National Alliance for Public Charter Schools Bogus Pro-Charter "Study" Exposed

 Separating fact and fiction.....the reviewers found that the report's main purpose appears to be the "repetition or 'spinning' of claims voiced by advocacy groups and think tanks that promote privatization and school choice." Furthermore, the reviewers found that it relied almost exclusively on advocacy documents rather than more careful and balanced empirical research, and provides only a superficial examination of any "criticisms" regarding charter schools.... Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice.

I give them credit - but I didn't need no stinkin' study to tell me what they find.

National Charter School Report Misleading and Superficial, Review Finds

Contact: 
Gary Miron, (269) 599-7965, gary.miron@wmich.edu
Daniel Quinn, (517) 203-2940, dquinn@greatlakescenter.org

EAST LANSING, Mich. (Feb. 23, 2015) — A report from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS) attempted to "separate fact from fiction" about charter schools. The report addressed 21 "myths" regarding charter schools, which were quickly rejected. However, an academic review of the report finds that it perpetuated its own myths and fictions about charter schools rather than adding to the discourse surrounding school choice.
The report, Separating Fact and Fiction: What You Need to Know about Charter Schools, was assembled by NAPCS with no author identified. Gary Miron, Western Michigan University, William J. Mathis, University of Colorado Boulder, and Kevin G. Welner, University of Colorado Boulder, reviewed the report for the Think Twice think tank review project of the National Education Policy Center (NEPC) with funding from the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice.
Succinctly, the original report addressed various claims about charter schools in such areas as financial equality of charter schools, lower teacher qualifications, student selection demographics, academic outcomes, segregation, and innovation.
Yet, the reviewers found that the report's main purpose appears to be the "repetition or 'spinning' of claims voiced by advocacy groups and think tanks that promote privatization and school choice." Furthermore, the reviewers found that it relied almost exclusively on advocacy documents rather than more careful and balanced empirical research, and provides only a superficial examination of any "criticisms" regarding charter schools.
The review is organized in a format that lists each of the criticisms identified, and then provides a short commentary based on the extant research literature. Where the original document overlooked research evidence, the reviewers provide readers with a valuable tool to examine charter school criticisms.
Additionally, the reviewers find that the report fails to redirect the sector toward its original ideals, "Charter schools were originally designed to be a new form of public school. They were supposed to be small, locally run, innovative and highly accountable. They were supposed to be open to all and were expected to provide new freedoms to teachers to creatively innovate and serve their communities."
Instead, the reviewers point out the most disappointing non-myth that comes out of the research: "In reality, the main outcomes of charter schools have been to promote privatization and accelerated the stratification and re-segregation of schools."
The reviewers conclude, this report is unlikely to be of any use to "the discerning policy-maker" and fails to engage the important underlying issues.

Read the full review at:
http://www.greatlakescenter.org
Find Separating Fact and Fiction on the web:
http://www.publiccharters.org/publications/separating-fact-fiction-public-charter-schools/
Think Twice, a project of the National Education Policy Center, provides the public, policymakers and the press with timely, academically sound reviews of selected publications. The project is made possible by funding from the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice.
The review can also be found on the NEPC website:
http://nepc.colorado.edu

NY Post Uses Story of Double-Dipping Principal Linda Hill to Take Shot at Farina While Leaving Bloomberg perpetrators off hook

Imagine if a teacher did what Linda Hill, who persecuted Francesco Portelos mercilessly, did --- double dipped and was caught red-handed! But just as important is the game the Post is playing here.

Read on!

Linda Hill channels Captain Queeg
I was at the hearing to hear Hill's bizarre - paranoid testimony against Portelos in which she accused him of racism and anti-semitism (she is black and Jewish). My hearing notes (below) have a bunch of references to her Captain Queeg moments where I expected her to start rolling steel balls. (SEE BOGART VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-95QqBXLG2I#t=26)



If you read my unedited notes you will see some steel balls and Queeg references. She lied openly at times at the hearing -- which should have lead to her being brought up on charges on those issues alone. But none of the people who lie in their testimony against a teacher have anything to worry about when it comes to DOE legal. She claimed she had fear of Portelos -- his lawyer asked her if she did why didn't she ask for protection? Duh!

It's nice to see NY Post ed hitwoman Susan Edelman taking shots at principals instead of just teachers (http://nypost.com/2015/02/22/farina-principal-pal-gets-free-pass-after-ripping-off-taxpayers/). I remember Edelman doing a story on Portelos at the beginning of his troubles in March 2012 on the Sunday of our robotics tournament. Portelos was there as coach of his team and showed me the piece. I called Edelman up in outrage and told how come the Post wasn't taking a photo of him giving up his Sunday for the kids. She said she would send a photographer but never did.

New Newsletter -- NYC High School Voice - Download and Share

I've been assisting in a new venture - an independent newsletter aimed at NYC high school teachers. The idea behind it is to offer a unique point of view that may not being expressed in some organized groups in the UFT.  Some people from MORE, some from ICE and some non-affiliated people are involved while still working in their group structures.

Three issues are envisioned for this school year. Below is issue 1.

My job is to be the mule - lay it out, help organize the solicitation and editing of articles, get it to the printer and deliver batches to distributors in as many high schools as we can get into -- and yes, folks, volunteers to put it in the school mailboxes are needed. There are around 450 high schools so you can help make this a slam dunk. Just email nychighschools@gmail.com or email normsco@gmail.com. Or download below, make some copies and share. Or email a copy to your colleagues. If you do email us so we can check off your school.

Get it at:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8qnFCTQLOqoU2RUZGdBUjEzVEk/view?usp=sharing

MORE's Mindy Rosier - Why I am a Teacher Activist

THANK YOU EVA MOSKOWITZ FOR GIVING US MINDY!!!
Another MORE steering committee member tells about her personal journey to activism over the past year.

For way too long I was a complacent special ed teacher in Harlem who did what everyone else did. I complained with co-workers which really got nothing done other than cause more complaining.

I only know Mindy for less than a year -- more like 8 months - she is one of the most responsible and supportive people I've met -- what a bonus to have her put so much energy and time into MORE.
I've maintained that you don't need thousands to change the union and defend public education -- you need a few dozen Mindys.

morecaucusnyc

Why I am a Teacher Activist -

Malcolm X at Brooklyn College

There was a buzz around the campus of Brooklyn College. I can't remember if it was 1963 or 1964. Malcolm X was coming to speak. Brooklyn College had the largest Jewish student body in the world - some say 90% - thus one would expect his reception would be good. There was a buzz about his record of militant inflammatory speeches - and some concerns about anti-semitism.

