Where Are the People of Color in the Movement?

....there aren't enough people of color in this picture... Jersey Jazzman raised this issue on his blog after a meeting of Jersey bloggers.

I left this comment:

JJ - you make a point that I've been hearing here in NYC in all the various white dominated activist groups. It always seems to come down to something we're doing wrong - we're not sensitive enough. People of color feel uncomfortable in a room full of white people. Our message needs to be targeted at people of color - and this is a divide even amongst the left - that tailoring the message will make a difference. That somehow people of color want a tailored message rather than addressing broader issues that affect all teachers. So where are they? Somehow that is not being explored. In NYC over 40% of the teachers are not white. They work side by side with the activists. Has anyone bothered to actually ask them? Do they bear any responsibility for their non-activism in ed circles? Are they active on other areas?

JJ raises a question that has often come up at MORE, and before that GEM, meetings. In fact that is an issue that has created somewhat of a divide in MORE, especially between the Race at the Top people and the people, mostly from ICE - who are older and out of the 60s and 70s civil rights and school race struggle (1968 strike) and who view things more in terms of class than race. In fact, it was Camille Eterno, who is from Jamaica, made what many of us thought was the most important political statement at a recent MORE meeting --- connecting class to race. It went over the heads of too many people who are locked in a narrow straight jacket of race-based ideology.

You know when I ask people what do the people of color they work with think or have they surveyed them I often get a blank stare. Oh, well.

One of the big issues on the agenda at that MORE meeting was the position MORE took on the Garner march where people were holding MORE's feet to the fire for not being more supportive of the march. Given that over 40% of NYC teachers are people of color, I have asked how in a march that drew only 3000 people, the fact that the overwhelming majority did not feel so impelled to make a statement to attend? If that march was a seminal moment why weren't there 300,000 people there like a climate march? How about 30,000? In essence, most UFTers of color did not feel it absolutely crucial to attend. But loads of white people I know did. Some call this white guilt. Or a moral imperative to make a statement. I'm not always clear but those not willing to make this statement are branded as racially insensitive, as was a portion of MORE.

I have been told in the past when I raise points about race that I should take racial sensitivity training and I understand. I get that -- my level of racial sensitivity has definitely been raised through contact with people like Sally Lee of Teachers Unite, who really gets it and I find myself lining up with her on race issues. Maybe I'm not there yet -- but...

You know, I did actually teach all kids of color for 30 years, had contact with their parents and was active in the community struggles in the 70s. So I'm not a total racial klutz (I was called a n_gg_r lover by a white cop and oh some of my white colleagues at school were often horrified at my views).

My answer to the question of "where are the people of color in the UFT" is "Unity Caucus." To Randi's credit she did the most to create diversity in Unity - and even at our moments of rancor I complimented her on that. Go to a convention or a DA and Unity is quite diverse. And it's funny how some of the anti-Unity folk who are most racially sensitive often respond with, "they do it for the perks." Pretty racially insensitive itself -- I feel many people of color are proud to be in Unity because it offered them an opportunity for leadership and influence. I believe Mulgrew's support for the march was in part influenced by his own constituency.

Hey, maybe Unity is the social justice caucus of the UFT if you measure by diversity -- and I bet a white group like MORE posturing on race leaves many of them rolling on the floor with laughter.

Which is interesting - both Unity/UFT and MORE have come under attack for being too social justicy. That would be like Israel and Iran/Hezbollah working together to go after ISIS. Not that I'm comparing the right wing critics in the UFT to ISIS.

More from Jersey Jazzman

The Hidden Voices of New Jersey's Teachers of Color

I know some of the people in this picture very well; others I met for the first time. So I won't claim to know how everyone here identifies themselves, but I do think it's fair to say that there aren't enough people of color in this picture.

Now, I want to be completely fair. There were, in fact, people of color at this event: Sean Spiller, Secretary-Treasurer of NJEA, was present for the entire thing (even if he let us do all the talking). Eskelsen Garcia herself identifies as a Hispanic. But let's be honest: this group needed some more diversity.

Part of "unpacking your privilege" is admitting you're a human being and sometimes you screw up, even if you think your intentions are good. So I appreciate people bringing this up; I will do better in the future.

JJ hits a key point in the racial sensitivity issue but the unpacking white privilege point becomes a major dividing point. The work of MORE's Sean Ahern, who is white, in organizing the Teacher Diversity Committee has been bringing in teachers of color.
JJ continues:

I don't always agree with NJEA on everything, but I have found them to be a good group of people who genuinely care about their members, no matter their race, gender, sexual orientation, or creed. But they still have some work to do (as do we all), and part of that work is making a more concerted effort to bring teachers of color to the table for events like this.

I'll confess: I would love to see some more New Jersey teachers of color take up blogging. Facebook and Twitter are great as tools for organizing and disseminating information, but I don't think they match blogging as a forum for fully exploring important issues. If we want to get the "voice" of teachers into the conversation, blogging is hard to beat.

And we desperately need that voice of teachers of color right now. As much as I've written about how teachers in Newark and Paterson and Camden are taking in on the chin, I don't live it. I can't give the full story because I'm not there. I can do my graphs and charts and whatever, but I can't tell you what it's like to be working in these classrooms. 

This is a place where I believe the NEA and other teachers unions can help: we have to start creating safe spaces for teachers to express themselves without fear of reprisal on their jobs. 

But no one is going to speak out if they don't think they will be heard. And you can't be heard if you're not present. So let's amplify the voices of teachers of color, whether they blog or not. And let's make sure their voices are heard first on issues of race and urban education.

Because right now, those are the voices we need to hear the most.

- See more at: http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/#sthash.Fv9FAklM.dpuf

The final points JJ makes are what we are hearing from some people in MORE - using pretty much the same language. Creating safe spaces for people of color -- in essence that puts the onus on all of us. NYCORE focuses on this very aggressively. The problem people raise in MORE is that as a caucus supposedly engaging in a struggle for union power, making this your primary message, in a UFT with 60% white teachers, will only attract a small number of activists - mostly white while also leaving many people of color scratching their heads - some MOREistas say the people they work with are actually turned off by such a constant drum coming from a mostly white group.

And where are the black education based teacher groups which if they existed we could open dialogues and build alliances?

And do we ever  hold educators of color accountable for their absence while placing the blame on something white people are doing - or not doing?

Oh, my hair is beginning to hurt from all this thinking -- whatever I still have left.

Teachers and Police

After the roiling of the waters between the PBA and the UFT I've started writing a series of articles for my column in The Wave on teachers and police. Here are the first two.

