Threatening ABC wasn't the first time they did this. In 2023, they threatened me with civil and criminal penalties for the egregious offense of parodying Michael Mulgrew. Parody is protected by the First Amendment, but UFT lawyers must've been absent the day they taught that. Very shortly after I ran a column on it, my blog's domain address was blocked. That's why I'm now on Substack with thousands more readers. So I thank Unity for that, at least. I'm leaving a link to my story. https://nyceducator.blogspot.com/2023/04/my-union-dues-pay-lawyers-to-threaten-me.html
What really gets me is the attorney’s letter states they will sue each UFT member individually, for having publicly stated we are UFT members. Michael Mulgrew and Unity UFT leadership intend to personally bankrupt me, a special education teacher and proud UFT member teaching in NYC public schools for 20 years, and leave my family and me literally out of our home and out in the cold. These are the sick people running our union. They will do this to any UFT member who dares to advocate for a better union and better public schools.
I became a UFT member in 1984. In a very anti-union atmosphere, the chapter leader of Lehman High School approached me in a men's room, and said, "Pssst...you wanna join the union?: He then surreptitiously slipped me a postcard, I filled it out, and that's how I joined. Looks like Michael Mulgrew wants to bring back that Golden Age, with us afraid of union bosses instead of supervisors.
When Mulgrew lays on his phony tough guy shtick, it does have an air of wannabe third-rate mob boss. It's pretty ineffective, though. I don't feel intimidated at all. Maybe it's working better with UFT staff at 52 Broadway. They all seem to be running scared.
Every opposition group I’ve belonged to uses UFT after their name. We’re all UFT dues paying members! And does the UFT/UNIY have a copyright on the color blue? Really? What a waste of our dues money for pettiness. No one I know of is confused. What nonsense. Use that money to give the paras a pensionable raise!
This is the definition of insanity, they thought after the election A Better Contract @ UFT Members would just fizzle out.That is furthest from the truth, we are here to stay, to fight for our members and continue to call out Mulgrew’s Bullshit .
I’m infuriated that he uses our dues to bring this futile claim to a legal level, yet he has hung paraprofessionals out to dry, he’s put us at the mercy of politicians instead of giving us pensionable raises when he had $450 million to do so during the last contract negotiations.
Shame on Michael Mulgrew !!! we are all Uft members !
We are Linda. That's probably why Unity has UFT in their logo. Sit while you wait for the lawyers to go after them. They can do whatever they wish. In Unity World, all members are equal, but some are more equal than others.
Unity's scare tactic has already been used by machines in other unions - and defeated. The Association for Union Democracy has excellent materials about this and other fights we need to wage to democratize the UFT, empower members to "own" our union, make officers and staff realize they work for us. https://uniondemocracy.org/
Once again I feel we need to go after the "current UFT" to see where all the funds they received are going. This is usually done by a Forensic Accountant to find out if fraud is taking place. Yes they are expensive but we need to find out what really is going on. Has anyone ever seen a UFT audited budget? Also how were these other groups at the UFT formed? Not only ABC but the other groups as well. Solidarity,etc.
If the arbitration they lost is the same as the issue in their letter, I think there is a basis to file a complaint against any attorney who signs off on suing ABC.
UFT lawyers will sign off on whatever King Mulgrew sees fit. That's their job. Too bad for union members who actually need protection, especially when said protection is needed from those whose salaries are paid by our dues.
at what point does pulling dues become justified? I mean if they piss it all away on themselves and stuff like this that attacks actual working teachers?
Mulgrew/Unity, along w/ the rubber stamp Delegate Assembly (certainly doing an excellent imitation of the mean spirited Republican hacks in the House of Representatives), have the gall to expect we believe his lies & obfuscations (see Medicare Advantage or as he put it “better than Medicare”) & crazed bullying tactics like this outrageous lawyer letter. I recall thinking that a union is supposed to protect & fight for its Members…how quaint!
That is absolutely shocking, a union using union dues to sue members who pay those dues. In the era of Donald Trump, I guess Mulgrew is jumping on the authoritarian bandwagon.
