UFT Election Committee Meets, Petition Dates Set, Unity (Paid) Election Committee Reps reject UFC call for electronic voting

Ballots go out April 8 and must be returned by May 10 - Petitioning from Jan. 17- Feb. 16. 

This is a two part report -- first from the the Dec. 9 election committee meeting -- I have some choice words and part 2 from the Dec. 13 Ex Bd meeting to ratify the election process - and some choice words for that too.

The newly formed UFT election committee met for the first time Thursday Dec. 9 from 4:30-6 PM to set up the upcoming UFT election process. There are 13 members, 8 from Unity and 5 from the United for Change (UFC) coalition, consisting of Retiree Advocate, New Action, Solidarity, MORE, EONYC, ICEUFT. We were granted one rep each (EONYC declined) but as usual Unity made sure to stack the committee so they could control the election process. 

Why does Unity get 8 reps and United for Change 5? Make a guess.  

In addition, some union officials attended by zoom and old Unity stalwart Joe Colletti took notes. Ya think we were outnumbered?

All 8 Unity reps are on the union payroll. None of the 5 UFC reps are on the payroll and were meeting on their own time. Were the Unity reps getting paid for meeting on the election? At the very least they should have served dinner.

I was the ICEUFT rep on the UFT election committee. We went in to insure that we don't have any problems distributing materials in the schools during the election. They passed out an old DOE memo on parchment giving us rights signed by someone named Dale C, Kutzbach from Jan. 18, 2001 - like pre-Bloomberg days from the old Board of Education -- fossil days. I can just see walking into schools and having principals peruse this and opening the doors wide for us while Unity reps waltz in.

Luckily we found a very recent memo in Principal's Weekly that is current and for retirees very specific:

Policy for Union Visitor Posting of Election Fliers

In accordance with Chancellor’s Regulations D–130, retired employees/union members should be allowed to put union election fliers in staff mailboxes during the school day, provided that the retiree is not disrupting teachers, staff, or school activities and shows sufficient identification to the school administration. All union members, including retirees, must comply with vaccination requirements for visitors to school buildings and the DOE's health and safety protocols. Current staff may be given access to staff/teacher mailboxes during non-working time to distribute union materials....
For questions, contact your senior field counsel or email Karen Solimando.

Thanks Karen -- we will be in touch when some slug principals or Unity hacks try to stop us.

We believe in forcing Unity to take a clear stand when opposing democratic demands. And so they did when we raised the issue of electronic voting.

Let me take you through the process we went through on Thursday and in the follow up part 2 I will review what happened Monday night at the Ex Bd meeting. 

We (UFC) went in with the idea to avoid the ghost of UFT elections past of

The ghost of UFT elections

embarrassingly low turnout where the highest turnout is from retirees by expanding opportunities to vote through electronic voting. We don't even think electronic voting would automatically help us more than Unity. After all, they are so popular in the schools.

 

But first, a Unity reso was made to disallow electronic sigs on petitions -- I misunderstood and thought they were banning electronic voting and objected but was told it was about petitioninning -- one of them said he likes to see a wet signature on a petition. Weird but I guess I can live with wet signatures -- ich! I think we should allow non-wet signatures on petitions but that was not the hill I was there to die on.

But then came the fun part. We were asked to vote on the election posting which stated that ballots would be mailed out, and we did vote to accept that unanimouslybut they then said that meant there would be no electronic voting. Whoa - I withdrew my support and asked for this to be added after - Ballots will be mailed out - "and electronic voting will be allowed." 

We made strong comments. We pointed to PSC voting electronically -- backroom Unity comments are this 30K union is small. We raised the point that the AFL-CIO has endorsed electronic voting. And with Adams and Banks coming in, a low turnout was a signal to them that we are weak.

Wow! To Unity vote suppressors trying to increase turnout is a nuke. They looked desperate to kill it. So every one of them spoke against electronic voting with some weird arguments in support of low turnout -- like why do anything different when we've been "successful". The weirdest was claiming to protect teachers from using school computers to vote --- like no one has a a phone.  The final vote was --- SPOILER ALERT -- 8-5.

Boy that was close -- wait till you hear the result of Monday's Ex Bd vote on the same issue - but I'll save that suspense for next time.

 

UFT Election Committee

Carl Cambria, Chair - Unity - Manhattan Borough Rep

Patti Crispino - Unity, special rep, Ex Bd

Marcus Escobar - Unity, District Rep (10), Ex Bd

Robert Greenberg - UFC - (Retiree Advocate)

Ira Munet - Unity - District Rep (14)

Kathy Perez - UFC (Solidarity)

Sean Rotkowitz - Unity - Staten Island Borough Rep, Ex Bd

Howard Sandau - Unity - Nurses special rep

Norm Scott - UFC - (ICEUFT)

Michael Shulman - UFC (New Action)

Servia Silva - Unity - District Rep (4)

James Vasquez - Unity - District Rep Queens HS

Amanda Vender - UFC (MORE)

Aqeel Williams - Unity - District Rep (9)

 

Retirees Invite you to celebrate at Dec. 15 Del Assembly as Mulgrew Seeks UFT Women to occupy stage to counter 3 Men in A Room Image of UFT leadership

I'm practicing my Caroling. We will be outside while our pals are inside fighting the Unity machine. 

There is increasing evidence that the combination of the growing United for Change coalition (requests to run with UFC have been coming in droves) and the growing leadership ineptitude and loss of faith by even some in the Unity faithful, is leading to some hysterical over reaction.

The video below caused some consternation in the Unity Caucus hackdom world. They had to point to the many Unity fantastic women on Ad Com and on the Ex Bd. We agree - many of them are fantastic. So why doesn't Mulgrew and the other two men in the room consult or even inform them when it comes to fundamental decision making?

But don't you worry. The Unity team has a solution:  Get some of these women up in front for photo ops with Mulgrew during the upcoming Delegate Assembly. 

