CORE Attempted Purge of One of Founders George Schmidt Failed in Chicago - Eight Women of Color Speak on George's Behalf

George Schmidt:

.... the majority of the CORE "Steering Committee" tried to lead the caucus into what amounted to a Purge Trial (or, as one speaker said, to turn CORE into something out of Orwell's Animal Farm)......the claims (by a handful of CORE people now hiding out) that I was a "racist" and a "sexist" (among other things) had to be proved by citing certain specific actions, not by "feelings."

I offered to report on the history of the struggles against white supremacy going back to my high school days in New Jersey, continuing through my two years in Western Pa. (as a member of the Greensburg PA NAACP) and then continuing through our work against segregation and those dramatic marches against the Nazis in the 1970s.

However, I had to remind people that when we were discussing historical facts we needed to have some reality principle -- not such yelps as the outburst from the Barretts that everyone knows I'm a racist and a sexist. More than a dozen people spoke eloquently about the work that I've done on behalf of the union, CORE, and justice..... George Schmidt, Feb. 26, 2018

Comment from a member of ICE Caucus: Norm, since you are NY's George, can your trial be far behind? ....

Can it be far behind indeed.

The vote was 27-17 in George's favor. Imagine, 17 people in CORE voted to toss out one of its key founders. I'm shocked, just shocked that a similar scenario is being played out in MORE. (see afterburn below).

The charges of racism and sexism are common in caucus purges as a way to remove political dissenters. How embarrassing that 8 women of color spoke up for the work George has done over 40 years to fight racism and sexism. These 17 people have no sense of respect for history.

Here is George's email from Feb. 28:

1. CORE PURGE FAILED. Despite an attempt by the steering committee of CORE to purge me from the CORE membership, tonight's CORE meeting voted overwhelmingly to reject the proposal and retain me as a member of CORE. The meeting which was attended by more than 70 people at its peak, included an agenda item which read: "George Schmidt's removal from CORE, based on multiple violations of Article III, Section Iv of CORE's By-Laws."

After a lengthy meeting, that item came up at the end as an "announcement." There was lengthy debate, during which the majority of speakers (many of whom are reading this -- thank you) denounced the CORE steering committee's position and then voted twice to reject the attack. First, the members voted 27 - 17 to reject a motion by Natasha Karecki that CORE refer the "complaints" against me to a "Reconciliation Committee" (the names of whose members are not known). After that motion was rejected, we debated and voted on a motion to reject completely the "Announcement" to remove me from CORE. The details of all this will be reported at substancenews.net if someone (other than me) wants to report and analyze that event.

2. LIES, DAMNED LIES, AND CORE STEERING COMMITTEE CLAIMS... The attack on me (and it included an attack on Substance) was based on lies, some ridiculous and some repeated enough to sound plausible to people without the time to pay attention. The facts included the fact that I had not "left" CORE to "join" Members First and that the claims (by a handful of CORE people now hiding out) that I was a "racist" and a "sexist" (among other things) had to be proved by citing certain specific actions, not by "feelings."

I offered to report on the history of the struggles against white supremacy going back to my high school days in New Jersey, continuing through my two years in Western Pa. (as a member of the Greensburg PA NAACP) and then continuing through our work against segregation and those dramatic marches against the Nazis in the 1970s. However, I had to remind people that when we were discussing historical facts we needed to have some reality principle -- not such yelps as the outburst from the Barretts that everyone knows I'm a racist and a sexist.

More than a dozen people spoke eloquently about the work that I've done on behalf of the union, CORE, and justice. It was nice to be there, but sad that it had to have been fought out. Now it needs to be discussed how the majority of the CORE "Steering Committee" could try to lead the caucus into what amounted to a Purge Trial (or, as one speaker said, to turn CORE into something out of Orwell's Animal Farm). Were I asked I have suggested that the "steering committee" resign and schedule a new election, since one of the main points of the discussion was that CORE is evading the issues facing the members in the schools and instead murking around in stuff like this attempted purge.

3. SUBSART. A couple of the CORE leaders (Craig and Drew most loudly) claimed that Substance has been unfair to CORE by publicizing Members First meetings with announcements and reports while ignoring CORE meetings. I've already called one of those and offered him a change to report for Substance, with editing (as we all face). As you know, for months I've been begging for SUBSART about Chicago's schools and the mounting problems facing the rank and file in the schools, at times to no avail. I know that everyone (including those I love most) are facing enormous pressures at the local level, from poor security and discipline to raging "Network" attacks at the classroom level, but I can only post at substancenews.net what we get in accurate reportings. Let's see how this works out in the future.

4. OF COURSE IT'S TIRING...and I'm not getting any younger. But there is now way that we can or should allow this kind of unprincipled stuff to go on. One of the paradoxes of the tirades against me (Craig and Drew in this case) was that Substance had published stuff that had been said inside CORE (on the listserve I'm guessing). One of the people who wanted to talk after the meeting told me that Craig & Co. can't have it both ways. Either they want us to report on CORE -- accurately and completely, which means from meetings, committees, and the listserve -- or they want to do everything in secret. I'm hoping that people will now take on those reporting jobs.

After Burn
The ideological roots of the people who urge purges in CORE and MORE are similar and the tactic is a standard one in certain circles on the left.

George was also charged with publishing reports on CORE in Substance. There are already hints that some people in MORE, closely associated with the same political forces in Chicago, are criticizing my publishing info coming out of MORE and at some point I would not be surprised to see attempts to expel me from MORE.

Recently there was a suggestion from a prominent MORE leader to expel someone from MORE over a nasty email that was sent. In the background are the same vague charges of sexism directed at certain males. I am trying to avoid contact and private conversations with some of these people because anything I say or do can be distorted.

MORE is very tied up with UCORE. Some leading UCORE people from Chicago voted to have George expelled. Now that's social justice unionism for you.

MORE, PS 15K Supports Chicago Teachers Union

I assume the blogosphere is aware of the looming Chicago Teachers Union strike. James Eterno on the ICE blog:

For the second time in four years, the teacher in Chicago are being forced to walk off the job by Chicago Public Schools and Mayor Rahm Emanuel. An overwhelming 95% of Chicago Teachers Union members who voted said yes to authorizing a strike. The date set by an almost unanimous House of Delegates is October 11. Members of the CTU are being told to expect a long strike this time around. Here is the CTU Thunderclap called Fair Contract Now.... CHICAGO TEACHERS SET OCTOBER 11 STRIKE DATE

MORE 2013 UFT presidential candidate Julie Cavanagh is the chapter leader. She's not in the photo because she was home recovering from an operation. Other chapters with MORE members are doing similar actions. MORE will be bringing a reso to the Ex Board and the DA.

morecaucusnyc

MORE Statement of Solidarity and Call to Action for the Chicago Teachers Union

MORE Statement of Solidarity and Call to Action for the Chicago Teachers Union

October 7, 2016 — Leave a comment

On September 28th, 95.6% of Chicago teachers voted to go on strike. They have been negotiating since 2014 for a just contract on top of non-negotiable items for the public schools and students they serve.

There are some striking similarities to NYC public schools, in the kind of attacks they have faced: disastrous budget cuts that have had effects on the equitable allocation of resources and professionals for mandated services in special education, libraries and other programs, such as arts and physical education. Mayor Rahm Emanuel, under the advisory of Bruce Rauner, a venture capitalist who is leading the way for the charterization of Chicago’s schools, has withheld and cut funding to the public schools.