School Scope: Teachers and Cops
By Norm Scott
Published in The Wave, Sept. 5, 2014

Welcome to the new school year to teacher and parent School Scope readers. For those involved in schools, the new year really begins in September. (Those Jews were really onto something.) Thanks to the Wave for continuing to feel education matters enough to continue offering the space. Rockaway isn’t all about surfing and ferries and de Blasio bashing. While I’m not his biggest fan, I imagine more people in Rockaway are impacted by his new and enormously high cost pre-k program that will offer daycare and education for their children at no cost than the loss of the ferry. Reading the Rockaway press, one would never know – though the Wave did do a story on pre-k recently. I better stop going on about the ferry because my wife loves the ferry and since I don’t cook I don’t want to starve.

What I really want to talk about is the situation between the police and teacher unions and the relationship between rank and file teachers and police. We all know about the situations in Staten Island and in Ferguson Missouri and the Al Sharpton led march in Staten Island, which UFT President Michael Mulgrew supported and was slammed by PBA president Patrick Lynch. There was and continues to be much turmoil inside the UFT, with some teachers starting school wearing tee-shirts as a response to the UFT participation in the protests by wearing "UFT for NYPD" t-shirts with the logo, “New York’s Brightest Supports New York’s Finest: Thank you #NYPD.” There are also large groups of teachers who are outraged when they hear this and want to wear counter tee-shirts like “Copwatch.” And then there’s the Al Sharpton issue.

Oy! And you think I can sort all of this out in 800 words? Mark Healey would have to give me an entire issue of the Wave. Well, I have to head off for Anita Ruderman’s Hot Yoga class, which will clear my head so I can deal with this issue in a rational manner. Look for a series of follow-up articles. As usual you can find my daily diatribes on ednotesonline.org.

Teachers and Cops
By Norm Scott
Published in The Wave, Sept. 19, 2014

A few weeks ago I started writing in this space about the sometimes delicate but often interesting relationship between the teacher and police union, brought to a head by the death of Eric Garner in Staten Island and the Al Sharpton lead march which was supported by UFT President Michael Mulgrew who was trashed by PBA head Patrick Lynch. Lynch made a pointed reference to what he termed Mulgrew’s “defense of bad teachers” and how would he feel if the PBA supported efforts to go after these teachers. First of all, unlike the PBA which will defend any cop anytime under all circumstances, the UFT often abandons teachers in trouble even when there is flimsy or no evidence against them. I’ve seen 30 year teachers with perfect records chopped to bits over one alleged transgression, at times arrested by the very members of Lynch’s union. At no point have I ever heard Lynch make a peep about this situation or offer any support to teachers and the UFT. Maybe behind the scenes he had conversations with his members – hey, give our fellow unionists a break when called into a situation – like use your judgment and act accordingly bases on your assessment of the situation.

Somehow I don’t think this happened. So when Lynch went ballistic on Mulgrew I sort of rolled my eyes. I personally did not support the march because of Sharpton’s leadership and because the entire concept of a march for social justice is more to make the participants feel good than to accomplish much. I do believe in due process for police officers, just as I strongly fight for due process for teachers – that is called tenure. I wish the PBA had taken a stand for us all these years that teachers have been under assault.

Next time I’ll talk about the record of the cop who applied the choke hold, tell some stories of 2 African-American teachers accused by children of “hitting” them and how different police officers reacted when called to the school.

Norm blogs at ednotesonline.org

Comment from Roseanne McCosh a rank and file MORE and long-time Ed Notes supporter

A caucus that hopes to break free of Unity's control of our union will never get the support it needs from members when distractions such as the Sharpton march or whether or not to wear blue and support NYPD divide us. My colleagues range from left leaning liberals to right wing conservatives with most of us in the middle. We disagree on various political issues of the day but we are pretty much united in our disgust with the DOE and Mulgrew's UFT. That is the only issue that will unite us. ... Roseanne McCosh, PS 8X

Roseanne basically defines the divide in MORE- those who aim for a center/left caucus that appeals to people like Roseanne AND social justice people who won't put MORE in an ideological straight jacket. I am as social justicy as anyone but also a strong school worker advocate and a realist.

Much of what Portelos is about is himself with a lot of bullshit tossed in - his is a self-defined caucus and we know how one person rule ends up -- easy to do at first but when one voice dominates it doesn't attract activists and when it does the big voice in the room feels threatened and pushes them out -- but he is smart enough to define a cogent message and for that reason I joined his new caucus while remaining with MORE and ICE, which is looking for new ways to be active. MORE does not have the "advantage" of one man (75% of teachers are women) rule so it gets real messy - fast. My struggle in MORE and ICE and the UFT - and maybe Solidarity - is for democracy - because that is the only system that truly represents people's interests. Portelos had no patience for that system and working with others and grew frustrated - like I often am - over not getting things done. He can do that now - but at what expense? I'll stick with the mess.

Roseanne had her school in the Bronx mobilized for MORE in the 2013 elections and in the contract battle. Is MORE interested in people like Roseanne and the people she works with? If we don't reach the Roseanne's MORE is not a movement of rank and file but MOLE - Movement of Left Educators - which seems OK with people - apparently there is a determination by part of the left faction in MORE that more and more people are left and that is the fertile ground for MORE to troll in. OK. Try it.

Check the outcomes in terms of members, activists and votes in a UFT election over the next year and a half - and no excuses. The people pushing MORE in this direction must be held accountable for outcomes. I'm in this for 43 years and I know how these movies end. But I'm patient.

There is a counter view in MORE that a narrowly focused message is not the way to go. Portelos didn't have the patience I do to work things like this out - he can come see me in the nursing home when he's 69 years old and we'll chat about it. Portelos has his good points but frankly I saw too much at his hearings and know too much to say I can still give him unquestioned support.

I am going to be very forthright on Ed Notes and report things as I see them even of I have to be critical of MORE, ICE and whoever and whatever.

Roseanne's full comment on NYC Educator blog in a post written by co-blogger Arwin.

Note how she is critical of both sides - those who support police and those who marched.