I will be outside huddled with other retirees trying to listen to the meeting on a phone. Maybe we can get a repeat of the bullhorn incident and have Mulgrew freak out and threaten to cancel the meeting because 8 retirees are outside listening at the same time the DA is being broadcast to thousand.

Last month I reported on this LOL moment at the Nov. DA:

....a group of retirees were huddled together outside listening to the DA with some mild amplification through a bull horn - we are old and the UFT leadership opposes medicare for all which would pay for our hearing aids.  In addition, the 19th floor, where we usually watch the DA, was closed. And despite Retiree Advocate winning 30% of the vote in last spring's chapter election - roughly 7000 disenfranchised voters -we have NO representation at the DA as Unity takes winner take all for all retiree 300 delegates. This is dues taxation without representation. For the record, before the election we asked for at the very least some token representation at the DA for 5 out of 300 and Unity said NO. 

Apparently this unnerved Mulgrew enough to interrupt a great speech by Daniel Alicea on why mayoral control has been so bad and Mulgrew stopped the DA and threatened to shut it down entirely because there are supposed rules about broadcasting the DA outside the building, an LOL moment since they were broadcasting outside the building to thousands of delegates.

 

They sent 3 Unity staffer goons out to yell at us: Queens HS Dist Rep James Vasquez, Wilma Soto and Good old Bill Ruff Ruff, who raced out to yell at us after yelling at Daniel. I yelled back to show us the rule and that if there were a rule about broadcasting outside the DA, they were the ones violating the rule -- 

All of them are on the UFT payroll while also acting as delegates. Nice gig if you can get it -- and you can if you agree to be a Unity Caucus hack.

I'm trying to get a hold of 3 bullhorns.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bTf7UZ137T4&feature=youtu.be

Unity Caucus Panic Over Mulgrew Massive Failure/Incompetence on Healthcare Retiree Changes as Jan. 1 Deadline Off; What Will Mayor Adams Do?

...remind all UFT retirees who still contribute to the UFT that they can still vote and I plan on doing so to show Mulgrew just how much I appreciated his back door move to throw us all under the bus and everyone should do the same.... Facebook 

This email from Michael Mulgrew and Thom Murphy looks extremely gaslight-y. Re: a quote from the email from Michael Mulgrew and Tom Murphy, below, "the UFT strongly voiced its opinion...that Medicare Advantage Plus...should NOT take effect" - Notice the lack of a direct quote, let alone a source or date - all clues to a lie. There is no direct quote supporting this claim, to my knowledge. My heart is heavy, thinking about those who are trying to drown sick seniors in a tide of toxic misinformation. What hidden reward could make that feel worthwhile?... UFT Retiree

Some think United for Change, the new coalition of oppo groups challenging Unity is causing consternation inside the fort, while others think the disintegration of competent leadership under Mulgrew is just as much a factor, the real cause of panic. In the past, most Unity people had faith in their ability to fight off oppo.

Many Unity still do not see UFC as a threat but do see the real threat as coming from within the halls of 52 Broadway-  recent debacles around healthcare, the Mayoral Scott Stringer debacle where 3 million was spent to prop up a clearly losing candidate, only to endorse Adams who the leadership had told people it was not OK to vote for in the first place, the increasing likelihood of failure of the class size initiative, the faux arguments why we don't need to put it in the contract with recent loses or close calls at the DA -- and the membership complaints of lack of response.

In this post, we focus on the Medicare/MedAdv controversy where to stay in Medicare we have to pay $191 a month - and double for spouses to get the same services we have been getting. The promised Jan. 1 date of change is now thrown up in the air -- the security level of UFT retirees, a mainstay of Unity control, has been tossed in the air. Mulgrew's actions in alienating so many retirees, plus the threat to future retirees (See South Bronx School - My Own Story Why I am Wary of Medicare Advantage) has left even many Unity stalwarts scratching their heads.

And let's not forget that Mulgrew fundamentally takes the anti-medicare for all position and supports a plan that fundamentally undermines the public option.

Here are some facts of the current case:

• Until there is a Court decision, no retirees will be moved into the new Medicare Advantage plan. Retirees will remain in the plan they were in for 2021.
• The EmblemHealth / Empire BlueCross BlueShield Senior Care plan will remain premium-free until the new Medicare Advantage plan is implemented.
• Once the Court announces an implementation date, we will notify retirees of the period of time they will have to opt out of the Medicare Advantage plan.
  
  
  

 ----- NYC Office of Labor Relations

 

After 8 months of gaslighting retirees, Mulgrew informed retirees the plan to move them out of Medicare into profit/privatized Medicare (Dis)Advantage plan on Jan. 1 except for people like me who opted out at an extorted price of $191 a month for less than the same services we were getting for free (we will now have copays). Now I won't have to pay that fee until they find another way to implement the plan, though with Adams taking over Jan. 1, who knows?

The massive recent failure of strategy of the UFT/Unity Caucus leadership on school safety/covid testing (Where Was the UFT as NYC Schools Bought Weaker Air Purifiers as Underventilated Campuses Are More Prone To COVID Cases) and class size reductions, escalated with the admission by Mulgrew that the Jan. 1 move out of Medicare and into privatized Medicare Advantage. 

The Mulgrew/Murphy letter claimed the status quo remains until the court decides. But then we do have co-pays starting in January (which is why I am seeing every doctor I can this month). [T]he new GHI Senior Care doctor co-pay of $15, which is not associated with the new plan, will go into effect on Jan. 1 (it was postponed from July 1).

One retiree was outraged: 

the imposition of a new $15 co-pay for the Senior Care Medicare supplement appears to me to be NOT status quo, and therefore in violation of Judge Frank's order to preserve the status quo.

She went on:

Copays impose paperwork, recordkeeping, and time burdens on sick, elderly patients. In an era of Covid, doctors' office paperwork increases waiting room time and handing pens and papers back and forth, making exposure to Covid variant germs statistically more likely. A $15 copay, or even a 5 cent copay, has many hidden costs beyond its dollar amount, compared with no copay.

