Norm Gets Interviewed by Daniel Alicea on Talk Out of School - Part 1 and The Skinny Awards - Contribute to Leonie

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

 

I was a guest for a two hour interview about my teaching and activist career in the NYC public schools as a student and teacher on the June 9th edition of Talk Out of School which Daniel Alicea hosts along with Leonie Haimson - a dynamic duo. I've been a UFT member since 1967 and participated in 3 strike. I became active in the UFT in 1970. In part 1 I recount the years through the 1995 contract. For me it was a good way to review and recall 57 years of work in the union and defending public education through groups like

 

Here is the link:  https://wbai.org/archive/program/episode/?id=50740

Part 2 will be on in a few weeks.

 

By the way, June 12 is Leonie's annual Skinny Awards. I haven't missed one yet over a dozen years and I won't miss this one either. I was a recipient of the Award, as were so many other UFT activists like James Eterno, Arthur Goldstein and Julie Cavanagh. 

 

Support Class Size Matters even if you can't attend.

 

  This year’s annual Skinny awards will be held on Wed. June 12 at 6 pm.   Come celebrate and honor six independent parent members of the Panel for Educational Policy, who have valiantly spoken up for the interests of our students, and who despite great odds, have maintained their eloquence,  intelligence and persistence in striving for better policies in our public schools. Not to mention, Class Size Matters really needs your support! Food and wine will be served. Here is the link for more information and to purchase your tickets..

 

Calls for remote, sickouts in Chicago and maybe NYC: What does a safe, equitable & responsive NYC school reopening look like? WBAI Talk

An excellent discussion of safe schools yesterday with Daniel hosting Kaliris and Tajh. If you missed it: https://talk-out-of-school.simplecast.com/

There are increasing demands for a remote option, which the de Blasio admin with the help of the NYT pro-school opening and damn the torpedoes ed reporter Eliza Shapiro doing the cheerleading. For two years in a row the DOE, with the silent complicity of the UFT, has bunged remote options as they go on a wing and a prayer schools will be normal. They won't and watch how they have to scurry to make up ground -- compare to LA and Chicago where strong unions  have an impact. I even heat talk about sickouts in NYC --- not clear if this is from parents who will keep kids hone or teachers who will come down with the ed flu.

 

 

 

While the UFT namby pamies, other unions are out there: 

At a news conference outside the CUNY Office of Graduate Studies in midtown Manhattan, James Davis, president of the Professional Staff Congress (PSC), which represents 30,000 CUNY employees, called the the city's plan to monitor and reduce the spread of the virus on CUNY campuses "inadequate" and "contradictory." https://www.gothamgazette.com/city/10732-union-leaders-call-for-better-covid-protocols-transparency-at-cuny-ahead-of-first-day-of-school

Before listening to this I checked out Michael Osterholm's must listen weekly podcast which echoed similar themes of safety - he took the CDC to task for putting social issues like kids having to be in school over their safety. Osterholm seems to have moved from opposing a booster shot to being more willing  - especially for elderly like me -- I'm ready to line up the minute they say I can. After all, I'm a proven sheeple.

Osterholm Update: COVID-19

Episode 66: Thank You Dr. Jena

August 26, 2021

In this episode, Dr. Osterholm and host Chris Dall discuss the news of FDA granting full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, updates on booster doses and the rationale being considered, and the need for updated guidance as schools reopen.

Email your questions: OsterholmUpdate@umn.edu (link sends e-mail)

View photos of Carl's beautiful place.

References:

• Corsi Box
• ASTM Standards for Face Coverings

Browse the podcast and CIDRAP merchandise store!

This podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts. Subscribe on YouTube!

Also worth reading is Arthur on deB: NYC Educator

Mayor de Blasio Does Own Research, Errs on Side of Convenience Rather than Caution  

It's pretty clear that commercial real estate and business interests dominate the school decision making.

There are calls for sickouts in Chicago starting tomorrow let by the union in response to the mayor. You might want to compare the CTU, the UTLA with the uft - small letters intentional.

 

Here is Daniel's post for the Talk Out of Schools program:

Hello, New York City public school family!

What does a safe, equitable & responsive NYC school reopening look like?

Daniel Alicea, NYC educator, will discuss it on 'Talk Out of School' with Tajh Sutton and Dr. Kaliris Salas-Ramirez, two extraordinary parent activists and advocates, in a special broadcast about the fall reopening of New York City public schools.

