Activists engaged in union activities can come off to colleagues as Just Another Politician weather representing Unity or an oppo caucus.
Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024
And sure enough, the minute that guy retired he disappeared from UFT activity. I actually pitied him. He seemed miserable at times working full-time for the union while I was having a blast. But he was correct in that people like me may not be viewed as being normal by the average UFT member.
Now we know that just being a chapter leader and a teacher is an enormous responsibility plus family and other activities. I was only CL for 4 years, the last one on sabbatical but they were very intense years and I prioritized running the chapter in ways that raised the level of union awareness in my school plus having bagels and a schmear at chapter meetings didn't hurt. I took a proactive role and reported on every meeting I attended: Consultation with principal, District, Local School Board, Del. Ass, and assorted other meetings. I was one busy fella - imagine if I was also organizing within a caucus -- more meetings and maybe some naval gazing where we talk a lot about ourselves. I was in a caucus at meetings where I didn't hear one word about anyone's school and what was going on there.
The 90s-2003 were years when I had no connection to a caucus but if I had been active with a caucus I don't know if I would have been as effective in my school. I didn't really become active in the union as an independent until after my sabbatical in '97 when I was given a tech support job at the district and no longer had to teach and be chapter leader. Only then could I focus on central UFT issues which led to Ed Notes.
Imagine a super active UFT Caucus member in that position. And I don't exclude many Unity CL since they also push their caucus under the guise of the union leadership?
Do their colleagues view them as "the other," like that UFT official viewed me? I think being so active puts us in a certain mind-set that separates us from the very people we are trying to organize. A tendency to talk at, not with people. They are always trying to sell something. They have a dog in the race.
At a recent zoom with independent, but heavy duty, union activists there were a few new faces who are chapter leaders and delegates in their schools, aware of what is going on in the union, but so far as observers. They brought a breath of fresh air to give us a realistic picture of what the average UFT members are thinking in their schools. Sometimes the activist brain suffers separation.
I think we think different. We are sort of trying to sell something that most of our colleagues are not interested in.
Looking back I realize how I must have seemed to my colleagues, but lucky for me I'm super social and took part in all school social activities -- I was close to what I call "the social activists" who partied. It took me many years to become comfortable and feel part of the crew, so my I was comfortable in the daily normal activities, never heavy handed. And when I became CL despite the principal's opposition, they rose to back me which put her in more isolation than me.
So my lesson of the day to all my fellow weirdo activists -- do your political thing but when the social center of the school (people who really control the agenda) party, party hardy comes first. If you miss a big school social event to go to some rally, you need to chill in order to win the hearts and minds of your colleagues.
16 comments:
Love this Norm. Thank you
Is ICE/New Action/RTC joining with ABC to run against Unity? Its almost January and an official opposition slate needs to be put together asap to get the word out. If there is more than one group running against Unity, then we are doomed because Unity will win.
So far ABC seems to be running. Has any other group announced they are running? There are rumors of caucuses planning to run and ICE has not been included - ICEd out. ABC has been welcoming to ICE people so ICE is leaning in the direction of people who want them. ICE will probably meet next Sunday to talk more about it.
I don't agree that Unity automatically wins if two opposition slates run. Unity is weaker than ever and there will be a batch of votes that would flow to a slate not viewed as extremist. Even their people don't like Mulgrew. A slate with MORE on it will get the left of the UFT to vote for it but the UFT is far from left. See how MORE did in the 2019 election. And New Action did even worse. In a 3 way race the left loses and the Unity and ABC fight it out.
I agree. Prioritizing building an all-inclusive coalition is a losing game. We've seen where that goes and the fact that UFC evaporated shortly after the last election is all the evidence that anyone needs to know that these types of marriage of convenience strategies aren't built for long term organizing. How many UFC officer candidates left the DOE post election? This pattern of squabbling between elections and trying to come together last min is a real bummer.
But also in regards to the original post - Ain't that the problem? When caucuses on the vanguard like MORE say they speak for the rank and file they are only speaking about those members that pass their litmus test. And this isn't just MORE - the blogger boys are more than happy to drag someone online when they make a mistake (in most cases - unless those cases get in the way of their own ambition - *wink*) plus they are hardcore activists that are most at home posting Monday morning quarterback style hot takes. ABC is already calling themselves a movement - really? Movements require people doing things towards a shared goal. Their only goal is to beat Mulgrew using sweeping statements and empty promises. And if you look at the people associated with ABC there are def folks with axes to grind. People are tired of super activists centering their egos/grudges above all else.
