Fwd: Are there emerging rifts in the UFT/Unity Caucus leadership that threaten its 60 year control of the UFT? -- Part 1
Norm Scott
From: The Wire: Powered by Educators of NYC <educatorsofn...@substack.com>
Date: Fri, Nov 10, 2023 at 7:41 AM
Subject: Are there emerging rifts in the UFT/Unity Caucus leadership that threaten its 60 year control of the UFT? -- Part 1
To: <nor...@gmail.com>
DisclaimerThe views expressed by our individual authors are their own and may not reflect the views of the EONYC community. Just as we may not all agree with the editorial views expressed as the collective Educators of NYC community.Are there emerging rifts in the UFT/Unity Caucus leadership that threaten its 60 year control of the UFT? -- Part 1If so, what is a path forward for Independent Community of Educators (ICE/UFT) -- Written by a long-time union organizer and teacher of ICE/UFT (Part 1)
The following is written by a Long time teacher and union organizer with the Independent Community of Educators (ICE-UFT)It is my contention that UFT leadership of President Mulgrew and his Unity Caucus is, and has been, facing unprecedented internal turmoil sparked by the recent removal of Queens borough representative Amy Arundell, rumored due to her internal dissent on certain policies spearheaded by the top-level leadership, a very small circle that has shut out even other Unity Caucus voices from decision making. The removal of Arundell was only the spark, as other issues have been reverberating inside the Unity machine and beyond:
There have been low level defections from Unity in recent years, people who have become prominent in the voices of dissent in the union. So far we have not seen any high or even middle level defections, but if Amy Arundell is purged, she would be the first in decades to be cast out. ICE-UFT has not been in a position to respond to these events since one if its key leaders has fallen ill. Since the 7-month illness of James Eterno, a co-founder of ICE/UFT caucus of the UFT and the retired chapter leader who led a valiant fight against the closing of his Jamaica High School, ICE has been in abeyance, not having met in years. James worked valiantly since ICE merged into the MORE Caucus in 2012 to keep the ICE brand alive, mainly through his intensive blogging at https://iceuftblog.blogspot.com/ which has attracted thousands of followers. James also ran for UFT President against Mulgrew in the 2010 election and has been a major figure in the opposition for almost 30 years. ICE has been a key component of the United for Change (UFC) coalition, with Jame’s wife and longtime teacher Camille Eterno at the head of the ticket that opposed Mulgrew’s Unity caucus in the 2022 UFT election and garnered almost 16 thousand votes, including a majority of votes of high school teachers. Aviation HS Chapter Leader Ibeth Mejia and Luli Rodriguez currently represent ICE and Solidarity caucus as part of UFC on the UFT Executive Board along with ICE’s Mike Schirtzer who ran with the Unity caucus slate. In light of the failings of UFT leadership of Unity Caucus we have heard calls for ICE/UFT to begin to move forward once again. There have been some informal discussions about working with the UFT leadership of Unity Caucus or presenting a hard-line challenge to them and as expected in ICE, there are a range of opinions. Here are my views. When we listen to our union leadership do we hear inspiration and empowerment or do we hear “be grateful for what we let you have”? Every public meeting, from town halls to the district level, are tightly scripted and controlled, and often purposely boring. Delegate assemblies (chapter leader and delegate monthly meetings) have become increasingly restrictive and critical voices suppressed. Mulgrew filibusters often take up to an hour for his president’s report. Meetings are dominated by paid staff and selected Unity Caucus members, with critics being given scant, if any, time. Even the standard method of the “New Motion” period has been subverted to shut out those voices. At a recent UFT Executive Board meeting Mulgrew tried to brand internal critics as being the enemy of the union for raising questions about the removal of Arundell and clandestine changes to our health insurance. This is a standard response of autocrats. These attacks must be responded to. UFT district meetings are used by the leadership to push their agenda when those meetings should be opportunities for chapter leaders to work together to solve problems in their schools. Our chapter leaders need to be more aggressive in pushing back at these meetings. If they can't get speaking time, we need to put out a leaflet and reach out to others. Do not assume you are the only one unhappy with the leadership. Some Chapter Leaders fear offending the UFT District Representatives because they are often dependent on them. We must display it is quite the opposite, UFT DRs and union leaders tend to be more responsive to internal opposition leaders, “the squeaky wheel gets the oil”! Our union’s Executive Board meetings have been the space where our 7 UFT stalwart delegates have the most space to raise issues and thanks to HS Ex Bd member HS Ex Bd member Nick Bacon's notes on the New Action blog, we can share what goes on there. Nick has been one of the Unity Caucus defectors. There are calls from some opposed to Unity rule to still work with them Now is not the time to bail Unity out. If there are ways to get them to help the members, let's do so by all means, but beware of their usual attempts to control the message and make faux reforms they can take PR credit for, even if we do the work. Union consciousness is at an all time high. Who in your circle of family and friends at school doesn’t know about the Teamsters, UAW, Writers Guild,or SAG? Most UFT members know that other teacher unions have threatened to strike or actually went on strike and have won major victories while the Unity leadership have disparaged those who have even tried to raise the strike issue. Now is not the time to give in to Unity! Now is the time to agitate, ask the tough questions, demand that our leadership listen and act, rather than lecture our members that they are working against the union. Working against a leadership that has done so much in the way of anti-union actions is working for, not against, the union. It is our leadership that has consistently worked against the union they lead over the past two decades by settling for sub-inflation raises, little support against abusive administrators, allowing public schools to be closed and charters to expand, endorsing testing and other pseudo reforms, and now risking the healthcare of our in-service and retired members. Unity caucus partners with the bosses, rather than its members. Mulgrew and the Unity Caucus machine is the real enemy! [End Part 1] The Wire: Powered by Educators of NYC is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Disclaimer The views expressed by our individual authors are their own and may not reflect the views of the EONYC community. Just as we may not all agree with the editorial views expressed as the collective Educators of NYC community. You’re currently a free subscriber to The Wire: Powered by Educators of NYC. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
© 2023 Educators of NYC
|
--
Norm Scott
nor...@gmail.com
917-992-3734
Twitter: @normscott1
Facebook: NormSco
Education Notes Online
ednotesonline.com
The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman -
fanzhenghai goosen
JEMS EBERHARD HORBEL
MT103/202 DIRECT WIRE TRANSFER
PAYPAL TRANSFER
CASHAPP TRANSFER
ZELLE TRANSFER
TRANSFER WISE
WESTERN UNION TRANSFER
BITCOIN FLASHING
BANK ACCOUNT LOADING/FLASHING
IBAN TO IBAN TRANSFER
MONEYGRAM TRANSFER
SLBC PROVIDER
CREDIT CARD TOP UP
SEPA TRANSFER
WIRE TRANSFER
GLOBALPAY INC US
Thanks.
NOTE; ONLY SERIOUS / RELIABLE RECEIVERS CAN CONTACT.
DM ME ON WHATSAPP FOR A SERIOUS DEAL.
+447405129573