Catch the show today, Saturday, Aug. 28th, at 1 PM, on WBAI 99.5. FM or also listen live online at http://wbai.org

Dr. Kaliris Salas Ramirez is an NYC public school parent who is a neuroscientist and professor for CUNY School of Medicine. She is also the president for Community Education Council 4, in Manhattan, and a steering committee member for Parents for Responsive, Equitable, and Safe Schools (PRESS).

Tajh Sutton is an NYC public school parent who is an arts educator and the program director for Teens Take Charge. She is also the president for Community Education Council 14, in Brooklyn, and a steering committee member for Parents for Responsive, Equitable and Safe Schools (PRESS).

To learn more about PRESS visit their site: https://www.pressnyc.org/

It's a can't miss event.

If you can't make it, listen to the podcast here later: https://talk-out-of-school.simplecast.com/

Love wins.

#protectNYC #protectNYCkids #remoteoption now #shutdownforsafety

 

Listen: Norm and Bruce joined Daniel on WBAI - History of the UFT - the 80s and 90s

Listen to Inside UFT Politics and History (Part 2), broadcast live on Sat : How The Nation’s Most Powerful Teachers Union Impacted NYC Public Schools from Talk Out of School in Podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talk-out-of-school/id1490313171?i=1000531351597

It was a pleasure joining Bruce Markens on WBAI yesterday on Leonie Haimson's "Talk Out of School" program, with Daniel Alicea hosting and skillfully guiding us through an hour of UFT history covering the 3rd and 4th decades of its existence - the 80s and 90s. This was part 2 of the three part history, each covering two decades. 

In Part 1 in July Leo Casey, a high level UFT and now AFT official - he now heads the Shanker Institute -- joined Daniel and me: Listen to Inside UFT Politics and History (Part 1) : How The Nation’s Most Powerful Teachers Union Impacted NYC Public Schools from Talk Out of School in Podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talk-out-of-school/id1490313171?i=1000529187414

Part 3 will be in September, covering the past 20 years. Despite the many changes we've seen over the 6 decades of UFT history, one thing has been constant: The absolute dominance and control by one party/caucus - Unity, a creation by one of the union founders, Albert Shanker, perhaps his most enduring legacy - creating a political structure that has seemed impregnable.

Bruce, Daniel and I covered a lot of ground, but could have spend many hours drilling down. We began with The Nation at Risk - the Ronald Reagan and neo-liberal ed deform report trashing public schools and teachers - while the impact didn't hit until the 90s and 2000s - think BloomKlein -- Shanker's support for it changed the way teacher unions were able to fight back against the deforms by enlisting the unions as partner and making way for the New Democrats - aping Republicans - like Clinton and late on Obama -- to forge ahead with policies that have often proven to be a disaster.

We spent time delving into internal UFT politics. The rise of a coalition of opposition groups to create a more serious challenge to total Unity control by beginning to win the high schools - which has pretty much continued to current times --- the MORE/NA win in 2016, for example. We talked about Michael Shulman's victory for HS VP -- on the AdCom -- the only time in UFT history that a non-Unity person was elected in 1985 and how Unity challenged his win and forced another election - Trump's Stop the Steal used Unity 85 as a model --- only to see Shulman win by over 60%. Unity changed the constitution a few years later to make all VPs elected by the entire membership - including retirees so this could never happen again.

We talked about Shanker's giving up the presidency of the UFT in 1985 and turning the union over to Sandra Feldman -- in the UFT, the successor is hand-chosen -- like a monarch of sorts. We actually had a few fond memories of Sandy, who in some ways adhered to at least some formalities of democracy in the union. But of course he overall story was suppression of opposition when they could ger away with it,

We talked about the big 13 seat opposition united state in 1991 and Bruce Markens' major victories as the only non-Unity District Rep in the 90s and how his example led to the end of district rep elections by 2002 - that was Randi, not Sandy, who actually could have done the same thing soon after Bruce's election.

A key issue in the 90s was the 1995 contract which was voted down by the membership and our experiences with Giuliani as mayor. We just had time to mention the rise of Randi Weingarten, also a hand-chosen successor, in the 90s but ran out of time before getting to the details. Maybe in Part 3 we can talk about some of the changes she broight to the UFT before leaving in 2009 for the AFT after - guess what - hand choosing her successor, Michael Mulgrew.

And of course a big part of our discussion was charter schools, which was an original idea from Shanker, and how it morphed into a dagger at the heart of teacher unions and public education -- but that issue escalates in the 21st century.