Arthur currently holds an elected position in the RTC - A position with real power, yet he posts the same word salad on a nearly daily basis. He actually wrote that his blogging is how he contributes. People voted him in to get shit done - not blog (substack, social media etc have their place but they are no substitute for real on the ground organizing).
The fact that people like Arthur demonize every single member of Unity Caucus is very telling. The hard fact is that rank and file Unity members are widely respected in their schools - I don't see how other groups can challenge the current leadership without this understanding. Trashing rank and file Unity members is a real miscalculation.
Arthur vilifies Unity Caucus and never mentions names. I've spent 25 years mocking Unity. And mostly they deserve it. As for Arthur - real power as one of ten elected officers of RTC? Give an example of real power. RA got elected partly with the work Arthur did in promoting during the election. His blog is read by a lot of people - Unity in power for 60 years? Are you defending it? As for ABC -- far from a movement -- MORE has the word Movement -- how much of a movement have you seen in their 14 years? ABC is a brand new group of people, some in caucuses including Unity and some not in caucuses. The aim is to reach beyond the usual suspects caucus outreach. In a future post I will outline the weaknesses of the caucuses why a new way is needed. Will ABC offer than new way? That remains to be seen. Come to the members meeting Tuesday.
Can MORE members trust ABC?
MORE was welcomed to ABC and participated until mid October when they withdrew. Full story of what went on with timeline will come out soon. Keep tuned.
Wow - I'm a proud blogger boy who obviously have done nothing else in the UFT over 54 years. Clearly you are a plugged in hard-core activist too since only inner circle people have this analysis. I'd bet you are a candidate on that coalition of caucuses you put down. Good luck when each caucus comes out with their own lit during the election because you know caucus first, union second. You might want to take a good look at what ABC is offering - a positive program to get shit done not just whine about how bad things are. And how about those Unity people who are part of ABC? And Arthur too -- so he is not slamming all Unity people -- just the ones who deserve it. If anything is is the caucuses that walked from working with Unity. We don't slam school based rank and file Unity because I think there are a bunch that will vote for ABC and not MORE. MORE people are slamming Unity deserters.
I wish that were true about ABC...People will have to judge for themselves. I don't agree with what you said about Arthur. He's written on several occasions that all unity members are complicit. Curious if that cuts both ways...especially considering some of the names that are bouncing around...
ABC surely has flaws but I can contend that any alternative has flaws. Frankly I've vilified Unity staffers as a whole. There are nice people but they serve a bad master. They all backed Mulgrew on medicare so let's let them off the hook because they say hello? I support every one of his attacks on people who frankly given my health situation now I view as life threatening.
I am not aware of names bouncing around. How about telling us?
I'm less interested inn this election than in the process of trying to build a deeper and long running network outside the caucus structure without ABC itself becoming a rigid group. Something more along the ICE lines with open mats. If we even got 100 new people in 100 new schools with access to thousands of potential voters that's a win of sorts especially since I don't think the current caucus structure even with one slate can win - and if they did imagine each caucus doing what they always do - retreating to their corners to use their position to build their caucus so the next time they could ice everyone else out to try to win the whole thing for themselves. You are smart enough to see that just like UFC the day after infighting and positioning will start. It's in their DNA. Only RA doesn't have to do that because a) it's an oligarchy and b) they have no competition from another caucus so they can act with impunity.
I remember the day after the election all pleas to MORE to keep meeting were ignored. It took most of the year for the break with New Action on the exed bd to come. MORE sat as far away as they could from NAC. So imagine this shot gun alliance now.
And how funny that the NAC people at ABC meetings railed against the MORE people for breaking the UFC alliance. And that was barely two months ago.
Can any UFT member trust the wiles of MORE? If given any power will they force their pet agendas and values on the rest of us? They already created and handed scripts to children for them to walk out of school in protest for their various other “activisty” endeavors.
Are they even serious about running a union? Or is their involvement in this election part of an overall sentiment that election campaigns help build their niche, boutique caucus?
UFT Retirees trust NYC Retirees and Marianne to shoot straight bread and butter to all without the partisan and pet ideological rhetoric the traditional leftist caucuses are notorious for.
ABC is bread and butter. And the only alternative for those seeking to topple King Mulgrew’s reign.
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