I have not fought the fight as hard as some of you. I certainly have not been targeted and suffered as many of you have at the hands of treacherous administrators. So I humbly offer my opinion based on what the teachers in my school talk about... Teachers want a union that doesn't preoccupy itself with causes that do not directly affect their working conditions. These preoccupations includes marches for social justice and charity runs for breast cancer. There are many worthy causes out there but we feel we are at war and the focus should always be on us. A caucus that hopes to break free of Unity's control of our union will never get the support it needs from members when distractions such as the Sharpton march or whether or not to wear blue and support NYPD divide us. My colleagues range from left leaning liberals to right wing conservatives with most of us in the middle. We disagree on various political issues of the day but we are pretty much united in our disgust with the DOE and Mulgrew's UFT. That is the only issue that will unite us. Anything else put before us results in eye rolling or disinterest. MORE should not concern itself itself with Portelos' actions and the idea of UNITY dancing in the streets. MORE and any other caucus that hopes to gain momentum with the members on the front lines needs to fight the battles that affect those on the front line. Those battles and nothing else. At this point in my career I am readying for retirement. I have no agenda other than to speak the truth as I see it and get the hell out of this system as soon as I turn 55. It would be a sweet send off for me to see some group of union members unite us with an agenda/philosophy that is only about us. We can't save the world until we save ourselves. Perhaps Portelos is an arrogant, hot-head who isn't the best person to attempt this but he's the only one out there trying. But as a fellow arrogant, hot-head, I offer him my sympathy and good wishes. MORE too has my good wishes but Portleos has a point that I deem valid. Roseanne McCosh

I Didn't March Anymore on Climate But Did Pick up and Plant a Fig Tree

I really was going to go to the climate march even though I wrote- Another March and Why I Ain't Marchin' Anymore - U...

I did include the caveat that I would march if I could get a beer at a bar afterwards. And lo and behold I received an offer from 2 lovely young ladies that if I marched they would buy me a beer. So I was in. Until my wife reminded me I was scheduled to pick up a fig tree at 10AM in the Rockaway tree give-away program. (The lovely young ladies buying me a beer had nothing to do with her reminder.)

I was told the trees would be 4-8 ft and possibly up to 40 pounds, so STRONG MAN needed - my wife claimed. But it was just a little guy. Can you see it by the fence? Even has a little fig growing- which the bastard squirrel will probably get before I do as it has been doing to the fig tree in front of my house.

The program is run by people active in the climate change movement and the lady told us we were fighting climate change by planting a tree - and that we should do so when we got it home as it had been in the pot for a long time. And so I did -- and also mowed the lawn.

I'm wearing my SOS Washington 2011 tee

Luckily I received this photo from a 1st grade teacher who went to the march with her class and their parents. Don't tell people in certain teacher only groups that have banned the word "children". A teacher with her kids on a Sunday? And no per session pay?  Horrors.

Disillusioned Parent Pulled Daughter from Girls Prep Charter - another hedge funded scam

.....because of their personal guilt over what minorities must endure in order to make it in life in their twisted, unfair system, they think they can go into 'the hood' and save the little poor children. Much often, they alienate themselves from the community and establish schools that fence themselves off from the community, thinking that parents are too poor, uneducated, or tired to deal with their children's progress at school. .....I mentioned "corporal punishment" and they dismissed it as "enforced exercise". ... My daughter and her peers were being "emotionally abused" at the hands of this administration....Girls cannot burp, sneeze, cough, feel sick or lean against their chairs because they will be punished by taking points away (merit system). Girls cannot raise their hands to ask questions - they have special hand signals for bathroom, water, pencil, one on one, tissue, etc.). From the beginning the girls have been put in numbers (like a jail system) and must travel that way or get penalized.--My daughter's education for the last two years was non-existent..... former Girls Prep parent

This was sent to me in Feb. 2012 and I found it in my draft folder. Since I did a piece on Girls Prep charter the other day (picked up by Chalkbeat) where they threatened parents who picked up their kids late that they would drop the kid off at the local precinct and call ACS. So much crap about this charter has been coming in over the last 24 hours I can do a month-long series.

Hi there: My name is ------- and I just saw your video. WOW! I totally agree with you, but there is one thing the public needs to know about the Charter Schools that nobody seems to be addressing at these hearings and it is very important:

I will start by introducing myself. My name is ------ and I am the mother of a wonderful 6th grader, who ATTENDED Girls Prep for 7 years, since the very first day it opened its doors until December 22, 2011. I had to pull my daughter out of that school as it had transformed itself into a "boot camp" with children being trained to be robots. The elementary school has not been affected with this plague, yet.

My daughter and her peers were being "emotionally abused" at the hands of this administration. The principal is a liar who labeled, and in writing (in the girls records) classified almost an entire classroom as "bullies", my daughter being one of them. Bullying is a very serious accusation with many consequences. If my daughter is labeled as a bully just because the principal feels she could do this (no accountability) and I saw the proof, in writing along with some other parents that does not even constitute the "notion" of bullying then my daughter's future is at stake. What if someone asks to see her records? I had voiced this and all they said "it is for GP eyes only" - I don't care, it shouldn't be there. The principal and administration want the girls to feel, and be seen as these horrific kids.

Girls cannot burp, sneeze, cough, feel sick or lean against their chairs because they will be punished by taking points away (merit system). Girls cannot raise their hands to ask questions - they have special hand signals for bathroom, water, pencil, one on one, tissue, etc.). From the beginning the girls have been put in numbers (like a jail system) and must travel that way or get penalized. In the beginning of the year I spoke up about the girls constantly being threatened and made to go up and down the stairs as punishment, carrying all their books with them as they were not given a few minutes to go to their lockers to swap books all day long. I mentioned "corporal punishment" and they dismissed it as "enforced exercise". I fought for this school, tooth and nail, when they were trying to find a home as I BELIEVED that they had my kids best interest at heart; that they would deliver on the elite education in a nurturing environment that was promised, but no they didn't. My daughter's education for the last two years was non-existent. My girl has never done an ESSAY, BOOK REPORT or any other WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT that I remember doing when I was in school and if they did, the teachers never checked/corrected any spelling, grammatical or punctuation errors....to them, it was more important that they see "what they are thinking". In the real society, nobody is going to care what they they if they can't spell correctly, or don't know how to use the grammar and punctuations correctly.
> The teachers are mean and scream in the girls faces, and in my daughter's case were told by the teachers that they "don't care". I have many stories but you can get an idea by reading this article of what goes on: (pay close attention to the comment #5 - I am so sure this was done by a staff member, but in either case it was done from their view - how dare they perceive us like that). http://eastvillage.thelocal.nytimes.com/2011/10/25/amid-headlock-allegations-parents-complain-about-disciplining-at-girls-prep/
> Have you seen the parent reviews: http://www.greatschools.org/school/parentReviews.page?id=8287&state=NY The big kicker is that Eva Moskowitz's husband, Eric Gannis is on the board at GP. This school is spiraling down and out of control. Use it as an example as to what happens when the kids get to middle school, the voices of the parents and students are non-existent. I would not want to subject any kids to this - it is clearly emotional abuse (you should hear the stories). A teacher had already left the school by mid-October, 5 or 6 students had left by the beginning of October and 3 or 4 more pulled out on Dec. 22, 2011. Many of the girls are not allowed to use the bathroom and have had "accidents" in the classroom. They've gone as far as suspending students who scurry out of the classroom because they just cannot hold it anymore while the teacher makes them wait purposely or ignores them. They do not want to soil themselves, out of sheer embarrassment. Parents are not notified when the kids have in-school suspension, and on many occassions haven't been notified when incidents occur within school walls. Incidents that occur are covered up, denied at school meetings, and parents are told it "never occurred". They do this to make the child/parent look wrong, so they can save their own a--.

