What a timely and well directed address to the membership! WE are the membership and we do not have to tolerate the attacks on our wages and working conditions. I am a retiree and the working conditions were abominable back in the day but they are worse now. The Unity caucus did not help us much back then but today the Unity caucus is the source of many of our problems. It argues against 1096 in city council and similar legislation on a state level, is responsible for the deal lowering rate of interest in,TRS/TDA, fixed, from 8.25% to 7%, is responsible for allowing tier 6, has complied in emptying the MLC stabilization fund, fails to challenge the no-strike clause in Taylor Act, did not challenge OLR in attempt to enact Medicare Advantage, has not challenged management in expanding the work day from 6 hours/20 minutes , has not aggressively opposed mayoral control, etc. I could continue but you get the picture. The ONLY answer here is a membership who actively understands Unity’s complicity with management and demands an end to a union which supports policies whose only beneficiary is our employer. The Unity caucus’s domination of OUR Union depends on the apathy of the membership. When we realize this, things can begin to change. Gail Lindenberg, RTC delegate.
Thank you, Gail, for laying out this information with such insight and clarity. It is important for all UFT members to hear from someone who lived through earlier eras of Unity’s dysfunction and can say unequivocally that the situation has gotten worse. Unity has spent decades consolidating their power while eroding the power of rank-and-file UFT members and our union. Unity’s dominance is not a reflection of their popularity or effectiveness. Instead, it reflects an apathy Unity has cultivated, relied on, and weaponized for more than six decades. It is incumbent on us all to strive for a union that is truly member-driven, more democratic and more just.
I had always thought about this. How come we have the same leadership for so many years?
I am retired and I am not indolent of what is going on. There is not way to audit what the leadership is doing. The members have no voice, besides that vote for representatives that are not accountable for what they do or not. It should be a more democratic method of ruling the Union.
The members are only summon for votes, not for anything else.
All important issue should be decided by the membership, going for the majority of votes in each group of represented members. This will take involvement of the membership and will void the apathy.
The big question is: if you (ABC) had been the leaders of the UFT, what would you have done instead? There's plenty to criticize about Unity, it's easy to do and I agree with the criticisms. The hard part is developing a different and effective strategy. What would an ABC leadership have done?
Hi Marian, thanks for reading. What ABC would do differently is laid out in our platform created by over 1,200 UFT members, as well as in past articles we have authored. All are still accessible on our Substack. Unlike Mulgrew and Unity leadership, we believe in engaging and communicating with membership at all times, building union power, and being proactive instead of reactive. With billions spent annually on DOE Central salaries, and nearly another billion spent on remote learning infrastructure this school year, we would have made sure DOE had systems and protocols in place to effectively implement remote learning in the event of a blizzard, along with critical community services (e.g. hot meals, childcare) for the families that need them. The current dynamic in the relationship between Unity and DOE Central allows the DOE to drop the ball and disservice students, families, and UFT members over and over again with no consequences. That has to stop.
Here's the gist of it: "We would have made sure DOE had systems in place ..." etc. How would you have "made sure" the DOE did what you wanted? You use terms that have a good sound like "building union power," "being proactive," and "engaging and communicating with member-ship." But these terms are so vague, that Unity could claim it does all of these things. I did read your election platform, I have read your posts, during the election and even after, and I haven't found in any of them an adequate answer to the very knotty yet key question: how would ABC "make sure the DOE" would do anything.
What a timely and well directed address to the membership! WE are the membership and we do not have to tolerate the attacks on our wages and working conditions. I am a retiree and the working conditions were abominable back in the day but they are worse now. The Unity caucus did not help us much back then but today the Unity caucus is the source of many of our problems. It argues against 1096 in city council and similar legislation on a state level, is responsible for the deal lowering rate of interest in,TRS/TDA, fixed, from 8.25% to 7%, is responsible for allowing tier 6, has complied in emptying the MLC stabilization fund, fails to challenge the no-strike clause in Taylor Act, did not challenge OLR in attempt to enact Medicare Advantage, has not challenged management in expanding the work day from 6 hours/20 minutes , has not aggressively opposed mayoral control, etc. I could continue but you get the picture. The ONLY answer here is a membership who actively understands Unity’s complicity with management and demands an end to a union which supports policies whose only beneficiary is our employer. The Unity caucus’s domination of OUR Union depends on the apathy of the membership. When we realize this, things can begin to change. Gail Lindenberg, RTC delegate.
Thank you, Gail, for laying out this information with such insight and clarity. It is important for all UFT members to hear from someone who lived through earlier eras of Unity’s dysfunction and can say unequivocally that the situation has gotten worse. Unity has spent decades consolidating their power while eroding the power of rank-and-file UFT members and our union. Unity’s dominance is not a reflection of their popularity or effectiveness. Instead, it reflects an apathy Unity has cultivated, relied on, and weaponized for more than six decades. It is incumbent on us all to strive for a union that is truly member-driven, more democratic and more just.
Gail all so TRUE! UFT People need to stop being complacent and VOTE!
I had always thought about this. How come we have the same leadership for so many years?
I am retired and I am not indolent of what is going on. There is not way to audit what the leadership is doing. The members have no voice, besides that vote for representatives that are not accountable for what they do or not. It should be a more democratic method of ruling the Union.
The members are only summon for votes, not for anything else.
All important issue should be decided by the membership, going for the majority of votes in each group of represented members. This will take involvement of the membership and will void the apathy.
Apathy is a pathology in all political winds. We need to stand up and do what we are able to do. TY for all that remain involved!
Your words to God's ear.
Well said. I couldn't agree more.
It's time to shit or get off the pot as they say. Defeating Unity is in our own best interest.
Absolutely!
I agree 100%.
The big question is: if you (ABC) had been the leaders of the UFT, what would you have done instead? There's plenty to criticize about Unity, it's easy to do and I agree with the criticisms. The hard part is developing a different and effective strategy. What would an ABC leadership have done?
Hi Marian, thanks for reading. What ABC would do differently is laid out in our platform created by over 1,200 UFT members, as well as in past articles we have authored. All are still accessible on our Substack. Unlike Mulgrew and Unity leadership, we believe in engaging and communicating with membership at all times, building union power, and being proactive instead of reactive. With billions spent annually on DOE Central salaries, and nearly another billion spent on remote learning infrastructure this school year, we would have made sure DOE had systems and protocols in place to effectively implement remote learning in the event of a blizzard, along with critical community services (e.g. hot meals, childcare) for the families that need them. The current dynamic in the relationship between Unity and DOE Central allows the DOE to drop the ball and disservice students, families, and UFT members over and over again with no consequences. That has to stop.
Here's the gist of it: "We would have made sure DOE had systems in place ..." etc. How would you have "made sure" the DOE did what you wanted? You use terms that have a good sound like "building union power," "being proactive," and "engaging and communicating with member-ship." But these terms are so vague, that Unity could claim it does all of these things. I did read your election platform, I have read your posts, during the election and even after, and I haven't found in any of them an adequate answer to the very knotty yet key question: how would ABC "make sure the DOE" would do anything.