Why Won't ARISE Consent to Allow Candidates to Run on ABC? Unity Caucus and ARISE Unite to Help Unity Win AFT Delegates

NOTE - this blog post represents only my views and not those of ABC. But I am pissed off!

It's very simple and we can still do this: All ARISE has to do is say YES to allowing its AFT candidates to run with ABC.

So, why did ARISE put a roadblock on its candidates who want to run on the ABC slate, giving the Unity leadership an excuse to prevent these candidates from winning? Why did Unity agree with ARISE? ABC has agreed publicly to allow ARISE candidates to run. Why won't ARISE do the same? The say they want a formal agreement as New Action had with Unity for over a decade. Should we wear tuxedos?

New Action/Unity sign agreement for 2007, 2010 and 2013 elections

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 22, 2025

I've been too busy the past week to address the important issue of how Unity and ARISE united to keep people from running on multiple slates, an increasing level of ARISE focusing its attacks on ABC.  Petitions were due last Monday, RTC Meeting Tuesday, DA Wednesday, R&R Thursday. Finally, I've had room to breathe. 

Back in December I offered a leader of MORE an idea of how to run two slates and win a control of the exec bd and adcom. Cross endorse enough candidates (not all so as to leave room for organizing new people) - all AFT, 3 each for Adcom which would give us 6 out of 12, a majority of the divisional and at large exec bd. The idea was turned down because if we won how would we govern the UFT? I said we'd figure it out -- let's win first. But I question whether elements of the ARISE coalition really want to win and are focused on not letting ABC win. 

My backup plan was to encourage AFT candidates to run on both slates. 

I spoke to a few candidates who did sign up for both slates and if forced to choose they say they will choose ABC.

Here is a detailed account on how Unity Caucus and ARISE united in a way to help Unity maintain their monopoly of AFT delegate seats. 

First a brief date by date summary:

Feb. 27 - After a question from an ARISE UFT election committee rep about running on multiple slates, Carl Cambria the Unity head of the election committee, rules that candidates could run. At that point I declare that ABC agrees to allow any such candidate to run with them. None of the 3 reps from ARISE make such a statement, nor do they approach the ABC reps, Christina Gavin and I, about working something out despite us sitting 10 feet away. But later on they will attempt to blame ABC for not meeting with them when here they were all in the same room. All ARISE had to do was make the same declaration as ABC. But they didn't and haven't. Why?

March 7, 2025 - Michael Shulman, running as ARISE candidate for Secretary, emails Carl Cambria, head of the UFT 2025 election committee and a Unity Caucus member and candidate for Unity.

Dear Carl,

From past correspondences, we in the ARISE slate are under the impression that in order for a candidate to run under more than one slate there must be agreement of the slates involved, to be aligned with past UFT practices. At this time, no such agreement exists between the slates. What is the mechanism that the UFT Membership Department will use to insure that candidates who submit petitions from multiple slates will not be allowed to do so without such agreement? Thank you for your attention to this matter. I will forward this to other concerned UFT Election Committee members.

Michael Shulman (ARISE Candidate for UFT Secretary)

March 13 - Unity Election committee member Marcus Escobar agrees with Shulman and asks Carl to review his decision of Feb. 18.

March 14 (days before petitions are due) - Carl revises his decision about allowing candidates to run on multiple slates.

March 17 - Norm, an ABC election committee rep, holding up the official UFT election guide which has no mention about formal agreements about candidates running for multiple slates, speaks at the UFT Exec Bd. on the issue. Nick Bacon issues an inaccurate  account of what Norm said while Unity minutes accurately reflect Norm's comments. (SEE BELOW FOR BOTH ACCOUNTS.)

March 18 - Christina Gavin, ABC rep on election committee, protests Carl's revision of his Feb. 27 decision.

March 19 outside the DA: Norm asks Shulman why ARISE didn't talk to ABC reps at the Feb. 27 meeting about running joint candidates if a meeting was so important to them. Shulman replies they only do communications through official channels. Norm says that's the typical caucus response but is also an excuse.

Let me dive right in.

Note how Shulman ignores the fact that on Feb. 27 ABC declared agreement for people to run on both slates. With the ball in the ARISE court, Shulman chooses to punt and claims there must be some kind of formal agreement, a bogus argument to cover up their real intent which is to try to show they had more candidates than ABC - they bragged about their 550 - the most since the 1980s they say while ABC has 559 - the most since ARISE bragged about their 550.

Ok - so lose the potential to break the AFT monopoly for "official". Is that how they will run the UFT? So Unity like. This officiousness  is the caucus mentality that was a key to the split between ABC and ARISE.

Note the alliance between Unity and ARISE to throw a monkey wrench into the possibility of AFT candidates running on both ARISE and ABC slates and possibly winning some non-Unity AFT seats for the first time ever if Unity gets less than 50% of the vote. This only makes sense for Unity. So what is the motivation of ARISE other than to try to reduce the ABC number of candidates and vote? Yes Virginia, ARISE is clearly not running against Unity but against ABC, which is running against Unity and to win.

The focus of attacks from ARISE leading lights, led by the New Action faction, has been on ABC with a lean to Unity. Is there some kind of back door post-election deal in the works? After all, New Action, one of the 3 components of ARISE, has a long history of back room deals with Unity going back to 2003 through 2016. Do you remember when they ran Michael Mulgrew as their presidential candidate in the 2010 and 2013 UFT election, an interesting year that followed the 2012 Unity/NA sellout on Cuomo's Tier 6 bill and the 2014 Mulgrew sellout on retiree healthcare when he raided the stabilization fund. Imagine if I claimed NAC backed the Tier 6 and destabilization changes? No worries. I won't.