Some or the sources:
 

UFT: 50 Years:  https://www.uft.org/files/attachments/uft-50-years-book.pdf

The Teacher Rebellion by David Selden

https://www.amazon.com/Teacher-Rebellion-David-Selden/dp/0882582356

Schools Against Children: The Case for Community Control

https://www.amazon.com/Schools-Against-Children-Community-Control/dp/0853451621

Blackboard Unions  by Marjorie Murphy

https://www.amazon.com/Blackboard-Unions-AFT-NEA-1900-1980/dp/0801423651/

City Unions: Managing Discontent in New York City  by Mark Meir

https://www.amazon.com/City-Unions-Managing-Discontent-York/dp/0813512298

Tough Liberal: Albert Shanker and the Battles Over Schools, Unions, Race, and Democracy by Richard Kahlenberg

https://www.amazon.com/Tough-Liberal-Democracy-Columbia-Contemporary/dp/0231134975

 

The Strike That Changed New York: Blacks, Whites, and the Ocean Hill-Brownsville Crisis by Jerald E. Podair

 

https://www.amazon.com/Strike-That-Changed-York-Hill-Brownsville/dp/0300109407

 

History of the UFT, Part 2 - The 80s and 90s -TODAY, WBAI (99.5 FM), 1PM - Norm and Bruce Join Daniel

We explore and analyze the history and political highlights of our city’s teachers union, the United Federation of Teachers,  today with part 2 of what is to be a three part series.

In July, we had Leo Casey and Norm Scott, two iconic union activists, on this show to share with us what they thought were some of the highlights of UFT history and politics for the 1960’s and 1970’s.

Today we are joined by two lifelong and beloved UFT union activists and leaders, Bruce Markens and, once again, Norm Scott, as they take us through a decade by decade overview of the significant historical and political developments within the United Federation of Teachers union and how these impacted public education of NYC schools. 

The Discussion: 

Today’s discussion: 

Inside UFT politics and history: How The Nation’s Most Powerful Teachers Union Impacted NYC Public Schools 

Part 2, today, will take us through a decade by decade overview of what our our guests perceive as the most significant events within the UFT from the 1980s to the year 200- … we’ve invited Bruce Markens and Norm Scott.  And Part 3 will likely be broadcast in September.

Nation at Risk - 83

Feldman taking over for Shanker -85

Shulman election 1985 as HSVP

District Rep election 1991

1995 contract

NY State charter school bill - 1998

Rise of Randi. 

1991 oppo wins 13 ex bd

1994 constitution change Re adcom veeps. 

 

Norm Scott and Shanker Inst Head Leo Casey - Inside the History and Politics of the UFT - First Decades - Talk Out of School -

How did the UFT get so old so fast? --- NYC Board of Ed official c. 1970

There were no fisticuffs or even enormous disagreements when Leo and I appeared on the Leonie Haimson WBAI show now co-hosted by Daniel Alicea of Educators of NYC. Daniel and Leonie are alternating programs and make a great team from a parent/comunity activist and current 25 year teacher and activist in the UFT point of view.

I was a guest on the Leonie Haimson WBAI radio program, now co-hosted by Daniel Alicea, this past Saturday along with a former sparring partner, Randi assistant and now head of the Shanker Institute Leo Casey. That was part 1 of a history of the UFT. Part 2 is in two weeks and I hope we can get our (the retiree healthcare) situation discussed as an outcome of lack of democracy in the UFT. We are hoping to get a well-known voice of opposition to Unity for decades but he'd kill me if I revealed his name because he hasn't agreed yet.

But I had a lot more to say about UFT history and the moves made to restrict democracy as Shanker took over in 1964. The leading quote above is a theme I wanted to flesh out further. How the UFT changed from a pretty democratic organization in its first years under the leadership if first president Charlie Cogan who was pretty conservative and non militant but believe in the will of the members - so he was opposed to the first strikes in 1960 and 1962 but the  militant Del Ass voted to strike and he supported them. Shanker began his power move in 1962 and Unity caucus became his instrument and he would have challenged Cogan in 1964 if Dave Seldin hadn't managed to convince Cogan to get out of the way. The late 60s disasters may be tied to the restricted democracy and one man rule under Shanker.

