Norm Handicaps the 2024 Retiree Chapter Election - 35% is bad, 45% and above is a winning formula going forward

Unity Caucus - The Real Enemy Within

I went to the DA Wednesday with a leaflet I wrote under the Ed Notes banner with the headline above where I pointed to the leadership working closely with the city and private health insurance - outside the UFT - to undermine retiree healthcare. In brief conversations even some with Unity, people seemed to agree that the healthcare issue is not a good one for Unity. I had conversations, especially since my recent major health issue, with Unity people about how if I was on Mulgrewcare I would not be able to get the quick service in terms of tests and seeing new docs so easily. They all nod their heads and seem to agree -- so even in the deep state there's skepticism. 

 

But will loyalty to Unity triumph over common sense?

 

Then I attended the 14th annual Skinny Awards event with the usual amazing ed activist crowd. Saw many old pals. Leonie honored PEP members, including Kaliris for the 2nd time. It was a big crowd of ed deform resisters, some for over decades. Proud to be among them. 

 

I saw Jonathan there and we chatted briefly about possible election numbers. He did a deeeeeeeep dive on election numbers. Really worth a read. 

 

I'm not going to go so deep.

(Late) Thursday June 13, 2024

 

I'm staying in the city so I can get down to the retiree chapter vote count early Friday morning. I've been back and forth on the potential outcome from slight win for us to slight win for Unity to big win for Unity (meaning 65-70%). 

I know I'm going to make some of my colleagues angry in this analysis because people consider taking hard looks and not being positive as defeatist. Most of my colleagues are more optimistic than me (a noted pessimist) who always looks at the downside.) 

 

Arthur is super gung-ho. And sees Unity crashing: Retiree Advocate Is Ready to Represent: Unity's time has come.

 

So, on the day before the count, it is safe to come out of the water. Or is it?

• In my interview with Daniel Alicea on the WBAI Talk Out of School program he asked me to handicap the election and I told him he'd have to wait for today. I talk about how I got into teaching, the process I went through in becoming an activist and my version of opposition history through the early 90s. We end on the membership voting down the 1995 contract. To be continued in a few weeks with part 2 taking us up to current events in the UFT.  Listen to Part 1 (https://wbai.org/archive/program/episode/?id=50740)

I shared my pessimism with one of our candidates the other day -- he's a long time UFT activist going back to the 70s and a founder of ICE. He is not as pessimistic, saying he's been on contact with many Unity retirees, all of whom are so pissed at the Medicare situation, they say they are voting against Unity. Others report the same but that may be a particular non-hard core Unity.

Does Unity really have to worry about losing?

I feel there is a massive retiree Unity loyalty hell or high water block that is immovable.

 

So let's take a hard look at the current RTC election by the numbers and see if Unity is really threatened with losing or just panicking and tossing around hysterical charges at Retiree Advocate and Marianne Pizzitola whose NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees has just managed to save UFT retirees thousands of dollars over the past few years while the UFT/Unity gangsters have alied with the city and insurance companies. Exactly who is the enemy within?

 

I'm going to make this argument in the context that getting former non-voters to vote is a key in this election.

RTC Election Results, as reported on Ed Notes on June 23, 2021

Slate results:

Total votes cast: 23,024

Retiree Advocate/UFT: 6755 (29.3%)

Unity slate: 16,269 (70.7%)

Chapter Leader Results:

Total votes cast: 23,546

Gloria Brandman, RA: 6900 (29.3%)

Tom Murphy, Unity: 16,646 (70.7%)

• Note that about 500 people split their ballots -- a big error as slate votes are how we judge results.

You will notice that there is almost a ten thousand vote difference between Unity and RA. The key question is whether RA can make up that 10K difference. 

But let's jump ahead to the 2022 general election numbers where I had high hopes for the retiree vote.

Retiree ballots mailed: 68,970. Returned: 27,451

 

Unity: 19,368. United for Change:  7,984

• "the most dramatic number in this election’s turnout was the surge in retiree votes, 4,600 more votes than three years ago." - Jonathan

Yes - a year after Mulgrewcare we hoped more retirees would vote but even these new voters still did a 70-30% split. That is why I'm pessimistic.

 

While we went up by one thousand and Unity went up by 3000 votes A YEAR AFTER MEDICARE. 