The standing room only crowd in the largest venue on campus was wary, expecting an angry, militant laden speech. But from his first words he was full of charm and humor and logic and made so much sense. He won over the crowd in an instant. I was not a political being but seeing him speak in person was an unforgettable experience.

I became a fan and his message resonated.
His assassination probably affected me more than that of Martin Luther King.

Here is a link to speeches.
http://malcolmxfiles.blogspot.com/p/malcolm-x-speeches_9918.html

MORE/CTS Katie Lapham at Anthony Cody's Living in Dialogue - Excessive Standardized Testing in First Grade is No Fairy Tale

We're proud of MORE's fearless, outspoken teachers like MORE former steering committee member Katie Lapham joining current MORE steering committee member Jia Lee in making a national splash. 

A Tale of Two Public Education Systems 
.....the excessive testing of students in grades K-2 is not happening at every NYC school. My daughter was not given mid-year benchmark assessments at her public school, which is committed to teaching the whole child. I suspect that schools with the lowest test scores – and therefore the biggest “achievement gap” to close – as well as weak parent involvement and a high poverty rate are the ones most susceptible to over-testing. Fearing potential school closure, administrators likely want to show the NYC Department of Education that they took all the “right” steps in preparing students – beginning in kindergarten- for the high-stakes Common Core state tests administered in grades 3-8. .... While some state and city mandates are uniform – such as the administration of April’s Common Core state tests – schools with highly educated and relatively affluent parents tend to offer more of a project-based, arts-rich education. Test prep exists but not to the same extent as in Title I schools like mine, and resources are available for enrichment programs.

Katie Laphan writes of the incessant testing in 1st grade at Anthony Cody's Living in Dialogue blog. Anthony introduces her piece:

In 2013, I shared a post written by a New York City elementary teacher, entitled “Data Shows Not Enough Teaching.” She is back today with an update, and although there has been a change in administration in New York City, testing at her school is excessive as ever. Katie Lapham teaches first grade in New York City. You can read more of her work at her blog, Critical Classrooms, Critical Kids.
http://www.livingindialogue.com/excessive-standardized-testing-first-grade-fairy-tale/

Katie's article elicited this response from another MORE member:

I experienced this same kind of testing with my 2nd graders last year. We had to also give mid-terms as well as all the Go math tests and running records (students actually enjoy reading with the teacher 1 on 1). We had to mostly create them and then get approval from the principal. The writing mid-term was a practice MOSL with a read aloud and copied book for students to read individually. Besides the running records that often take 30-40 minutes per child in second grade, we had to find passages from sample test prep books for a multiple choice test. I think we also used an old EPAL test that had a reading passage and questions that students had to write in sentences. Of course there was also a midterm test for science and social studies. We tested everyday for a long time. These tests were required K-5. Unfortunately too many teachers don't have a problem with this. No one else in my school spoke up besides me. Upper grade teachers think that lower grade teachers are "slacking off" so they think all the testing in the lower grades it great.

With no leadership from the UFT and NYSUT towards educating the members and the public on the evils of testing (witness the New Jersey Teacher union's ads that do just that) it is no wonder that so many teachers are unconscious about the dangers of testing to their kids and ultimately to their own careers.

Saturday with Susan O

Susan compiles some good weekend reading to snuggle up with.
=======

There are several new cartoons in each category. I'm tired and invite you to go to the cartoon index and click on links.
http://www.susanohanian.org/cartoons_index.html

Then you can do the same thing in NCLB cartoons:
http://www.susanohanian.org/show_nclb_cartoons.php

There are also new quotes, some of which offer excerpts from Bob Herbert's new book, a book well worth reading.

Quotes
http://www.susanohanian.org/quotes.php

My husband and I don't talk much about education outrage. By the time I do research for what I post, I'm tired of it all. But tonight, we talked about Philip Kovacs' son's kindergarten experience. I brought it up because my husband failed the kindergarten DIBELS test. You can read more about it below.
One of the posts below provoked a fight on Twitter.

So it goes.

Susan

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Partners for Corporatiziing Schools: Naming Names
compiled by Susan Ohanian
blog
2015-02-19
http://susanohanian.org/data.php?id=580

The corporate mantra: Assess, assess, assess.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Uncovering Security Flaws in Digital Education Products for Schoolchildren
Natasha Singer with Ohanian Comment
New York Times
2015-02-09
http://susanohanian.org/data.php?id=578

The companies that profited from Reading First are finding new money in digital learning--and still putting students at risk.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
To the editor
Stephen Krashen, USC Professor Emeritus
Los Angeles Times
2015-02-17
http://susanohanian.org/show_letter.php?id=1745

This is one terrific letter.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
To the editor
Stephen Krashen
Atlanta Journal Constitution
2015-02-09
http://susanohanian.org/show_letter.php?id=1744

Krashen points out that there's no special merit in finishing high school or college in a pre-determined time frame and I tell a personal story.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
To the editor
Don Perl
Greeley Tribune
2015-02-04
http://susanohanian.org/show_letter.php?id=1743

Speaking from a position of knowledge, Don Perl rebuts policy analyst at the Independence Institute.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Is There School Today?
Philip Kovacs
Huffington Post
2015-02-19
http://susanohanian.org/outrage_fetch.php?id=1926

Strategy is a good word. Read this post to find out why.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
US Department of Education Funds  Jazzed-Up Worksheets as Innovation
Susan Ohanian
blog
2015-02-19
http://susanohanian.org/outrage_fetch.php?id=1925

The piece under discussion, traveling as education reporting from Hechinger, reads like a PR statement from the company selling the product under discussion.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Broad Foundation suspends $1-million prize for urban public school districts, claiming real public schools are a complete failure and all-charter districts are the answer
George Schmidt  & Ohanian &  Howard Blume
Substance News and Los Angeles Times
2015-02-08
http://susanohanian.org/outrage_fetch.php?id=1924

We could wish that axing of the Broad Prize might reduce the use of nomenclature of 'providers' and 'stakeholders' and other corporate
nomenclature such as calling children 'clients.


\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Which Washington Think Tank Do Billionaires Love the Most? And Why?
David Callahan
Inside Philanthropy
2015-02-05
http://susanohanian.org/outrage_fetch.php?id=1923

A summary of who backs American Enterprise Institute.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Racing to College
Susan Ohanian
blog
2015-02-06
http://susanohanian.org/outrage_fetch.php?id=1922

Poor six-year-olds are directed to forgo childhood and fill out college applications. Rich kids have makeovers at spa parties and go home to their $200,000 princess bedrooms. And Bob Herbert offers a call to arms.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
The Heavy Hitters Behind a Fund Focused on K-12 Blended Learning
L.S. Hall
Inside Philanthropy
2015-02-05
http://susanohanian.org/outrage_fetch.php?id=1921

Look at who's pushing blended learning, the latest strategy to dump teachers.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Why Inside Higher Ed Faces a Dubious Future
blog
Academe
2015-01-25
http://susanohanian.org/outrage_fetch.php?id=1920

Some folk are figuring out it's more cost effective to buy up publications than to advertise in them.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
 Department of Good Stuff
Sam Smith
Undernews
0000-00-00
http://susanohanian.org/show_yahoo.php?id=875

Veteran political analyst chooses 'good stuff' in journalism and education.