Now before I go on, let me state that neither I nor ABC is saying that someone can force a caucus to run candidates they don't want. But ABC is saying right up front it has no objection to any ARISE candidate running with ABC. So why won't ARISE make the same declaration instead of clinging to "formal meeting" which ABC interprets as a meeting with the dreaded ARISE steering committee which is sure to report a distorted account of the meeting.

What we hear from ARISE is an attempt to blame ABC for not being willing to meet with them to come to some agreement, as New Action did in its back room deals with Randi and Mulgrew that led to NA candidates running on the Unity slate. I'd like to see that agreement, since NAC is claiming that agreement as a precedent. Don't hold your breath.

New Action has led the assault on ABC with a number of bogus arguments and distorted reporting. Nick's NAC Attacks on ABC compared to mild treatment of Unity are notable. Nick suffers from ABC PTSD - like a jilted lover - in this case ABC's ultimate rejection of his steering committee plan which divided the UFT election pie into fourths -- one each to New Action, MORE and Retiree Advocate - representing all together less than 1% of UFT membership and one fourth to everyone else - the 99% - which ABC has been aiming to reach. ARISE had to divide the spoils into thirds while ABC went out and organized a slate of almost 560 people to run while the ARISE gang had been mocking ABC as being 7 people.

Let's compare Nick's report of the March 17 Exec Bd. meeting where I made a statement about the election manipulation by Unity, at no time claiming that someone can run without caucus approval.

Nick Bacon report on March 17 Ex bd meeting with some fake news:

This was followed by a debate of sorts between Michael Shulman and Norm Scott about the UFT election. Norm was upset that ABC was not being allowed to have some of their members run on multiple slates (without the consent of those other slates), citing a history of cross endorsements between Unity and New Action. Shulman pointed out that such cross endorsements were only ever done with the permission of both slates and that when ARISE sought to meet with ABC on this question (and running together more generally), ABC refused to even take the meeting. Ultimately, Norm’s contention was that allowing members to run on multiple slates (without the consent of those slates) would be a positive development because someone on two slates would be more likely to win an election against Unity. I find this argument extremely problematic. Why should someone who, by definition, misleads one or more slates into getting on their ballot while also running with (and voting for) said slate’s competitor, be rewarded with a higher chance of winning an election? Carl Cambria was correct to issue his ruling on this matter. Consent is a necessary part of cross-slate endorsements. And if ABC was really interested in this, they should have agreed to meetings that were offered numerous times by ARISE prior to the beginning of petitioning.

What a shame. I used to read Nick's Notes religiously. Note how Nick gratuitously added something I did not say: Norm’s contention was that allowing members to run on multiple slates (without the consent of those slates) - All I said was that ABC gave its consent and questioned why ARISE would not do the same.

Now note the UFT Official more accurate minutes of the same meeting:

Norman Scott, a RTC Executive Board member, raised concerns regarding

• The upcoming UFT elections and the issue of candidates running on multiple slates. He cited historical precedents, specifically the 2007, 2010, and 2013 elections where individuals ran on both the New Action and Unity slates.

• He highlighted the recent ruling by the Election Committee Chair, Carl Cambria, which initially permitted candidates to run on multiple slates and accrue votes from each. He insinuated that Unity, realizing the potential loss of UFT convention seats, pressured the Election Committee (note that Mr. Scott himself is a member of the election committee) to reverse its decision. He specifically criticized Michael Schulman and a Unity member for supporting this reversal, which occurred shortly before the petition deadline.

• Scott then stated that the ABC openly allows its members to run on multiple slates, emphasizing their commitment to providing candidates with the opportunity to win UFT seats and challenge the unity. He asserted that ABC would not prevent anyone from running on another slate.

Michael Schulman requested a point of personal privilege to address what he termed the “perverted version of history” presented by the previous speaker.

• He defended Carl Cambria’s consistency, clarifying that while Cambria ruled candidates could run on multiple slates, past instances of dual-slate participation were based on mutual agreement between the slates involved. He stated that that no such agreement exists between ABC and Arise. Schulman emphasized his role in past elections, specifically his support for Randi Weingarten and Michael Mulgrew, which were based on agreements between the slates. He stated he wished to correct the misinformation Scott provided. He offered to discuss the issue further with any interested Executive Board members after the meeting.

 Wow, who ever thunk that Unity would give a more accurate account that a so-called opposition person?

Below is the correspondence

Feb. 27 - UFT Election Committee meeting: One of the 3 ARISE reps ask if people can run on multiple slates and Carl says yes and their votes are combined. The 2 ABC reps announce openly at that meeting that ABC agrees to allow any candidate to run on our slate even if on another slate. In my book that constitutes agreement and no meeting is necessary on our part.

March 7, 2025 - Michael Shulman, running as ARISE candidate for Secretary, to Carl

Dear Carl,

From past correspondences, we in the ARISE slate are under the impression that in order for a candidate to run under more than one slate there must be agreement of the slates involved, to be aligned with past UFT practices. At this time, no such agreement exists between the slates.