The Chicago Teachers’ Union want something very simple- the assurance that public school educators and students have what they need in order to have thriving public schools in Chicago. If an agreement cannot be made, teachers could go out on strike as soon as October 11. In 2012, Chicago teachers led the national educational justice movement when they went on a successful strike that gathered the help of communities and parents to fight for the schools that Chicago students deserve.

Now they need support from everywhere across the country!
Here are some of the core issues for CTU:
– No more budget cuts
– Restore the jobs lost (1,000 teachers laid off without recall rights)
– Keep salary steps and lanes
To learn more details, go to the Chicago Teachers Union site

ACTIONS WE CAN TAKE:

• Join the CTU Social Media THUNDERCLAP

• Sign on to this Solidarity Statement

• In addition to the above, to show our solidarity, organize folks to wear CTU red, make a banner in support of Chicago’s Teachers and Students, and take a photo to post on their social media pages.

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Don’t forget MORE’s Facebook page and Twitter feed

• MORE is planning continued days of action every Friday, starting October 14th until the contract is settled! Make sure your school joins in.

• Come to the UFT Executive Board on Monday, October 17th, to pressure our union leadership to pass the resolution below for direct support for the CTU.

Taking these actions of solidarity is also an important opportunity to draw parallels to the $3.9 billion dollars owed to New York public schools, exposed by the Campaign for Fiscal Equity. NYC is under similar influences that are set on weakening our union and underfunding our schools. This is all done through top down decision making under mayoral control, Fair Student Funding and allowing for charter co-locations. We too must fight with the same principled positions and actions as the Chicago Teachers Union.
Draft Solidarity Resolution with the Chicago Teachers Union in their Struggle for the Schools that Chicago Students Deserve
MORE is suggesting the following draft resolution for the October 17th meeting of the UFT Executive Board – we hope that entire UFT will join in supporting it

WHEREAS the Chicago Teachers Union has been negotiating since 2014 for a just contract, and
WHEREAS Chicago students, teachers and parents have faced strikingly similar attacks as we have experienced in New York, including disastrous budget cuts, sweeping closings of schools that have dislocated teachers and students, and growing charter colocations, and
WHEREAS the multimillionaire Mayor Rahm Emanuel has threatened to eliminate city pension contributions for CTU members, which would effectively cut their pay by 7 percent, and the near-billionaire venture capitalist Governor Bruce Rauner has pushed through budget cuts that hamstring Chicago’s education system, and
WHEREAS in 2012, Chicago teachers led the national educational justice movement when they went on a successful strike and mobilized communities and parents to aid their fight for the schools that Chicago students deserve, and
WHEREAS by articulating the simple demand that educators and students get what they need in order to have thriving public schools in Chicago, CTU has also provided an example of how to fight for equitable funding for all, such as the two billion dollars owed New York City school students under the CFE settlement, and
WHEREAS on September 28th, 95.6% of Chicago teachers voted to authorize a strike, in response to Emanuel’s and Rauner’s refusal to provide additional funding to the schools, and
WHEREAS, CTU has released a report, titled “A Just Chicago: Fighting for the City Our Students Deserve”, which, as the union puts it “demonstrates that challenges in housing, employment, justice and health care relate directly to education; solutions require a narrowing of the opportunity gap brought on by poverty, racism and segregation,” making CTU’s fight for a contract a touchstone for a wider struggle against austerity and for economic and racial justice, therefore be it
RESOLVED that the UFT will encourage its members to show solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Chicago by all available means, including social media and by making donations to the CTU strike fund, and be it further
RESOLVED that the UFT initiate a “Red Friday” action in our chapters where members wear CTU red in solidarity with Chicago teachers every Friday until the strike is over, and be it further
RESOLVED that the UFT hold solidarity meetings in New York to organize supporters of the strike and mobilize further actions, and be it further
RESOLVED that the UFT call upon and mobilize its retirees, who have always demonstrated great passion and energy in political campaigns in the past and present, to support CTU picket lines, and provide transportation costs for those retirees who answer the call, and be it further
RESOLVED that the UFT will work with AFT leaders to ensure interest free loans to CTU members to alleviate financial hardship during the strike, and be it further
RESOLVED that, if needed, the UFT will provide significant financial assistance to ensure the successful operations of our sister union.

Chicago Teachers Union Educates Members on History of Strikes

Here in NYC the UFT tries to bury the history of teacher strikes. In Chicago they celebrate them.

History is important if you want to build a movement. One day I have to upload all the print editions of Ed Notes going back to 1997. There is a real history of the Weingarten years and the early days of the ed deform movement.

Diane Ravitch labeled me a "prolific" blogger on Saturday. I just counted 6 of hers today and it's 9:15AM. This is only my 2nd today. I hope she keeps them coming every half hour if necessary -- even if we can't read them all, they offer a tremendous resource for us all. I know, I know, I am inundating you on the first day you have to go back to school  -- and good luck to you all.

Substance reports:

VIDEO HISTORY: CORE and Labor Beat team up to produce the half hour video 'CTU Strikes 1969 - 1987' where veteran teachers help a new generation understand the work of union militancy

The video produced by CORE (the Caucus of Rank and File Educators of the Chicago Teachers Union) and Chicago's Labor Beat during the summer of 2012 in conjunction with the four CORE "Successful Chicago Strikes" forums is now available on You Tube for the public to view. It is — called "CTU Strikes: 1969 - 1987" and is a half hour long.

By George N. Schmidt - September 2nd, 2012

The video produced by CORE (the Caucus of Rank and File Educators of the Chicago Teachers Union) and Chicago's Labor Beat during the summer of 2012 in conjunction with the four CORE "Successful Chicago Strikes" . . .

http://youtu.be/B1qO4IBhGEw


Here is more from George Schmidt's Substance story:

The video features six veteran Chicago Teachers Union members (including this reporter) who discuss the history of the strikes between 1968 (the famous FTB strike against racism and segregation) and 1987 (the 19-day strike) that made the Chicago Teachers Union the most famous militant union in the USA. As the video points out for historical accuracy, CTU continued to strike successfully even after "PATCO" supposedly made the labor movement afraid to strike.

The video was produced during the summer of 2012 as the union busting tactics of the Chicago Board of Education and the administration of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel made it clear to more and more teachers that the CTU was being forced into the position of "Strike or Surrender" that it had faced during the earliest days of collective bargaining in the 1960s, and that many of the issues, including the tactics of the city and the Board of Education, had not changed in 50 years.

In the introduction to the video, George Schmidt and Jim Daniels talk about the vicious racism that divided the City of Chicago through the 1960s and resulted in the majority of Black teachers in the city not only teaching in segregated schools, but unable to get "certified" because of a blatantly discriminatory oral certification exam.

Members of CORE continued organizing and informing the CTU membership throughout the summer of 2012 as the strike loomed closer and closer. CORE leaders noted that a union that has forgotten its history is doomed to repeat the worst mistakes of its past, so CORE begin the long process of reviving the militant history of the Chicago Teachers Union in video and print.The segregation and racism were challenged both within the CTU and in the schools by a growing group of teachers, most of them Black, who eventually led a wildcat strike that shut down or disrupted more than 100 of the city's schools. The "FTB Strike" of 1968 is widely revered among progressive unionists in Chicago as a pivotal moment in the history of the CTU. As Jim Daniels notes in the video, the union leadership at that time declared the FTB strike against racist certifications an illegal "wildcat," but the leadership of that action eventually pushed the union into full integration and into overcoming the racism of the Board of Education's certification and assignment procedures.