The 2022 outcome is my major reason for thinking Unity will win this bigger than we think. Some people point out that my focus on that election is wrong and that over the past 2 years there is more erosion in Unity.
 

What is bigger? The worst outcome for us is sticking to the 30% but I don't expect that will happen. How about 35%? That would be very disappointing. We need to get to 40% to give people hope the opposition could close to 50% by next year. 45% would be a big boost. Winning would be better.

 

We live in a bubble of retiree anti-Mulgrew/Unity sentiment due to the healthcare issue. Outside that bubble where retirees are not getting any info other than from the Unity machine, it is a different story.  

There are the people who are not plugged into any network - the vast majority of the 70k retirees, some of whom are not even aware of the healthcare issue or the chapter election. Expect well over half not to vote -- if over half did vote - non-voters from the past - RA could win. But I don't expect such a big turnout based on previous elections. I'll get into more detail on the numbers below.

 

I wrote on May 19, 2022:

Retirees - massive turnout - over 27K - the UFT is weakened with well over half the total votes come from the no longer working, Unity is strengthened.

UFC got almost 8K, just short of 30%, which is the highest total by far in a general UFT election. Most attribute that vote to Mulgrewcare, but I don't see it that way. In last year's RTC election we also got 30% and Mulgrewcare was just being announced. I assumed we would go up to 35% or more. this year. But Unity was helped by the plan not being implemented due to the court case and Mulgrew tried to run away from it -- and in some ways was successful. Imagine of the opt-outers were paying $200 a month on Jan 1? It seems even Unity people who were unhappy came home. In the over 3K new votes this time, my guess is UFC and Unity split them with an edge to Unity -- which is sort of good but disappointing as I had hoped we would get a bigger chunk. Unity went all out organizing retiree chapters all over the nation -- all dominated by Unity retirees. I don't see us moving much beyond the 30% in the future and may in fact see a slippage. Unless Mulgrewcare is implemented. Watch outcomes in the RTC election in 2024 as Retiree Advocate remains active in the RTC chapter and as a crucial part of UFC.

So you can see I was not optimistic two years ago about this upcoming election but am more so than then.

 

The Shanker Advantage Still Holds for older Retirees: Voting for Shanker and forgetting that Mulgrew is no Albert Shanker

 

The other night we were out with a couple we know for 50 years. He's a UFT retiree. I asked if he voted yet. He said NO. He knows about the healthcare issue. But people are in his ear. A good friend says he will vote Unity because Unity has been good for us because of Shanker. Our friend's sister says the same. She will never vote anti-Unity. And these are not Unity members. They dismiss the healthcare issue. Do they actually believe Mulgrew has a better plan? They probably can afford to pay an extra premium if Mulgrew gets his way and gives us "choice" with pay for what we now have for free option.

 

Did they forget the Randi/Bloomberg years? Have they forgotten the reduction of interest from 8.25 to 7%? Of course they have no knowledge of the Tier 6 sellout. They were probably retired to witness the even more inept Mulgrew years. There will be no way to shake them. 

 

I'd bet there are a whole lot more like them, which leads to me taking a harder look at the realities.

 

That's not a good sign for this election. I have been assuming that if we can get the vote totals up to the 30-35k range, most of those votes would go to us. But Unity still pulls a lot of loyalty. Tens of thousands of retirees were or still are in Unity. And they have been as propagandized by the Unity machine as FOX with the Trumpies. 

We have an almost 12,000 vote gap to make up and with the court wins the pressure is sort of off Mulgrew. How can we make up the gap?

Will Unity votes slip? At most they will slip a little. But maybe not. So I start by giving them 18-20K. If they actually slip back to their 2021 16k, RA may be in the ball game.

RA vote will increase because we have 300 candidates and a lot more outreach and people are telling us their friends are voting RA. Even right wingers. But lots of retirees to some surprise are not totally tuned into the healthcare issue and also some are fine with MedAdv - a woman going in to the RTC meeting told me all her relatives in Massachusetts are happy with MedAdv and she is also on some plan she is happy with. She might have been Unity.

The major hope to close the gap is the Marianne fans, which is why Unity is so intent on attacking her. But does she have enough outreach to close the gap? I'm guessing no, but her people will make the election closer - I hope. 

 

The key question will be whether we get 35% or 40% or 45%? or 51%

How can we win?