What is the mechanism that the UFT Membership Department will use to insure that candidates who submit petitions from multiple slates will not be allowed to do so without such agreement?

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I will forward this to other concerned UFT Election Committee members.

Michael Shulman (ARISE Candidate for UFT Secretary)

ABC agrees publicly that any candidate may run on the ABC slate. So ARISE clearly does not agree or wants ABC to whisper sweet nothings in its ear. 

When I raised this issue at the March 17 UFT Exec Bd meeting, Shulman replied that ABC refuses to meet with ARISE. Fact is that he was at at the Feb. 27 election committee meeting where Carl made his original decision and I stated unequivocally that ABC approves any candidate running on another slate to run on the ABC slate, all three ARISE reps remained silent -- not one offer to meet with ABC on that issue, not has there been any outreach at all - so Shulman's statement is not accurate. But when ABC declares publicly it is OK with multiple slates and ARISE and UNITY both object, we need to examine the motives of each. 

Here Carl rules in response to Shulman that candidates can run on multiple slates as long as each slate accepts the candidate.

March 10, 2025

Michael,

I received your attached note, and I have Bcc’d the entire Election Committee here with my response.

Each slate sends a designee with its petitions in person to the Election Coordinator who signs the receipt we discussed at our first election committee, that will establish the petitions submitted for each slate. If the UFT separately receives petitions in which individual candidates designate a slate, the Election Coordinator will confirm with the slate designee whether or not that individual should be included in that slate. The determination of that conversation will be communicated to that individual and shall be considered final. If it is determined that the individual is not permitted to run on the slate indicated, that individual may run as an independent, provided they are not running with another slate.

Sincerely,

Carl Cambria

Executive Director of Negotiations

United Federation of Teachers

Unity Member Marcus Escobar agrees with ARISE

March 13, 2025

Dear Carl,

I am writing to you on behalf of the Unity slate in response to your email from Monday at 5:24pm "RE: Candidates Running on Multiple Slates".

Unity agrees with ARISE that there is no agreement for a candidate to run on more than one slate.

Marcus Escobar

Carl changes his mind - clearly Unity realized that a candidate running on both ABC and ARISE might win against the Unity candidates. 

March 14, 2025

Election Committee Members,

I received the attached email from Marcus Escobar on behalf of Unity.  Since Unity and ARISE have both stated there is no agreement for candidates to run under more than one slate, candidates will not be permitted to do so.  Therefore, the UFT is modifying the response below as follows:

Each slate sends a designee with its petitions in person to the Election Coordinator who signs the receipt we discussed at our first election committee, that will establish the petitions submitted for each slate. If more than one slate submits a petition for the same individual, the UFT will confirm with the slates to determine which slate the individual should run under. The determination of the slates shall be communicated to the individual and shall be considered final. If the slates are unable to reach a determination, the UFT will reach out to the individual to determine which slate the individual is running under.  At that point, the determination of the individual will be communicated to the slates and shall be considered final. Moreover, if the UFT separately receives petitions in which individual candidates designate an additional slate to the one submitted by the slate designee, that petition will not be accepted.

Sincerely,

Carl Cambria

Executive Director of Negotiations

United Federation of Teachers

 

March 18, 2025 - Christina Gavin to Carl Cambria

 

Hello Carl,

 

I want to put on the record that ABC objects to your reversal of your original decision.

We briefly discussed candidates running on two slates at the last election committee meeting. You told us that a candidate was able to do that provided they submitted separate sets of signatures/nominating petitions for each slate. This is the information that has been communicated to interested candidates. No "agreement of the slates" was mentioned whatsoever during our election committee meeting. I asked you how votes would be tallied for any cross-slate candidates if someone split their ballot, and you responded that it would be more difficult to calculate.

We reject the idea that you would reverse the stance you first presented on Feb. 27 and then reaffirmed in your response to Mr. Shulman on Mar. 10. We find it to be wholly unacceptable to change the rules of petitioning in the midst of the process.

In solidarity,

Christina Gavin, ABC member of the UFT Election Committee

THE END

 

 

How ‘A Better Contract’ Candidates Delivered for NYC Math Teachers: Racquel Blair McPherson, UFT Vice President of Education Candidate – A Better Contract!

 I met Rachel a few weeks ago and she has been a delight. A chapter leader in a large school building with multiple schools, she has been a tiger with the petitioning campaign.

 

 

 

Real Change Comes from Real Organizing: How ‘A Better Contract’ Candidates Delivered for NYC Math Teachers

By Racquel Blair McPherson, UFT Vice President of Education Candidate – A Better Contract!

Mar 13, 2025

 

https://open.substack.com/pub/uftmembers/p/real-change-comes-from-real-organizing?r=hbbt4&utm_medium=ios 

 

 

This school year, NYC’s high school math teachers have been forced to implement the DOE’s citywide rollout of Illustrative Math Algebra I — a rigid, scripted program that strips educators of autonomy and deprives students of meaningful instruction.

Let’s begin with a distinction that matters: this is not a curriculum.

Curriculum is adaptable, aligned to standards, and developed with students and educators in mind. What the DOE has forced into classrooms is a purchased program — scripted, inflexible, fundamentally out of sync with the needs of our students, and costing millions of dollars. Yet, despite repeated concerns from educators and school communities, the DOE didn’t pause to listen or adjust.

They didn’t have to. To my knowledge, the UFT wasn’t paying much attention.

