaders.
This is hilarious: So fact is I've had decent interactions with him. I'm a reporter on UFT issues. Someone leaked this. This is group of dist 9 CL who depend on him, not to his friends. " So instead of maybe advising a colleague that some banter would become the sudden marker of his personality…we have professionals who run to blogs? Highly disappointed with the screenshots since that’s a breach of professional privacy. Just to clarify these “small” screenshot is not indicative of his character at all. Quite disappointed from one educator to another."
I don’t want to believe this but I’ve seen enough. I started nearly 40 years in the union since Shanker was president. I’m finished with Unity and I blame Michael Mulgrew for all that’s happening. - Unity defector
This guy must apologize publically at the next DA. I am 70 and luckily can do almost all that I did 47 years ago when I first became a teacher. The main thing I can still do is think, which this DR seems to have trouble doing.
I take heart from the fact that at least one recipient, presumably an active member, blew the whistle on the insulting posts regarding RTC members posted by the D9 DR.
That district rep should apologize. He should be reminded that working teachers are retirees in training. If no correction is forthcoming then I am left to conclude that the views of the D9 DR are those of the Unity leadership.
Does this signal Unity’s new divide and control strategy?
For decades Unity’s bargaining strategy was based on how to guarantee their reelection. This was done by keeping salaries and pensions for senior members above inflation while selling out the new and unborn. In return Unity enjoyed the loyalty of enough senior members and retirees .They reached the limit of that formula when they sold retiree Medicare benefits down the drain to settle a contract with back pay.
Why did Unity turn on their most loyal constituency? Not because they were duped or were too dumb to understand the consequences but because they realized that failure to settle the contract would fuel a rank and file rebellion among the active members.
Will Unity now defend the interest of working teachers over the retired and will the active members drink Unity’s new flavored kool aid with the relish displayed by the D9 DR? Unity traded in their historic sellout formula, confident that the RTC would remain their palace guard. Had it not been for all the other municipal retirees whose pensions and savings were much lower than UFTers it probably would have worked. But they didn’t figure on Marianne and the intrepid women who stepped into the breech along side her and threw a wrench into Unity’s plans. Great to see heroes emerge from the people! I hope that this matter is addressed at the Dec DA and that working teachers will not be fooled into blaming their deteriorating wages and working conditions on the RTC members who, while much better off financially, are not the cause of their dilemma. Unity has followed their prime directive, - the bottom line for all elected representatives- how to get re-elected. The old labor credo of solidarity was a different sort of directive. What does solidarity look like and can the current leaders change course or will they have to be replaced by a new generation who may breathe life into labors old credo. “Solidarity Forever Means Privileges Never” (Theodore W. Allen)
Absolutely a vanity project - or maybe cosplaying organizing may be a better way to describe. They sent out a digital survey and had a webinar. There’s no base and they are trying to put together campaign committees without even a platform. Why should anyone take this as anything other than vanity when it’s straight up the same schtick that Daniel always drops. A “movement” is a lot more than another slick website and highly choreographed webinars.
Try to convince us that current caucuses are a movement. Where are platforms or campaigns coming from anyone so far?
All that stuff aside what have the current caucuses accomplished (retiree advocate aside)? How have they organized beyond their own bubbles of far left activists and bloggers?
These comments are coming from people who know better and are trying to frame this as a one-man project when there is quite a number of people involved. The same people who want to see a group they have no control of stamped out first tried to brand this as a Unity dominated group and when that didn't work - because it was so untrue - are trying another tack.
Who is this guy Danial? You make him sound like a wizard of sorts. Put a link. We need some leaders.
James Eterno and Daniel Alicea are behind the healthcare reso that called for consent from the membership on healthcare changes and full disclosure. Thousands of signatures, with awareness and advocacy, and now it’s likely going to be passed in some form by the UFT delegate assembly. If that’s vanity project wizardry, let’s sign up for more.
RTC chapter passed that reso! Why attribute this success to two men and an online petition instead of the rank and file and Bennetts leadership is beyond me.
Thousands signed the healthcare petition online and *also* on paper petitions in schools passed around by the rank and file through an old-fashioned targeted campaign that took months of work.
RA used the existing healthcare petition reso as their primary inspiration — leaving out a membership-wide vote as is the case with all UFT contracts.
Just as RA tried to recreate the MORE dental reso — to no avail. Not even able to get the floor in October.
The dental RFP was announced in September, not November, thanks to this spring reso and the work of the blogs.
Let’s speak facts. Not wishful propaganda.
There is simply no excuse for stereotyping a protected group, and we have every right to demand better of our so-called leaders. It's remarkable anyone would argue otherwise, or in lieu of argument, repeatedly change the subject.
Marianne already tweeting support for ABC and NYC Retirees sent out a link in their newsletter to sign up with the ABC. Arthur has signaled support for ABC. Thousands signing up for ABC campaigns. The 2025 tsunami begins.
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