A trick used to keep minorities from becoming "fully certified" (and thus eligible for "assignment" as "regular teachers" and later, tenure) was the oral examination. Throughout the 1950s, as Chicago's enormous Black ghetto expanded across the South Side and the West Side through block busting and deliberate school overcrowding block by block, the Chicago Board of Education created more and more new Black schools, staffing them with Black teachers (and some whites, usually those considered "Hippies" and "Commies") who were forced for the most part to remain in "FTB" (Full Times Basis Substitute) status for years, or even decades. Ironically, however, the compression of the Black ghetto (which had been "allowed" to expand block by block thanks to edicts of the Chicago Real Estate Board beginning during the 1920s) also gave rise to a form of Black Power (in both the communities and the schools) unique in many ways in the USA.

There's even more to read at:
http://www.substancenews.net/articles.php?page=3558&section=Article

Those who appreciate the work of CORE and Labor Beat in making this learning tool available are asked to join CORE (see www.coreteachers.org) and make donations to Labor Beat and to Substance. The video is available in DVD format from CORE for $10 (a part of this cost goes to build CORE and democracy in the CTU) from CORE at coreteachers.org. Members of CORE can request copies of the video. The video will be shown on Labor Beat in early September 2012.

=========
The opinions expressed on EdNotesOnline are solely those of Norm Scott and are not to be taken as official positions (though Unity Caucus/New Action slugs will try to paint them that way) of any of the groups or organizations Norm works with: ICE, GEM, MORE, Change the Stakes, NYCORE, FIRST Lego League NYC, Rockaway Theatre Co., Active Aging, The Wave, Aliens on Earth, etc.

Karen Lewis Says: Enough is Enough - Chicago Teachers Turn the Town Red/ Rahm and the DNC

On Labor Day, Karen Lewis addressed 20,000 teachers about their struggle with Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Do you know how hard it is to get 20,000 people to turn out for anything? ..... The fight between CTU and Rahm Emanuel is not helpful to President Obama.--- Diane Ravitch

Info keeps rolling in from Chicago and the allies of the TU all over the nation. You can keep up at: http://www.ctunet.com/ and at http://www.substancenews.net which reports on today's events:

Labor Day in Chicago draws more than 18,000 to rally and march... Huge support for upcoming Chicago teachers' strike.... 'The only way to handle a bully is to stand up to him,' Karen Lewis told the crowd

Kati Gilson and Susan Zupan - September 03, 2012
18,000 people packed Daley Center on picture perfect Labor Day. The only thing missing were the two key players in the CPS/CTU saga — Chicago's mayor and his hand-picked schools "Chief Executive". The sea of red was dotted with green AFSCME shirts, blue Action Now shirts and more. Families with young children, numerous union groups and CTU teachers gathered in solidarity to

Here is a pic from Substance fight for “The Schools our Children Deserve”.

From Fred Klonsky blog: Check out this photo by Sarah Ji:

Teachers are parents too, Fred Klonsky blog

Have they noticed the pictures coming in from Chicago of thousands of red shirted union people and supporters flooding the streets of Rahmbo's ed reform fiefdom? Forget about Romney being out of touch we all KNEW that but how about Obama's old pal and featured speaker at the Dem Conference who openly hates and abuses union workers every chance he gets while bootlicking the Hyatt mogul and billionaire Penny Pritzkin, building her a hotel with money he stole from taxpayers. His city is awash in rabid anti Rahm sentiment and do you think he gets it? How does this party let a guy like Emanuel in the door let alone invite him to speak? And our own Prince Andy Cuomo, who is essentially Rahmbo with a New York crust, tried to keep the 4 biggest labor leaders in the state from attending unless they called him to grovel. Lucky for slippery Dick Ianuzzi his fellow sellout Randi was able to squeeze some juice from the DNC so Dicky was spared the begging. These are people who don't give a shit about any of us. Why on earth would we vote for more of their abuse and betrayal?  -----

sean crowley  comment on ednotes post "What Goes on in Charlotte Doesn't Stay in Charlott..."

from Fred Klonsky blog

Ravitch reports:

Karen Lewis Speaks to 20,000 Chicago Teachers

by dianerav

On Labor Day, Karen Lewis addressed 20,000 teachers about their struggle with Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Do you know how hard it is to get 20,000 people to turn out for anything?

When Karen Lewis met with Rahm Emanuel after his election, he told her that 25% of the children in Chicago would never amount to anything. She was outraged.

more Diane

Here is the video of Karen's speech today from the CTU web site where she calls Rahm Emanuel a liar and a bully.





Fred Klonsky expresses his own excitement and emotion at the events in this blog post, followed by some pointed criticism at the state union lack of support (and let's keep an eye on the AFT.)

“Look up! Look down! Chicago is a union town!”

September 3, 2012

I heard everything from ten thousand to eighteen thousand. I say twenty. Matt Farmer half jokingly said that the Tribune is reporting 326.
We filled Daley Plaza in a sea of red.
We surrounded Rahm’s City Hall and poured from the sidewalk on to the street.
We marched down Clark Street to the headquarters of the Chicago Public Schools.
“Hey, hey. Ho, ho. Rahm Emanuel has got to go!”

And a thanks to all the many blog readers who came up and introduced themselves to me and shared some very nice words. Putting faces to readers is important. It was so great to hear from those who told me they share articles and drawings with others. It means we’re building a network and a movement. That makes the work worthwhile.

Yes, Fred, when people ask me why after 10 years or retirement, building a network and a movement makes it all worthwhile.

What were they doing down in Springfield today.

Having a barbecue?

Barbecue unionism. --- Fred Klonsky

Here is another important post from Fred Klonsky condeming the Ill Ed Assoc which didn't even mention the situation in Chicago: An injury to one is an injury to all. But not if you’re the IEA.

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

A BIG LAUSD TEACHER LABOR DAY SALUTE TO STRIKING CHICAGO TEACHERS (VIDEO)

http://www.perdaily.com/2012/09/a-big-lausd-teacher-labor-day-salute-to-striking-chicago-teachers.html
----------------
How interesting that in Chicago they actually hold Labor Day activities on Labor Day while here in NYC "Labor Day" will be next Saturday, Sept. 8.  If you are going look for updates on Ed Notes of where you can meet up with the MORE contingent -- and I will have extra tee-shirts if you want to purchase one ($20 to help raise money for the MORE election campaign -- but I'll only sell you one if you promise to wear it.)

=========
The opinions expressed on EdNotesOnline are solely those of Norm Scott and are not to be taken as official positions (though Unity Caucus/New Action slugs will try to paint them that way) of any of the groups or organizations Norm works with: ICE, GEM, MORE, Change the Stakes, NYCORE, FIRST Lego League NYC, Rockaway Theatre Co., Active Aging, The Wave, Aliens on Earth, etc.

Will Randi and AFT Join Rahm Emanuel in End Run Around Chicago Teachers Union?

Emanuel to use "senior people" [from AFT?] to negotiate ---- or is this a red herring attempt coming from Emanuel camp to sow divisions between local and national?

Early next week, sources said the mayor plans to step it up a notch by having a "second level of negotiations with more senior people" away from the same cast of characters currently at the bargaining table.

The second tier of negotiations is likely to include Beth Swanson, Emanuel's point person on education, and " someone from Washington, D.C., who is a more moderate, outside senior level" expert capable of "driving this home," sources said.

