UFT's Paul Egan Makes the Case...

...for the uselessness of the UFT

In opposing the ICE amendment to the term limits resolution, UFT District 11 (Bronx) rep Paul Egan made the astounding argument that if each individual in the room went home and called their city council rep that would have a greater impact than if the UFT as an organization took a stand and pressured the reps to deny Bloomberg another term of office. Even Weingarten seemed astounded and cut him off. Hey Paul, any chance for a dues refund?

The DA's provide so much material. I may take it all for tryout at Caroline's Comedy Club.


Note: Check the sidebar under the "UFT and Bloomberg Term Limits" for a running account of our posts on the subject.

Weingarten Attacks Green at DA

UPDATED

In a typical attempt to put up a straw man - or woman- as a way to distract delegates from the attempt to convince than that 4 more years of the hated BloomKlein gang would be tolerable, Randi Weingarten suddenly turned on former NY Sun reporter Elizabeth Green who is now reporting for Gotham Schools.

"Liz Green is reporting this meeting blow by blow as it occurs," Weingarten bleated. Liz, this is a private meeting and what you are doing is unethical. You are a better reporter than that." She went on to talk about how there are always leakers. Usually she looks my way when she says this but I was lurking way in the back of the vistors section after being banished there by Weingarten a few years ago. Speaking of leaking, I went out to pee, so I am not guilty of leaking (to Elizabeth). But I did call Elizabeth to leave a message that she was under assault.

Weingarten in an extraordinary show of demagoguery, left an impression that Green was somehow listening into the meeting. A number of delegates thought Green was in the room blogging live when in fact she was in front of the building interviewing ATRs at the time.

Green was outside inteviewing ATRs and had gotten a call from a delegate that the meeting was overflowing and about to discuss the term limit question. That was what appeared on the Gotham Schools blog.

Below are excerpts from Green's post at Gotham Schools that Weingarten referred to, clearly purely on hearsay. Green wrote, "It’s standing room only!” my source at the meeting just said via cell phone."

That's it? Calling Green unethical for telling the world it's standing room only? Maybe the real story is that DA's are held in a room that holds a max of 850 when there are over 3000 delegates (about a thousand showed up and many will not return after this wonderful experience.) Was Weingarten worried the fire marshalls would read Green's blog and rush in with hoses and axes?

No reporter has consistently pointed out the holes in the Tweed cheese and reported the point of view of teachers over the past year than Green.

Weingarten owes Green a public apology.

Right now at 52 Broadway, pressure to stand firmer on term limits by Elizabeth Green

The teachers union will vote on its final stance on term limits this afternoon, at a meeting of the union’s delegate assembly that is beginning now. (”It’s standing room only!” my source at the meeting just said via cell phone.) The expectation is that the delegates will support the resolution passed last night by the executive board, which urged a voter referendum rather than Bloomberg’s proposed City Council route for changing term limits.

But new amendments could be added, and whatever debate occurs will likely turn on how strongly the UFT should oppose Bloomberg. The resolution passed last night does not state a position for or against term limits, and it does not challenge the mayor on any points; rather, it projects, as president Randi Weingarten’s first statement did, a sense of the seriousness of the economic crisis — and keeps open a door for supporting a third Bloomberg term through a referendum. The idea communicated last night, according to one source who was there, is not to spend too much “political capital” on fighting the mayor on term limits, when other fights (such as the budget) are around the corner.

Not everyone at the union wants to play this safe route. Among teachers, there is a lot of animosity toward the Bloomberg administration, especially among the veterans who are the most active in UFT politics, and some are voicing that. Today, an opposition group that often pushes Weingarten, the Independent Community of Educators, will push its own resolution, which would have the union cut off funding from City Council members who vote for changing term limits, a member of ICE’s steering committee, Jeff Kaufman, told me. (The union’s PAC, UFT COPE, gives thousands of dollars to Council members each cycle.)

So far Weingarten has tended to angry members by drawing a line between him and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein: Klein is the bad guy, and she agrees he’s bad; Bloomberg is okay. But it’s hard to imagine Bloomberg tossing Klein, so supporting Bloomberg will be very difficult for Weingarten.

We’ll keep you posted on how the union votes.

Here is the link: http://gothamschools.org/2008/10/15/right-now-at-52-broadway-pressure-to-stand-firmer-on-term-limits/

Note Green mentions Jeff Kaufman, who was not at the DA (for those Unity huckleberries who look to blame the 10 plagues on Kaufman).

ICE Amendment on Term Limits Fails at DA

Click to enlarge

Resolved, that the UFT unequivocally oppose the city council’s bill to extend term limits and the UFT will seriously consider withholding endorsements and COPE money from any Council member who votes in favor of this legislation that circumvents the will of the people.