On the bright side, stories are coming in from hundreds of people who say they have contacted their retiree networks and people are saying they are voting RA. Let's say we get about a thousand vote bump from them.

The way to victory is for Unity to lose a few thousand - down to 15 or 16K and for us to get those votes plus our outreach plus the Marianne crowd. But if would be close no matter what as the best case scenario. 

 

And then expect Unity to do what it can to undermine the win in every way they can.

Expect the vote count to contain elements of a shit show.

• Press Release: ICE-UFT Demands Transparent and Eff...
• Can AAA Competence, Management and Reporting Proce...

We will post what we know Friday night - unless we are sleeping over at the AAA.

 

Press Release: ICE-UFT Demands Transparent and Efficient Ballot Count and Reporting Results by the American Arbitration Association (AAA)

Reprint from the ICE blog

Press Release: ICE-UFT Demands Transparent and Efficient Ballot Count and Reporting Results by the American Arbitration Association (AAA)

New York, NY – The Independent Community of Educators within the United Federation of Teachers (ICE-UFT) is demanding that the American Arbitration Association (AAA) implement a transparent, efficient, and equitable ballot counting process for the upcoming UFT elections, including those for the UFT Retiree Chapter, Paraprofessional Chapter, and all other contested elections. ICE-UFT insists that all members, regardless of caucus affiliation, must be treated equally and provided with equal access to observe and participate in the ballot count and access to all data generated during the entire election process.

(See Education Notes for more background: Can AAA Competence, Management and Reporting Process be Trusted in UFT Elections?)

 

This demand follows numerous issues observed in previous elections, including inefficiency and delays on the part of AAA, frequent machine jams, and extremely limited observation opportunities for members. Additionally, concerns have been raised about private communications between the UFT officers, all members of Unity Caucus, to which others were not privy, and AAA, as well as delays in announcing results. During past UFT election counts, requests for school-by-school data were denied, with AAA stating that only UFT officials had access to those reports.

 

“Transparency and fairness are non-negotiable in our union elections,” said Norm Scott, spokesperson for ICE-UFT. “We demand that AAA conduct the ballot count in a manner that is open, efficient, and equitable, ensuring that representatives from all caucuses have the same opportunities to participate and monitor the process. Any deviation from this standard undermines the integrity of our elections and the trust of our members.”

 

ICE-UFT’s demands include:

 

1. Equal Access for All Caucuses: Representatives from all caucuses must have identical opportunities to monitor the ballot count and raise any concerns in real-time.

2. Transparency in Procedures: AAA must communicate and adhere to clear, consistent procedures throughout the counting process to ensure transparency.

3. Efficient and Accurate Counting: The counting process must be carried out with utmost efficiency and accuracy to reflect the true will of the UFT membership.

4. Access to All District and School Data: Full access must be provided to all district and school data related to the elections to ensure complete transparency.

5. Access to ballot process during the voting period: Regular reports on numbers of ballots received, a report on number of ballots that were returned due to wrong address, number of ballots returned past deadline of reception, modification of the 8AM due time in final date of return to account for late mail delivery.

6. Prompt reporting to all caucus election committee reps on day of the count instead of being told to wait for the official AAA report.

 

ICE-UFT emphasizes the critical importance of these measures in the ballot counts for the UFT Retiree Chapter, Paraprofessional Chapter, and all other contested elections.

 

“These problems have cast doubt on the integrity of the election process,” continued Norm Scott. “We cannot allow these issues to persist and compromise the democratic principles our union stands for.”

 

ICE-UFT’s call to action comes amid increasing concerns about potential discrepancies and biases in the ballot counting process. By demanding these measures, ICE-UFT aims to uphold.

 

This press release is intended for immediate distribution.

 

For more information or to arrange an interview with Norm Scott, please contact him at (917) 992-3734 or via email at normsco@gmail.com

 

**About ICE-UFT** 

The Independent Community of Educators within the United Federation of Teachers (ICE-UFT) is dedicated to advocating for the rights and interests of educators and supporting democratic practices within the union. ICE-UFT works tirelessly to promote transparency, fairness, and inclusivity in all union activities.

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

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

 

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

 

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

Part 2 will be on in a few weeks.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Can AAA Competence, Management and Reporting Process be Trusted in UFT Elections?

How competent is the AAA to conduct UFT elections with massive numbers of voters? Is there somewhat of an illicit relationship between UFT/Unity leadership and AAA officials? Does the AAA show favoritism to the very people who hire them for every election?