Bob Braun: Why the Newark student sit-in really matters

From Bob Braun's Ledger

High School principal of the year Carol Burris calls for civil disobedience (Principal: ‘There comes a time when rules must be broken…. That time is now’) over testing and Newark students actually engage in civil disobedience and slam Cami Anderson in her own office. The fed-up factor with ed deform grows.

Bob Braun tells the Newark story:

Stories about the sit-in were published in France and by Al-Jazeera. Even The Star-Ledger, which often ignores what’s happening  to the children attending Newark schools, was forced to provide daily coverage—because, well, a sit-in is a sit-in and the DNA of a mainstream newspaper doesn’t allow a sit-in to be ignored just in case the authorities go crazy and heads are busted.

Newark: Why the student sit-in really matters

The Howler Takes Randi to the Woodshed Over Her Comment on the number of children in poverty

Simply put, Weingarten’s claim is dumb....What we the liberals turned out to be like! -- Daily Howler

The Daily Howler taught way longer than Randi. Here is his take on the recent comment by Randi.

Starting in the 1980s, talk radio became a way for conservatives to show the world that they may not always be exceptionally sharp.

Alas! We liberals now make the same demonstration through our comment threads. And at our fiery liberal sites—and through the pronouncements of our liberal leaders.

Yesterday, the New York Times printed several letters about the merits and demerits of standardized testing. In her letter, Randi Weingarten, head of the AFT, actually offered this:

WEINGARTEN (2/17/15): Half of public school students live in poverty. More than 30 states fund public education below pre-recession levels. We need to level the playing field and ensure that all kids have equal access to things like computers, smaller class sizes, nurses and counselors—even when their communities can’t afford them.

“Half of public school students live in poverty?” According to the Census Bureau, the official number of children in poverty is more like twenty percent. Simply put, Weingarten’s claim is dumb. You can’t get there from here.

(Although we liberals are increasingly willing to try.)

At one time, the ginning up of silly statistics was a hallmark of the pseudo-right. In recent years, we the liberals have found ourselves walking that same silly road.

We’re building a set of silly statistics which 1) our intellectual leaders know to be bogus and 2) average people won’t be inclined to believe. But we seem to love to throw them around. Our sad songs make us feel good!

It’s depressing to see someone like Weingarten playing a game as foolish as this. For years, we liberals were asleep in the woods. More and more, it’s come to seem like those were the good old days.

Providing a second opinion: For an overview from The National Center for Children in Poverty (Columbia University), just click here.

Children and public school students are two different groups, or course. But here's their statement as of 2013:

“More than 16 million children in the United States—22% of all children—live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level.”

Twenty-two percent seems like a daunting number to us! What’s wrong with our pseudo-liberal souls that has us longing for the chance to say it’s fifty percent?

NEW Caucus Reports: Newark Students to End Occupation of Newark Public Schools Headquarters

Friday, February 20, 2015 3:42 PM

From Bob Braun blog

For Immediate Release
Paul Karr, NJ Communities United,  paul@unitednj.org

Newark Students to End Occupation of Newark Public Schools Headquarters
Press Conference at 2 Cedar Street at 5:30 pm
Newark, NJ – After nearly four days occupying the offices of Cami Anderson, the Chris Christie-appointed Superintendent of Newark Public Schools, Newark students are claiming victory. Students and community organizers will exit 2 Cedar Street at 5:30 pm and speak to the press about their efforts.

Students successfully managed to secure a meeting with Cami Anderson this morning and issued the following statement:

“After 65 hours of occupation, we, the Newark Students Union, met with the state-appointed Superintendent of the Newark Public Schools, Cami Anderson, in regards to her lack of communication with the students, parents, and the broader community of Newark, NJ. Due to her continued inability to have an open and constructive dialogue with us, she has inevitably created a deep mistrust against the administration and its policies. At this point, the students remain committed to the demand that she resign immediately and return to the monthly public school board meetings beginning Tuesday, Feb. 24th.  We must continue the dialogue and develop a process for selecting her replacement.”

Students occupied the NPS offices for four days, finally securing a meeting with Ms. Anderson. By the end of the meeting it was clear to students that Ms. Anderson demonstrated no greater commitment to the Newark community or a democratic process for selecting her replacement. Students and the Newark community will continue to escalate demands for Cami Anderson to resign and to restore local control to the Newark Public School System. What became most clear during the week is that the escalation to demand local control moving forward will directly target “the Decider”, Governor Chris Christie.

MORE in The Amsterdam News on Unity rejection of Anti-Testing Resolution

The governor’s plan also has New York City teachers angry. A caucus of United Federation of Teachers members, calling themselves the Movement of Rank and File Educators, said that public education is in danger and even labeled Cuomo “anti-public education.” In an emailed statement, the group also asked Cuomo to visit their schools and speak with the children, parents and teachers about the issues that matter to them the most. They also talked about what they feel is an overemphasis on standardized testing.
“Unfortunately, our UFT leadership does not feel the same,” read the statement. “Our caucus, the Movement of Rank and File Educators, raised the ‘I Refuse’ resolution at the February 11 UFT Delegate Assembly. It calls for union opposition to standardized high stakes testing that is currently pushed by the federal and state governments, because this testing is not being used to further instruction for children, to help children or to support the educational needs of children. The UFT leadership voted against this resolution.”
The statement concluded, “Our working conditions are students’ learning conditions!”.... http://m.amsterdamnews.com/news/2015/feb/19/teachers-fire-back-cuomo-over-testing/

Social Justice/Movement vs Economic Unionism - Where Does the UFT Stand?

"I don't have time to give a shit about Cuomo -- I'm in a life and death struggle with my principal and the union people I deal with seem to be on his side" .... overheard at the Feb. UFT Delegate Assembly.

I raise this point as an introduction to this piece because I don't care how a union or caucus brands itself - SJ, SM, business/economic unionism  - the battle comes down to the school level and if that doesn't get addressed it all become irrelevant. I maintain that the UFT's unwillingness or inability to address this issue - and in fact often defend some principals and brand the members complaining as malcontents - goes beyond labels. Many - not all -- Social Justice oriented people often seem to be working in schools they like - if you are in a career death spiral due to an oppressive administration it is hard to keep your head above water to think beyond survival.