This ICE amendment calling on the UFT to ask its supporters on the City Council to turn down the term limits extension that will give Bloomberg 4 more years was turned down at the DA.

ICE's Lisa North, chapter leaders of PS 3 in Brooklyn started the ball rolling. But due to a procedural question, James Eterno made the amendment with an excellent argument.

In a Unity packed Delegate Assembly, it garnered between 25- 30% of the vote (there was no count,) signs that even some Unity delegates voted for it. Are they also getting fed up with the constant UFT retreats?

Here is a jpg of the hard copy of Education Notes I gave out at the DA focusing on the term limits issue, an abridged version of a previous post. If you are interested in distributing it to your school email me at normsco@gmail.com and I'll send you a pdf or mail you a hard copy.

Note: read our previous posts on the term limits battle in the UFT. Elizabeth Green's report at Gotham is here.

UFT Gives Up the Ship on Term Limits

Personally, I have always been opposed to term limits, as has this union. I am also, as are so many people, very concerned about the economy, and I am grateful the mayor is willing to step up. – Randi Weingarten

Of course Randi is opposed to term limits. She intends to be UFT and AFT president for life.

But that is not this is about.

There has been speculation (in former NY Sun reporter Elizabeth Green's guest blog at Eduwonk "Randi on a Tightrope") on the UFT position on Bloomberg's attempt to overturn term limits. Or “extend” it to 12 years in his words. I wrote a piece about this issue yesterday based on former NY Sun reporter Green's analysis.

Randi's initial reaction in the lead quote was a strong indication that she would straddle the fence and not openly oppose the mayor's plan but call for the voters to decide. Which they have already done. Twice. Maybe 3 times is a charm.

Hey Randi, can we have another vote on the 2005 contract?

It is extremely unlikely there will be a referendum, which Bloomberg would win anyway. The UFT will do little to make it happen and will not hold any of the members of the City Council accountable for their actions. (Note how UFT uber ally Christine Quinn gave up the ship.) They are using the excuse that they need to focus on preventing budget cuts. Sure. We know where Bloomberg with a guaranteed 3rd term will cut: classroom services while keeping all the pet projects: ARIS, high priced consultants, the leadership academy, and a cast of thousands at Tweed. Want to really fight cuts? Get rid of Bloomberg.

Randi's so-called "tightrope" is how to sell the members who despise BloomKlein that she was putting up a fight to stop Bloomberg in the midst of her capitulation to the mayor. The Mad Men (and Women) at the UFT have been using Klein as the bad guy, making it seem he was not attached at the hip to Bloomberg. They may even try to convince the members that they made a secret deal with Bloomie to dump Klein.Unless Klein wants to leave (like for a cabinet position) why would Bloomberg dump the guy who has so successfully outwitted the UFT at every turn and use brilliant tactics to eliminate resistance at the ground level (the chapters)?

Just watch the marketing campaign to the rank and file, who despise BloomKlein, that our priority is to fight the cuts, not stop Bloomberg's bid. What balderdash.

The UFT has been telling the members for two years, "We just have to wait BloomKlein out and get a friendlier mayor," as a way to explain Weingarten's support for mayoral control since 2001.

The current Teachers for a Just Contract (TJC) leaflet nails Weingarten:

Weingarten told us it was all figured out. Our next contract would be negotiated under the next mayor. She accepted the change in the school funding formula, claiming senior teachers would be protected because, if they were already in a school, that school would not be charged for their higher salaries until 2010. Weingarten assumed that then, with Bloomberg gone, the DoE would go back to the old rules. If he is re-elected, all senior teachers will soon become cash liabilities for their schools. Also, the agreement that test scores cannot be used for tenure decisions expires in 2010. Weingarten accepted this, too, based on her assumption that when Bloomberg was gone, it would be a whole new ball game.

Bloomberg has done and end run around Weingarten’s strategy of waiting out unfriendly
politicians. Based on these risky assumptions, she's let the union's muscles go flabby, putting all her faith in the "next mayor." The union held only one street action in the past five years.

Now, her folly is clear. Bloomberg has done an end run around term limits, and around Weingarten's "easy" strategy of waiting out unfriendly politicians. Bloomberg will be hard to beat, and chances are that we will be negotiating our next deal with him and Klein. Thanks to Weingarten, we are in no condition for the tough fight he will put up.

(See complete 2 page leaflet at Norms Notes.)