Other retiree comments

Right now, we pay no premium, but GHI/Emblem/Empire is not providing this coverage for free.  They are being paid by the city.  I don’t know exactly how much, but probably it’s around — wait for it — $191 per person.  That’s a benefit we earned because of all of our years of service to the city.  To be clear — the city is reneging on that promise and shifting that cost onto US.  It’s not a rate increase by the insurance companies — it’s a cost shift by the city to its retirees.  A broken promise.

And the same is true for those who take the supposedly premium-free MA+ deal.  There the cost shift is partly to Medicare, which allows these MA companies to cheat by charging more than Medicare would pay normally (undermining and privatizing Medicare), and partly to US by denying lots of very expensive procedures that Medicare would normally just pay for, leaving US to pay for them or get really sick or, ya know, die.

Here are links to stories on the medicare issue:

De Blasio blocked from rolling out controversial NYC retiree health plan this year, leaving issue up to Mayor-elect Adams --

 https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/new-york-elections-government/ny-nyc-de-blasio-legally-blocked-from-changing-city-retiree-health-plan-20211130-rqqqkrqfu5d2tkb7aiqyaar45m-story.html?

A Manhattan judge has blocked the de Blasio administration from pushing through a controversial new health care plan for retired municipal workers before the end of the year, meaning the thorny issue will land on Mayor-elect Eric Adams’ desk once he takes office.

Mayor de Blasio’s administration asked Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Lyle Frank earlier in November to allow the city to set a Nov. 30 deadline for opting out of the Medicare Advantage Plus plan or be automatically enrolled in it, saying there otherwise wouldn’t be enough time for the new benefits to kick in by Jan. 1.

But in an order late Monday, Frank wrote that he could not understand why the new benefits needed to be implemented by that date.

“After reviewing the correspondence received in the last few days, I do not plan on amending my prior order at this time,” wrote Frank, who first blocked the administration from rolling out the new plan in October after a group of municipal retirees filed a lawsuit claiming it would significantly water down their health care coverage.

Frank said he will keep the issue on ice at least through Dec. 8, when the parties are supposed to convene for a hearing.

Based on the previous time line offered by the administration, Frank’s order means the new plan cannot take effect by Jan. 1 — the day Adams will be sworn in as de Blasio’s successor.

As a result, Adams will have the ability to pause or alter any potential de Blasio proposal that gets the green light from Frank before then.

The de Blasio administration has contended that the new Medicare plan would save city taxpayers $500 million a year because it can be bankrolled by federal dollars to a larger extent. The administration also maintains that health care coverage will remain as rigorous as under the city’s old Medicare plan, which retirees can also opt to keep, though that would cost them an extra $191 a month.

But the coalition of municipal retirees who brought the issue to court say that the new plan could result in them losing access to certain services and medical procedures.

The coalition also argues that enrollment guides sent out to the city’s roughly 250,000 municipal retirees are marred with factual errors and that the court must thereby slam the brakes on implementation until there’s a clearer picture of what the new plan will and will not do.

Front page for Oct. 16, 2021: Eric: Don't alter health plan for 250,000 retired city employees. (New York Daily News)

Steve Cohen, an attorney representing the plaintiff retirees, said the administration’s bid to rush the plan appears aimed at boosting de Blasio politically.

“De Blasio is seriously considering running for governor, and he wants to be able to say he got the city to save $500 million a year — I get it,” Cohen told the Daily News on Tuesday. “But he can’t do it on the backs of seniors, and he’s just rushing to get it done before he leaves office. It’s crazy. So many things are wrong about what they’re doing and trying to do.”

Laura Feyer, a City Hall spokeswoman, would not comment on Frank’s latest ruling, but reiterated that the administration believes its proposal “provides superior benefits for retirees while saving the system hundreds of millions of dollars.”

“We are working towards a resolution and will keep retirees notified of any changes,” Feyer said.

Adams hasn’t committed one way or another to what he will do as mayor about the Medicare matter, though he recently expressed sympathy with concerned retirees.

“We need to look at it and make sure it’s not a bait and switch,” Adams, himself a retired NYPD captain who’s covered by municipal health insurance, told reporters in October. “I’m a retiree, I get retiree benefits. Their plan is my plan. We want to make sure that it is a fair plan. Nothing is more frightening for a retiree than health care.”

Here is the Mulgrew gaslighting letter:

Due to the ongoing litigation, the UFT strongly voiced its opinion that the New York City Medicare Advantage Plus Plan should not take effect until an orderly transition and continuity of services for retirees can be guaranteed. We have now been notified that the new plan likely will not take effect on Jan. 1, as originally planned. All Medicare-eligible municipal retirees will remain in their current health plans for the time being. No rate increases will go into effect for GHI Senior Care until the New York City Medicare Advantage Plus Plan takes effect, but the new GHI Senior Care doctor co-pay of $15, which is not associated with the new plan, will go into effect on Jan. 1 (it was postponed from July 1). All supplemental health care coverage will also remain unchanged. The opt-out period continues. During this period, retirees may opt out of the new plan or opt back into it. We will let you know as soon as a deadline for making a final decision has been set. In addition, the union has pressed for — and obtained — assurance that retirees will further be able to opt in or out of the NYC Medicare Advantage Plus Plan during the first part of 2022 after the new plan is in operation. The two sides will meet again before the judge on Dec. 8. We will alert you as soon as we have an update. Sincerely,

Michael Mulgrew, UFT President Tom Murphy, RTC Chapter Leader

And for more info:

If you're interested in the progress of the NYC Public Service Retirees For Benefit Preservation lawsuit against the city, may I suggest you join their email list? This is the website address if you would like to join:

https://gmail.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=036ef3a3db4831f1dc593990d&id=b12e0c0e65  

In addition, if you'd like to keep abreast of documents and decisions filed in the case, it's public information and can be viewed at the following address: 

https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/DocumentList?docketId=BMh4Q5TKcmSpfW6lzB3JYg%3D%3D&display=all&courtType=New+York+County+Supreme+Court&fbclid=IwAR15-HDob-PekvCvbOJgLQUqWhhX1iCPaQtvVN6-9AKUm65Tj-00ERmf8Vs