On the other hand, with the attacks on unions, without a social justice/movement component, unions stand alone, so there is a yin-yang going on.

Let me get into this pretty interesting piece on Social Justice unionism posted at Substance.

With the recent decision by the Washington Post, not generally a friend of labor unions, to feature a lengthy essay by Milwaukee's Bob Peterson, and the attempts by some in the Chicago Teachers Union to brand CORE as a "social justice caucus," it's time for a full debate over not only terminology but underlying concepts. The following essay by Substance staff member and contributor Kim Scipes helps frame some of the issues that are, once again, coming to the forefront as the leadership of the Chicago Teachers Union ends its campaigns in the Chicago municipal elections and heads into a fierce fight over the new contract, the first since the Chicago Teachers Strike of 2012...... George N. Schmidt, editor, Substance

I posted Milwaukee union president Bob Peterson's piece on Ed Notes recently with some commentary -- Undemocratic Teacher Unions Are the Problem, Not the Solution.  I also posted a summary of SJ caucus actions around the nation from UCORE -- Ve R Not Alone -- UCORE - United Caucuses of Rank ....

Bob, one of the founders of progressive Rethinking Schools, is one of the most interesting educators I've met - a lifetime classroom teacher catapulted into union leadership - yes, he is NOT a lawyer pretending to be a teacher. Interesting point -- he is NEA not AFT but Wisconsin may see a merger and that would add Bob to the other progressive union leaders, hopefully in time for the 2016 AFT convention in Minneapolis.

George  Schmidt posted a very interesting scholarly piece on the roots of social justice/movement unionism by Kim Scipes. 'Social Movement Unionism', 'Social Justice Unionism,' or some other understanding... Disentangling Theoretical Confusion within the Global Labor Movement

 ....those promoting the concept of social movement unionism in North America argue for a democratic, rank and file-led unionism that mobilizes their members to address not only issues of the union’s (institutionalized) self-interest, but also issues within unions themselves, as well as the interests of all poor and working people in general, but without challenging the existence of the current social order.

George used this photo I took at the past summer AFT convention in LA - George was in the audience but I had this camera angle.

By July 2014, leaders of the three largest pre-K - 12 locals in the American Federation of Teachers were brought together to discuss "social movement unionism" during the convention of the American Federation of Teachers in Los Angeles. Above, Michael Mulgrew (President of the United Federation of Teachers, New York City), Karen Lewis (President of the Chicago Teachers Union) and Alex Caputo Pearl (President of the United Teachers of Los Angeles) were on the panel on "social movement unionism" during the 2014 AFT convention in Los Angeles. Substance photo by Norm Scott.

George and I often have discussions on SJ unionism and SJ caucuses - as both CORE in Chicago and MORE in NYC have branded themselves - and we do at times roll our eyes at some of the rhetoric we hear. I ran into a whole crew at the convention this summer that were under attack in LA that are not supporters of Alex or SJ unionism.

I can't tell you how often someone in MORE says we have to do or take a position on a, b or c because we are a social justice -- no -- THE social justice caucus -- in the UFT. I often respond that Unity Caucus, though branded by the left as a "business" union has a few aspects of SJ unionism - at least on the surface.

Both George and I are not comfortable with the branding and at times I would like to either ink out "The Social Justice Caucus of the UFT" phrase on the MORE teeshirts or add a bunch of other phrases to go with it - like we are "THE defense of public education and teacher rights" caucus, which I think is SJ but a more inclusive term. Fact is, different people in MORE have their own definitions of Social justice/movement unionism and that is what at times makes the branding an internal burden. My feeling is it often comes down to what you do at the school level.

Here are just a few excerpts from Kim Scipes' long piece which may not be for everyone but certainly worth taking a look at: 
http://www.substancenews.net/articles.php?page=5446&section=Article

I'm also including the 20 questions to ask about your own union - come up with a score for the UFT, which the opposition often brands as an economic or business union.

.....it was argued that there were three types of trade unionism in the world: economic, political, and social movement unionism.

Economic trade unionism was defined as:
... unionism that accommodates itself to, and is absorbed by, the industrial relations system of its particular country; which engages in political activities within the dominant political system for the well-being of its members and its institutional self but generally limits itself to immediate interests... (Scipes, 1992a:126).

Political unionism was defined as:
... unionism that is dominated by or subordinated to a political party or state, to which the leaders give primary loyalty—and this includes both the Leninist and “radical nationalist” versions. This results in generally but not totally neglecting workplace issues for "larger" political issues (Scipes, 1992a: 127).

And then, after detailing the debate over “social movement unionism” (Scipes, 1992a:127-133), this version of social movement unionism was defined as:
… a model of trade unionism that differs from the traditional forms of both economic and political unionism. This model sees workers’ struggles as merely one of many efforts to qualitatively change society, and not either the only site for political struggle and social change or even the primary site. Therefore, it seeks alliances with other social movements on an equal basis, and tries to join them in practice when possible, both within the country and internationally.

Social movement unionism is trade unionism democratically controlled by the membership and not by any external organization, which recognizes that the struggles for control over workers’ daily work life, pay and conditions is intimately connected with and cannot be separated from the national sociopolitical- economic situation. This requires that struggles to improve the situation of workers confront the national situation—combining struggles against exploitation and oppression in the workplace with those confronting domination both external from and internal to the larger society—as well as any dominating relations within the unions themselves. Therefore, it is autonomous from capital, the state and political parties, setting its own agenda from its own particular perspective, yet willing to consider modifying its perspective on the basis of negotiations with the social movements [and political parties] with which it is allied with and which it has equal relations (Scipes, 1992a: 133).29

One of the constant debates in the opposition in the UFT over the  45 years I've been involved has been over whether a caucus should focus solely on the economic model, a debate that has led to internal conflicts and splits. Note these points by Kim Scipes relevant to a group like MORE, which focuses on building a core of activists (as I saw yesterday at a MORE meeting with 11 people who gave up half their vacation day.)

I think there is a big difference between CORE in Chicago which has control of the union and MORE in NYC which is a tiny sliver of people mostly unknown to the vast majority of UFT members, most of whom have little interest in SJ unionism. But the yang of this is that if you are trying to build a core of activists who are willing to give up chunks of their lives to organize people in the union, they are more likely to do so if they are SJ oriented - and no caucus can go very far without people to do the work.

The adoption of a particular conceptualization of unionism by any union at best is a product of a three-way interaction between members, activists (informal leaders) and formal leaders, although obviously, once established, formal union leadership in some cases can encourage or hinder membership and/or activist involvement in such choice. In other words, the form of trade unionism chosen is more than just a product of the presence or absence of activists
and their particular politics: activists are important, but how they are facilitated or constrained by formal leaders is a factor, as is how the membership responds or does not respond to their ideas/activities/proposals, etc.