Last year’s pilot revealed glaring problems:

• Misalignment to Regents

• Impossible pacing that left no room for remediation

• Assessment overload

• A top-down approach that prohibited teacher judgment or supplementation

Instead of using this feedback to rework the approach, the DOE doubled down — expanding IM citywide, even as student performance fell. Meanwhile, UFT leadership stood by while teachers were micromanaged, frustrated, and actively seeking support. Members weren’t just raising concerns — they were looking for their union to fight back.

That work wasn’t initiated by leadership. It was wrested from inaction by rank-and-file organizing. I was one of the educators asked to participate, as was Katie Anskat, our candidate for Treasurer. Alongside full-time classroom teachers from across the city, all of us currently teaching IM Algebra I, we spent a week reworking the scope and sequence for Units 5–8. With support from the highly skilled professionals at the UFT Teacher Center, we created Regents-aligned guidance, realistic pacing, and tools grounded in classroom realities.

And when the DOE ignored the work? When UFT leadership refused to share the letter we wrote to accompany it — a professional, student-centered statement outlining the necessary instructional flexibility? We kept pushing.

💥 Today, that advocacy forced a breakthrough.

On March 12, 2025, the DOE released updated NYC Solves Algebra I materials. And make no mistake: they reflect the very work we created and fought to have recognized.

Included in the update:

• ✅ A “Pacing at a Glance” document that frames the pacing guide as support, not mandate

• ✅ Deprioritized lessons to allow time for reinforcement and Regents alignment

• ✅ A full-course mapping to NY Next Gen and Regents standards

• ✅ Revised unit overviews including “Misconceptions” and “Things to Remember” — drawn directly from our work

• ✅ Focus activities recommended by the UFT now built into the guides

• ✅ Updated implementation guidance that finally acknowledges teachers as decision-makers in instruction

This didn’t happen because the DOE had a change of heart. It happened because we didn’t stop. It happened because educators — including candidates running with A Better Contract! — pushed relentlessly for the DOE to recognize our professional expertise and the UFT to fight for it to be respected and implemented.

But let’s not confuse this with a full fix.

Here’s what’s still missing:

🟡 No clear directive to principals requiring them to implement these changes

🟡 No removal of outdated implementation checklists still being used in classroom walkthroughs

🟡 No public acknowledgment or accountability for the DOE’s original rollout failures

🟡 And still, no recognition from UFT leadership of the teachers who made this progress possible

This was a step forward — but only because educators kept the pressure on. Without enforcement and clear messaging, these new materials risk becoming another optional PDF that gets ignored while rigid compliance continues in schools.

As your next UFT Vice President of Education, I will:

• 🧭 Demand that the DOE provide real curriculum — a coherent, flexible scope and sequence, not just a contract with a vendor

• 🚦 Ensure that teachers are in the driver’s seat, making the professional decisions that impact student learning

• 📢 Elevate and defend member-created solutions

• 💥 Back the UFT Teacher Center with organizing strength — so their work isn’t undermined, buried, or ignored

Katie Anskat and I joined with our math colleagues to get this work done. We stepped up because our students and our colleagues needed us to. When educators come together, they make an impact.

And that’s exactly how we’ll lead.

Let’s win a better contract — and a better union.

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Hey Retirees - Ask Amy at Tuesday, March 11 Zoom - 7PM

You will never see Mulgrew doing this. This meeting is also open to any UFT member - but focus will be on retiree issues up front.

Listen to Amy on retirees: https://abettercontract.org/p/podcast-listen-to-amy-speak-about

Arthur is hosting and I am running shotgun backup.

 

 

Hi retirees,

We are holding a Zoom meeting this coming Tuesday, March 11th, from 7 to 8 PM. Amy will be joining us. 

We very much hope you will not only attend, but also tell your friends to come. 

Thank you again for your activism and dedication. We very much appreciate it. 

Arthur

 

 

 

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/lNW72b6lRR-6eSd1HWhCMQ#/registration 

 

 

UFT Election Committee: Candidates Can Run on multiple slates - as has happened in the past

I kept getting asked the same question by some people who want to run on more than one slate. ABC has been open to anyone who wants to run for AFT/NYSUT Delegate on the ABC even if running on another slate. I don't get why there was ambivalence over that issue -- in fact I put that idea forth months ago to a leader of MORE as a way to run two slates against Unity and still win but there was little interest. But anyone who wants to take a shot at possibly winning as an AFT/NYSUT convention delegate and break the Unity monopoly, try to sign up to run with ABC and any other slate you are running on.

When I was asked I kept pointing to the years that New Action candidates were elected to the UFT Exec Bd by running on the Unity slate and their own slate. But for some reason, this history seems to have disappeared from the memory banks because members of their coalition are told they are not sure. 

At Thursday's UFT Election Committee meeting it was reaffirmed that you can run on more than one slate and reap the total votes you get on all slates. Go to this link and fill it out. And if you do, email me to let me know as I have to send you a blank petition for you to sign and return to me. normsco@gmail.com. 

Don't worry about getting the required 100 signatures as ABC has been and will be holding petition signing parties this week. Here is the Wednesday Brooklyn link: tinyurl.com/abc-2025-03-05. Friday Bayside link: tinyurl.com/abc-03-07-2025.