Where Was the UFT as NYC Schools Bought Weaker Air Purifiers as Underventilated Campuses Are More Prone To COVID Cases

The New York City public schools that rely solely on open windows and portable air purifiers have seen 23% more COVID-19 cases per students and a 29% increase in staff case rates when compared to buildings with stronger ventilation, such as HVAC systems...New York City’s Department of Education (DOE) got those devices for a bargain,... WNYC/Gothamist asked the mayor’s office, the Department of Education, Delos Living and city councilmembers to explain why Intellipure air purifiers were chosen for schools given these performance issues.... Gothamist

The UFT leadership has been successful in trying to deflect member ire away from themselves and toward the inept DOE. Hopefully articles like this will change, though the report below doesn't ask the UFT for comment. It should have. The info in the Gothamist article was known during the summer in previous WNYC/Gothamist investigation but no action by the union.

...the city purchased two air purifiers for every classroom from a Manhattan-based startup named Delos Living and its upstate partner Intellipure — a choice officials strongly backed ahead of the school year, even though the devices lack HEPA filters, the industry benchmark for air cleaning.

This is a perfect example of the Unity Caucus/UFT leadership laying down on the job when it comes to health and safety of its members and the children they serve.

Here is a clear case of corrupt influence peddling at the expense of UFT member and children.

Kasirer, a Tribeca-based lobbying firm with ties to the de Blasio administration, earned $195,000 for the project between July 2020 and August of this year, the month before classes resumed. Records show this firm led New York City lobbyists in compensation in 2020 — earning about $14 million.

Yet despite the purchase of Intellipure air purifiers for schools, New Yorkers who walk into most city buildings are unlikely to find that brand of purifier humming in the background. City contracts and photos sent to WNYC/Gothamist by city employees across several departments indicate that most offices rely on other brands, all of which use HEPA filters and provide substantially higher ventilation rates compared to the purifiers in city schools. Some were purchased even as the city made new deals with Delos for non-HEPA purifiers, the contracts show.

Lobbying and corruption: But I'd bet air purifiers in the UFT official's offices are not the cheapies. Certainly not in the Mayor's offices:

The mayor’s office, for example, purchased ENVIRCO IsoClean 800 purifiers in April 2021 that were delivered to 253 Broadway, a building across from City Hall that houses multiple divisions of the mayor’s office. A ventilation expert calculated that this model offers five times as much airflow per hour as the Intellipure Compact air purifiers in the city’s classrooms. The city signed two new contracts for Intellipure air purifiers the same month.

The mantra of "everything de Blasio touches turns to shit (except NYC ferry and pre-k) continues. De Blasio also touches the UFT leadership, his partner in so many things --  like taking away retiree medicare, which has also turned to shit.

PS 18K, the school shown below was a school I covered with computer services in the late 90s  and it's a very old school - probably over a hundred years old. Here are more excerpts and a link to the very long and comprehensive article.

Gothamist: NYC Schools Bought Weaker Air Purifiers. Now Underventilated Campuses Are More Prone To COVID Cases

https://gothamist.com/news/nyc-schools-bought-weaker-air-purifiers-now-underventilated-campuses-are-more-prone-covid-cases

P.S. 18 Edward Bush in East Williamsburg ranked among the top-15 low-ventilation schools, both in student and staff case rates.

ScabCalling: UFT District 25 Rep Lamar Hughes Accuses Me of Crossing Picket Lines 1968 UFT Strike - Why He's Wrong? Why did he even raise a 53 year old issue?

Unity is clearly shaken by our alliance of opposition groups. Check out the District Rep for District 25 making up a story online and on Facebook wrongfully charging longtime dissident leader Norm Scott with being a scab. ...If a Unity District Rep who is an employee of the UFT is making up nonsense about opposition leaders right after United for Change just announced a joint slate, you know they will do and say anything to keep their power, their jobs that pay close to and over $200,000 per year, and their double pensions. It's not about supporting members; it's about their perks. The lies will probably get worse as election season gets closer...  ICEUFT Blog

Sorry about the bullshit that some UFT reps spout out. They are an embarrassment to many in the UFT.... Unity Caucus member

Word is out that after the Oct. DA announcement of opposition groups working together and the announcement of United for Change at before the Nov. 17 DA, Unity held high powered pow wows and went into DEFCON mode, ordering all its highly paid officials to head out to the schools to defend their failed policies, something the opposition is praying for since most of these people don't have any real answers to the rot pervading the 60 year Unity Caucus. 

There are even whispers that some Unity people are very unhappy with Mulgrew and would welcome someone else to run for President in this year's election. My guess is they are just whispers from a few, though we do hear some Unity retirees are not very happy over the healthcare mess Mulgrew has made.

But Unity trolls and hacks were also turned loose to attack voices of opposition. Thus, 

Lamar Hughes has left a new comment on your post "DA UPDATE: Class Size Amendment Passes Over Unity Oppo, Mulgrew ballistic over retirees listening outside, UFT/Unity Staffers on payroll challenged":

‪Report seemed a little childish. Just tell the story. Keep the snide comments to yourself.

You don’t hear anyone coming up with nicknames for Norm after he crossed the picket line in 1968.‬

‪Oh, y’all didn’t know??? Norm Scott crossed the picket line in 1968.‬

Hmmm. A highly paid union employee, District 25 (Queens) Lamar Hughes, someone I've never met and wouldn't know if I fell over him.

It's not easy to get into other people's heads and examining what goes on in the brains of highly paid UFT officials is like untangling dried out spaghetti. Apparently Lamar was offended by my mocking his fellow high paid district 7 rep colleague Bill Woodruff for his increasingly boorish behavior when I referred to him as "Ruff Ruff". 

[When Ruff Ruff goes into schools in his district, some light barking will be appropriate. Or when he speaks at DA, some ruff ruffs from delegates to cheer him on.]