At the same time, this is a process critically affected by how collective decisions are made, whether inclusively from the bottom-upwards, or exclusively from the top-downwards:  unions whose positions are based on inclusive rank-and-file participation and collective decisionmaking are more likely to have greater membership participation and maintain vibrant internal democracy than are unions that exclude rank-and-file members from decision-making processes (see Ross, 2008: 148-153). Further, support for any form of unionism based on inclusion and collective decision-making is much more likely to survive difficult times than those with exclusive decision-making.

The comment in bold is a key -- the UFT is screaming for members to jump in on the Cuomo battle but as all too many people have said -- I don't have time to give a shit about Cuomo -- I'm in a life and death struggle with my principal. I don't care how a union or caucus brands itself - SJ, SM - the battle comes down to the school level and if that doesn't get addressed it all become irrelevant.

Is the UFT an economic or social justice union: 20 questions to rate the UFT. Kim raises an interesting point. "The sets of questions have been divided into two categories—institutional and programmatic concerns—so as to indicate differences between how things are formally organized and how they work in practice."

Unity trolls claim the UFT institutional is democratically organized. I don't agree, but especially in the practice it is not democratic.

Measuring Different Forms of Trade Unionism
A 20-question scale has been developed by which to measure different forms of [economic] trade unionism. 

Marjorie Stamberg Analyzes UFT Special Strategy Delegate Assembly

*Common Core and the UFT Unity Waffling*
To understand the subtext here, you have to understand that the UFT is in favor of Common Core national testing obsession. They were the enablers (in the sense that word is used in addiction psychology) of pushing through the Common Core in New York City. Over heavy opposition, the UFT pushed through the contract the agreement linking teacher evaluations to student test scores.
Now all this looks like it’s going down, and they are slipping around this, while upholding the Common Core and the punitive teacher evals. In typical UFT fashion (for which they are notorious), they buy into bad stuff, then try to ameliorate the disaster.  ... Marjorie Stamberg

I don't always agree with the message Marjorie puts out but her analysis of what goes on in the UFT is often right on -- of course she must get in her political messages - which I have put in bold so you can find them easily. I realized after reading her report that the 2 key Unity speakers against the MORE reso were retired UFT staffer Mark Korashan and current UFT staffer Sterling Roberson -- do they not trust even the Unity people working in the schools who actually have to work under the crap they helped create to make a cogent case against the MORE/NYSAPE reso on testing?

By the way -- as I write this I am watching a powerful anti-testing commercial on TV by the NEW JERSEY Teacher union -- NOT NYSUT OR THE UFT.

See other reports from the Feb. 11 DA:

• Two UFT DA Reports From MORE
• Testing Reso Voted Down at Delegate Assembly, New ...

Marjorie comments on the MORE reso which she voted for:

...if there had been discussion, I would have noted that the MORE resolution did not call on the UFT to refuse to support standardized testing, or to support and defend teachers who won’t give the test.

She is correct but out of context - MORE and Change the Stakes had a lot of internal discussion on this and decided to join the rest of the state in putting forth the exact NYSAPE resolution as written for the purpose of being in tune with everyone else as there will be plenty of opportunities to follow up this spring as the opt-out movement heats up. Thus the rejection by the Unity/UFT leadership was not a rejection of the MORE reso but of the influential - and at times allied with the UFT/NYSUT - NYSAPE which has Leonie Haimson and Carol Burris on their steering committee - along with Nancy Cauthen from Change the Stakes.

Marjorie also point correctly to the weakness of the opt-out movement as being mostly white and middle class -- CTS has been making an effort to reach into non-middle class communities and schools to point out how ALL kids are harmed by high stakes tests. And let's not forget the middle class black community which may be more amenable to the message.

Report-back from UFT Delegate Assembly, February 11, 2015 *
by Marjorie Stamberg.

Two weeks ago the DA had a “special strategy session” to outline a lobbying campaign against Gov. Cuomo’s vicious anti-teacher agenda. This D.A. was really a follow-up.

*President’s Report*
Mulgrew’s strategy is to paint Cuomo as an “outlier”, whose teacher bashing and test obsessing is out of step with both the federal government and local pols.
The UFT, he said, should continue to pressure and isolate Cuomo by lobbying Albany, holding educational forums, and a March 9th week of action. The goal is to get the state budget passed. If the budget doesn’t pass by April 1st, then Cuomo gets to enact a budget by “executive order”. This is how Cuomo wants to ram through his agenda including teacher evals based 50% on student test scores, new teacher probation extended from 3 to 5 years, merit pay, raising the charter cap, and putting low performing schools in receiver ship.

If Cuomo uses its executive order, than the UFT is back in “full scale combat” and the “nasty ugliness” of the Bloomberg years.
High stakes testing, the “opt out” campaign, and Common Core were the subtext of all the remarks, and sometimes the elephant in the room. What wasn’t said is that the UFT continues to support Common Core, over all opposition.
So Mulgrew developed the argument that testing is good, if it is used for diagnostic purposes, but bad if it is used for high-stakes decisions on teachers *(like huh? UFT voted to keep this in the contract*). 

And the Unity Caucus delegates (the majority of the D.A.) *voted down* a proposal to put a discussion of the “opt out” resistance movement on the agenda for the next Delegates Assembly. 

Thus, all the key issues were avoided.
*March 9th Week of Action*
There will be “grassroots actions” that will range from leafleting outside schools, surrounding the schools with people who holding hands around the building, and “surrounding the state building (I’m not sure if he meant in Manhattan or Albany). This will be not just educators and parents, but telling Cuomo that “our government is not for sale to the billionaires.”
As a UFT chapter, I think it’s important for us to meet and figure out what it can do. But I think it will take a lot more than holding hands – we need to talk about workers’ power. 