The list goes on and on, and MANY parents are NOT coming back next year. At one point I whole-heartedly supported charter schools, excited about their new ideas and innovations. Yet, I have been let down. I do not support the disrespect and mistreatment towards our children, and the alienation of all parents. Charter schools are supposed to be unique, "innovators", a different approach towards education. Those qualities went out the window after charter schools started taking on such harsh punishment, and even weaker academics. For some reason, because of their personal guilt over what minorities must endure in order to make it in life in their twisted, unfair system, they think they can go into 'the hood' and save the little poor children. Much often, they alienate themselves from the community and establish schools that fence themselves off from the community, thinking that parents are too poor, uneducated, or tired to deal with their children's progress at school. The 'ambitious' staff works around the clock in order to reform and act like The Saviour. Somewhere, there are good schools in which children can learn and have fun simultaneously. I do believe that there is a way to teach the wild child. I don't like the way some charter school children are treated because adults with power want more power, praise, and money for turning things around. It doesn't seem to be about the children. They gave power to the wrong people. If this could help in your battle to stop these "monsters", please feel free to reach out to me at ------ so we can discuss. I hope that we can stop all these charter schools that are spreading like wild fires, because it has become clearly proven to us that our needs are not their concern. In fact, charter schools have got it twisted...forgetting that they NEED US more than we need them.

Success Academy Charter School Teachers Overwhelmingly White - Higher % Than NYCDOE Schools

59% of NYC DOE teachers are white. Check out the astounding numbers of white teachers in the Success Charter school chain obtained by the Teacher Diversity Committee. If this were Birmingham in 1964 there would be lunch counter protests. Or better yet, if it were 1864 there would be calls to close down the plantations.

Tonight at 5:30 there will be a hearing on more Eva controlled plantation-like schools in central/north Brooklyn. Details below.

Stop the Expansion of Apartheid Schooling in New York City

The information below was obtained by the Teachers Diversity Committee (TDC) of NYC from Success Academy charter schools that responded to our request.  The percentage of white teachers at each Success Academy School is listed below for the 2013-2014 school year:

SA Cobble Hill 82%

SA Crown Heights 57%

SA Fort Green 100%

SA Harlem I 73%

SA Harlem II 63%

SA Harlem III 61%

SA Harlem IV 56%

SA Harlem V 76%

SA Hell’s Kitchen 89%

SA Prospect Heights 91%

SA Upper West 82%

SA Williamsburg 71%

SA Bed-Stuy II 80%

SA Bronx I 74%

SA Bronx II 66%

In 2012 58.6% of teachers in the NYC public schools were white.  Out of the 15 Success Academy Charter schools listed above, 13 out of 15 have a higher percentage of white teachers than was the city wide average for public schools in NYC.

According to a study prepared by Gary Orfield and reported on in the NYC Daily News (3/27/14):

“Schools in New York suffer from the worst racial segregation of any U.S. state, and city schools also earn depressingly dismal marks for diversity, a damning report released Wednesday said.  Many black and Hispanic kids in New York attend schools with almost no white classmates, according to the paper from the Civil Rights Project at the University of California at Los Angeles.  City charter schools showed even higher segregation rates, with less than 1% white enrollment at 73% of charters. “To create a whole new system that’s even worse than what you’ve got really takes some effort,” said Gary Orfield, an author of the report.”(http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/new-york-city-schools-f-racial-segregation-diversrity-report-article-1.1736279)

The mandate to expand charters is increasing racial segregation of students and decreasing teacher diversity in NYC schools overall. 

We call on The New York State Charter School Institute to: 1) Implement a moratorium on all further charter school approvals 2) Stop the expansion of apartheid schooling in NYC and 3) Take affirmative steps to increase teacher diversity in all NYC charter schools.

Note:  The NYC DOE informed us that they do not collect teacher diversity data from Charter Schools and we were told to direct our requests to the Charter organizations.  Success Academy required us to ask each individual school in their network to provide the information.  Teachers Diversity Committee of NYC obtained the data above only after separate requests were made to each Success Academy school.  The request was for all years but only 2013-14 was provided.  A number of Success Academy Charter schools declined to respond to our requests. To support Teacher Diversity in NYC public and charter schools contact:  teacherdiversity@gmail.com.  

9/22/14

--

Notice of Public Hearing
A public hearing is being held to solicit comments regarding new charter school applications. Success Academy proposes to open 14 new charter schools in New York City. Success Academy has expressed an interest in serving one of many districts in New York City. The Community School Districts in which Success Academy Charter School NYC 5, 6, & 7 have expressed interest in opening include 13, 14, & 15.

Date: Time:
Location: Details:

September 22, 2014
Speaker Sign in: 5:30 PM
Presentation, Questions, Comments: 6:00 PM
P.S. 133 William A. Butler 610 Baltic Street Brooklyn, NY 11217
This public hearing is open to anyone interested in providing public comment about the proposed charter school applications for each Success Academy Charter School NYC 5, 6, & 7.
Success Academy Charter Schools NYC 5 is planning to open in Fall
2016. Proposed enrollment and grades served are as follows in the 5th year: 675 students in grades K - 5.
Success Academy Charter Schools NYC 6 is planning to open in Fall
2016. Proposed enrollment and grades served are as follows in the 5th year: 675 students in grades K - 5.
Success Academy Charter Schools NYC 7 is planning to open in Fall
2016. Proposed enrollment and grades served are as follows in the 5th year: 675 students in grades K - 5.

Secession Fever: Scotland, Catalonia, MORE and (Hopefully) Most of the American South

When 45% of the people vote to secede as they did in Scotland, that is one heavy minority for Britain to bear. Note the push for independence was due to the conservative government in London and its austerity program dictating to the smallish much more social democratic oriented Scotland. Freedom didn't quite ring but the YES group seemed to wrangle some concessions.

Catalonia wants independence from Spain. ISIS just took parts of a few nations and created its own state. Slick. Putin is going the other way - trying to put the Soviet eggs back in the basket.

Everyone wants their own country. Why not 5 billion nations of one?