Poor Lamar Hughes - he called me a - SCAB - except it's entirely untrue, but nothing new for Unity Caucus hacks who always assumed everyone opposed to Unity Caucus in the late 60s crossed the 1968 picket lines.  

As I wrote yesterday, UFT/Unity in DEFCON Mode and no holds barred. Word is they are doing desperate oppo research to dig up some dirt on Educators of NYC organizer Daniel Alicea who has become a prominent voice in the opposition despite having voted for Unity in 2019 --- Unity has to be worried that he is not the only defector.

The problem for Lamar and the truth is that I was not an activist until late 1970 when I began to hang out with some people who did cross the line and even opened up closed schools during the 68 strike -- guilt by association, I guess.  

My worst transgression in the 68 strike was still living with mommy and daddy and not really needing the 98 bucks a week take home pay. Not did I have any political ideology to make me go in to teach as a second year ATR assigned to the same school the principal let me go from just a few months before. I was actually overjoyed there was a strike so I could spend some time on the picket line before were told to go home around 11 because there were no teachers going in. I don't even remember kids going in - I think the principal closed down the school as being unsafe - the 68 strike was also a hidden strike by supervisors, who were the  most threatened by community control. 

I stopped going pretty soon and then a colleague asked me to teach middle school with her at a church for 3 hours a day at 20 bucks a day -- two more than I was taking home from the DOE. I think that gig ended after a few weeks. Then it was back to basketball and golf. So when the strike ended - crap - back to hell - and a longer day too and working xmas vacation at double pay - except I had booked a trip to Florida I couldn't cancel. At that point I intended to complete my two year commitment to teaching by June 1969 and go back to grad school. But fate intervened - in February 1969 I volunteered to take over a class vacated by the only teacher who had actually taught during the strike (he was sent to another school) and fell in love with the kids - it was like a lifetime flu.

I recognized the Lamar Hughes attack from the 70s when Unity hacks often attacked oppo people as scabs. I was at the AFT 1975 (pre-75 strike) convention with two buddies who had crossed the line in 68 handing out The Case Against Shanker when I was called a scab by a top union official and yelled back that I had never crossed a UFT picket line - she actually stopped in surprise and we had a chat. So I'm imagining that there is still a culture in Unity about oppo people having crossed the lines.

Camille Eterno claims every conversation I have begins with a noun, verb, followed by a discussion of the '68 strike. So thanks Lamar, for giving me a chance to bring up  my favorite subject.

In the early 70s I began to learn about their reasons for crossing the line and many of them made sense. But I always argued that even if you opposed the strike, it might have been more fruitful over time to honor the strike while fighting against the people in the Unity leadership who perpetrated the strike. And over the years I further learned that there were some muddy waters on both sides, with anti-union forces pushing their version of community control which had to weaken the UFT in its very concept.

I've been in study groups on UFT history discussing the 68 strike and when I debated Leo Casey on the Leonie Haimson/Daniel Alicea hosted WBAI Talk Out of School, we did touch on the 68 strike. (Norm Scott and Shanker Inst Head Leo Casey - Insid...)

Fact is the 68 strike does not fit into the normal category of strikes - like the other two I participated in 67 and 75. Most UFTers are not informed about the complexities, the preface and the after effects. The UFT claims it was about illegal firings - which were actually illegal transfers and seniority issues. What is the usual response of a union? Grievances, courts, etc, not a 3 month strike. Even Randi wouldn't defend the strike, especially when she killed seniority and created the ATRs. 

There are so many more violations going on today, but we don't hear the Lamar Hughes types in Unity calling for a strike, but offering instead a whimper.

My pals at ICEUFT and DOENUTS defended me.

http://iceuftblog.blogspot.com/2021/11/united-for-change-in-chief-unity.html

UNITED FOR CHANGE IN THE CHIEF; UNITY DISTRICT REP REACTS BY LYING ABOUT OPPOSITION LEADER

NYCDOENUTS

 http://nycdoenuts.blogspot.com/2021/11/verbal-attacks-by-paid-union-employees.html

Verbal Attacks By Paid Union Employees Must Stop -Now

Unity is clearly shaken by our alliance of opposition groups. Check out the District Rep for District 25 making up a story online and on Facebook wrongfully charging longtime dissident leader Norm Scott with being a scab. 

If a Unity District Rep who is an employee of the UFT is making up nonsense about opposition leaders right after United for Change just announced a joint slate, you know they will do and say anything to keep their power, their jobs that pay close to and over $200,000 per year, and their double pensions. It's not about supporting members; it's about their perks. The lies will probably get worse as election season gets closer.

UFT/Unity in DEFCON Mode - Tension builds within the UFT over reducing class sizes - Max Parrott, City and State

The history of the UFT is that of one-party rule....a group of opposition caucuses within the UFT announced that they had banded together in a long-shot bid to seize control of the union’s leadership.The rebels have had some initial success......“We had a victory tonight,” said Daniel Alicea, the UFC delegate who introduced the amendment at the Nov. 17 meeting. “We saw an amendment that shows that they’re willing to have a full-court press for class size.” .... Alicea believes that one reason the leadership hasn’t lowered the class size caps under de Blasio is they believe asking smaller class sizes can only come as a trade off in salary negotiations. With billions of federal education dollars coming to the city through COVID-19 relief funding, Alicea argues that the time is now to fight over reducing the contractual caps and more.“We're looking for not just contractual caps, but also the contractual loopholes and exceptions and a grievance process that is further expedited,” said Alicea..... City and State

Reporter Max Parrott covered the November 17 Delegate Assembly events outside 52 Broadway for hours and wrote this in depth analysis. I did my own DA analysis, which ruffled more than a few feathers in the UFT hierarchy, leading to personal (and untrue) attacks on me (see comments below my post):

DA UPDATE: Class Size Amendment Passes Over Unity Oppo, Mulgrew ballistic over retirees listening outside, UFT/Unity Staffers on payroll challenged

It's hard to find reporters who actually report things the way they actually happened, so kudos to Max. Also kudos to him for this shout out:

“One of the key factors in UFT elections has been the retiree vote, which generally has gone very high for Unity,” said Scott, who for decades has chronicled union politics on his blog, Ed Notes.