 

From Hiro Kawahara, elections director at AAA. 

• He said that they can check to see if individual ballots were received at AAA.
• He is only authorized to give the returned ballot count to the designated point person from the UFT. 
  

There are reports of ballots, mailed, being delivered to the address on the back (the voter) instead of to AAA. Here is one: 

So, I pick up the mail today and I find my ballot returned! And, it's postmarked "1 June 2024 PM 6 L --- UFT retiree and RA candidate.

He lives in New York so I suggested he hand deliver but he is not currently mobile enough and AAA doesn't allow for someone else to deliver.  No way to get another ballot in time and assure it will get there in time. And what about people who don't live in NY? There is no way they can get another ballot and have it returned in time. We need AAA and the UFT to tabulate how many late ballots come in each day after 8 AM on June 14. In fact RA should call for late ballots to be counted because of the failures of the AAA.

And then there were those delayed ballot mailings. May 10 became on or about with a lot more about than on.

Ed Notes May 21: J'Accuse: Unity/AAA Delayed ballots suppress the vote

So we were told that ballots were to go out on May 10 but no one we know received their ballot until at least a week later and many haven't gotten it yet. Then when asked, AAA reported "on or about May 10." I asked a former colleague who is a snowbird and up in Boston now and he hasn't gotten his ballot and probably never will unless he contacts AAA and gets them to send to his summer home. I expect we will have loads of people who ask the AAA for replacements and they do la, di, da and it takes a week to get one and another week for it to get back to AAA? Demand they extend the deadline for ballots received to a few extra days to make up for the delayed mailing and other AAA screwups.

 

But of course that will be rejected, as Unity is all about vote suppression. They are the Republican Party of the UFT.

Unity expects to win this election by bombarding their core with lies and misinformation about the opposition while suppressing the rest of the vote where ever they can.

 

Sunday, June 9, 2024

How competent is the AAA to conduct UFT elections with massive numbers of voters? Is there somewhat of an illicit relationship between UFT/Unity leadership and AAA officials? Does the AAA show favoritism to the very people who hire them for every election?

Over the elections for the past decade I have noticed changes in how the AAA deals with the various parties in the election. 

 

If RA wins, what are the chances Unity protests and calls for a new election?

 

Here are some thoughts:

 

What data does AAA have during balloting process and how much is shared with UFT/Unity? 

We can now confirm that the AAA scans in the cover envelope as the arrive and thus have data on everyone who has voted -- and by subtraction, everyone who has not voted. 

When I asked someone from AAA this same question they said, "No. We scan the day the balloting ends." I didn't see how that made any sense.

 

Now, imagine if someone had this information every day to check on their own core voters and contact those who didn't vote yet? Do we think that UFT/Unity, which hires AAA, would be denied this data? 

This would be collusion. We need inside leakers to actually tell us they saw this data in the past. Feel free to comment anonymously.

What data does the AAA have on results and how they are reported?

You'll notice on the second point made by the AAA election head that they can only report to a designated UFT rep. This is a big change since the days when AAA reps came out to all observers after each division vote count to inform us of the slate vote totals. LeRoy Barr would represent Unity. Now when we see him huddling privately with AAA people he claims he's UFT not Unity. Thus spoketh the head of Unity Caucus. So in recent elections we get zilch until the UFT decides to release the numbers and put its own spin on them, sometimes delaying things for days.

I raised the reporting issue as a member of the 2022 election committee but was constantly deflected. I also asked for school by school breakdowns on how many people voted as a way to check on the work UFC people were actually doing in their schools. I was turned down. Does Unity get to check on the work their own people are doing in their schools? Imagine a tabulation of returned ballots from oppo schools, with the likelihood of being oppo votes?

I will also note recent signs of a la di da attitude and thus a slowing up the count (purposely to create delays?) I used to walk in at 9 AM in the old days and things were humming. Now when I walk in people are just getting there and unpacking boxes. Then we see breakdowns in scanners, extremely limited ability to observe -- now we watch cameras on 2 out of 6 machines on a big screen with frequent stoppages. 

In the 2022 election they didn't even have cameras and told us we couldn't go beyond the ropes to look at the machines. So I raised hell - what are we observing then? They delayed for an hour to set up some cameras and a feed to the screen.