"People who've been in those meetings for weeks have war wounds. It's hard to break through that," the Emanuel confidant said.  --- Chicago Sun Times

Given some history of how the UFT and AFT have acted in the past this is certainly believable. And so it begins. What is a second tier of negotiations that doesn't include "People who've been in those meetings for weeks have war wounds"?

Yeah, war wounds. People who have been chopped to bit and won't take it anymore. And who could this be? "someone from Washington, D.C., who is a more moderate, outside senior level" expert capable of "driving this home."

People who are more moderate. Randi? Leo? They can explain to the CTU that they can't win and should compromise. Watch this one very closely.

Chicago Mayor Emanuel to 'ratchet up' his role in preventing teachers strike

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/14682523-418/mayor-emanuel-to-ratchet-up-his-role-in-preventing-teachers-strike.html

Mayor Emanuel to 'ratchet up' his role in preventing teachers strike
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter fspielman@suntimes.com August 24, 2012 1:02AM

Mayor Rahm Emanuel, pictured Thursday at an unrelated event, is preparing to 'ratchet up' teacher negotiations in a bid to get schools to start on time. | Brian Jackson~Sun Times

Schools to start on time; union won't file strike notice today

Updated: August 24, 2012 8:25AM

Mayor Rahm Emanuel is preparing to "ratchet up" negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union to seal a deal needed to guarantee an on-time Sept. 4 opening of Chicago Public Schools and preserve his signature plan for a longer school day and year, City Hall sources said Thursday.

"He owns this anyway, and he's gonna need to ratchet it up to close it," said a mayoral confidant, who asked to remain anonymous.

Emanuel is already visiting several schools a day to drive home the point that 140,000 kids have already started school and cannot be left in the lurch by a teachers strike.

Early next week, sources said the mayor plans to step it up a notch by having a "second level of negotiations with more senior people" away from the same cast of characters currently at the bargaining table.

The second tier of negotiations is likely to include Beth Swanson, Emanuel's point person on education, and "someone from Washington, D.C., who is a more moderate, outside senior level" expert capable of "driving this home," sources said.

"People who've been in those meetings for weeks have war wounds. It's hard to break through that," the Emanuel confidant said.

=========
The opinions expressed on EdNotesOnline are solely those of Norm Scott and are not to be taken as official positions (though Unity Caucus/New Action slugs will try to paint them that way) of any of the groups or organizations Norm works with: ICE, GEM, MORE, Change the Stakes, NYCORE, FIRST Lego League NYC, Rockaway Theatre Co., Active Aging, The Wave, Aliens on Earth, etc.

John Elfrank-Dana Boils the Union Frog After SOS12 Experience

LAST UPDATED FRIDAY, AUG. 10, 12PM

Our teacher union members in NYC are like frogs in the pot on the stove with the flame on low. Union concessions on core rights constitute the rising water temperature in our frog pot. As we become aware of the situation ... that maybe we should consider jumping out (strike?) to save our selves (at least begin to prepare for one).

I had the audacity to suggest this weekend at the SOS convention that SOS exists mainly because of the failure of our teacher unions to protect the profession and quality public education. It was dismissed forthwith by the union committee there without any exploration,,, John Elfrank-Dana, Labor's Lessons

How can we move forward if we don't study the successes and failures of the past? Our problem is that the UFT/AFT leadership will not accept that they made ANY mistakes. As long as they distort history we will continue to sit in the boiling water. ---- Ed Notes

John, who worked with ICE and now with MORE, posted an excellent analysis at his Labor's Lessons blog about the state of the unions.

Jump in or jump off - whither the UFT

Does the fundamental lack of resistance of the teacher unions (until Chicago) make them bear ANY responsibility for the spread of ed deform? Not only lack of resistance but actual support for so much of the ed deform agenda, from supporting the closing of schools to opening up co-located charters here in NYC (oh, I can go on and on). So at the SOS conference I was wondering if this might come up, given the stark contrast between the actions in Chicago and so much of the rest of the nation, as one teacher union after another has compromised itself to the point of extinction. John's frog parable is oh so apt.

John is chapter leader at Murry Bergtraum HS, the last remaining big high school in Manhattan (and prime location real estate for future charters/condos) and his school has faced all the flack coming out of ed deform, including the imposition of "bonus baby" principals and now probably a new principal who will be a closer (Death Watch for Murry Bergtraum). He has also faced personal retaliation aimed at his family from a vindictive principal. So when John talks about the parable of the frog, the temperature in his pot is a few degrees higher.

I had to leave SOS early Sunday morning so didn't get to stay for the Labor and Professional Organizations Principle Writing Workshop as a follow-up to the labor session the day before (see full video here). John stayed for a while and reported support for the Chicago TU. But when he tried to raise the issue of the role unions have played he didn't get any traction. How can we move forward if we don't study the successes and failures of the past? Our problem is that the UFT/AFT leadership will not accept that they made ANY mistakes. As long as they distort history we will continue to sit in the boiling water.

I wouldn't expect, or want, SOS to in any formal way be critical of the actions of the AFT/UFT/NEA but I would hope the leaders would at least be willing to discuss the issue informally as a warning signal that going down the road to appeasement is dangerous. The teachers in Chicago were the frog in the boiling water under the old leadership for so long until about 2 years ago when CORE was elected and began a strategy of fierce resistance. That those beaten and demoralized teachers would vote 98% for a strike just 2 years into the leadership of CORE is a remarkable example of political leadership, something I truly believe we can never expect from the Unity Caucus which sets up charter schools that are co-located in public schools, agrees to being rated on value added etc.

While I agree with John that the ability to strike is what makes the ability of unions to fight for its members credible I also think there are steps in between.

John quotes Leo Casey,"If you draw a line in the sand you'd better be prepared to defend that ground to avoid a routing that could destroy you." And we both agree that Leo is right. But where do you draw a line in the sand? Has the UFT been willing to draw any lines in the sand? For instance, if it had refused to agree to ending seniority rights in the 2005 contract what would have been the result?

CORRECTION: I want to expand on the point Fred Klonsky below was making since some people are not aware of the background. Fred castgates unions leaders taking gas but trying to sell it as a victory instead of saying we were forced to take gas.

In retrospect I realize Fred was talking more about the Illinois state union which jumped on board SB7 -- the bill pushed through by Jonah Edelman's Stand for on Children  -- remember that video (Jonah Edelman Caught With His Pants Down that took away many of the bargaining rights but did give them the right to strike if they could get 75% of the membership to vote for it.  

Here is a video of Leo's statement and a response from Fred Klonsky who is critical of the current Chicago Illinois leadership (and maybe CTU too for initially signing on to SR7 SB7. As Xian Barrett points out, the internal democratic process in CORE and the CTU created a reaction that led to the CTU resistance.

Fred's critique can also be applied to so many aspects of AFT/UFT policy. On the surface I can agree with the "line in the sand" comment. But when Leo says "we can talk about what that line should be" I fault him for not allowing us in NYC to talk about that through the lack of democracy. If in fact we had open discussions about the implications of the 2005 contract or whether the UFT should open charter schools or support the closing of schools until late 2009 or support merit pay schemes, etc, etc, etc. we might be in a different place.

As you watch the video consider what the UFT would do if faced with the exact same demands the CTU are facing. Would Leo draw this line in the sand? Would/could the UFT get even a 50% strike authorization under the same conditions (take into account we have no right to strike while the CTU does even under severe restrictions -- did you know that Rahm got a law passed that forces the CTU to get individual permits for each school they want to picket at?)