If the South were to secede today would Obama pull a Lincoln and go to war to pull them back or would he say gey avek? Which of course means go away. He might also say zei gezundt - go in good health - but don't take Obama care with you.

My semi-pagan father misused zay gezundt to mean "good riddance." When he said it to me when I was still in the crib it made me think.

Portelos secedes from MORE
We even have our own secessionist movement here in the UFT with a new Portelos-led caucus. When people in MORE heard Portelos was leaving there was no gnashing of teeth or rending of clothing but a hell of a lot of "gey aveks."

Girls Prep Charter Takes Kids Not Picked Up on Time to Local Precinct, Threatens Parents with Administration of Childrens Services

Girls Prep can order these for Pre-k

Girls Prep has figured out a way to start the school to prison pipeline in pre-k. Children first in the world of charters.

On Democratic Centralism (Loyalty Oaths?) - From Trotsky to Shanker and Others

(Albert Shanker mentor) Max Shachtman (/ˈʃɑːktmən/; September 10, 1904 – November 4, 1972) was an American Marxist theorist. He evolved from being an associate of Leon Trotsky to a social democrat and mentor of senior assistants to AFL-CIO President George Meany.... Wikipedia
 
Democracy and centralism do not at all find themselves in an invariable ratio to one another.... Leon Trotsky

I wrote some commentary on Ed Notes (UFT Caucuses and Loyalty Oaths - How About a UFT Cut-the-Strings, Free-the-Puppets Caucus?) based on NYC Educator's piece on Unity Caucus and loyalty oaths, which I interpret as a form of democratic centralism.

 

From what I have always understood, democratic centralism means an organization has an open and democratic internal debate, votes, and the decision binds even the opponents to follow the party line publicly. I doubt such debates take place in Unity Caucus. And certainly not in the UFT. You will note that Unity hacks attack opposition people, definitely in the minority in the union, for being disloyal when they don't agree with UFT/Unity policy - (you lost on the contract vote, now shut the f_uck up), thus attempting to apply the rules of democratic centralism to the UFT as a whole. I never saw that rule when I joined the UFT 47 years ago.

Talking about Lenin and Trotsky may seem arcane to non-leftists but with so many socialists groups claiming to be Leninists today and operating under his ideas it is germane, especially since some of these groups are active in the UFT and in caucuses like MORE. 

 

Unity Caucus emerged, under the leadership of Al Shanker who had Trotskyist roots that morphed into Shachtmanism (Max - whose wife Yetta was Shanker's secretary/advisor.) Shanker used  the tactics he learned from his mentor to turn the UFT into his playpen. It really pays to read the Shachtman story on wiki if you want to see the ideology and tactics that drove Unity Caucus and the UFT up to the Weingarten takeover when ideology seemed to turn into personal politics devoid of ideology.

 

Observing vanguard party Trotskyists - and even party people opposed to Trotskyism on a day to day basis in UFT opposition caucuses over the past 43 years - and not always liking what I see - has always stimulated an interest in how they function and how they influence the mass organizations - caucuses - Unity, ICE, MORE, New Action, TJC - all had people from so-called vanguard parties. ICE was formed in part as a group that vowed to keep out parties whose members did not behave -- ie, pack meetings to gain ascendency of their ideology, use the efforts of the group to recruit people to their party, and other behaviors we viewed as unfriendly to the organic growth of a healthy organization - why we were the INDEPENDENT Community of Educators -- no party ideology controlled ICE.

On a personal note, my uncle - my mother's only brother - they were from around Pinsk in Belarus - was a Bolshevik and played a role in the Russian revolution and supposedly had a position of note under a pseudonym - there was no contact between him and the family after he left home but someone many years later someone my mother's sister who had also gone to Russia they saw him in Moscow in 1937 when he was supposedly running the Moscow library system and he said he was a scared and knew he was a dead man - most likely purged by Stalin in 1937. I had a great photo of him in my basement but it was lost during Sandy.
Now to the comment which I take as a friendly attempt to illuminate.

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "UFT Caucuses and Loyalty Oaths - How About a UFT C...":

I'm sorry, and I love this blog, but there are quite a few misunderstandings about democratic centralism here. (This is not the fault of the author, but rather the source material: Encyclopedia Britannica, which contains hardly the most objective view of ideas, having referred to the Klan as the "protectors of the white race," as well as other, equally biased reports.) Neither the UFT nor the Unity caucus is run under such a system. First of all, under democratic centralism, delegates and members do not take any "loyalty oath," and vote as they please after a lengthy discussion (sometimes too long), and the length is more or less determined by the membership at large. (Keep in mind, I'm discussing this system as applied to a healthy organization, and I freely admit that it is quite often NOT.)

Leadership elections could not be conducted the way they are in the UFT, because under democratic centralism, there is a strict quorum. Can this system be abused if other structures are added to rig how voting works? Can intimidation and even threats be used? Absolutely. Just like any system, it can be corrupted if the membership become passive and allow it to. (Which probably sounds awfully familiar to members of the UFT...) In any case, even Stalinist groups would never claim the election of a single leader was valid with 18% of the vote!

But even the Democratic Party tends to stand united on controversial issues, for the most part. Every single one of them has sold the working class lock, stock, and barrel.

The misunderstanding about Lenin is common and originates from the circumstances surrounding the point at which he died. The year before his death, it seemed to him that the presence of counter-revolutionaries within the party necessitated tightening up and cutting down on political freedom. I haven't read enough history to be certain whether this was based on paranoia. In any case, Lenin put some stringent practices in place, which he insisted were temporary measures. Unfortunately, he died soon thereafter, and Stalin stepped in, so those with a true knowledge of history do not revere these, originally temporary, practices, such as the banning of factions, shortened political discussion, or the concentration of power in the hands of very few people who are largely homogeneous and are extremely indirectly elected by the members. Secrecy and lack of accountability is also counter to this structure, even as it pervades some left groups today.

Lenin is revered by many on the left because of his importance in the revolutionary and immediate post-revolutionary period, and is reviled by others because of really, really bad timing that allowed Stalin to insist he was carrying out the work of Lenin.

I suggest reading some of what Trotsky wrote about democratic centralism. It is quite a democratic system, actually.

Democratic centralism has definitely been abused and misused, just like every single governmental structure in history. But unless you're an anarchist, you have to pick one.

I'm with Arthur Goldstein on this. The Unity loyalty oath is WAY scarier than "unity in action" because it goes farther, all the way to "unity in voting."

However, I absolutely agree that caucus members should not be so tightly controlled by certain other groups with which they are affiliated when it comes to making decisions within a caucus. Some groups place a lot more trust in their members than others; some members are comfortable with a lot more freedom than others. And some groups have completely different interests / reasons for having representation in a caucus than others. 