Word is that the leadership is in DEFCON mode over recent events and has issued orders to be aggressive against oppositionists to its army of hacks and slugs to go on the attack. 

UFT District 25 Rep Lamar Hughes: You don’t hear anyone coming up with nicknames for Norm after he crossed the picket line in 1968.‬ Oh, y’all didn’t know??? Norm Scott crossed the picket line in 1968.‬

Sorry Lamar, y'all just make shit up. But I'll school Lamar on the '68 strike another time.

The UFT leadership sellout on Medicare and support for privatized healthcare is a big issue.

UFC is hoping to make in-roads with this demographic by protesting the union’s support for shifting health benefits for about 250,000 retired city workers to a new plan under Medicare Advantage... “Everybody, including me, thinks that class size is the overriding, bigger issue, but as far as getting votes, the thing is this has a lot of retirees pissed off,” said UFC member Bennett Fischer.

If a significant group of retirees vote UFC, like, say over 35% (there are thousands of Unity retirees so winning that vote is very unlikely), the final numbers could be closer than comfortable for Unity. Thus we actually see Unity hacks attacking us as anti-union for calling for medicare for all plans, a bizarro argument, but expect a lot more to come.  There are whispers that some in Unity Caucus want Mulgrew to not run for President but are too weak - and scared - to act on it.

We'll have some more fun with the Unity gang in upcoming posts. Here is Parrott's article:

Tension builds within the UFT over reducing class sizes

A new coalition within the union dubbed United for Change won a vote to force a referendum on the issue, signaling a growing divide.

https://www.cityandstateny.com/policy/2021/11/tension-builds-within-uft-over-reducing-class-sizes/187094/

By Max Parrott

November 29, 2021 03:00 AM ET

While UFT Retirees Get Info Blackout, Here's an Important Update on Retiree Health Care - From PSC

Must be nice to be a member of a union that explains what the hell is going on and is not selling out its members... comment at ICE Blog PSC PRESIDENT EXPLAINS RETIREE MEDICARE (DIS)ADVANTAGE MESS.

The information blackout by the UFT leadership, other than propaganda, has grown stark as the Jan. 1, 2022 deadline approaches for the withdrawal from Medicare for those who did not opt out, while those who did (like me) will be paying $190 extra a month for the same services they've been getting for free. Thanks. 

Unity hacks are out there attacking those of us who see a medicare for all as the solution as being anti-union - BECAUSE WE OPPOSE PRIVATE INSURANCE THAT IS THE BIGGEST FACTOR IN COSTS? Go figure. It's like saying opposition to non-unionized charter schools is anti-union. 

White Hat is a new pro Unity twitter trolling account, part of the leadership's DEFCOM 7 response.

Our UFT leaders are trying to hide the lawsuit and chaos they have helped create for ALL UFT retirees. While Unity hacks defend what Mulgrew has wrought, most retirees fret that they are being forced to make difficult choices at a crucial time in their lives --- the clock is counting down and people my age don't need to deal with this shit. Retirees, even if you don't like the opposition groups running against Unity, show your displeasure in the UFT elections.

Then there's this from a FB chat: Does the day come where Mulgrew echos Nixon: I'm not a crook!

https://nypost.com/2021/11/28/de-blasio-admins-34b-health-insurance-contract-doesnt-add-up/

De Blasio admin’s $34B health insurance contract doesn’t add up: rival bidder

nypost.com

This is it!! Aetna has sued the city alleging the selection process was fixed to favor Alliance, a consortium that includes Emblem Health and Anthem/Blue Cross Blue Shield and has strong ties to union leaders, to operate the new Medicare Advantage Plus program.

Under Aetna’s proposal, zero premiums would have been charged for six contract years, but unlike the Alliance, Aetna’s proposal doesn’t “cap its gain sharing proposal to any dollar amount,” the protest letter says. According to Aetna, the city likely would have netted “hundreds of millions of dollars in possible gain share payments from Aetna” over the course of the contract.

They could have saved with this other plan but didn’t choose it. They chose a plan they would charge premiums and would save the city less. This would miss the target of saving money.

23 million to the stabilization fund

Retirees in some of the fb books had been pointing out the 1 year for weeks

PSC noticed it

The MLC ravaged the stabilization fund which according to corrections union will be entirely depleted in2022-23

And went with a plan that will net 23 million bucks

Here's the excellent PSC update:

 

November 29, 2021 

Dear PSC retirees,  

Unitymustgo shares resources - if actual research were done very few K classrooms meet the 35 sqft criteria

Unitymustgo! has left a new comment on your post "United Slate Announced, Predictions for (Nov. 17) UFT Delegate Assembly -Class Size Issue - Enforcement, Enforcement, Enforcement":

Here's some info for you:
First is a memorandum of agreement between DOE and UFT
https://www.uft.org/sites/default/files/attachments/classroom-space-1998-memorandum.pdf

Here we have the new construction classroom space guidelines as per NYSED.
http://www.p12.nysed.gov/facplan/publicat/building_aid_guidelines_072804.html

Current NYC building codes. Scroll to page 166 to see school room square footages. Note pre-k and K require 35 sqft.
https://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/downloads/bldgs_code/amendement_set_1.pdf

https://www.classsizematters.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/SPACE-CRUNCH-Report-Final-OL.pdf

And this. An interesting read showing how low even 35 sqft for pre-k and K is when compared to many other states.
https://www.whitehutchinson.com/children/articles/35footmyth.shtml

I would imagine if actual research were done very few K classrooms meet the 35 sqft criteria. The ones in my school sure don't. 