*“Opt Out—I Refuse “Movement”*
*“Unity Caucus” Response – Straw Horses and Red Herrings*
Mike Shirtzer from the MORE Caucus put this resolution up. There was a lot of support, but the majority Unity Caucus delegates refused to let it on the floor. Mike said the union should not support high stakes testing, and that the union should support parents’ right to opt out of standardized tests. He said we should be teaching critical thinking, not how to fill in bubbles.
Retired former D79 district rep Mark Korashan spoke against it, saying the MORE resolution called on NYSUT to take a position and we can’t tell NYSUT what to do. This argument was a red herring in that the MORE resolution did not order NYSUT to do anything, only to bring the UFT position to NYSUT’s attention..
Sterling Robeson was the main speaker against it. He repeated the Unity Caucus straw-horse line that the union doesn’t oppose all tests (nobody said we do) and that many parents and activists in civil rights groups want testing, so that their children are given the opportunities to succeed.
My view: I voted to the MORE resolution. Still, if there had been discussion, I would have noted that the MORE resolution did not call on the UFT to refuse to support standardized testing, or to support and defend teachers who won’t give the test. This is how the standardized tests were stopped in Oaxaca and Guerrero, Mexico –through the strength of the teachers’ movement.
The weakness of the Opt Out movement is that it is essentially middle class. That is parents who have “options” can have their kids opt out (Many Ivy League schools are abandoning the SAT tests anyway—family income is enough of a predictor of student success (!). Others cannot take the risk to “opt out”, unless there is a powerful campaign of education and support to defend the teachers and the students who do.
*Common Core and the UFT Unity Waffling*
To understand the subtext here, you have to understand that the UFT is in favor of Common Core national testing obsession. They were the enablers (in the sense that word is used in addiction psychology) of pushing through the Common Core in New York City. Over heavy opposition, the UFT pushed through the contract the agreement linking teacher evaluations to student test scores.
Now all this looks like it’s going down, and they are slipping around this, while upholding the Common Core and the punitive teacher evals. In typical UFT fashion (for which they are notorious), they buy into bad stuff, then try to ameliorate the disaster. Why? Long story—it’s about capitalism and the “labor lieutenants of capital” as Daniel De Leon called the labor bureaucracy.
So back to Common Core national syllabus and teacher evals. There is a concurrence of right-wing and leftwing opposition to this coming out of Washington. The Republicans don’t want the federal government involved in curriculum or testing, claiming states’ rights. They don’t want to teach evolution, climate change or the fact the North won the Civil War.
Actually, we don’t want the feds involved either, because the capitalist state should stay out of education (Marx said that). Also we want to teach the history of the Black Panther Party, Che Guevara, the Cuban Revolution, immigrant rights, anti-racism, and all the other issues of the day.
That’s it for now.

Ed News you can use: Cuomo Adopts Bloomberg Ed Model, Astroturf groups rally to support him, UFT Rally Today at City Hall

United Federation of Teachers president Michael Mulgrew, Assembly education chairwoman Cathy Nolan and others will hold a press conference on the Campaign for Fiscal Equity this morning at City Hall a 11AM.
COMING UP: The U.F.T. is planning a citywide rally, in partnership with Class Size Matters and the Alliance for Quality Education, to protest Cuomo’s education proposals on Thursday, March 12. 

The Northeast Charter Schools Network is launching a charter school “myth-busting” campaign in an attempt to dispel common criticisms of charters. The group is starting with the claim that charters are not public schools. The Network joined both Families for Excellent Schools and StudentsFirstNY yesterday in pushing for Cuomo’s education agenda. See the campaign here: http://bit.ly/1E6Jcfs .. Capital Education

Sure - they're public schools to get the money but not public schools when it comes to teacher qualifications or accountability equal to public school teachers or on issues such as discipline codes. See Raging Horse blog for more on AstroTurf: When is a “Grassroots” Organization a Front?

Here are selections from today's report from Capital Education, which you ought to subscribe to: jbakeman@capitalnewyork.com

CUOMO’S JOEL KLEIN EDUCATION AGENDA—Capital’s Eliza Shapiro: “Governor Andrew Cuomo’s ambitious, yet controversial education reform agenda picks up many of the loose threads left by former mayor Michael Bloomberg and former chancellor Joel Klein, two of the governor’s most direct ideological predecessors on education policy. Merit pay for teachers who help raise their students’ test scores, stricter teacher evaluations with more weight on exams, support for charter schools and little patience for struggling schools are national reform initiatives ushered into New York City during the decade Klein served as chancellor. Now, Cuomo is elevating those proposals to the state level, and assuming the mantle of education reform for New York as Bloomberg and Klein have disappeared and teachers' union-friendly de Blasio administration directs policy out of City Hall.”
—Their policies overlap in several key areas: on merit pay, Cuomo is proposed a $20 million “teacher excellence fund” to furnish $20,000 bonuses for “highly effective teachers.” Klein’s deal on merit pay with the union ultimately fell through. Bloomberg recommended linking teacher tenure with student test results in 2009; Cuomo has doubled down on that idea by recommending tenure be linked with teacher evaluations and that those evaluations be 50 percent comprised of student exam results.
—Klein and Bloomberg ensured the creation of New York City’s charter school sector, which has grown so quickly that the cap was extended by 114 schools in 2010. Cuomo has proposed to raise the cap, again, by 100 schools this year. Both Klein and Cuomo have embraced a no-excuses stance on failing schools and struggling teachers. Klein and Cuomo have also used almost identical language about the obstacles to removing teachers accused of ineffectiveness or misconduct. http://bit.ly/19ydwUy

PRO-CHARTER GROUPS MOBILIZE PARENTS ON CUOMO’S REFORMS—Capital’s Eliza Shapiro: “StudentsFirstNY held a rally in support of Governor Andrew Cuomo's education reform agenda today, as the well-organized, well-funded pro-charter sector attempts to answer the teachers' unions' criticisms of Cuomo. Several hundred parents, largely from district schools around the city and almost exclusively black, attended the rally at Medgar Evers College in Crown Heights on Wednesday evening, where Assemblyman and future Cuomo official Karim Camara and City Council member Robert Cornegy Jr. spoke. Cornegy, one of the few council members to show public support for Cuomo or the charter movement, got an energetic standing ovation from the audience on Wednesday.
After Cuomo outlined his education proposals in his State of the State address last month, much of the reaction has been provided by the teachers' unions and from the United Federation of Teachers in particular. Now, the pro-charter sector, which has been increasingly focused on failing schools and accountability over the last six months, is debuting a series of its own advocacy efforts, all of which are intended to mobilize parents, rather than teachers, in support of Cuomo's ‘opportunity agenda.’”
http://bit.ly/1vYKKqH

And here's another little gem pointing to how easy it is to bait Randi and put her on the defensive due to her constant waffling on the fence of ed deform.

CUOMO V. WEINGARTEN ON RECEIVERSHIP—Capital’s Jessica Bakeman: “Cuomo on Wednesday challenged American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten's position on state takeovers of failing schools, questioning why she would support a receivership model that has been implemented in Massachusetts but oppose a similar program in New York. … ‘The union, national union, supported the model in Massachusetts, because they said enough was enough and if Randi Weingarten can support it in Massachusetts, Randi Weingarten should support it in New York,’ Cuomo said.
“In a statement Wednesday, Weingarten said the receivership in Lawrence, Mass., a small city northwest of Boston, works well because the implementation has promoted collaboration. ‘I'm for parents, educators and communities having real voice in their children's public schools—the opposite of what the governor has called for,’ Weingarten, former president of New York City’s United Federation of Teachers, said.” [PRO] http://bit.ly/1yYW7t3
 

Is It Possible the "New" PEP under de Blasio is even less transparent than under Bloomberg?