 

 Convention Delegate Form

 

 

ABC Update: Listen to Part 1 of Amy’s interview on "Talk Out School", tonight, on WBAI 99.5 FM at 7 PM; Join the ABC slate as a convention delegate

 Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025

Tonight, join Daniel Alicea and Amy Arundell, our UFT presidential candidate for A BETTER CONTRACT, on Talk Out School on WBAI 99.5 FM at 7 PM.

You can also listen to tonight’s show online at: http://wbai.org

In this first segment, they discuss her decision to run for UFT president in the upcoming UFT election, emphasizing the need for a more member-driven approach and a unified city labor movement.

She also expresses her concerns about the union's current transactional and service model strategy, inability to deliver raises that outpace the cost of living and the current leadership's mishandling of healthcare and Welfare Fund.

Join us as Amy shares her evolution and journey to her decision to run against the 16-year incumbent, Michael Mulgrew, and his establishment Unity administrative caucus that has controlled the UFT for the last 60 years.

Tonight’s episode is part one of a multi-segment interview.

In the next segments, which will be available as a podcast later this week, Amy shares her thoughts and commitments to city retirees and traditional Medicare, ABC’s support for Intro 1096, the current plight of NYC paraprofessionals and their fight for a living wage, fixing Tier 6, the increased need for member voice in our political endorsements, the importance of placing members first above personal and partisan politics, and much more.

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Join the ABC slate as a CONVENTION DELEGATE

As you’ve probably heard by now, A Better Contract has finalized its officer and Executive Board slates. The last component we now need to fill is our slate of delegates for the AFT Convention and NYSUT Representative Assembly. We are asking for anyone interested to fill out the Google Form below.

RUN FOR CONVENTION DELEGATE

*Where and when does this happen?*

Our national union, the American Federation of Teachers, meets once every two years, typically in July. The convention is always held in a different city and lasts a few days.

Our state union, New York State United Teachers, meets annually, typically in late April or early May. The convention is usually held in Albany, Rochester, or midtown Manhattan and also lasts a few days.

*What are the responsibilities of a convention delegate?*

As a delegate, you will be assigned to a committee that discusses, amends, and approves resolutions to bring to the main convention floor. The resolutions are then discussed, amended, and voted up or down by the full body.

*What else do I need to know?*

The UFT provides delegates with a generous stipend to cover expenses including travel, lodging, and meals. The conventions are a great opportunity to meet not only fellow UFT members but educators from all across NYS and the United States.

RUN FOR CONVENTION DELEGATE

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Disclaimer: This communication is from the “ A BETTER CONTRACT - UFT” slate. It is not from the official site of The United Federation of Teachers. The ABC site title describes a group of dues-paying UFT members organizing for a better contract with NYC and our union leadership. Information shared by us should not be considered officially from the UFT organization. It is from UFT members, just like you.

ABC Candidates will hold leadership feet to the fire/ AMY ARUNDELL: Why I Am Running for UFT President

I attended a tribute to the late great labor organizer Jane McAlevey (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_McAlevey) last night at the CUNY grad center and was inspired. But her story and history got me to thinking about Amy Arundell and how she was buried - her choice - inside a non-organizing union model for 20 years. 

Has Amy been a caterpillar waiting to burst out into a butterfly who will reform the UFT and allow it to reach its potential?

Amy flanked by Steve Swieciki and Leah Lin, all tossed out of Unity. Steve and Lia are chapter leaders in a high school and elementary school respectively. Steve and Lia are running for VPs of their respective divisions.

I ask people who question the Amy Arundell candidacy which candidate do they think is best equipped to run the UFT and even the anti-Amy people pause - and admit she knows the inside and out of the UFT machinery and would be in a position to handle it -- but also to know best what needs to remain in place and what needs reform. I'm not one of those people who want to toss the baby with the bathwater. 

But then they ask - but what if she's new boss same as the old boss? What if she is gaslighting you all? Even her most ardent critics admit she is super smart. One told me she is smarter than all of us and she still holds the same ideas and would keep the Unity machine intact, only with her in charge.

Well I certainly have faced down with Amy over the years and she is a touch cookie to argue with. She is one tough cookie in many ways and after getting to know her a bit over the past few months I see she has leadership skills that have been thwarted inside the Unity machine. When we see so many in the union, even oppo people, be like marshmallows who complain about being harmed because someone spoke to them in a loud voice and who melt at the slightest heat, one refrain I hear is "What will they do if they have to negotiate a contract with the awful and often nasty people at the DOE?" 

So I want feisty and even nasty - when its directed at the right places. 

One tough cookie is fine for me.

But if Amy resists calls for change and turning the UFT into an organizing model union, my response is we first try to pressure her and if we see stalling, we kick her out. 

And we have had no better chance of kicking out a union president we don't like than now due to the weakening of Unity caucus. I do not want to see any caucus be dominant again - even an oppo one. I like checks and balances. The ABC adcom is designed to have people on there who will never be a rubber stamp. The same with the ABC executive board slate. We have long and short time pains in the ass on there -- no rubber stamps with this crowd. 

What worries me about caucuses choosing the candidates is that these are often loyalists who will be rubber stamps if they win. 

If you examine the caucus led slates they are loaded with caucus loyalists. ABC is different. Many of us are just meeting each other -- it is an eclectic collection of people, some who have been in caucuses and either left or were purged for daring to disagree. Want to talk about new boss, same as the old boss? I've seen dangerous Unity-like tendencies including censorship and attempts to ice out those who don't go along with the majority. 