I will put up a separate post comparing NYC and Chicago uaing Xian Barrett's wonderful presentation (also see Xian's article as posted on Gotham (An acclaimed Chicago teacher explains why extending the school day isn’t the solution (CNN)), which while militant also is conciliatory and looking for areas of compromise, things I feel I(we) can learn about how to work with others, even those you disagree with. Yes, even Leo at times. I feel the fact that we can have a reasonably cordial relationship is a positive thing. And the parting words I had with Mike Klonsky was that I do listen to criticism about my take no prisoners approach to the union and he said we would continue to have a dialogue.

Back to John's piece. Before the very idea of a strike enters anyone's mind a union must put up fierce resistance on many ed deform issues rather than trying to go half way. Having your union leadership back peddle and sell ed deform ideas (like we are afraid of being charged with unwillingness to be held accountable while I say "fuck your accountability that falls only on teachers and we won't budge until you hold yourselves to the same accountability) saps the spirit to such an extent that the very idea of a strike becomes a farce. Certainly here in NYC where even as the most severe attacks on teachers may be yet to come, it is hard to imagine the same willingness to resist outside of courts exists in the DNA of the UFT leadership.

The Parable of the Frog and the Fate of the Teacher Unions

All of this pondering of the demise of public education and teacher unions at the Save our Schools Convention (SOS) reminds me of the parable of the frog in a pot of water. It goes that if you put a frog in boiling water it will jump out to save itself. However, take that same frog and put it in room temperature water, but put the flame on low and it will be dead before it realizes the gradual change in temperature. More on this down below.

At the SOS Convention this weekend a stark warning from an recent former United Federation  of Teachers (UFT) executive now working at the American Federation of Teachers national office came to the delegates in the Teacher Unions committee- "If you draw a line in the sand you'd better be prepared to defend that ground to avoid a routing that could destroy you." In other words, a union had better be prepared to strike as a last resort and win that strike. That message is a prudent one; common sense taken at face value. But, to take it as sufficient reason to accept more concessions by the AFT in teacher evaluations based on test scores and giving back tenure is mistaken in my estimation.

Since, in my opinion, the UFT is nowhere close to being prepared to strike, the message my members (I am a chapter leader of one of the last large high schools in New York City), accept these concessions or face doom. A more cynical view has been that the UFT uses the threat of a strike and certain doom to scare members into accepting contract givebacks. I have seen this myself, when union brass visited our high school around the last two contracts- saying you'd better accept this or else! Since the leadership does nothing to prepare us for a strike, the threat works, "give up grieving a letter in the file, no seniority transfer? or else strike? Where do I sign?" That was the 2005 UFT contract, and along with UFT President Randi Weingarten support for Mayoral Control, that may have sealed our fate as a union.

Back to the frog parable: Our teacher union members in NYC are like frogs in the pot on the stove with the flame on low. Union concessions on core rights constitute the rising water temperature in our frog pot. As we become aware of the situation (we do have some capacity to be aware, unlike frogs) some of us stir that maybe we should consider jumping out (strike?) to save our selves (at least begin to prepare for one). Ah, but the union executive says, "If you jump out of this pot how do you know you won't fall all the way to the kitchen floor and go splat! Or, perhaps land of the flame of the burner next to this one?" He continues, "Hang in there! Our union president just negotiated a great victory. The DoE wants to turn the flame up another 10 degrees, but we got them down to an increase in only 5 degrees! (ironically working in the DoE's favor- for god forbid the other frogs wake up to what is happening)."

Without a credible threat of a strike, you have no union. All you have is a dues collection agency, a member benefits management office, an ombudsman's office of the DoE, a teacher public relations firm. To be clear it's a policy issue; most the staffers I find at the UFT offices are dedicated and willing to serve. But, you don't have a union without a strike. We can't rely only on court cases, or getting "our guy" in office to protect our rights. The ultimate weapon must be in the arsenal.

I don't take strikes lightly. I am aware of the Taylor Law penalties. I was a Teamster in college when I went out on strike the first time. I have been involved in two strikes and a lockout. I have seen people get their heads split open. Preparing for a strike requires digging in, years of building relations with the parents, polticos, press and most importantly your members. It's a capacity you have to have ready at all times.

I had the audacity to suggest this weekend at the SOS convention that SOS exists mainly because of the failure of our teacher unions to protect the profession and quality public education. It was dismissed forthwith by the union committee there without any exploration.

So, let's get behind our courageous brothers and sisters of the Chicago Teachers Union! They have built the credible threat of a strike. They can serve a model of courage and character for all of us. Those frogs have jumping legs! Take a close look at MORE and ICE in NYC for ideas about moving forward.

==============
The opinions expressed on EdNotesOnline are solely those of Norm Scott and are not to be taken as official positions (though Unity Caucus/New Action slugs will try to paint them that way) of any of the groups or organizations Norm works with: ICE, GEM, MORE, Change the Stakes, NYCORE, FIRST Lego League NYC, Rockaway Theatre Co., Active Aging, The Wave, Aliens on Earth, etc.

Randi Still Wants That Stool at the Table

Randi Weingarten...wants her 1.5 million members to be open to changes that might improve public schools.

Debby Pope, who works in the CTU's grievance unit, said the message from Chicago was simple: old-fashioned hardball, combined with outreach to parents and communities likely to be hurt by public school closings, works better than compromise. "We will not be heard at the table unless we are out there in the streets seen and heard fighting," she said. 

----Reuters

Time out from @SOS reports though lots of discussions have been going on pertinent to this -- and I will try to get those videos up ASAP -- see especially the union session from this morning where Leo said some interesting things -- even more interesting that there were some UFT chapter leaders in the room. @SOS - Teachers' Unions, Teachers' Rights, Teachers' Voice.  I have lots of tape of CTU/CORE member Xian Barrett who explains so much that will illuminate why the UFT/AFT is one thing and the CTU is something else.

In this article Randi is at it again and this article delineates the fault line between AFT/UFT position and that coming out of Chicago. Sure I would like a real seat at the table and yes I would lobby politicians but it is not about Randi having that seat -- though what she gets is a stool. We don't do an ask or lobby until we have a massive force behind us. And that force has to be built first which the UFT and AFT are not doing. You know why? You can't build such a force in a fundamentally undemocratic union.

U.S. teacher union boss bends to school reform winds

By James B. Kelleher

DETROIT, July 31 | Tue Jul 31, 2012 7:36pm EDT
 

(Reuters) - In the maelstrom of criticism surrounding America's unionized public teachers, the woman running the second-largest educator union says time has come to collaborate on public school reform rather than resist.

Randi Weingarten, re-elected this week for a third term as president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) with 98 percent of the vote, wants her 1.5 million members to be open to changes that might improve public schools.

That willingness to engage, she says, could win over parents, taxpayers, voters, well-funded pressure groups and cash-strapped cities that have blamed unionized teachers for high costs and poor performing schools.

"We have to unite those we serve and those we represent," Weingarten said in an interview with Reuters at the AFT convention in Detroit. "And we have to think ... what's good for kids and what's fair for teachers?"

Weingarten rebuffed her critics in the union for mistaking collaboration with surrender and said her overwhelming victory in the election showed rank-and-file members supported the move.

"There are a lot of people who are very angry for legitimate reasons and want to hear simply the 'fight back'," Weingarten said. "But this is about fighting for things as well as fighting against things."

Across the United States, public education -- and the often unionized teachers and support staff employed in the sector -- are under attack from reformers who argue the country's schools need to be reformed and partially privatized in order to improve student performance.