Here is a letter from Trotsky explaining his views of democratic centralism.

UFT Caucuses and Loyalty Oaths - How About a UFT Cut-the-Strings, Free-the-Puppets Caucus?

Arthur Goldstein has another assault on Unity Caucus at NYC Educator (How About a UFT Cut-the-Strings, Free-the-Puppets Caucus?)
Arthur is often focused on the Unity Caucus loyalty oath. I believe this is the wrong terminology. Unity Caucus follows democratic centralism, a staple of the left since Lenin but also adopted by right wingers as a way to control the message and the membership. Lenin said "freedom of discussion, unity of action." The problem in Unity is that they never had freedom of discussion - it was one man or one woman rule. If Unity had a democratic structure where we could actually argue and discuss issues I could live with a loyalty oath.

Unity Caucus was founded by a right wing branch of the Socialist Party, Social Democrats USA, which operated under democratic centralism and they brought that to Unity Caucus, the mass organization they were embedded in. Then they used Unity Caucus to control the entire UFT. Al Shanker, Sandy Feldman and the entire leadership of the UFT were members of SDUSA. Randi seemed to abandon some of their  principles - or any principles in fact - so it was never clear of her connection. I always found it hard to believe that Shanker and Feldman would chose Randi if she didn't adhere to their politics. And knowing her, she may have convinced them and then once in power abandon them. Thus, Unity Caucus since Randi and Mulgrew no longer has a climate of SDUSA politics, which had a strong trade union bent. Some think Mulgrew had family union connections to SDUSA which was why he became UFT President.

Thus a relatively small group of people can control an entire union and even an entire nation. Thus the genius of Lenin and why he is so revered on the left. The Bolsheviks may have been the most successful party in history in their capture of Russia.

democratic centralism, decision-making practice and disciplinary policy adopted by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) and subsequently followed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and by communist parties in other countries.
Democratic centralism purported to combine two opposing forms of party leadership: democracy, which allows for free and open discussion, and central control, which ensures party unity and discipline. At the 10th Congress of the All-Russian Communist Party (1921), the Bolshevik leader Vladimir Ilich Lenin declared that the party was not a debating society in which all opinions were tolerated and freely expressed; it was a “vanguard” party whose role as leader of the revolution demanded extreme discipline and a high level of organization. Unrestrained discussion, he insisted, would produce intraparty disagreements and factions and prevent the party from acting effectively. On the other hand, absolute control by a centralized leadership would discourage new ideas from lower-level party members. Therefore, Lenin argued, free discussion within the party should be tolerated and even encouraged up to a point, but, once a vote was taken, all discussion had to end. The decision of the majority should constitute the current party “line” and be binding upon all members.

Which brings me to the role current Leninist party (ISO, PL, Socialist Alternative, Class Struggle) members play on even opposition caucuses like MORE and to some extent used to play in ICE. If the members of these organizations operate under loyalty oaths - ie - democratic centralism - and their parties internally take a stand on education and other related issues, then their members are bound by loyalty oath/democratic centralism to follow the party line in the mass organizations (Unity/UFT, ICE, New Action, MORE.)

I'll be writing more on this subject in follow-up posts.

I'll leave you with this from Arthur:

I have a novel idea.  What if democracy in the U.S. applied to our UFT?  What if the puppets and their allies press for a real voice, the freedom to vote their views or those of their constituency?  What if the puppets rise up en masse in rebellion and demand the dignity of exercising their rational power of thought?  Educators teach people to think, not blindly obey.  History teaches us the same.  Do I dream big?  Free the puppets!  Form a Cut-the-Strings Caucus.  Let the world know.  Liberate minds!  Liberate our union!  Let teachers think for themselves!

PS 147 Mini-Reunion

Schools are wonderful places to work when you work with wonderful people. We had our differences but always had good times with each other -- and as pointed out tonight, we partied together as a school - custodial workers, kitchen workers, teachers, paras, secretaries.

Tonight we went back to an old haunt in Williamsburg -  Bamonte's, where we used to go open school night. The place was packed. Some of us haven't seen each other in years.

I even convinced The People's Critic (left) to come and review Godspell this Friday night.

They let me bring my wife - who, as usual, stole food from my plate - they tell me that's a sign of love

An ICEer Comments on the Sharpton March

Judging an organization's commitment to social justice on the basis of how they stand on a demo called by one of the most dishonest people on the face of the earth is absurd... A member of ICE

With lots of back and forth inside MORE over MORE's ambiguity on the Eric Garner march, one of the founders of ICE, who has not taken part in anything related to MORE, commented off-list on the debate. He was a long-time activist and chapter leader in Bed-Stuy from the 60s through the 80s - a left winger with a strong anti-capitalist and anti-racist history, working with local community activists in District 16. I'm making this point to counter people who are branding opponents of the march as coming from the right. I would say about half the people in ICE were not in favor of endorsing the march and it was in consideration of their point of view that led to some of the ambiguity in the MORE statement as Julie tried to take their views into account when writing the statement.

I'm sure he has no problem in my using his name but I want to make sure, so I am posting now and will update with his name when I reach him.

Who calls for a march or demo is always an important question in the decision of whether to support it or not. Judging an organizations commitment to social justice on the basis of how they stand on a demo called by one of the most dishonest people on the face of the earth is absurd....

But for us a march in support of civil rights, in the context of what's happening nationally with rising police misconduct, is something that we should be in solidarity with without question....

The march that Sharpton called was clearly in response to what happened in Staten Island and that's why it was held there. It was called even before the events in Missouri. Why were none of these marches called by Sharpton and his cronies during the Bloomberg era - especially with all of the stuff going on with stop and frisk? Why was the march held in Staten Island, making it difficult to get to? Why not hold the march in Manhattan if they really wanted people to come out? Why didn't the UFT members, or even much of the Unity Caucus come out?

As for being in solidarity with the march without question, who are they kidding? 

Who calls for a march or demo is always an important question in the decision of whether to support it or not. Judging an organization's commitment to social justice on the basis of how they stand on a demo called by one of the most dishonest people on the face of the earth is absurd. 

Much of the opposition to the march did not center the issue of police brutality but on the fact that the central player was Sharpton.

MY TIP and IPC Story - by John Elfrank-Dana

AP: The evaluator chooses if video will be used. (She points out rightly that the UFT gave the discretion of video to the evaluator instead of the evaluated. Way to go Mulgrew!)... JED

Another gem from John. Isn't it great to be on F-You time?