So is there cheating going on? From what I see I assume AAA conducts on honest count. The questions are how competent are they and their cozy relationship with UFT/Unity officialdom. Imagine if we won and hired another vote counting company? Or went to electronic voting? Our election is a potential threat to the AAA bottom line.

For me the dishonesty is how they pass info to UFT/Unity that other groups do not get. But there were times when the count was at the UFT HQ where the uncounted ballots were left overnight, supposedly with a security guard.

School info on voting is a particular concern. 

I asked the AAA guy in the past if we can get info on how many people vote in each school and he said they can generate such reports. In fact the AAA knows who in each school voted though not how because of the inner secret envelope. The outer envelopes are opened and are discarded. As a member of the 2021 election committee I made a reso calling for school data to be reported and Unity reps turned it down but agreeing to some kind of district report - which in the end was pretty weak. Spec Rep Patti Crispino was especially vehement in her opposition claiming school reports would "embarrass" people. Damn right. Imagine district reps and Unity ch ldrs being called to account for vote turnouts in the schools? 

I once asked UFT a key UFT election liaison about school data and he said the UFT didn't pay for that data. Yet insiders say I was lied to and they do have the data.

 

Does Unity have access to school by school data? 

 

Does Trump ever tell a lie?

 

Observers used to have free reign, now they are restricted. Why the change?

There have certainly been increasing restrictions on observers (yes, Covid was a reason so we accepted that.) I observed the last RTC count in 2021 and there were so many delays and we didn't get results for days until the UFT released them, a big change since the days of open reporting. YES - this is intentional. 

 

In last year's special para election they would not tell the two oppo winners the results in terms of counts. Since there were 5 people running, they had no idea how close the ones who lost came -- if they really lost. 

How about those constant jams on the scanners and why don't they have more of them?

So does Unity cheat? What will they do if they get advance results that they are losing the RTC count June 14) or Para election (count June 13). 

For the June 14 count, will we see slate results that day, especially if the election is close or in doubt? We may have to sleep over.

If you want to read on, below I review my own history of observing vote counts and how the AAA has become more restrictive due to orders by Unity/UFT Officials.

------

 

I've been going to UFT election and contract vote counts since the 2004 election (I think I also went to counts in the late 70s) and in recent years have observed disturbing modifications in how the American Abritration Association and the UFT/Unity machine deal with elections.

 

I was involved in the 2004, 07, 10, 13, 16, 22 UFT elections as an active participant and observer and also observed the 2019 election results. In addition I observed the 2005, 2014, 2018 contract counts. And the RTC chapter 2021and the OT/PT 2023 counts. I don't remember but probably observed in the late 70s.

 

For major UFT elections through 2013, the UFT and AAA rented ballrooms from hotels on 7th Avenue around 53rd St. The space was wide open to any UFT member who wanted to observe with total access to looking over the shoulders of the AAA workers as they opened envelopes and ran the vote scanning machines. They counted slate votes one division at a time, with the smaller divisions first so we had results. Now they decide to do the largest first.

 

When each division was completed the AAA guy in charge called all together and gave us the totals for the slates. The booklets with individual votes took a long time and they held that for last -- none of us cared at all about those results. 

 

LeRoy Barr, Unity head, was often there standing with us. Did he talk to AAA people behind the scenes by switching his Unity had for a UFT official? Let's end the fiction that there's a difference.

I was at the hotel in 2013 and all the MORE people had left to go to a "victory" celebration at a bar on 34th St attended by 100 people. I had the results in hand at around 6:30 - same day as vote began and went down to inform everyone we won nothing -- but they cheered anyway. I bet of those 100 people you can count on one hand how many are still involved in MORE. (When you think of it, MORE is now over 12 years old - no comment in the impact on the UFT so far.)

In the 2014 contract and 2016 election there was a change. The counts were at AAA HQ at 120 Broadway, just a few blocks up from 52. The count took place behind a closed door with a large window for us to look in while observers sat around a large conference table. There was limited space and we submitted names to rotate in if necessary. 

 

In 2016 I was there until James Eterno arrived to take my place while I went off to an ICE meeting. James called us at the meeting to let us know we won the high schools, which makes the point that we had results the same day.

 

But we were allowed to go in and look directly at the scanners. Ellen Fox and I would sample a hundred ballots at a time as the day went on and could get a good reading on the ultimate outcome.