Weingarten was attacked by critics for a willingness to throw her support behind deals in places like Philadelphia and Cleveland, where AFT locals bargained away tenure protections, or New Haven, Connecticut, where the union accepted a teacher evaluation system that removes teachers whose students don't perform well on standardized tests. 

"Some people would argue what happened in New Haven is not solutions-driven unionism," Weingarten told Reuters. "Do I embrace every single aspect of that agreement? Is everything single aspect of that agreement part of my particular belief system about how education should run? Of course not."

Weingarten's call for greater community outreach strikes many observers as a realistic strategy for building support for public education, long attacked for high costs and poor results.

"She has said she's open to any reform, under certain conditions, except private school vouchers. She's drawn the line there," said Richard Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at a liberal-leaning think tank, The Century Foundation, and author of "Tough Liberal" a biography of former AFT President Albert Shanker.

"But on every other issue - charter schools, merit pay for teachers - she has said that the AFT is willing to talk. And I think that's the right tack to take."

SUMMER OF DISCONTENTS
But activists in the union, hardened by the layoffs, furloughs, pay freezes and benefit cuts that states and municipalities have forced on teachers nationwide in a weak economy, remain vocal and leery of Weingarten's blueprint for the future.

"We have to ask ourselves what are the solutions that are driving the particular model that Weingarten is talking about," said Jeff Bale, a professor at Michigan State University who spoke at a panel discussion hosted by AFT dissidents from Chicago and Detroit.

"Concessions don't lead to more prestige with the public. Concessions don't win more credibility at the bargaining table. They lead to more concessions."

Critics say Weingarten's willingness to see traditional job protections like tenure disappear and to accept charter schools, merit pay and other changes is a retreat from core principles and plays into the hands of those who want to eliminate public education, privatize government services and curb the ability of workers to unionize.

What the new approach will mean for AFT's membership remains to be seen. Like its bigger counterpart, the 3.2 million-member National Education Association, AFT has seen its full dues paying membership decline in recent years, according to its official filings with the United States Department of Labor.

AFT spokeswoman Carolyn Fiddler says total AFT membership -- which includes retirees and members paying partial dues -- is actually up from "1.5 million and change" in 2010 to "1.5 million and some more change" in 2012, a claim repeated in the state of the union report issued at the Detroit convention.

At the event, officials said AFT, which represents teachers and other school staff as well as healthcare workers, had signed up 79 new bargaining units in 18 states in the past year.
REAL FIGHT LEFT?

Weingarten told Reuters that there was "real fight left" in the AFT. But the question is how widespread and deep it is.

One convention highlight came when the 3,000 delegates, [actual number of delegates reported at start of convention was 2300] in a spirited floor vote, unanimously backed a "special order of business" promising the union's full support for "AFT educators in hostile bargaining environment who are fighting to defend fair contracts and the right to bargain collectively."

That describes just about every AFT local in the country.

But the resolution specifically cited five cities, including Chicago, the nation's third-largest public school system, where teachers represented by the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) have been involved in bitter contract talks with Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a Democrat, and could walk out beginning on August 18.

At a weekend caucus on the sidelines of the convention, delegates from Chicago and Detroit, where an emergency manager has imposed a 10 percent pay cut on teachers, were skeptical the national union has the appetite for strikes or walkouts.

But they agreed, as William Weir, a Detroit public school teacher put it, that "it's time to do things differently."

Activists seemed especially excited by CTU, which resisted an effort by Emanuel to unilaterally impose a longer school day and won -- a rare victory these days for a teachers union.

Debby Pope, who works in the CTU's grievance unit, said the message from Chicago was simple: old-fashioned hardball, combined with outreach to parents and communities likely to be hurt by public school closings, works better than compromise.

"We will not be heard at the table unless we are out there in the streets seen and heard fighting," she said.

(Edited by Peter Bohan and Mary Milliken)

===========
The opinions expressed on EdNotesOnline are solely those of Norm Scott and are not to be taken as official positions (though Unity Caucus/New Action slugs will try to paint them that way) of any of the groups or organizations Norm works with: ICE, GEM, MORE, Change the Stakes, NYCORE, FIRST Lego League NYC, Rockaway Theatre Co., Active Aging, The Wave, Aliens on Earth, etc.

@AFT - Chicago Teachers Protest RTTT During/After Biden Speech

UPDATED WITH VIDEO:

Substance REPORTS: Some AFT delegates protest Race To The Top while majority don 'Obama Biden 2012' tee shirts during speech by Vice President Joe Biden 

UPDATE: Read Biden speech, NYC Educator style:

Good Day AFT

MORE UFT Members Lisa and Gloria show solidarity with the CTU

We took most of these pics right after the Biden speech as CTU members handed out leaflets outside the hall. The first few were taken as Biden began to speak. Karen Lewis, CTU President and an AFT Ex Bd VP did not join the other AFT Veeps on the stage. Below she crosses her arms, showing displeasure at an unconditional endorsement.

Note that while most people in the audience wore blue Obama/Biden tee-shirts, most CTU members wore their red shirts.

This came in from an ed notes reader:

I just learned that Joe Biden's brother operates a charter chain in Florida I think teachers should not vote for Obama. I think the push should be to get as many teachers as possible to state they will not vote for Obama as long as he supports RttT and refuses to affirm support for public schools in a meaningful manner, and, addresses the issue of Biden's brother operating a charter chain and the possible affects in may have on this administration's education policies.

(SEE SUBSTANCE ARTICLE BELOW PICS)

David Stone writes  at Subsatnce:

Trying to send a message to U.S. Vice President Joe Biden when he addressed the American Federation of Teachers on Sunday, July 29, 2012, delegates from the Chicago Teachers Union joined by other delegates held signs protesting Race to the Top. The CTU members wore CTU red shirts, while the majority of AFT delegates were wearing blue shirts with an Obama/Biden message.
The AFT has taken no official stands against the Obama Administration's under-funded, coercive, test-driven Race to the Top education program. The resolution passed by the convention against high-stakes testing and test abuse mentions "No Child Left Behind" (the program of the Bush administration) as creating test abuse, but does not mention "Race To The Top" (the current program of the Obama administration), which requires even more testing.

David R. Stone - July 29, 2012


 Chicago Teachers Union delegates to the AFT convention (above) refused to wear the blue "Obama Biden" tee shirts that were being given away to delegates or hoist the "Obama Biden" signs, instead wearing Chicago's distinctive red tee shirts and silently holding up signs reading "Stop Race To The Top" during the July 29 speech by Vice President Joe Biden. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.

Chicago, Chicago, A Hell of a Town

Chicago is really the epicenter of the battle between the ed deformers and the real reformers. It was the birth of mayoral control in 1995, the home of key Democratic deformers Arne Duncan who ran the schools for 7 years and Obama. Duncan was preceded by Paul Vallas who after he was run out of Chicago has ruined public school systems in Philly, New Orleans and now Hartford (or is it New Haven?) Really take a look at NO and Philly and there is only devastation.

Chicago still has a fighting chance, mostly due to the reform union movement led by the Caucus of Rank and File Educators which was elected in May 2010 with Karen Lewis, who came out of 30 years of teaching chemistry to run the 2nd largest teachers union in the nation. And despite a few missteps is doing quite well. Yes to real teachers, not lawyers, running teacher unions.

The AFT convention in Detroit starting July 26 may well have the dynamic of a struggle between the Chicago TU and the UFT -- CORE vs Unity caucus. One of the early battles shaping up is over the weak AFT Resolution on Testing and their support for the Common Core. We'll keep you posted on the 800 Unity Caucus slugs who will be there to oppose the Real Reformers.

