The more restrictive people in power get in an attempt to tamp down critics, the more likely their crackdowns spike greater opposition and more critics.
How do you distinguish between fascism and authoritarianism? And how do you fight fascism when you yourselves are authoritarians?
Authoritarianism allows limited freedoms but maintains strict control over political processes.
A Unity initiative to make chapter leaders sit down and shut up was voted down. This was remarkable—the exception that proves the rule. It would have mandated top-down messaging from UFT at all levels. -- Arthur Goldstein Notes on the Nov. DA
Unity leaflet attacks DSA claiming they are infiltrating the UFT with MORE as an instrument but also attacking Marianne Pizzitola. Then months later they endorse the DSA candidate for mayor.
Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025
The line between fascist and authoritarian rule can be fuzzy, but there is a difference.
I'm not referring here to the Trump MAGA crowd, which clearly leans fascist. I
don't like to call people fascists and prefer the label of "fascistic-type behavior" but the MAGA crowd is clearly beyond wanna-be fascists.
Is authoritarianism and fascism the same thing?
I Googled the question:
Authoritarianism is a general form of governance defined by the centralization of power and limited political freedoms. (A check for both Unity and other Caucuses in the UFT)
Fascism is a specific, far-right, and highly ideological form of authoritarianism that includes elements such as extreme nationalism and often racism. All fascist regimes are authoritarian, but not all authoritarian regimes are fascist.
Authoritarianism is a form of government where power is concentrated in a single leader or small group, and there is little to no accountability to the public. It suppresses political freedoms, limits individual rights, and often uses control, fear, or violence to maintain power, with citizens expected to show blind submission to authority. (Check)
The theme here is UFT/Unity Caucus and authoritarianism.
When people engage in authoritarian-like behavior it's OK to call then authoritarians, and that is an appropriate label for the UFT leadership, as I will offer examples below.
I would not term the behavior of our UFT/Unity Caucus leadership fascistic - that is pure hyperbole. But "increasingly authoritarian" is more apt.
The prime directive of
authoritarian led organizations is to maintain power - often at all costs and that fits the Unity machine perfectly.
Think of these characteristics of authoritarianism and compare them to the UFT/Unity crowd.
Has the UFT/Unity leadership shown indications of this behavior? Let me count the ways. Call them authoritarians. Just don't call them fascists.
Key characteristics of authoritarianism (as related to the UFT/Unity leadership):
Concentrated power:A single person or a small group holds most of the power, with little to no accountability to the people.
The
UFT has had four presidents over 60 years. Just think of that. The
faces may change, but the political machine remains the same. Thus, when
people attack Mulgrew as the problem, I point out the problem is Unity -
when Mulgrew goes, only the face of the machine will change. While the
leadership often seems incompetent, they have proven very competent at keeping
control, managing the membership and holding on to power, though recently they have been lucking out due to the lack of an effective opposition, a situation going back decades.
Right
now we see that even inside the Unity machine, whereas there may have been
some sense of people being consulted in the past, we now have 3 Men in the room:
Mulgrew, Barr, Sill - and at times a woman: Mary Vaccaro. But the ABC
campaign with many Unity defectors indicated some cracks in the machine
for the first time. One of their complaints was that there was a sense of being consulted in the Randi years - though not all that much but she knew how to play the game -- but now even the officers in Ad Com are ignored - other than the gang of 3+1. Below that level, there is some unrest and recent aggression has been aimed at tamping it down. A sinking ship may be kept afloat with vigorous pumping but ultimately that is a losing battle.
Suppressed freedoms:Individual rights, such as freedom of speech and the press, are limited or denied to prevent opposition and maintain control.Limited political opposition:Opposition parties are often discouraged, prohibited, or have their legitimacy attacked.
Look
at the control of the DA. Barr must approve all leaflets put on the
table at the DA, after cancelling the 25 year old history of having a
table for non-official materials, granted by Randi Weingarten in 1998.
We had a battle with a UFT employee guarding the table during DA to make
sure no scurrilous lit goes on, violating decades of policy. That is her assignment at the DA. She and
LeRoy claim Covid as an excuse. Jeez. I called them out on this policy at the November DA.
Unity Attempts to Bennett Fischerize chapter leaders
A Nov. DA Unity backed reso, defeated, called for limits on free speech of chapter
leaders and their freedom to communicate with their members, following
the example of the suppression of RTC Chair Bennett Fischer's ability to
communicate with RTC members. Many of us have urged Bennett to make a
big deal of this censorship and in fact send in his report and if
Mulgrew censors it make a big deal of it, but instead he is circumspect
in those reports. The
RTC leadership seems worried that Mulgrew will turn off their
electricity if they push back too hard. The RTC leadership has already turned off any
vestige of militant resistance. I get lectured all the time that UFT
leadership are not enemies and we must stick together to fight fascism.