DA UPDATE: Class Size Amendment Passes Over Unity Oppo, Mulgrew ballistic over retirees listening outside, UFT/Unity Staffers on payroll challenged

WTF -- 

A Delegate argues that the contract is not the right place for lower class sizes. We have a committee to negotiate. Class size should not be there in contract negotiations ... Double WTF

Above reported by Eterno LIVE BLOGGING FROM NOVEMBER DA (Mostly unedited).  

Undoubtably a Unity Caucus delegate who seems clueless that we ACTUALLY HAVE NEGOTIATED CLASS SIZE LIMITS IN THE CONTRACT.

Thank goodness there was some sanity in the house - 

A chapter leader speaks in favor of the amendment because it allows chapter leaders to enforce class sizes through the grievance process. I've been making this point:

Should UFT staffers and other Unity hacks be called out as speaking for the leadership, not the membership at DAs? They may be elected delegates in their schools but they are working for the leadership, not the people they were elected to rep. 

So, Hell yes - people making way more money than even the highest paid member should be held publicly accountable. I was so glad to see Daniel Alicea call out Unity hack non-elected District Rep Bill (Ruff Ruff) Woodruff at the Nov. 17 DA for calling the question.

Monday, November 22, 2021

What a yummy Delegate Assembly Nov. 17 was. I didn't even need to eat dinner that night. There's lots to report and I will need a few blog posts over the next few days to do it all.

 

But first take a look at an opposition slate that won in the Teamsters election: https://portside.org/2021-11-20/teamsters-united-takes-wheel . Not that I think this might happen in the UFT -

 

Class size debate

Background -- UFT leadership comes up with an nice gimmick to get class size reductions -- using pandemic health issue. But they refuse to entertain making it a contract demand, which has been the only true protection over decades, even with loopholes. Think of the outcome if the ancestors of the current leadership took the same position on class size in the 60s? You'd have whatever amount the principal decided. Like take 45 so he could decorate his office.

 

Why is the leadership opposed? Because they sell a zero sum game that any class size contract reduction will come out of salary -- like the UFT can't join with communities to fight for a funding strand for class size reduction.

And how about that Unity bogus argument that the DA, by UFT constitution the highest decision making body in the union, can't dictate terms to the hand-picked negotiating committee of hundreds picked by the leadership? We need to affirm the DA right to make demands on the suddenly sacrosanct Unity controlled negotiating committee.

I don't know who all the speakers listed in Arthur's report below are,  but I will venture a guess: anyone who spoke against the amendment asking for class size to be a contract demand is in some way associated with Unity Caucus and most in some manner on the UFT payroll or get union perks. At the very least, they are part of some Unity DA speakers bureau that plans their actions at the DA in advance. There are some reports there is even a seating chart so Mulgrew can find them. 

 

The Unity hierarchy tried very hard to kill the amendment in the days before the meeting, so they knew it was coming and made sure to have their people in place to oppose it. 

 

They lost anyway as the people on the phone voted over 60% in favor of the amendment.

 

Let's drill further: 

 

Debate at DA over class size reso and amendment as reported by Arthur: (UFT Delegate Assembly November 17, 2021--Class Size Resolution Passed, and Amended to Include Contract Negotiations) - 

added notations [] are mine.

[UFT VP Elementary schools] Karen Alford--Supports reso to strengthen commitment to lower class size and hold DOE responsible. Can't wait. Thinks about days in overcrowded schools and classrooms, and how impossible it was to teach. We need to recognize public health challenge and look through this lens. We will make children safer. 84% could do this now. We know there are infrastructure and covid relief dollars. We don't want to trade pay for class size and we must seize this opportunity.

Ryan Bockenthal--Very much in favor, Moves to amend. Adds resolved--We wll follow up with actions, support related state legislation, prioritize in collective bargaining, go to court if necessary. We have power and showed it by mobilizing toward strike. 

Loretta Tamborello--Rises in opposition. As we said, negotiation for contract not right place. Trying to make difference using health code. We are forming committee. Will drive us. Class size action now as we're doing. Should not be contract negotiaton.

Farah Alexander--Teachers overworked, overextended, at capacity. We want this now, before contract, don't want it mandatory item. 

Ali ?--In favor of amendment. Empowers CLs to enforce this. Can make it school issue. Policies meaningless until enforced. 

Shane McAndrew--Opposes. We have health crisis, must lower class sizes, social-emotional crisis too. Smaller class sizes will help teachers support students better. Legislative process removes pressure at bargaining table. We have our voice if it's immortalized in law. Pols will have to raise them.

Matt Driscoll--In favor of amendment. Not in conflict with reso. Just adds to it. 

Jennifer Brown--Important to fight for reduction at all levels, contractually and beforehand.

Bill Woodruff--Calls question.

Point of order--Important issue. Is delegate that just asked that on union payroll?

Mulgrew--He is elected delegate.  

Woodruff?--Audibly angry, argues you'd deny members their right to be represented.

Mulgrew--We are teacher union in largest district with greatest challenges. Please bear that in mind and be respectful toward one another. Question called. Seconded.

Vote to end debate. 

82% yes online. Debate closed.

Amendment--

61% yes online. Amendment passes, but.... 

Mulgrew calls people to stand who are for amendment. They are counted. Audible debate as sections are measured. Has no votes stand, section by section.  Mulgrew says we try to avoid this because we get through fewer resolutions. 

Amendment passes.

This was a big victory as people on the phone voted overwhelmingly for putting class size as a contract demand, vehemently opposed by the leadership, as you can see above in Arthur's report. As Unity tries to pack in person meetings, you can see a divide where in person overwhelmingly opposed the contract amendment. Remote is a problem for the leadership since they can't see how people vote - and I bet a bunch of anon Unity people voted for the amendment.

There's a lot to chew on in this short segment. Bill Woodruff  (known affectionately by some in the opposition as Ruff Ruff) is a highly paid APPOINTED NOT ELECTED district rep but also an elected delegate from the school he is assigned to where he teaches one period a day and then goes off to work on his UFT job until 6 PM - supposedly  - except I guess when he "works" for Unity Caucucs at the DA  - often as a goon this time trying to intimidate retirees outside the building (more on this below). Should District reps occupy a delegate position in a school they spend one eighth of their day in? I say HELL NO but if they were elected DR in their districts I'd entertain the argument.