Warning – Kids don’t try this at your school. This teacher has one year to go before retirement.

TIP Responses:

AP: Mr. Elfrank-Dana, What are your areas of strength?

Me: Why don’t you tell me? This is your meeting?

AP: Oh, no this is a collaboration.
Me: So, I can leave and it won’t be considered insubordination?
AP: uh…

Me: Look, YOU gave me this Developing rating. It’s not mine. So, you need to answer the question.

AP: What are your areas for improvement?

Me: You tell me. You tell me what I have to do to be an Effective rated teacher, You tell me what you are going to do for me to get me there.

AP: What were your strengths?
Me: This process is a fraud. It’s a product of Bloomberg and my union president who has the IQ of a tree stump. It’s an illusion of due diligence. This process is a part of a larger war on public education. I will answer as a prisoner of war.

AP: What are your MOTP and MOSL goals for this year and your timeline to meet these goals?
Me: John Elfrank Dana, Teacher/Chapter Leader, File no. XXXXXX

AP: When would you like your summative meeting to take place?

Me: John Elfrank Dana, Teacher/Chapter Leader, File no. XXXXXX

And so on…

AP: The evaluator chooses if video will be used. (She points our rightly that the UFT gave the discretion of video to the evaluator instead of the evaluated. Way to go Mulgrew!)

Me: Why would  you not want to use video? (background, I had formals videoed last year and they had to give me Effective, as they couldn’t make stuff up. But, they refused to look at them as I argued I should have gotten Highly Effective and the proof of 100 percent engagement for both formals was in the video).
AP: I am not saying I won’t.
Me: So, what do you say?
AP: I won’t say now.

Me: This is symptomatic of what I am talking about.

This whole process is a fraud.

I said staff should request no more than one unannounced observation (as is the minimum stated in Advance p.9) The principal said no. I argued, in other TIP meetings,  that this is supposed to be collaborative and not dictatorial. The minimum of one informal unannounced is there. Why would they put it in if it’s not an option? We will file APPR complaints if they don’t concede. Janella Hinds shared with me that she thinks unannounced observations are a good thing. I said, it sounds like I’m talking to the Gates Foundation. And that the UFT can ignore our complaints but a judge down the road may not.

In solidarity,

John

John Elfrank-Dana
UFT Chapter Leader
Murry Bergtraum High School

A Letter to Janella: Is Bergtraum Special?

This is the second time in 4 years this chapter has managed to convince a Chancellor but NOT THEIR OWN UNION, that a principal is abusive... Elfrank-Dana, CL, Murry Bergtraum HS

Ho hum, par for the course -- the UFT protecting principals over teachers for their pals at the CSA.

I love John Elfrank-Dana -- He's so prolific I don't even have to write ed notes. Seems these days lots of people are writing to Janella Hinds, UFT VP for High Schools. (Eterno on ICE: MY OPEN EMAIL TO JANELLA HINDS ON ALL THE ADVERSE RATINGS DURING THE FINAL YEAR OF JAMAICA HS).

Hi Janella,

A colleague at another school mentioned to me that when UFT leadership was visiting last year and the question of the principal at Murry Bergtraum, Lottie Almonte, came up, my friend said the UFT reps from 52 (Bwy) told them that the principal "was not the problem at Bergtraum". That has been the vibe I have been getting the last couple of years from 52.

Be that as it may, apparently the Chancellor disagreed with this view by removing the principal. This is the second time in 4 years this chapter has managed to convince a Chancellor but NOT THEIR OWN UNION, that a principal is abusive. Although there was union support early on in 2010 from then then DR and VP High Schools to remove Dr. Lewis, there was a change in policy of "play nicely with others." 

Now that I hear of schools where no one got an Ineffective or Developing rating. But, I see about 20+ Ineffective/Developing ratings so far at Bergtraum, I wonder- Have we been singled out for special treatment? Will our appeals take into account an Unsatisfactory rating officer? Will Chancellor's appeals have a better than 1 percent record of overturning ratings under this new system? Under the old system losing was a foregone conclusion. Will Bergtraum teachers be scapegoated for a failed admissions policy that Diane Ravitch and others have called being setup for failure? 

Look forward to seeing you on Thursday.

In solidarity,

John

57 Page Manual from UFT on How to Challenge a Rating

If some people throw their hands up in the air and say F - - - it! after seeing the complicated and arduous task of appealing -the manual and paper requirements did their job. It’s the oldest trick in the book - if you don’t want people to do something, just make it as arduous a process as possible. Teaching colleges will have to offer a course just dedicated to appealing a rating. The MOSL data didn’ t come yet, and some people have their Ineffective intake tomorrow. ... John Elfrank-Dana, CL, Bergtraum HS

Join Battle Against More Eva Invasions - Monday Sept 22

We know things are stacked against Eva resisters and SUNY charter authorizers are basically gangsters. These schools are about Eva's political ambitions, not education.

Going to the hearings may not mean a hill of beans in this crazy mixed up world, but for those who show, here's looking at you kid.

Notice of Public Hearing
A public hearing is being held to solicit comments regarding new charter school applications. Success Academy proposes to open 14 new charter schools in New York City. Success Academy has expressed an interest in serving one of many districts in New York City. The Community School Districts in which Success Academy Charter School NYC 5, 6, & 7 have expressed interest in opening include 13, 14, & 15. 

Date: Time:
Location: Details:

September 22, 2014
Speaker Sign in: 5:30 PM
Presentation, Questions, Comments: 6:00 PM
P.S. 133 William A. Butler 610 Baltic Street Brooklyn, NY 11217 

This public hearing is open to anyone interested in providing public comment about the proposed charter school applications for each Success Academy Charter School NYC 5, 6, & 7. 

Success Academy Charter Schools NYC 5 is planning to open in Fall 2016. Proposed enrollment and grades served are as follows in the 5th year: 675 students in grades K - 5.

Success Academy Charter Schools NYC 6 is planning to open in Fall 2016. Proposed enrollment and grades served are as follows in the 5th year: 675 students in grades K - 5.

Success Academy Charter Schools NYC 7 is planning to open in Fall 2016. Proposed enrollment and grades served are as follows in the 5th year: 675 students in grades K - 5.

This application is being considered by the State University of New York Charter School Institute. Links to SUNY applications can be found here: http://www.newyorkcharters.org/create/request-for-proposals/january-2014-suny- request-for-proposals-round-2
Comments are welcome; speakers must register within 15 minutes of the hearing’s start time. Written comments will also be collected at the hearing or can be submitted via email to: charterschools@schools.nyc.gov or faxed to 212-374-5760 within 48 hours after the hearing’s close.