Hard to fight fascism when you have to work with authoritarians who want
to suppress democracy. Some in RTC argue that Unity is not an enemy but fellow UFT members and we have to work with them in a bipartisanship way. That's how the Democratic Party has operated while Republicans smash them to bits.
Unity Fails to Erode Democracy (or Control Class Size): Then, they try to blame ABC for their shortcomings.
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You won't find a Unity leaflet or social media post that doesn't try to
slime ABC, demonstrating where they see the real threat to them.
Every Unity leaflet and social media post attacks ABC and makes false
claims ABC opposes increasing para pay or decreasing class size, false claims of course. They brand critical comments over the inept methods they use as an attack on the union. Recently they held a demo at the city council over the para reso - 3 staffers showed up and they considered that a success. Jeez.
Control and fear:They may use various methods like corruption, misinformation, propaganda, or violence to ensure compliance and discourage dissent.
How about the June massacre firings and more that came in September?
Undemocratic practices:Authoritarian systems often ignore or subvert democratic processes, sometimes even while holding elections.
Yes
Virginia, there was some playing around during the elections but not
enough to make them lose --- they were confident of winning due to the
two oppositions running against them but if the day comes when and if
there is one strong opposition, watch for the dirty tricks. The 54% they
got is a big threat to them and they need ARISE to stay alive to make
sure ABC doesn't win.
Remember electronic voting? They formed a committee to study it that has started meeting with ABC and ARISE reps - naturally the committee is packed with Unity. Do you want to wager on Polymarket whether the committee will vote for electronic voting at future elections?
Emphasis on obedience: Membersare expected to show obedience to authority, sometimes referred to as "blind submission".
The 54% Unity got in the election plus the losses in the RTC and para chapter are warning signs. They are lucky so far due to the divisions in the opposition, and I will get into these divisions in upcoming posts.
But expect further crackdowns on democracy, which often has the opposite effect of spurring open and hidden opposition. (Think of the fall of the Soviet block, which lasted 70 years as Unity control of the UFT approaches that number.)
Is a cornered party as dangerous as a cornered rat? We should be sober: the political winds are blowing hard against the "ruling party". (Your favorite group in power)______ are staring at a meltdown... defections mount and internal chaos spreads throughout leadership. ... Tom Hartmann
Gee, ya think?
District 30 Cls Revolt
The big firings were meant to send a message to the Unity rank and file. From what I'm hearing, there is fear - but also resentment. The firing of D. 30 rep Ashley Rzonca who was loyal to Unity but fired for perceived friendship with Amy Arundell, is having repercussions. A batch D. 30 CL are refusing to attend district rep meetings and are meeting on their own at the same time. The union went whining to the Dist Supt about these alt meetings in the schools. Perfect behavior of a cornered party. Go ask the boss to help you beat down a revolt.
So far internal chaos has not spread and they have weathered the threat to the Delegate Assembly they were facing from the 300 delegates from retirees plus the 100 MORE delegates. We've seen a withering away of the retiree delegate impact, due to the incompetence of the Retiree Advocate/RTC leadership, as we will see in upcoming posts and the work Arthur has been doing to expose them. And the MORE 100 have had zero impact and have not shown much interest in the DA. And so far the ABC crowd has gotten off to a slow start this year and also has not organized at the DA. Some on all sides are talking about giving up at organizing at the DA. I think the DA for at least through next year has potential if all the delegates from RA, MORE and ABC managed to put something together. Go bet on Polymarket if you think that is possible.
I'd sooner bet on a meteor like the one that wiped out the dinosaurs.
But change might come from another direction outside the caucus structure.
But change might come from another direction outside the caucus structure.
District 30 Cls Revolt
The
big firings were meant to send a message to the Unity rank and file.
From what I'm hearing, there is fear - but also resentment. The firing
of D. 30 rep Ashley Rzonca who was loyal to Unity but fired for
perceived friendship with Amy Arundell, is having repercussions. A batch
D. 30 CL are refusing to attend district rep meetings and are meeting
on their own at the same time. The union went whining to the Dist Supt
about these alt meetings in the schools. Perfect behavior of a cornered
party. Go ask the boss to help you beat down a revolt.
Unity's best chance of maintaining power is the divisions in the opposition. I think ABC has the most potential but don't expect the legacy caucus driven groups to join the party as the same principle of oligarchy driven organizations operates with them as it does with Unity:
The prime directive of
authoritarian led organizations is to maintain power - often at all costs.
Retiree Advocate has become the power in the Retiree Chapter - at least until the next election in May 2027 and has been losing its way, which Arthur has been chronicling.
Beware of old boss becoming the new boss - the dangers of a loyal opposition seeking alliances with authoritarians in power.