Anti amendment speakers Loretta Tamborello, Farah Alexander are Unity Caucus and Shane McAndrew was associated with E4E which no matter their rhetoric, go along with Ed Deform attacks on class size as an issue. Watch some alliances between E4E and Unity in this election, even the possibility E4E runs its own slate as a Unity stalking horse to undermine United for Change. 

One of my pal bloggers took up the issue:

DOENUTS Blog: But Why Are Paid Employees Trying To End Debate

A Delegate on the phone says lower class sizes are important contractually or through other means.

A Delegate calls the question on all matters before the house.

Point of Order: This is an important issue asking if the person who spoke previously was on the union payroll. Delegate responds that he is elected and insulted that someone asked this.

A closer look into what the heck happened revels this:

Then, it starts to get crazy when DR William Woodruff calls the question to get a vote on ending the debate. Independent Delegate Daniel Alicea [(here)] shouts for a point of order on whether the person calling for the end of debate on this fundamental issue is on the UFT payroll. Woodruff is on the payroll and makes close to $200,000 per annum as a District Rep so it is a valid question if he represents his employer (the UFT) or the members in the school where he works one period a day. .....

DOENUTS' reporting is important, bur not to bury the lede of this DA: 

The most important event connected to the Nov. 17 UFT Delegate Assembly was the announcement of a united slate for the spring UFT elections -  

Jonathan has the press advisory - United for Change / UFT.  I reported the morning of the DA as the announcement was made. United Slate Announced, Predictions for (Nov. 17) UFT Delegate Assembly -Class Size Issue - Enforcement, Enforcement, Enforcement.

I've always supported a united front of all groups for UFT elections since I got involved in the 70s. Generally, the caucuses I've worked with have also backed united fronts and I have always argued to either run together or don't run. That was my position when I was with MORE and when they did the opposite in the 2019 election I separated. Good to see they are on board this time.

But to me the more important issue has been the level of cooperation between all elements of the opposition at the Sept. CL and Oct and Nov DA's -- more on this - the first time I've seen some of this at DAs since the early 70s.

More background here:

• Class Size and Healthcare Inside/Outside Action at...
• EONYC Challenge: Can Class Size Issues Wake up a s...

 And other reporting on what turned out to be a packed DA:

James' commentary: VOTES DON'T GO UNITY'S WAY AT DELEGATE ASSEMBLY; M...

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Mulgrew's Conniption. Now How do we Battle Apathy and Ignorance? - Mulgrew's Conniption. Now How to we Battle Apathy and Ignorance? 

UFT staffers dominating the DA is anti-democratic, as is shutting out opposition retirees from being delegates

Now, let's get back to the issue of UFT/Unity people on the union dole occupying major spaces at the Delegate Assembly, which was so blatantly obvious on Wednesday.

For the record, a group of retirees were huddled together outside listening to the DA with some mild amplification through a bull horn - we are old and the UFT leadership opposes medicare for all which would pay for our hearing aids.  In addition, the 19th floor, where we usually watch the DA, was closed. And despite Retiree Advocate winning 30% of the vote in last spring's chapter election - roughly 7000 disenfranchised voters -we have NO representation at the DA as Unity takes winner take all for all retiree 300 delegates. This is dues taxation without representation. For the record, before the election we asked for at the very least some token representation at the DA for 5 out of 300 and Unity said NO. 

Apparently this unnerved Mulgrew enough to interrupt a great speech by Daniel Alicea on why mayoral control has been so bad and Mulgrew stopped the DA and threatened to shut it down entirely because there are supposed rules about broadcasting the DA outside the building, an LOL moment since they were broadcasting outside the building to thousands of delegates.

 

They sent 3 Unity staffer goons out to yell at us: Queens HS Dist Rep James Vasquez, Wilma Soto and Good old Bill Ruff Ruff, who raced out to yell at us after yelling at Daniel. I yelled back to show us the rule and that if there were a rule about broadcasting outside the DA, they were the ones violating the rule --

 

It is anti-democratic when unelected union bureaucrats like District Reps who teach one period a day in a school and are on the UFT payroll manage to get elected as a school delegate to supposedly represent the school but actually function as an agent of the leadership, often against the interests of the people in the schools. Delegates have a right to that information. Especially egregious is calling the question on class size issues.  

Daniel posted DOENUTS on his EONYC FB page and got this response from our old pal Leo Casey:

“With all due respect, this is an anti-democratic argument. Every delegate in the Delegate Assembly is elected by the members in their school, and every delegate has the same rights to speak and to make motions in the body. This is an argument that "I have the right to silence you" and to disenfranchise the members in your school if you are in a different caucus from me. If you don't like what a delegate says, get up and make your own speech; if you don't like a motion that a delegate makes, vote against it. That's how a democracy works....

 

...the objection is that the delegate (derided as union bureaucrat) doesn’t vote the ‘right way’ representing the ‘interests’ of the members the way that the interlocutor knows they should be represented, and so therefore, must be an anti-democratic presence in the DA. And the delegate who votes the ‘right way’ (Markens) is exempt from this stricture. What I simply end with is that a conception of democracy which can’t imagine being legitimately on the losing end of votes and elections is not a conception of democracy that I can support.

Daniel responded:  

Markens is not truly analogous as being duly elected into both his positions,imo. And the lone example in 60 years. Hard to question his legitimacy.

For the record as penned by James Eterno in 2016:

“Bruce was DR for a decade. When Bruce retired, Manhattan High Schools had the nerve to vote in another non-Unity representative Tom Dromgoole. Unity's response was to change the rules to make district representatives a position appointed by the UFT President.”

http://iceuftblog.blogspot.com/.../uft-high-school...

Let's close by reiterating -- 

 

If district reps were elected a case could be made for them to be delegates. In fact, I would support their being delegates because they would be one level removed from total adherence to the dictates of the leadership. 

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