Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026
Watching the Republicans leap up for joy at every Trump lie and bit of misinformation at the SOTU brought echoes of recent UFT Delegate Assemblies where we see a similar reaction from (fake) jocularity from the Unity Caucus cheering committee. The longest SOTU and most boring speech in history reminded me of some of Mulgrew's long-winded reports at the DA.
There was no better example than the Feb. DA where the main item was the endorsement for TRS of Unity candidate Tom Brown as one Unityite after another rose to give praise - and oh the cheers when the vote was taken to endorse him. Oppo people, like the Dems at the SOTU sat on their hands. There just weren't many of them and even for those who were there, there was no coordination. More and more oppo people are just not bothering to attend -- a boycott of sorts, like the Dems who stayed away from the SOTU.
The only group that had a strategy - sort of - was ABC people, but I was lukewarm to not opposing Tom Brown on the grounds he was one of 3 Unity shills who would do whatever Mulgrew tells him to do. The argument for David Kazansky is that he would now be an independent voice - and yes, for 9 years he was a union leadership voice - publicly - but I suspect behind the scenes he was willing to ask questions about the fees we were paying, the role of private equity and investment strategy.
MORE on the whole has never felt the DA was an important venue. And the vaunted 300 Retiree Advocate delegates that replaced the Unity 300 in the June 2024 supposedly game-changing election which has not changed the game very much have been disappearing from the DA in droves, thus negating the impact of that election. MORE claims 100 DA. members but few show up, so the Unity staff and loyalist CLs dominate the room. Remember ARISE? No signs anywhere that they are alive since the embarassing 14% vote in the 2025 UFT election.
Even I, an over 50-year DA attendee, even when I wasn't a delegate, no longer see it worth it to hand out leaflets. I like to attend for social reasons to schmooze and hang out with my pals.
The real changes in the UFT are happening underneath the covers and I am glad to be part of the various fragments of people connected to ABC.
Mulgrew helps build the new opposition in the UFT
What the hell is happening at the UFT that 2 former pension reps are challenging the Unity candidate for TRS rep?
Former UFT special rep Frank Panebianco is joining former 9-year Teacher Retirement System rep David Kazansky, pushed out of the job by Mulgrew two years ago and fired last June, in the race for TRS rep against Unity loyalist Tom Brown. Panebianco was among those staffers fired by Mulgrew.
Is
he a plant by Unity to divide the oppo vote? The guess is he is not but
genuinely pissed off at the leadership. Is Unity cheering his candidacy
against David? I'm thinking not as he is popular and may well draw
votes from Unity and turn this into a 3-person race. And of course David
is popular in Untiy and will also draw votes. In a secret ballot, no
matter the pressure from the leadership, there will be defections. Unity
may punish district reps who don't turn out the vote -- we get a
post-election report on the vote breakdown for every school. The key for
Kazansky is to build a strong network of schools that will vote for him
- right now there are 6 weeks to get 1000 signatures for each
candidate. He has a shot at winning no matter what, but even if Brown
wins the network built in the campaign can be used in the future.
That two long-term Unity pension experts have challenged Unity candidate Tom
Brown is indicative of the same kind of cracks we have been seeing in
Uniy over the past few years. The massive retiree and para oppo wins in
the 2024 chapter elections were clear indicators - the removal of Amy
Arundell from Queens started a trend and her ability to bring some
serious elements of Unity along with her in last year's union election
has created a potential new oppo block in ABC outside the usual caucus
suspects.
Despite the firings by Mulgrew last June, while scaring some
of Unity back into the fold, has still left some people seething. (One
well-known school-based Unity recently declared privately "I'm done with
them." Are they ready to be openly part of an oppo group like ABC? That
may take some time and also depends on how capable ABC looks over the
next few years. And don't forget that Unity 54% vote in the election. It
takes some time for people who have been in a cult to wean themselves
off.
This look good for Unity - short term on the surface - but many of these
people have actually learned some organizing skills, albeit in the
rigid confines of Unity. But once freed, the creativity flows and
excitement at the freedom grows. It is up to the legacy oppos to figure
out how to join forces if they want to defeat Unity. There is a soft
strucrure in place within the ABC coalition by the alliances built in
last year's election and ties that bind continue to be built.
The Mulgrew reign of terror may work to keep staffers in fear and in line but the firing of well-liked and competent people also sends a message and degrades the structure from underneath. The firing of District 30 rep Ashley Rzonca has riled chapter leaders and rank and file in the district and is creating a cloud of resentment that will ultimately morph into open opposition. I never knew Ashley until she was fired last June and have come to see her abilities in various strategy sessions.
Then there is Pissgate where a photo of Amy was placed in a men's room urinal at the Delegate Assembly and the culprit wasn't found despite months of investigation by an outside lawyer and despite cameras.
There is a lot of residual fear and loathing of Mulgrew and his administration throughout the ranks.
LeRoy Barr's retirement and the flippant way he announced it at the January DA that surprised Mulgrew won't help as he was able to keep many of the troops in line. Will LeRoy loyalists begin to jump ship too? He is still in charge of Unity Caucus so he will be a factor. Some say the simple solution for Unity is to replace Mulgrew and some see the Mike Sill rise as a solution. BTW- Mike was once a protege of Amy Arundell who was his boss.
The woim toins.
Do
you want to build your caucus or do you want to win an election? That
was a question asked of leaders of the RA caucus and unfortunately it
looks like caucus first. The same with NAC and MORE -- they will gladly
take 14% of the vote forever as long as they can control their caucus.
At a recent meeting one non-UFT person told me "it's all about control -
having power in a small fishbowl."
If the legacy caucuses wake up and join a movement like ABC, Unity would be in trouble.
David Kazansky speaks about the responsibility of the TRS Trustees.
A substantive, no-spin conversation about retirement security for NYC educators and retirees.
Former three-term TRS Trustee David Kazansky.was interviewed by Daniel Alicea on WBAI in part 1 of a 2 part interview on Sunday.
• David’s storied career as an educator, unionist and trustee
• What really happens inside the TRS boardroom
• Private equity and pension transparency
• Fiduciary duty and divestment
• Tier 6 and what reform would actually take
• The upcoming TRS trustee election — and what’s at stake
Part 2 also drops here next week and will be aired the next time Daniel hosts Talk Out of School.
Let’s stay informed.
— Dan Alicea
Learn more about David at WeTrustDavid.org
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