Believe me, if Amy strays she will hear it from me and others. ABC is not a "loyal to Amy" group.

But it says something when you get attacks from both Unity and the other groups running against Unity. You must be doing something right. Not only Amy, but ABC has come under attack from all angles. Makes us feel good about our organizing efforts. And it is all about organizing. ABC did not go into this thinking, "Let's win and then organize." 

No, ABC went into this to use the election process as an organizing tool -- one difference from the caucus models which use their caucuses to organize, which one would hope they are doing all the time instead of just for elections. The issue I have with that model is that it has not bore many results. Now you might say look at RA winning --- well they had a boost from Marianne. And the fix Para Pay victory was not from a caucus but independent actions, which is why FPP is with ABC. The caucus model means a steering committee choosing the candidates in closed meetings. While ABC has been also holding closed meetings, those meetings have opened up to new voices as they expressed interest.

I heard time and again last night at the McAlevey event that Jane hated sectarianism and thought sectarians were the biggest obstacle to union organizing. And ABC is non-sectarian. 

Here is Amy's statement.

 

A BETTER CONTRACT - UFT MEMBERS

AMY ARUNDELL: Why I Am Running for UFT President

Amy shares her story. Together we will build our collective power to deliver A BETTER CONTRACT with the City of New York and A BETTER social contract with union leadership.

Feb 18, 2025

 

 

For 34 years, I have been a part of the New York City public school system. I was a middle school teacher, delegate, and chapter leader in one Bronx school. I became a Teacher Center specialist in another. 

Never, during all this time, did I imagine that I would be in this position: running for UFT President. The culture of the UFT has long been one where leadership handpicks their successors, deciding who they believe should be the next to carry the mantle, and for years, I played by those rules, trusting that this process served the best interests of our members and that the best, brightest, and most committed to our work as a union would rise to positions of leadership.

Times have changed, our school system has evolved, and our union must evolve as well. More and more members are expressing deep dissatisfaction with the direction of our union. Decisions are being made that I can no longer stand behind. It has become increasingly difficult to look my fellow members in the eye and tell them that what’s happening is good for them because it isn’t. These decisions are not the result of listening to members and then gathering our experts and specialists and making decisions consistent with union values, and the interests of the members and their students. More often than not, the most important decisions are made by only a few, behind closed doors.

The recent election losses in the retiree and paraprofessional chapter elections were not a result of flashy slate names or strategic maneuvering, they were a direct response to the growing frustration among our members. The message is clear, the status quo is failing us.

Our union should be the beacon of fairness, inclusion, and strength. Instead, we have reached a point where sexism, harassment, and bullying have tainted our internal culture. Morale is at an all-time low. I’ve been around long enough to remember when we could come together, debate and discuss issues openly, and leave the room knowing we had made the best decision for our members and the union as a whole. Those spaces and that culture no longer exist under the current leadership. I’ve tried, others have tried but today, questioning decisions can end careers, and there are far too many examples of this reality. I refuse to silence my own principles and beliefs to campaign for anyone who perpetuates this type of leadership and these union values.

My candidacy is not about serving any particular caucus or ideology, it is about serving our members in the way they deserve and that furthers the cause of public education. Now that I have been ‘expelled’ from my former caucus, I stand as the only candidate who is beholden to no faction. My allegiance is to the educators, teachers, paraprofessionals, school-related professionals and retirees who make our union strong and to the students who we are all responsible for educating.

These values are not the only thing that make me the right person to serve as UFT president in this critical moment; I am qualified, experienced, and connected. I have served in a variety of roles, both as an educator in schools and as a union representative.

In my first year of teaching, I remember celebrating when the union negotiated that our lesson plans were no longer required to be collected. It changed my professional life. I was a chapter leader when the SBO process became a source of leverage for my chapter to have a voice in how our school was organized. I was a teacher center specialist in a school when the first 100 minutes were added to the school day and I was tasked with making those minutes as relevant and helpful to our school community as possible, despite our membership’s obvious unease with the additional time.

As a UFT staffer, I implemented the 2005 contract. I supported pedagogues in the ATR pool and advocated for them. I provided support to members in using the new transfer system. I educated people about the power of the SBO process and how to interpret school budgets. I helped hundreds of people with leaves and staffing issues. I am very proud of that work. I was part of the negotiating team on evaluation, and learned a lot about what members want and what others think is best for them. I tried to help members see the power in what we negotiated, and also acknowledged that what we negotiated did not achieve our goals. I was the union point person for the creation of teacher leader roles, and visited the many schools that implemented these roles. I was inspired to see what teachers can do when given the opportunity. I know many schools that have benefited from those roles.

Then, I became the Queens Borough Representative and learned how out of touch our central UFT representatives could be. Hundreds of people invited me into their lives and their schools, and we made amazing things happen. It was by far the role I loved the most and it allowed me to connect to members and students in deep, new, and meaningful ways.

I have a vision for our union. A union that is strategic about building power, that prioritizes members and their students above DOE management or city government desires. We build power by organizing and being connected to members above all else. That is why the leadership of ABC will fight tirelessly with our members for better working conditions, fair salary increases, and an end to the reckless practice of surrendering our healthcare benefits in exchange for inadequate compensation increases.

It’s time to reclaim our union. It’s time to have leadership that listens, respects, and truly advocates for its members, not one that demands blind loyalty and is deaf to their core needs. Together, we can restore integrity, transparency, and strength to the UFT. I ask for your support, not just for me, but for the future of our union and the dignity of its members and the future of the students we serve.