So let's jump to the 2019 election when we had 4 caucuses running and lots of observers. Shulman and some NAC, Lydia from Solidarity, Myrie from MORE and I was there I guess as an dishonored guest from ICE which stayed out of the election. I can't remember if we had access to the counting rooms to look over the shoulders of people. We only had a screen with two machine posted and lots of delays and breakdowns.

So the AAA has seemingly become less capable of efficient operation and more tied to the UFT/Unity leadership.

Vote Down the Goons - MulgrewCare Update: Unity Gang Called Security on Retiree Advocates Handing Out Leaflets at the Hilton

LAST CALL TO VOTE: 

If you are a UFT retiree and haven't voted yet your last chance to be counted for sure is to mail in your ballot today or tomorrow or it might not reach AAA by the Friday June 14th 8AM deadline. It took a week or more to receive the ballot and some have been returned because of faulty postal codes on the AAA envelopes (AAA has lost its step).

Arthur is pretty optimistic – A Momentous Opportunity: The Retired Teacher Chapter election initiates a new era for the United Federation of Teachers

I'm a registered pessimist so I'm not as sure and will post my pre-election analysis late next week.

 

Well, anyway, here is a report I started last week.

Saturday June 1

With the retiree chapter election in full swing (ballots to be counted June 14), a group from Retiree Advocate showed up to hand out our healthcare leaflet the annual UFT retiree breakfast/luncheon at the Hilton on W. 54St and 6Th Ave, a location much used by the UFT. In fact they recently used it to give a two thousand dollar stipend to 750 Unity loyalists for the NYSUT convention a few weeks ago. So the UFT is a regular customer of the hotel.

 

We were there to remind attendees about the election.

 

While Unity avoids talking about healthcare issues, Retiree Advocate, allied with other NYC union retirees, has kept the issue front and center. So of course in the Trump-like world of Unity, we are accused of being a one-issue group (like the Dems they cater too are not a one issue group - Trump). Let's be honest here. If not for MulgrewCare RA would be in the same automatic losing position as it's been in for 30 years. So yes, when the major issue is your health feel free to call us a one issue group because we will focus on health if we win --  but will also do all the other things union conscious groups do.

So we were at the top of the escalator greeting people and chatting to them about the election and healthcare and then directed them to the registration desk down the hall. At some point we could see there was some official perturbed at our presence. So they sent over someone to "direct" people as to where to register - which was what we were doing anyway. 

Then the UFTer starts complaining we were blocking people when they got off the elevator. She claimed is was a safety issue as I watched her try to insert herself between our reps and the escalator to get at people first and demanded we move back with the intention of diverting people in the opposite direction so we don't get to talk to them. When we refused she ran back to the registration desk and they called security.

Eventually 3 levels of security came up and I was ready to be arrested as an electioneering tactic -- play the Trump victim game and get votes - it may be working for him.

There were three level of security - the guy at the bottom stood near me as I explained to a 62 year old recent retiree what was happening with healthcare and how things would change when he turned 65 and the difference between MulgrewCare and our current system. The guard, a union member, was very interested and we chatted. As the crowd of arrivals thinned we hung out and bonded with all the security guys who were so nice and we knew they were on our side.

I've recently had some bad health news and over the past 2 weeks have seen numerous doctors and had numerous tests and scans without a thought of insurance cares. At one of them a guy working there saw my insurance and said "you have the best insurance." I told him what the union was trying to do and he couldn't believe it. Neither can I. I try to imagine if Mulgrew and Murphy had won the day, where would I be? 

 

Oh, and today is D Day and my 53rd anniversary -- the invasion of Norman.

 

ICE-UFT Unyielding in the Face of Unity Caucus’s Unwarranted Personal Attacks

Reposted from ICE-UFT blog:

 

ICE-UFT Unyielding in the Face of Unity Caucus’s Unwarranted Personal Attacks

New York, NY – May 31, 2024 – The Independent Community of Educators - United Federation of Teachers (ICE-UFT) vehemently denounces the recent onslaught of personal attacks instigated by the Unity Caucus, under the misguided leadership of UFT President Michael Mulgrew, against our esteemed members. These unwarranted attacks, orchestrated by District Representative Adam Shapiro and sanctioned by Staff Director Leroy Barr, are not only devoid of merit but also serve as a smokescreen, diverting attention from the urgent issues plaguing our educators and students.