It all came to pass at last night's (Oct. 14) Executive Board meeting with a convoluted 2 page resolution that will be presented to today's Delegate Assembly with a call to let the voters decide buried in the body. Or rather, the body of resistance to Bloomberg's plans is just plain buried. This is a clear wink to City Council members there would be no UFT battle to stop Bloomberg. Of course, the UFT leadership will do little or nothing to make a voters' choice happen.

A Gotham Schools post before last night's meeting proclaimed,

Whatever they decide, it will be a bombshell, since Randi Weingarten and the union could hold substantial sway over the undecided City Council members who will determine whether Mayor Bloomberg gets an open door to the mayoralty or not.

Bombshell? More like the last chirp of a cricket about to be gobbled up by a lizard.

A correspondent sent the following report from the Exec. Bd meeting

It is a weak reso and a long one. Basically, Uft support and participate in the one NY -fighting for fairness coalition-more than 55 unions and social service organ to protect safety net programs and affirms its belief in the importance of respecting the democratic will of the people and calls for the submission of any change in the term limits law to popular referendum and elect Obama! Doug Haines (New Action) tried to strengthen it - added an amendment- (Mike) Shulman supported him saying the reso as presented would anger the members tomorrow. (Leo) Casey said we have to stay focused on protecting our members and kids because of the attacks and financial crisis. Someone else said that we can't make the council members angry with us-so we can't take to the streets on this. The whole reso is almost 2 pages long.

Go Doug. Some action from New Action. Finally. And someone should look back at Casey's and Peter Goodman's attacks on Klein on Edwize to see just how intellectually dishonest they are.

Today Casey talks about the greed on Wall St. Readers of Ed Notes may remember our challenge to the UFT in April when they held their rally against a paltry millions of dollars in budget cuts. We called on them to march a few blocks away to protest the Bear Sterns $30 billion bail out. But what do you expect when your picture appears in the dictionary under the words "intellectually dishonesty?"

Back to term limits. How about this resolution (if it comes up today, I urge all delegates to support it.)

WHEREAS the voters have spoken (twice) on limiting terms in office to two and there should be no more do overs,

RESOLVED, that the UFT unequivocally oppose the City Council''s bill to extend term limits and the UFT will seriously consider withholding endorsement and COPE money from any Council member who votes in favor of this legislation that circumvents the will of the people.

Elizabeth Green, from her new job at Gotham Schools (congrats Elizabeth) sent this link to a follow-up story today. Joining Kelly Vaughan and Philissa Kramer, Elizabeth brings a new angle to Gotham's coverage and expect to see more reporting on the actions of the UFT, hopefully with the voices of dissidents included.


This Just in
Another report from the Exec bd meeting with my comments:

Casey and Mulgrew (after last nite's performance-our next uft pres. fur sure! [NOT FOR MULGREW WHO] ) made a real issue of the most important issues to this union - protection of members and the kids we teach who have no choice but the publc schools. They painted this against a very bleak picture of the economy- they spoke of it as tho they were giving us inside information that we didn't know - a hot tip- and we better believe it. It was brought up twice-pres report and on the term limits reso.

Sandy March said that members hate Klein but like Mike. - thought Mike would get rid of Joel.
[SHE HAS GOT TO BE KIDDING]

Perhaps I am mistaken, but the message was-don't expect nuttin' from us except if he challenges us or our kids. Nuttin' else matters. Casey made a point of saying that the ATR situation is important because it harms our members.
[SURE LEO. NOW IT IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE THE ATRs ARE ORGANIZING]

I am Grateful the Mayor is Willing to Step Up: Randi Weingarten

WOW! Two Randiisms in one day. It doesn't get any better than this.

Of course Randi opposes term limits. She can be AFT/UFT president for life (bet ya she is already running for UFT re-election in 2010 - Mulgew who?)

Note the typical disclaimer showing her "concern" so she can appear to support both sides. By the way, one sticking point in any merger with the NEA which has term limits.

Remember how Unity hacks went around schools telling people we only have to wait out Bloomberg to get changes.

Go to the people? No group more than teachers should be leading the charge to stop Bloomberg. Instead Randi will sit this one out and leave it to the people when we know Bloomberg has already bought the election.

From: UFT Press [mailto:UFTPress@uft.org] (WHY NOT SEND THEM AN EMAIL?)
Sent: Thursday, October 02, 2008 4:14 PM
Subject: United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten re term limits:

Personally, I have always been opposed to term limits, as has this union. I am also, as are so many people, very concerned about the economy, and I am grateful the mayor is willing to step up. That said, I am very concerned, given that New Yorkers have twice spoken about this issue in referendums, and because of that, I think the most democratic way to change term limits is to go back to the people.”