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ABC - Able, Buttkicking, Creative Running To Win Against Unity - Attend Feb. 11 Meet the Candidates - Arthur on How ABC Will Run the UFT

 There were people who did not believe ABC could organize a slate for the election. Come to the Feb. 11 meet the candidates to find out.

ABC is following up on its successful zoom organizing events with a meet the candidates event this Tuesday at 7PM. Last Tuesday over 100 people attended the elementary school zoom focused on issues specifically related to that oft neglected division.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today's piece by Arthur delves into some detail on how ABC would run the union. It is an important piece and here are a few excerpts.

 

• ABC knows union power comes from members. It’s imperative we work toward member empowerment. We’re in this together. We stand together, we fight together, and we win together. Our first message is for Michael Mulgrew:

• We don’t work for union leaders—union leaders work for us.

• When ABC wins, we will no longer use our citywide union power as a vehicle to demean health insurance. Moving backward will no longer be a priority for the United Federation of Teachers (let alone something we seek to drag our brother and sister unionists into). As far as we’re concerned, organizing to make things worse is anti-union.
• When members call UFT, they don’t want to press buttons and hope to get connected to someone. Nor do they want to be on hold for 20 minutes. ABC believes it’s our job to be responsive to member needs. Like you, we hate hearing, “Your call is important to us,” particularly when a non-response indicates otherwise. When you call UFT, you will speak to a living, breathing person, not a pre-recorded, computer-driven robot.  
• ABC will actively support legislation that retains the health care members have been promised in retirement. There are currently bills to protect retirees in both city and state legislatures. We will not only lobby for their passage, but we will also support the organizations that brought them. We will do the same for legislation that protects in service members.
• When ABC wins, UFT boots on the ground will mean members actually showing up to work for and demand what we want and need. These days, it amounts to a dozen paid staffers showing up here or there. Years of Unity indifference to members have resulted in years of member indifference to union. That won’t happen immediately, but needs to change.
• For really important issues, like money and health care, we will show up en masse and let people know who we are and what we demand. We will grow our union into the activist organization we need to be. Again, when papers talk of the “powerful teachers union,” it needs to mean something.
• We will use union resources, including COPE, union lawyers, and UFT boots on the ground to support our causes.

• The caucus model has failed us, and continues to fail us.

• Unity has misled and betrayed us for years. They do this as though it’s their birthright, and barely bother to hide it anymore. They think they own our union hall, and if anyone else finds their way in, they build literal walls around them.
• We’ve had 60 years of minority rule and outlandish palace intrigue. ABC has a better vision.
• We are not a caucus, and will not demand loyalty to caucus. We represent UFT members, not some pre-determined philosophy that may or may not be representative. Member voice will guide us as we move forward.
• We are not indulging in some last-gasp attempt to rationalize our existence. We are not a stalking horse for some mysterious, arcane philosophy. We don’t require an elite and self-indulgent steering committee controlling everything and everyone. We formed our platform by surveying members, and we’ll continue doing that as we move forward.
• As UFT members, we’re looking to wake up the sleeping giant that is our great union, the United Federation of Teachers. That means empowerment and inclusion, not lip service and ignoring those who elected and worked with us.

Read the entire piece

Easy as ABC

Let's amplify member voice.

Arthur Goldstein

Feb 07, 2025

UFT Election Winning Strategy - As Simple as ABC - Go Where the Votes Are and Meet the Candidates on Feb. 11

When bank robber Willie Sutton was asked why he robs banks he answered: Because that's where the money is.

I apply the same logic in response regarding UFT elections. I don't put down getting votes from anywhere -- The aim is to win and for those who don't realize --

If you really want to win go where the votes are. 

 

Otherwise you are running not to win, but to make a point. 

\

Now I do see people turning their noses up at some voters -- like Unity defectors or the non-lock step ideologues or heaven forbid, the potential 30-35% UFT Trump voters.  If you turn up your nose at potential voters, you don't want to win.

Saturday, Jan. 26, 2025

 

Many critics who attack me for daring to think outside the box, assume that if two slates run in the UFT election, it is impossible to beat Unity. 

 

“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” Sherlock Holmes

 

So let's look at how to to turn the impossible into the improbable into the possible: A win for ABC.

 

It may seem "improbable" for ABC to win, but I believe a win is impossible for ARISE in a 3-slate race. Thus, only a vote for ABC can turn the improbable into the possible and Sherlock says that must be the truth. 

Elementary, my dear Watson.

And on Feb. 11 you can meet the ABC candidates. http://rsvp.uftmembers.org

  

Unity Must Go in order to win

I've been accused of changing positions in mid-stream. I have always been in favor of one slate to challenge Unity. I also believed that we can't win unless we weaken Unity at its core -- in the schools where they have an army of chapter leaders and influencers, especially in the elementary schools where there are 36 thousand potential voters and Unity always wins big. (66% in 2022).

Going back to the late 90s and looking at a weak and ineffectual opposition back then, I decided that winning over people in Unity would be essential to winning an election and I initially aimed Ed Notes at appealing to Unity people who wanted change in the union. And I did get an audience. But the minute I made even the mildest criticism of the new leadership under Randi, I lost them. So I switched into full-blown oppo mode.  Now I see the first real opportunity for a permanent break in Unity at the in-service level to go along with the break in the retiree and para chapters.