ICE-UFT has consistently been a beacon of equity, justice, and authentic representation for all UFT members. Our unwavering commitment to cultivating an inclusive and supportive environment for educators remains steadfast. Regrettably, Unity Caucus, under the misguided leadership of President Mulgrew, has chosen to resort to personal attacks rather than engaging in constructive dialogue and addressing the legitimate concerns of our members.

Our priorities remain steadfast:

1. Championing Fair Working Conditions: We are committed to ensuring that all educators are provided with a safe and supportive work environment.
2. Demanding Transparency: We are relentless in our pursuit for greater transparency in union operations and decision-making processes.
3. Empowering Educators: We are dedicated to equipping educators with the necessary tools and support they need to excel in their roles and advocate for their rights.
4. Revamping Our Dental Plan: We are determined to rectify the deficiencies in our current dental coverage to ensure comprehensive and accessible dental care for all members.
5. Safeguarding Changes to Active Member and Retiree Healthcare: We are committed to ensuring that all changes to healthcare plans for active members and retirees prioritize quality care without escalating out-of-pocket expenses.
6. Securing a Living Wage for Paraprofessionals: We are unwavering in our advocacy for fair and livable wages to ensure that paraprofessionals receive the compensation they rightfully deserve.

We challenge Unity Caucus, President Mulgrew, District Representative Shapiro, and Staff Director Barr to abandon their personal attacks and join us in addressing the critical issues that impact our education system. The strength of our union lies in our collective ability to unite and collaborate for the betterment of our schools and communities.

ICE-UFT remains resolute in preserving the integrity of our union and will not be swayed by these divisive tactics. We extend an invitation to all members of the UFT to stand with us in solidarity, focusing on the shared objective of enhancing our education system for the benefit of both educators and students. We will not be silenced. We will not be deterred. We stand firm. We are ICE-UFT.

 

Migda Responds to the Mulgrew's and Barr's Unity-UFT Bullying & Taunting of Paras

Our union leaders now appear unhinged. Shamefully bullying and attacking members who are forced to work to 2 jobs, while they won't fight for a living wage & cuts to our healthcare & pensions... The Wire

Just when you think Unity, Barr, and Mulgrew couldn't get any lower they hit a new low! This was posted today and I'm sure the sheep (District Reps, and other unity Members) will post it and repost it....

• Sophomoric, Bullying Attack Memes on Oppo Para by High Salaried Unity/UFT, as Hacks, Slime, and Slugs, Slither Their Way to Infamy

 

May 29, 2024

 

https://thewire.educators.nyc/p/migda-responds-to-the-mulgrews-and?r=3qu3t&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

By Migda Rodriguez — 2nd Vice Chair of UFT Paraprofessional Chapter and candidate on the Fix Para Pay slate

 

Oh, and tag a bunch of people in their post.

They have a habit of trying to rewrite history. They have to tell a fable to convince you of their lies. To make everyone who doesn't agree with them out to be, let's see... SHARON ANDERSON (their WHERE'S MIGDA? current chapter Secretary) called me “grimy” for running last year. They want to make us out to be less than them.

Let's tell the real story, not their revisionist history. I decided to run for 2nd vice chair because I didn't like the direction they chose to take the chapter. I won! I beat them because other paras felt the same.

Then what happened? Well, when Freeman won 1st vice chair, they gave her a full-time union position. When I won they did not. Even though all the past 2nd vice chairs had union positions. Hector Ruiz and Doreen Raftery were both 2nd vice chairs, both who had union positions.

Like most paras, I need my after-school job. I need a secondary source of income.

So they chose not to give me, the elected 2nd vice chair, any time needed to represent the chapter.

I chose putting food on my table rather than going to a meeting where as you can see by their post above, they never respected me.

So now paras can see their behavior. They are not hiding it. They mock us, they taunt us, they disrespect us.

Proud, dues-paying, active members made fun of because we run in 'democratic union elections'. Well, that's what they are supposed to be. Not here. 

SHAME ON ALL OF YOU, that participate in this disgusting behavior.

Paras, you have a real choice here. Vote this immature, disrespectful leadership out. 

VOTE FIX PARA PAY. Let's see what they do to us when we win this time.

Learn More: Fix Para Pay

Arthur Goldstein also responds

Norm Scott responds

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Paras, did you vote for the para chapter election? Did you receive your ballot?