The other issue not explored was the Shanker support for the Vietnam War and the successful attempts to stifle opposition, which was considerable. Shanker didn't want to ruin is chances for advancement in the AFL and right wing mentor George Meany. Maybe in Part 2.

https://talk-out-of-school.simplecast.com/episodes/inside-uft-politics-and-history-part-1-how-the-nations-most-powerful-teachers-union-impacted-nyc-public-schools-x7yfuvOR

Episode Summary

Daniel Alicea was joined by two lifelong and beloved UFT union activists and leaders, Leo Casey and Norm Scott. They took us through a decade by decade overview of the significant developments within the United Federation of Teachers union and how these impacted public education of NYC schools, from 1960 to 1980. This is part 1 of a three part series entitled: Inside UFT politics and history: How The Nation’s Most Powerful Teachers Union Impacted NYC Public Schools Part 1 took us through the 1960s and 1970's. Parts 2 and 3 will likely be broadcast in August or in the fall. Leo Casey is the Assistant to the AFT president, Randi Weingarten. He is also the former executive director of the Albert Shanker Institute. Leo, is a lifelong educator whose career spans his tenure as a high school teacher to being a past UFT Vice-President. Casey has recently published a book called The Teacher Insurgency: A Strategic and Organizing Perspective. In this book, Leo Casey addresses how the unexpected wave of recent teacher strikes has had a dramatic impact on American public education, teacher unions, and the larger labor movement. Casey explains how this uprising was not only born out of opposition to government policies that underfunded public schools and deprofessionalized teaching, but was also rooted in deep-seated changes in the economic climate, social movements, and, most importantly, educational politics. Norm Scott, has been a dissident voice within the UFT, who served as an outspoking union activist, chapter leader, and delegate during his 35 year NYC elementary school teaching career and, even now, as a retiree. In 1997, he launched an independent publication, Education Notes, a newsletter for NYC teachers which he turned into the EdNotes blog, in 2006. He is a founding member of various UFT caucuses such as, Independent Community of Educators (ICE) and Movement of Rank and File Educators (MORE), to the now defunct, Grassroots Education Movement (GEM).

Episode Notes

-------------------

Resources:

- UFT: 50 Years:  https://www.uft.org/files/attachments/uft-50-years-book.pdf

- The Teacher Rebellion by David Selden

https://www.amazon.com/Teacher-Rebellion-David-Selden/dp/0882582356

- Schools Against Children: The Case for Community Control by Anne Rubenstein

https://www.amazon.com/Schools-Against-Children-Community-Control/dp/0853451621

- Blackboard Unions  by Marjorie Murphy

https://www.amazon.com/Blackboard-Unions-AFT-NEA-1900-1980/dp/0801423651/

- City Unions: Managing Discontent in New York City  by Mark Meir

https://www.amazon.com/City-Unions-Managing-Discontent-York/dp/0813512298

- Tough Liberal: Albert Shanker and the Battles Over Schools, Unions, Race, and Democracy by Richard Kahlenberg

https://www.amazon.com/Tough-Liberal-Democracy-Columbia-Contemporary/dp/0231134975

- The Strike That Changed New York: Blacks, Whites, and the Ocean Hill-Brownsville Crisis by Jerald E. Podair

https://www.amazon.com/Strike-That-Changed-York-Hill-Brownsville/dp/0300109407

Here is James' report on ICE blog:

NORM SCOTT AND LEO CASEY DISCUSS UFT HISTORY ON THE RADIO

Daniel Alicea is a New York City middle school teacher. He has formed a UFT group called Educators of NYC. Daniel is now one of the hosts of WBAI's Talk out of School. He alternates weekly with Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters. The program is live on the radio every Saturday at 1:00 P.M. In addition, every show is archived and available as a podcast. 

Please take an hour out of your day and listen closely to Saturday's show as past UFT High School Vice President and now AFT leader Leo Casey discusses the history of the UFT with our own Norm Scott. They cover the 1960s and 70's. Believe it or not, there is a great deal of agreement between the two longtime activists, Casey from the inside and Norm as a dissident but there is real disagreement on the roots of the anti-democratic nature of the UFT.

Norm at ICE email:

I was a guest on the Leonie Haimson WBAI radio program, now co-hosted by Daniel Alicea, this past Saturday along with a former sparring partner, Randi assistant and now head of the Shanker Institute Leo Casey. That was part 1 of a history of the UFT. Part 2 is in two weeks and I hope we can get our (the retiree healthcare) situation discussed as an outcome of lack of democracy in the UFT. We are hoping to get a well-known voice of opposition to Unity for decades but he'd kill me if I revealed his name because he hasn't agreed yet.

I think I know who that person is (definitely not me) and if this individual does the show, it will be just as good if not better than the first one. I wonder who Unity puts up next, if anyone.

On another note, Thursday, July 22, ICEUFT will be meeting via Zoom at noon. More details will follow.