Pursuant to Education Law 2857(1), the New York City Department of Education is required to hold a public hearing to solicit comment from the community in connection with any proposal for a charter school.

Office of School Design & Charter Partnerships 1 212 374 5419 CharterSchools@schools.nyc.gov

Mercedes Rips Up Randi for Robocalls

I love Mercedes Schneider all the time, but send special love when she deals with the Randi the hypocrite issue. And she even has a link to Ed Notes in her post. Triple love, Mercedes.

RW's Robocall Support for Cuomo/Against Teachout

http://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2014/09/14/weingarten-hearts-cuomo-by-proxy-willing-to-undercut-teachout-via-last-minute-robocall/

Another March and Why I Ain't Marchin' Anymore - Unless People are going to a bar afterwards

So after sitting through a meeting on Saturday where the Staten Island march for Eric Garner was raised to the level of the most important civil rights issue of our time - and you were basically supporting racism if you were not there - as about 7 million people weren't - including a few million black people and probably about 35,000 black NYC teachers - I will take this time to reiterate why I ain't marchin' anymore - though I never did much marchin' at any point. BECAUSE THEY DO LITTLE GOOD AND ARE BASICALLY FEEL GOOD EVENTS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE FRUSTRATED.

And I am not frustrated - I just start building stuff in my garden or go to the gym - which I am about to do - when I feel frustrated.

Except for the left so-called vanguard political entities. They love marches and always try to get the mass organizations they work in to support any march they can. Why? Because they can get their troops out to sell their newspapers - since most people don't pay attention to these groups  - marches are their chance to shine.

Well, there is another march this Saturday - for the climate. I actually think that the more people who march, the worse the climate will get from all that heavy breathing and stamping and speechifying.

But I might go just to hang with people I like - as long as I get a beer out of it at the end of the day.

Please forward this message widely!

Parents, Families, Teachers-- Join us for the People’s Climate March!

On September 21st, people will be marching in NYC and in cities around the world demanding that our leaders take action on climate change and stand up for future generations. Join us for this beautiful and historic moment.

GODSPELL OMG, Frank Caiati Works a Miracle

I am not big on Jesus stuff - except maybe how his Bar Mitzvah went. But being part of the set-building team, a set designed by Director Frank Caiati, I saw the evolution and some early rehearsals and knew Frank's unique vision of GODSPELL would blow people away. And the boy has done it, including breaking the 4th wall, with the audience playing a role.

Here is a comment from someone in the show on Facebook.

Stop whatever you are doing and go see GODSPELL at RTC right now. It is everything. It is beyond. You will have your heart filled with joy and then crushed to pieces in-between laughing so hard it hurts. EVERY. SINGLE. performance was fantastic - Matthew Smilardi - you are wonderful, you broke my heart - PERFECTION!!! John Pud Panepinto you have out done yourself. Jacqueline Samaha you ARE Beauty. Chazmond J. Peacock as always captivating, Stephen J Ryan your focus and energy are unmatched, the entire ensemble, the sets, the lights, THE ORCHESTRA!!!! It could not have run smoother (Miss Nora Meyers) and finally Frank Caiati - you are a gift. Your talent is infinite and we are all so lucky to watch your vision come to light - no fog necessary. If I forgot anything it's only because I am overwhelmed with the quality, energy and heart of this production and everyone needs to go see this show - RIGHT. NOW!!! GO SEE GODSPELL!!!!!!!

Directed By :Frank Caiati
Musical Direction By : Jeffrey Arzberger
Musical Arrangements By : Stephen Schwartz
Written By :John-Michael Tebelak

Post Theatre at Fort Tilden (RTC's Home)

Ticket Information :

Adults	:	$20.00
Seniors	:	$15.00
Children	:	$15.00

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE :

Sep 19,2014

8:00 pm

SEATS AVAILABLEBOOK NOW

Sep 20,2014

8:00 pm

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Sep 21,2014

2:00 pm

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Sep 26,2014

8:00 pm

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Sep 27,2014

8:00 pm

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Sep 28,2014

2:00 pm

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Reserve your ticket

NYSUT Update: New Organizers Will Not Be Unionized

UPDATE from a source: I heard that the new organizers hired will in fact be PSA members.  My understanding is that all NYSUT staff, except for the Legislative department (Pallotta's staff) is PSA.  Incidentally PSA is taking a freeze while the officers and the legislative staff are all getting 2% raises.

We find it deeply disturbing that a majority of the staff currently employed by NYSUT in the legislative department are classified as managers and are not allowed to join a union.....

This is coming from some upstate NYSUT people. Remember - Unity Caucus in NYC controls much of NYSUT in NYState which controls the national AFT. Until the Unity machine breaks here in NYC there can be no real changes at the state or national level. But there is some hope that with around 30% of the delegates in NY State Unity can be challenged if a statewide coalition based on Stronger Together. While it is not clear, this may be one more shot at the Unity controlled Revile NYSUT.

An Open Petition to the NYSUT Officers

ORGANIZE THE NYSUT LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT!

It is our understanding that NYSUT is in the process of hiring nine new full-time organizers and that these organizers will be housed in the legislative department and their supervising officer will be Andrew Pallotta.

While we fully support the emphasis on organizing and trust our officers to make the right decisions about the number of organizers needed and how many the NYSUT budget can sustain, we want to be sure that these organizers will be part of the PSA bargaining unit.

We find it deeply disturbing that a majority of the staff currently employed by NYSUT in the legislative department are classified as managers and are not allowed to join a union.  In fact, there is a cruel irony at play here when we are hiring organizers with the sole purpose of growing the union while at the same time the department they will be working in needs to be organized itself.

The logic that our legislative representatives should not be in a union is the same kind of thinking that the Bush administration subscribed to when they refused to allow employees of the thennewly formed homeland security department to join a union.   It is the same kind of disingenuous logic that is nothing more than union busting.

As one of the largest unions in the world, it sends the wrong message when we have one department that is this top heavy with management.   It is equally alarming that this intentional structure of the department has been created and sustained to forbid staff from being part of a union.   We understand that managers serve an essential role in every department at NYSUT and we value that structure and in no way seek to change this.   The current situation in our legislative department, however, is extreme and should be rectified so that as our organizers do the critical work of organizing, they can do it knowing that NYSUT is not only talking the talk, but walking the walk.

The undersigned, thereby, demand the following from the current NYSUT officers:

1.

Assurance that all nine newly hired organizers will not be classified as “Managers” and that once hired, they will be members of the PSA bargaining unit.

2.

A commitment that discussions will begin immediately on how to transition the existing legislative staff into the PSA bargaining unit also.

Thank you.