Fix Para Pay is running several para candidates against the Unity slate and its current leadership that have failed to deliver a living wage and better conditions for New York City paraprofessionals.

Fix Para Pay is committed to fighting, alongside with you, for a living wage, a fair contract and respect. Enough is enough!

Please get the word out to all other UFT paras in our schools that change is here. And that change begins with voting for the Fix Para Pay slate.

Ballots were mailed on or around May 9-10. Look for the envelope from the American Arbitration Association (AAA).

It’s important to note that the ballot will be from the AAA, not the UFT.

If voting in the UFT para election, please check the Fix Para Pay slate box to vote for the entire Fix Para Pay slate. We need you to only mark this box only. Voting for other individual candidates will affect the entire slate.

Once you’ve checked the Fix Para Slate box, put the front page of the ballot into the secure, Secret Ballot envelope, and put that into the mailing envelope addressed to AAA.

Ballots for the chapter election must be received at the AAA no later than June 13th, so please vote and send your ballot back as soon as you receive it.

A ballot from AAA will be mailed to your address currently on file with the UFT. If you do not receive a ballot in the mail by May 20, or you misplaced it, please call the American Arbitration Association (AAA) at 800-529-5218 to request a duplicate ballot.

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VOTE TODAY and Get out the Vote; Fix Para Pay Town Hall, today. RSVP

VOTE TODAY and Get out the Vote; Fix Para Pay Town Hall, today. RSVP.

Paras, did you vote in the para chapter election? Did you receive your ballot?

Fix Para Pay is running several para candidates against the Unity slate and its current leadership that have failed to deliver a living wage and better conditions for New York City paraprofessionals. Fix Para Pay is committed to fighting, alongside with you, for a living wage, a fair contract and respect. Enough is enough! Please get the word out to all other UFT paras in our schools that change is here. And that change begins with voting for the Fix Para Pay slate. Ballots were mailed on or around May 9-10. Look for the envelope from the American Arbitration Association (AAA). It’s important to note that the ballot will be from the AAA, not the UFT. If voting in the UFT para election, please check the Fix Para Pay slate box to vote for the entire Fix Para Pay slate. We need you to only mark this box only. Voting for other individual candidates will affect the entire slate. Once you’ve checked the Fix Para Slate box, put the front page of the ballot into the secure, Secret Ballot envelope, and put that into the mailing envelope addressed to AAA. Ballots for the chapter election must be received at the AAA no later than June 13th, so please vote and send your ballot back as soon as you receive it. A ballot from AAA will be mailed to your address currently on file with the UFT. If you do not receive a ballot in the mail by May 20, or you misplaced it, please call the American Arbitration Association (AAA) at 800-529-5218 to request a duplicate ballot. Lastly, after you vote, please contact 5 other paras, or as many as you know, and tell them: Let’s fight together to FIX PARA PAY! Vote for the Fix Para Pay slate.

LEARN MORE ABOUT FIX PARA PAY AND OUR FIGHT FOR A LIVING WAGE

DOWNLOAD, PRINT & SHARE OUR FIX PARA PAY FLYER

Fix Para Pay Election Virtual Town Hall: Today, Wednesday 5/29 at 6:30 PM

Our first few virtual town halls have been a huge success! Scores of paras and UFT members joined the meetings. And the energy has been exciting and palpable. NYC paras aren’t playing around. We are demanding a living wage, now! Please attend today’s town hall and invite other paras to join this growing grassroots movement! RSVP: http://Bit.ly/FixParaPayTownhallMay29

RSVP: FIX PARA PAY ELECTION TOWN HALL, TUESDAY 5/29, 6:30 PM

DOWNLOAD, PRINT & SHARE OUR FIX PARA PAY FLYER

LEARN MORE ABOUT FIX PARA PAY

HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED TODAY

• Sign the FIX PARA PAY petition at: petition.fixparapay.org

• Complete the FIX PARA PAY survey at: tinyurl.com/nycparasurvey

• Join the fight for a LIVING WAGE AND FAIR CONTRACT at: fixparapay.org/join

• Download, print and share the FIX PARA PAY flyer with others: tinyurl.com/fixparapayflyer

• Forward this email to all of your para contacts. Follow up with them by phone call, text or in-person.

  
  

UFT Paras for A Fair Contract