The ed deformers were patting themselves on the back for passing a law requiring the Chicago Teachers Union to have 75% support before they can strike. My first thought was "good." Who would want to strike without having 75% of the members supporting it? Better yet, how about 90%, which seems to be the kind of support the CTU is getting for a strike from its members. And there is also parent support being built by the CTU.

All it takes is a mayor who demands people work a few hours extra a day for practically no pay. Plus all the other anti-teacher and union crap.

So the showdown between the CTU and Mayor Rhambo and NYC/Rochester reject and now Chicago Supt Jean Claude-Buzzard/vulture will be coming in September. It is in our interests here in NYC and all over the nation to support the CTU politically and financially as a victory over the ed deformers would have nationwide implications. Can you imagine how Randi will react? While mouthing support publicly she will be working desperately behind the scenes for a "settlement" where she will do as much to represent the powers that be as the union. Probably more as a successful strike in Chicago would create a greater militant demand here in NYC. We don't need our leaders to be intermediaries but to stand firmly in our corner.

Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis (above at podium) announced the strike authorization voting to begin June 6, while the union's officers looked on. Left to right above: Recording Secretary Michael Brunson, President Karen Lewis, Vice President Jesse Sharkey, and Financial Secretary Kristine Mayle. Substance photo by Sharon Schmidt.

Video of Karen's speech

CTU to hold strike authorization voting beginning June 6

Sharon Schmidt - June 01, 2012
Karen Lewis and the officers and members of the Chicago Teachers Union announced at a packed press conference on Friday afternoon, June 1, 2012, that the union will conduct its strike authorization referendum during the week of June 4, with full results expected by June 8. Under the terms of the law known as "SB7" (for Senate Bill 7), the union is required to get approval from 75 percent of its members in order to move towards a strike. (Retiree members are not part of the union that participates in strike votes).


Read MORE on the story

CPS parent Matt Farmer puts billionaire Board of Education member Penny Pritzker on Trial at CTU's STANDS STRONG RALLY. 

Pritzker doesn't seem to feel it is necessary to provide other people's children with the same educational experience as hers.
http://youtu.be/IMUboOIQT48




=======

The opinions expressed on EdNotesOnline are solely those of Norm Scott and are not to be taken as official positions (though Unity Caucus/New Action slugs will try to paint them that way) of any of the groups or organizations Norm works with: ICE, GEM, MORE, Change the Stakes, NYCORE, FIRST Lego League NYC, Rockaway Theatre Co., Active Aging, The Wave, Aliens on Earth, etc.

Honk if You're Proud of the UFT

Chicago teacher Katie Osgood @KatieOsgood_tweeted

I am SO proud of the CTU! "Chicago & NYC school reform: Creating possibilities versus surrendering without a struggle" http://newpol.org/node/599

 So, are any of you feeling proud of the UFT/Unity Caucus machine? I know of at least one Unity Caucus chapter leader at a school threatened with closing who was handing out donuts to "celebrate" the union's "victory" in the recent agreement in ed evals. And if you checked out my last blog on the Moskowitz invasion in Williamsburg, the UFT has zero presence leaving the community to fight the massive machine on its own --- UFT leaders are fraidy cats when it comes to Eva. Or just about everything. Just check some Unity comments on this blog --- something like if you're not part of the conversation -- blah, blah, blah. Occupy a few schools threatened with being closed and you'll be part of the conversation soon enough.

Here is the Lois Weiner piece Katie was referring to.

Chicago and NYC school reform: Creating possibilities versus surrendering without a struggle

Lois Weiner

February 19, 2012

As I write, the  Brian Piccolo Specialty School in Humboldt Park, Chicago is occupied by parents, teachers, and students, with Occupy Chicago and others camped outside the schol in solidarity.  The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) is building this movement, with a  wonderful wholeheartedness and passion. Bravo! The union is showing both brawn and brains.  In another sign of its commitment to fight hard for the education low-income kids deserve, the CTU  has released an excellent report on what we should demand of politicians who say they want to improve the schools. Another part of the Chicago strategy is using the courts. Parents are the backbone here but as a long-time community organizer in Chicago wrote me, "Honestly, we could not have done this without a progressive union leadership."

In contrast, the New York State teachers union (NYSUT) has signed an agreement that is an abject surrender of teachers' professional dignity and tightens the stranglehold of standardized tests.  Let us hope  - and mobilize - so that this Faustian agreement does not become the "national model" that  NYSUT (and NYC) teachers union leaders would like it to be.  Consider that  NYSUT applauded this agreement that allows up to 40% of teachers' evaluations  to be based on their  students' progress on standardized tests. Yet, according to NYSUT's own poll conducted in January,  two-thirds of parents "believe there is too much emphasis on state testing in public schools."  Public  opposition to testing has been organized by parent and teacher groups independent of the national unions, which are fearful of angering the corporate media and its political friends. Is there a  principle for which the NYC and NY state teachers unions will really fight? Hmmm... maybe the right to collect dues?

We have a tale of school systems in two cities being demolished with the same policies of privatization, school closure, and deprofessionalization of teaching. In Chicago, the teachers union has mobilized with parents and activists to turn the tide. In New York, the teachers union signs and applauds a deal that endangers the job security of teachers who want to use their creativity, skill, and knowledge to teach in ways that are meaningful to kids. Chicago shows us resistance can be mobilized, if a union leadership has the heart and vision, knows how to empower its members, and can work respectfully with parents.

• Lois Weiner's blog
• Printer-friendly version
• Send to friend

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, blogger Under Assault makes a rare appearance since retirement with some comments on the teacher eval system, which she terms (d)evaluation. Nice.

"An almost total capitulation by the union"

 You can read Jeff's whole analysis of the new (d)evaluation system on the ICE blog, which he ends with a very dark prediction:

If today's agreement becomes our actual teacher evaluation system, then there will more than likely be massive teacher firings beginning in 2014.

Some of the comments are worth a chuckle. There's a lass called Sandra who thinks getting tenure in the old days was a "gift":

I don't feel one bit of pity to those teachers who were gifted tenure back in those days of desperation and think that that should save them from a true evaluation of their effectiveness ...

I'll be damned if I know what she means by "those days of desperation." I'm assuming Sandra was a youngster when the rest of us were chewing our fingernails over the Board of Ed's certification tests. The music exam was distinctly uncomfortable, even with a Masters and heading into a doctorate. You couldn't just swim in on Music Appreciation and your instrument. There were also tests on piano performance and sight-reading, and the whole thing only came around every few years. Tough titties if you failed it, because no one was going to give you NYC certification or tenure without it.

Ah, those were the days, when deep knowledge of a subject was actually valued. Now your career's a coin coss: heads if your administrator recognizes and respects variations in style, personality and methodology and makes use of your talents, tails if your evaluation is scripted by an inexperienced Tweedle or a politically appointed senior administrator.

---

I have to credit Wiki for using the Michelangelo painting as an antecedent of our "Perp walk."

Neat.

Caucuses and Unions: Part 2 - The Chicago Experience

Part 1: Unity

Part 2: The Chicago Experience
Building a democratic union and building a democratic caucus go hand in hand


I am trying to piece things together from afar so I may not be totally accurate but here is my sense of things.

