The Caucus Conundrum

I've been accused of many things. The latest is that I am anti-caucus, which is interesting since I helped found 3 in the UFT. I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly. 

 

Don't get me wrong. 

 

There is a need for caucuses given the way the Unity Caucus has controlled for 6 decades and ideally there would be one big-tent caucus to face down Unity, but in the vast UFT, there has rarely, if ever, been only one oppo caucus. Thus, when UFT elections come upon us every 3 years, the various caucuses enter long negotiations, a tooth-like extraction
process.

The problem for those of us who have been in caucuses, we often forget we are a tiny sliver - 1% at most of a general UFT membership - the 99% - many who have no idea what a caucus is - not even Unity. If you are in a school, go ahead and take a survey of your colleagues. 

 

This year I have soured on the caucus control of elections because I think a takeover of the UFT involves going beyond the caucus constituencies and making a serious dent in the non-caucus 99%, 80% who don't vote. 

 

Someone at a meeting recently pointed out there are concentric circles of activism, with the caucus people being on the inner ring. He made a cogent comment that there are next levels  of people who are informed on UFT politics but not actively engaged in oppo politics. Many of them are non-aligned chapter leaders and delegates who don't want to be in a caucus. If they are looking to be more active, they have nowhere to go except a caucus. I know people who checked out all the caucus options and passed. A strong independent streak does not always mesh. And caucuses don't want people who might prove contentious. (My hand is up.)

 

That was the position I found myself in 1994 when I became CL of my school. I felt I had nowhere to land and it was frustrating to act as a lone wolf. So I started Ed Notes and attracted a following that eventually led to forming the ICE caucus in 2003. But underlying that caucus was no rule or norms (except me) and an attempt to create space for independent people. Compared to other caucuses, I've felt more comfortable with ICE people who like to talk and eat and eat and talk.