Letter from Public Advocate, CM Dromm and Class Size Matters about need for transparency with $1.25B contract

February 18, 2015

VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL

Vanessa Leung, Chair

Department of Education Panel for Educational Policy

52 Chambers Street

New York, NY 10007

Robert Powell, Chair

Department of Education Committee on Contracts

65 Court Street, 12^th Floor

Brooklyn, New York 11201

Dear Ms. Leung and Mr. Powell:

We are writing to express our concern about the lack of transparency around spending and contracts at the Department of Education (DOE). It has come to our attention that on February 25^th, 2015, the DOE Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) will vote on a five year contract for IT services totaling almost $1.25 billion, and almost no information has been provided about the contract.

It is not secret that the DOE has a deplorable record when it comes to issuing technology contracts. Millions of dollars have been sacrificed due to mismanagement, waste, and corruption. It is shocking that the DOE thinks it is acceptable to vote on another contract without full disclosure and vetting available to the community, elected officials, and the public at large.

The contract in question is for Custom Computer Specialists to provide IT networking hardware and installation services at $224.8 million per year. This little amount of information was posted on the DOE website. However, no information has been provided about the particulars of the contract, whether it was competitively bid, or what investigations the DOE may have done concerning the record and/or background of this company.

DOE officials have stated that PEP members receive more documentation for its contracts five to six days before the vote, but this information is only posted to the public one business day before the vote. Even this promise of limited transparency is false. For the most recent vote on January 29^th, information on the contracts was not posted until several days after. We are calling on the DOE to post the full documentation for all contracts at least ten days before the vote – at the same time as the list of contracts is made public.

Simply put: transparency and accountability must be the bedrock of any contracts issued using public money.

We are also calling on the DOE to make public the full documentation and information for the Custom Computer Specialists contract as soon as possible. If the DOE refuses, we urge you – as appointees whose role is to represent the interests of the public – to make this information available as soon as you receive it. 

Sincerely,

Letitia James

Public Advocate for the City of New York

Danny Dromm

Councilmember, Chair of the NYC Council Education Committee

Leonie Haimson

Executive Director, Class Size Matters

Cc:          DOE Chancellor Carmen Fariña

Charter press conference rescheduled so Cuomo could make appearance on behalf of big $ contributors

Leonie Haimson reports:

See below; charter school presser hurriedly rescheduled today in the Bronx so the Governor could make an appearance and call for expansion of charters.  When has Cuomo ever appeared at a public school to call attention to the need for more funding, to alleviate overcrowding or fix "crumbling schools"?  Never.

Could his  appearance on behalf of Girls Prep Charter in the Bronx be related to the fact that the head of the charter school's board, Boykin Curry,  gave him more than $98,000 between 2009-2012 according to http://data.influenceexplorer.com

Or the fact that in the last election cycle, Curry gave Cuomo an additional $60,800 (the limit) according the spreadsheet compiled by Capital NY here: http://bit.ly/1vC7ZnR 

Not to mention his wife Cecilia Kemble (sometimes known as Celerie) who gave Cuomo $56,200, in the last election, according to the same spreadsheet?   Or Bruce Kovner, on the advisory board and a supporter of Girls Prep Charter,  who  gave him $45,000? 

Nah.

Leonie

From: Ruben Diaz <diaz@nysenate.gov>
Date: Tue, Feb 17, 2015 at 8:57 PM
Subject: ***Wednesday Morning Press Bronx Conference Rescheduled to 12:00 noon***
To: Ruben Diaz <diaz@nysenate.gov>


 ***Wednesday Morning Press Bronx Conference Rescheduled to 12:00 noon***

Press conference demonstrating support for bold action to fix failing schools crisis
 
Since Governor Andrew Cuomo will be in the Bronx in the morning of February 18, 2015, this Bronx Press Conference has been rescheduled to 12:00 noon at the Girls Prep Bronx Elementary 681 Kelly Street, Bronx, NY 10455.

Senator Ruben Diaz Sr., Assemblymen Marcos Crespo and Mark Gjonaj, and Assemblywoman Latoya Joyner Stand with Prominent Clergy and Parents to Call for Bold Change to Fix Failing Schools Crisis.

Fred Smith, King of Exposing Field Test Scam(s), Warns About State Ed Perfidy

Since parents have become wiser to refusing these field tests, SED decided to be coercive. Failing that, for the moment, they are now offering to seek money that would allow embedded field testing to take place on a proper scale and are making transparency sounds. Don't buy it.... Fred Smith

.... the New York State Board of Regents has, for now at least, abandoned its plan to take up changes to state regulations that would have mandated stand-alone field tests that have historically been voluntary.  ...Regents Blink On Mandatory Field Testing - For Now - RBE at Perdido

Fred Smith, as a member of Change the Stakes,  has been the leading light in pointing out the field test scam where we pay for their experiments on kids and has written extensively on the subject (Fred Smith: Saying No to This Week’s Field Tests).

Years ago we delivered a $30 million bill to the doors of Pearson during a large demo and march (Pearson Rally Pics).

And here are some ed notes pieces from May, 2012 when the opt-out movement was just getting started here in NYC.

Standardized Test Field Testing This Upcoming Tues...
Parent-led Protest Against High Stakes Testing Thu...

And recent comments on the CTS listserve

Hi Fred and group, 

Just wanted to touch base and let you know Lo Hud has written about the Regents plan to table field testing. Lisa and I were interviewed and both mentioned that our concerns about SEDs proposal persist and have been compounded as a result of the Regents lack of transparency. Here is the piece:

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/education/2015/02/17/regents-table-vote-outcry-field-tests/23579365/

Anna Shah, NYSAPE

Fred Smith expands on this:

There's a back story here that puts the current SED/Regents posturing in perspective:

When SED signed a 5-year agreement with Pearson to be its consultant/contractor in early 2011 it was clear that only four field test forms (per grade) were budgeted for developing multiple-choice items. This had been specified in the RFP that vendors responded to when they formulated contract proposals.

Each form would allow a reading passage and six related items to be embedded and tried out, yielding a maximum of four passages and 24 items to be auditioned per grade for ELA and math. Note: Even if all material passed muster (an impossibility), there would not be enough new items for a subsequent round of tests.  Limited printing capacity was not immediately given as the reason so few forms could be produced.

Pearson, an experienced testing vendor knew this design would leave the state short.  It had contracts with states where many more forms were produced and collectively contained a large pool of embedded field test items from which to select in order to build new tests. In some states the number of forms ranged between 15 and 20.