When Debbie Lynch won the Chicago Teachers Union election on a reform slate in 2001, she had a few problems. More than a few. She had a caucus (PACT) but from what I can gather it was somewhat limited in reach. How did she win? Personal reputation, the worsening conditions in the school and a Unity like leadership (UPC) that was  incompetent. I mean of you want to rate Unity vs UPC on a scale of ability to manage the members - Unity was a 10 and UPC was a 3. Maybe.


So Debbie is in power. She is saddled with a staff hired by UPC that she can't get rid of because they are in the Teamsters union and have a contract (the same situation faced today by CORE). They do all they can to undermine her. She also doesn't have control of the House of Delegates which is still controlled by the UPC. Her caucus is not really strong enough to fend off the attacks by the UPC, which still continues to function to win back power. And she also makes some mistakes which I won't get into now.

I'm guessing here, but I have a sense she worked on building the union - CTU - and possibly neglected on continuing to build her caucus.

Still, in the 2004 election she almost wins without a runoff but falls short and it ends up with PACT vs UPC. And there are some irregularities and the AFT rules against her. And the UPC is back in power. In 2007 she gets smashed by the UPC.

Now stuff begins to happen. UPC's Marilyn Stewart who defeated Debbie in 2004 and 2007 goes after people in her own caucus, even having the guy who ran her campaign thrown out of the union and splitting with a person elected as an officer on her slate. Eventually, two caucuses will emerge from this split in the UPC.

In the meantime, Debbie Lynch rebuilds her caucus for a run at the 2010 elections, figuring she has a real chance with the UPC splits. But out of the grassroots, another group starts rising.

Caucus of Rank and File Educators
We found out from new CTU president Karen Lewis when we heard her speak to a CTU party in Chicago that CORE started out as a study group – things were so bad in the schools and in the union that a group of people started getting together to try to figure out what was happening. "We had no idea of getting involved in the union the way we did," Lewis said. But with the charter influx, the closing of schools and the numbers of teachers losing their jobs, they had no choice. More activist oriented than the other caucuses, they began to grow quickly. When I met with a group of CORE members in LA last summer they told me they felt they had a chance to get into the runoff and then "anything is possible."

The year since has been momentous. CORE influence kept growing as quickly as UPC ineptness and indications were coming in that the prediction of last summer would come through - that with 5 caucuses running, the UPC would not get a majority in round 1 and they had a shot at squeaking into the runoff. To show you how clueless Marilyn Stewart was, as late as the first round election she was sure the UPC would get over 50% and a runoff wouldn't be necessary.

The shocker was that CORE and UPC ran neck and neck with around 32% of the vote each, with the other 3 caucuses splitting the rest. Debbie Lynch got about 15%. A few days later all 3 of the groups out of the running endorsed CORE. Word is that Debbie truly delivered her vote into the hands of CORE, which had about 60% of the vote in the runoff.

Analysis shows that though some people in CORE are claiming an overwhelming victory, the reality is that the UPC still had about 40% and the other 3 caucuses might hold a balance of power in the future. It all depends on whether CORE learns from the past and continues to build the CORE caucus at the same time as rebuilding the devastated Chicago Teachers Union while trying to maintain democracy at the caucus level and within the CTU. (How tempting would it be to treat the UPC the way they treated everyone else all the years in power?) And let's not forget that a reform movement that refuses to cooperate with the ed deformers as Randi and Mulgrew do is a major threat to the political and financial forces arrayed against them and to the power structure in the AFT/UFT.

Some say it is never too early to win power when you can. But there are pitfalls if you are young like CORE and if you have not consolidate the organization into a cohesive force while at the same time maintaining a good relationship with the other non-UPC caucuses that supported them, in particular Debbie Lynch. They seem to be making moves in this direction. This was posted on their blog on Aug. 4:

CORE owes a debt of gratitude to the PACT team for their efforts to promote democracy in the CTU and defend the rights of all members to campaign. We are grateful, as well, for their far-sighted support (along with CSDU and SEA) of CORE in the runoff election to move the CTU forward.

 That they took the time in the midst of the enormous challenges they face is a good sign.

CORE seems to be in the tween faze - it grew real fast and seemed to keep control over things as they grew. Can they continue to grow while also trying to run the union and battle the forces of ed deform?

CORE certainly has its work cut out for it.


Read more at Substance


 Part 3 will address how NYC differs from Chicago and the chances of seeing a CORE-like group here in the near future.

Wanna Relocate? Chicago Teachers Union is Hiring

So one day you all are teaching. Then you run a 6 month campaign with a runoff. Then you win the election. Then two weeks later you take over the union. Many of the old guard have to leave their jobs. Then a few days later most of you head off for Seattle to the AFT convention, leaving a skeletal staff. Then you come back exhausted and have to start building up a staff to handle 1000 people who have lost their jobs and confront a mayor and CEO who feel they found a loophole in tenure and can layoff who they want. Oy!

So what happens? Instead of being burned out, you come back from the AFT convention totally stoked - energized by the experience. Your union and fellow teachers need you. So, you go into the union and volunteer to help out.

If you are a UFT member in NYC thinking this could ever happen with your friendly Unity crowd, blink twice and snap those ruby slippers - and keep snapping – you will not end up in Oz.

See a list of jobs at the CTU web site: http://www.ctunet.com/


Below is a link I put up at Norms Notes with the text of the insightful resolution the CTU tried to bring to the floor at the AFT convention that was posted at Substance.

It opposes mayoral control, merit pay, calls for a moratorium on charters, calls for an end to all school closings. After negotiations with Randi's agents - Aminda Gentile and Leo Casey, a little itty bitty piece of the language made the final cut.


Excerpts:
our resolution is wholly grounded in the experiences of public educators in Chicago where the movement toward the business model of education reform has had perhaps its most reaching impact. This resolution is just another means with which we (the Chicago delegation) hope to combat that movement.

RESOLVED that the AFT and its state and local affiliates support policies and legislation that put a moratorium on the creation of new charters, charter clones, and other schools that divert public education funds into corporate models; and Resolved that the AFT and its state and local affiliates demand all existing charter schools to be held as accountable and transparent as regular public schools, in regards to student progress and achievement, budget, funding and influence of corporate and private interests and entities; and Resolved that the AFT and its state and local affiliates will lobby for changes in legislation to allow existing charter schools to join large existing union locals rather than being forced to form their own small affiliate or work to close them; and Resolved that the AFT and its state and local affiliates recognize Bill Gates’ presence at the AFT Convention as a “Trojan horse”; and

RESOLVED that the AFT and its state and local affiliates fight to protect teacher tenure, seniority and due process rights so that trained educators can have job security and individual autonomy to develop innovative curriculum and instruction and lead local school reform; and

RESOLVED that the AFT and its state and local affiliates demand that school districts stop the arbitrary closing and turning around of schools and rehire displaced and terminated teachers immediately; and

RESOLVED that the AFT and its state and local affiliates reject the concept of merit pay for educators tied to student progress and achievement; and

RESOLVED that the AFT and its state and local affiliates campaign to expose the for-profit motives of high stakes testing companies and end the use high stakes testing which is used to punish students, teachers, families, schools and districts rather than build better schools; and Resolved that the AFT and its state and local affiliates lobby to overturn legislation allowing mayoral control of school districts and to put education back in the hands of educators; and

RESOLVED that the AFT and its state and local affiliates expose RTTT as based on the same faulty premises as NCLB and demand that RTTT funds are used equitably for all states in order to engage in real education reform lead by professional, union educators; and

After you get out from under the house, take off your slippers and read it all:

Chicago Teachers Union Resolution at AFT Convention