 

In the past elections, winning a sliver, the high schools and maybe the middle schools was the realistic goal. But conditions have changed and I'm not interested in slivers. The idea of winning the entire enchilada is what has gotten people so excited. They seem to take winning for granted. I don't take anything for granted.

 

And conditions have certainly changed since the 2022 elections when every voice of the opposition was involved in United for Change.

 

I change due to changing conditions. And the numbers for UFC were not great. Somehow people think that the current version of UFC, a weakened ARISE - with 3 caucuses involved - two of which are no stronger than they were in 2022 - would win if they were the only ones running because the third caucus, RA, seems so much stronger based on its big win last June. My claim is that RA as an organizing group of 11, is not really stronger than it was in 2022 and in terms of a general UFT election it has the same limited direct outreach. RA won 63% due to the influx of voters, many from Unity, and many coming from Marianne's supporters. Many Unity voters may just drift back in a general election.

 

As a member of the RA org committee of 11, I was the lone dissenter from joining this coalition and urged RA to stay neutral, and could play a mediator role. MORE and New Action needed RA to be part of the coalition as a way to sell a winning strategy because both of them, which aim at the in-service people, understand they have failed to attract a wide enough following with in-service people to win without the retirees. My position has been that the oppo have opposed the impact of retirees on elections for decades but now are switching course in mid-stream and that to win an election loaded with retirees would be destabilizing and further alienate the in-service where a majority are on Tier 6. How do they feel about being led by people who are on Tier 1, as ARISE is offering?

I try not to stick with a pattern of a losing strategy. In 2022 I believed in all caucuses and non-caucuses should get together in United for Change. And the outcomes of that effort was disappointing, to the point I have been willing to look at alternate ideas. I am still for one slate, but not the same kind of election management under caucus guidance, like UFC was. Instead I believe in one slate under a broad based and group of individuals capable of growth from the ground up, whether people are in a caucus or not --- but not to allow a small group of people to make the basic decisions -- call it a steering committee -- instead to open up the process to the broader based UFT membership. In other words, we don't just want your vote in May, we want you involved from the ground up in the entire process.

 

So let's go back to the opening question: where are the votes? 

Certainly retirees where 39% return ballots and the recent flip from Unity in the RTC election is major. Clearly, many former Unity voters flipped over the Medicare issue and voted for RA. Will that flip hold for a general election? While those former Unity voters may have been pissed off enough at Mulgrew and Tom Murphy's role to vote them out, are they willing to turn over the entire union to a group consisting of RA, New Action and MORE, with MORE being the dominant player in this group? Frankly, I don't think so.

But given another alternative that includes a number of people who have left Unity, these voters may feel they have another place to go rather than go back to Unity. It's as simple as ABC.

Where else can we find votes? Remember the Para election where Fix Para Pay won 75% in an admittedly low turnout vote in a para chapter that has 27k potential voters? Unity has noticed and is suddenly showing interest in making paras welcome, though fixing their pay is not on their agenda. But there is a group that is very committed to fighting for para pay and to fight for other things issues they want - like ILOD - Injury in Line of Duty protection and other issues beyond pay like some prep time. Can the para unit be energized to vote in this election and where are those votes likely to go? It's as simple as ABC.

Now how about the disaffected anti-Mulgrew Unity Caucus people? I don't mean the full-time staff who are clinging to their jobs, but the rank and file Unity people who are often chapter leaders, some with after school jobs? How many potential votes do they offer? The important issue in this case is can they bring their staffs and other Unity friends along with them, which could add up to thousands of votes? While there's no way to tell since most Unity are silent (though sending private encouragement), there are underground indications of a growing revolt, that if it catches on, will make a major dent in the Unity votes. And we have been seeing an erosion of Unity votes over the past elections. But Unity voters will not go to a MORE tinged group. It's as simple as ABC.

How about retirees? The assumption since June was that the same massive vote would go to Retiree Advocate. But they've aligned with MORE, leading to these comments on my last blog post:

John Q Teacher: I thought that RA was Mariannes's baby? Why would she abandon it and secretly endorse ABC? I'm confused. I really wish she would speak publicly about where she stands on who she is supporting.  

 

Anon: This shit is just too complicated to follow. I was a retiree. I will vote for whoever Marianne recommends. Stick that up your ass, Mr. Mulgrew.

Marianne has clearly leaned toward ABC, and made reference to ABC in public comments, sparking the Unity attacks on her. So where will her followers go? It's as simple as ABC.

Now, let's look at the vast unknown -- the 80% of working UFT members who don't vote. This is the territory that both Unity and the caucuses, following the same formula in every election, have not been able to mine. Why would they be more successful this time? 

 

Can a new campaign paradigm make a dent in the 80% non-voters? Here I won't claim It's as simple as ABC because it hasn't been successful before, so let's call this an interesting premise, that if proven correct, will make it as simple as ABC.

 

What are these new tactics? I ain't saying just yet as many ideas are still in process, but turnouts for ABC events have been very promising. And email lists are growing. I will get deeper into the unique experience I've had working with ABC in future posts.

 

ABC has a chance to win in a 3 way race by draining Unity votes and winning new voters in the schools and old voters from the retirees. Whether it works or not, we will learn a lot.

For my money, a vote for any group other then ABC is a wasted vote.

Everyone is invited to run with ABC. Sign up here.