In its role as a consultant Pearson should have pointed out that four forms would not work. As a vendor eager to win another state contract, however, Pearson wanted to suit its client--the SED.  So it did what was called for to win the bid.  But shortly afterward, I imagine Pearson feigned shock at learning that four forms wouldn't work and so the idea of using stand-alone field tests in June no less--to generate items took hold. 

Kind of an expedient and rescue mission at the same time, with Pearson ready to do what was necessary to keep the testing ball rolling, even though the stand-alone approach had been discredited after 2009's testing and, in general, was a dubious way to develop items.

The contract between SED and Pearson never called for stand-alone field testing of multiple-choice items. This arrangement was outside of its requirements, terms and conditions. In fact, I checked the State Comptroller's Open Book web site and, to date, I have not seen an amendment to or modification of the contract that reflects this extra work, nor any indication of how much this foreseeable overrun has cost and where the additional money has come from. But SED and Pearson pulled it off.

SED should have made the case for more money and more forms years ago, when Chancellor Tisch was trumpeting her forward looking reform agenda, which involved more rigorous testing and which spun into the transition to the common core.  With testing looming so large in all the high stakes decisions that were being tied to it--there was and is no excuse for trying to do it on the cheap.

Over the last two years, having botched the testing and the roll-out of the Core, Tisch and King have not acknowledged any of this history.  Instead, we've been given a story that SED's hands were tied by the legislature, which didn't provide funding to support adequate printing capacity--which they are now trying to obtain in order to do embedded field testing correctly--which will allow them to disclose more material--which they hope we believe will be taken to mean that SED has suddenly become transparent.

BUT... the crude attempt to mandate stand-alone field testing by passing a resolution, reveals that their basic impulse has been to continue to do ill-advised field testing. Since parents have become wiser to refusing these field tests, SED decided to be coercive.  Failing that, for the moment, they are now offering to seek money that would allow embedded field testing to take place on a proper scale and are making transparency sounds.  Don't buy it.

Fred

Live Streamed - Students Occupy Newark Supt Cami Anderson's Office

From NEW Caucus: Newark Students Union Occupies Cami's Office on the 8th Floor of 2 Cedar

Live Stream Link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPws_9OfEDo&list=LLhrmfG34i8emrv50TUNnBmQ&index=1

Arbitrator Takes Control of UFT Contract - Expect Unity Slugs to Claim We Overreact

What is amazing is that at a time when the city has a huge surplus, we have to make the retirees whole, at a cost that extends out into the future.... Comment on MORE listserve in response to Arbitrator extending latest UFT contract in order to pay retirees, as reported by James Eterno, ARBITRATOR RULES ACTIVE PEOPLE HAVE TO PAY FOR RETIREE LUMP SUM PAYMENTS.

 Look for a comment soon along the lines of, "It's only a month extension, what are you guys complaining about?"

Peter Lamphere pointed to the real underlying issue:

This is very interesting. Although the modifications are relatively minor, they do involve a financial loss to active members. Most importantly, the power of this arbitrator over contract provisions has been decisively demonstrated, which will come into play in a major way if the magical 3.4 billion in health care savings promised fail to emerge.

Ahhh, that magical 3.4 billion, which doesn't have to be settled until AFTER Mugrew has to run for re-election - with the support of New Action, of course -- for which they will get their piece of the Ex Bd.

Eterno today added to the point today at ICE:

ARBITRATOR MIGHT NOT YET BE DONE REWRITING UFT CONTRACT

The arbitrator who decided last week to lengthen our contract by a month and delay one of the raises may have another crack at rewriting the agreement.  If the city and the union can't agree on the UFT's share of $3.4 billion in heath care savings, then guess who gets to decide on the savings?  You are right if you guessed it is the same arbitrator who just extended the contract.  With our union's track record, most are expecting to experience some kind of healthcare giveback in the not too distant future. 

Pissed Off teacher also commented from the perspective of making sure retirees are kept happy and voting for Mulgrew:

Courting Votes

Mulgrew loves his retired teachers.  They sing his praises at meetings and, since they are not working  they ask nothing in return.  He doesn't have to waste time defending them or answering their questions.
Mulgrew might be in for a rude awakening.  The new bunch of retired teachers don't remember or care about the union Shanker created.  They and their colleagues have long been neglected and abused by the union of today.

Ms. Tsouris on POT blog ...

It's been the usual dog-and-pony show. The orginal $180 million was suddenly "not enough" as if the UFT and the DOE didn't know all those teachers were going to retire, given the "retire by June 30th" incentive. That of course is total baloney. Of course they all knew that many teachers were going to retire. The decision to extend the contract by a month and restructure the raises was imposed by the arbitrator. Retirees really shouldn't be voting at all, but that's how the corrupt, mean spirited and bloated Unity caucus maintains its stranglehold on what once was a great union.

And Chaz:

Breaking News - Our Union Sells Out Their Active Members Yet Again!

Undemocratic Teacher Unions Are the Problem, Not the Solution in the Battle Against Ed Deform

If we don’t transform teacher unions now, our schools, our profession, and our democracy—what’s left of it—will likely be destroyed. I know. I am from Wisconsin, the home of Scott Walker and Paul Ryan.... Social justice unionism is an organizing model that calls for a radical boost in internal union democracy and increased member participation. This contrasts to a business model that is so dependent on staff providing services that it disempowers members and concentrates power in the hands of a small group of elected leaders and/or paid staff. An organizing model, while still providing services to members, focuses on building union power at the school level in alliance with parents, community groups, and other social movements....

Bob Peterson, President of Wilwaukee Teachers Association and founding member of Rethinking Schools

The long piece below by Bob Peterson is worth reading. For people who attack the social justice unionism concept, I find it funny how many SJ people are getting elected in Chicago, LA, Milwaukee, Detroit and coming close in Seattle.

Just attend any Delegate Assembly and you can see the business unionism model in action. Almost everyone who speaks is either staff or a Unity Caucus school-based person with perks.

All the Unity Caucus apologists and trolls who leave their comments on blogs -- and their supporters can issue call after call for a united fight but until they stand up and demand a democratic, member-driven union they are just apologists for bad policy leading us down the road to ruin --- and ----- as long as they support the parceling out of Executive Board seats to a group like New Action in exchange for their endorsing Mulgrew for president.

The same goes for so-called critics of Unity that bend over backwards to build alliances with New Action which is one of the obstacles to building a democratic union --- an alliance with New Action = support for Mulgrew no matter the bombast.

A Revitalized Teacher Union Movement
 
Reflections from the field
 
By Bob Peterson 
 
http://www.rethinkingschools.org/img/archive/29_02/peterson-1.jpg