Threatening ABC wasn't the first time they did this. In 2023, they threatened me with civil and criminal penalties for the egregious offense of parodying Michael Mulgrew. Parody is protected by the First Amendment, but UFT lawyers must've been absent the day they taught that. Very shortly after I ran a column on it, my blog's domain address was blocked. That's why I'm now on Substack with thousands more readers. So I thank Unity for that, at least. I'm leaving a link to my story. https://nyceducator.blogspot.com/2023/04/my-union-dues-pay-lawyers-to-threaten-me.html
What really gets me is the attorney’s letter states they will sue each UFT member individually, for having publicly stated we are UFT members. Michael Mulgrew and Unity UFT leadership intend to personally bankrupt me, a special education teacher and proud UFT member teaching in NYC public schools for 20 years, and leave my family and me literally out of our home and out in the cold. These are the sick people running our union. They will do this to any UFT member who dares to advocate for a better union and better public schools.
I became a UFT member in 1984. In a very anti-union atmosphere, the chapter leader of Lehman High School approached me in a men's room, and said, "Pssst...you wanna join the union?: He then surreptitiously slipped me a postcard, I filled it out, and that's how I joined. Looks like Michael Mulgrew wants to bring back that Golden Age, with us afraid of union bosses instead of supervisors.
When Mulgrew lays on his phony tough guy shtick, it does have an air of wannabe third-rate mob boss. It's pretty ineffective, though. I don't feel intimidated at all. Maybe it's working better with UFT staff at 52 Broadway. They all seem to be running scared.
It's ironic that he pulls the tough guy stuff on members. Me, I'd rather see it directed against our contractual adversaries.
Mulgrew is disgusting!!!
Every opposition group I’ve belonged to uses UFT after their name. We’re all UFT dues paying members! And does the UFT/UNIY have a copyright on the color blue? Really? What a waste of our dues money for pettiness. No one I know of is confused. What nonsense. Use that money to give the paras a pensionable raise!
This is the definition of insanity, they thought after the election A Better Contract @ UFT Members would just fizzle out.That is furthest from the truth, we are here to stay, to fight for our members and continue to call out Mulgrew’s Bullshit .
I’m infuriated that he uses our dues to bring this futile claim to a legal level, yet he has hung paraprofessionals out to dry, he’s put us at the mercy of politicians instead of giving us pensionable raises when he had $450 million to do so during the last contract negotiations.
Shame on Michael Mulgrew !!! we are all Uft members !
We are Linda. That's probably why Unity has UFT in their logo. Sit while you wait for the lawyers to go after them. They can do whatever they wish. In Unity World, all members are equal, but some are more equal than others.
Unity's scare tactic has already been used by machines in other unions - and defeated. The Association for Union Democracy has excellent materials about this and other fights we need to wage to democratize the UFT, empower members to "own" our union, make officers and staff realize they work for us. https://uniondemocracy.org/
Insane! We are all UFT members and have the right to USE the name. How can they say we are not a faction of the UFT??
It's funny, though, because Unity uses the word UFT in their logo. Are they gonna sue themselves?
Once again I feel we need to go after the "current UFT" to see where all the funds they received are going. This is usually done by a Forensic Accountant to find out if fraud is taking place. Yes they are expensive but we need to find out what really is going on. Has anyone ever seen a UFT audited budget? Also how were these other groups at the UFT formed? Not only ABC but the other groups as well. Solidarity,etc.
If the arbitration they lost is the same as the issue in their letter, I think there is a basis to file a complaint against any attorney who signs off on suing ABC.
UFT lawyers will sign off on whatever King Mulgrew sees fit. That's their job. Too bad for union members who actually need protection, especially when said protection is needed from those whose salaries are paid by our dues.
Was the arbitration binding? Attorneys are prohibited from suing using a frivolous claim just to harass someone.
at what point does pulling dues become justified? I mean if they piss it all away on themselves and stuff like this that attacks actual working teachers?
Agreed and also retirees. We pay dues too.
Mulgrew/Unity, along w/ the rubber stamp Delegate Assembly (certainly doing an excellent imitation of the mean spirited Republican hacks in the House of Representatives), have the gall to expect we believe his lies & obfuscations (see Medicare Advantage or as he put it “better than Medicare”) & crazed bullying tactics like this outrageous lawyer letter. I recall thinking that a union is supposed to protect & fight for its Members…how quaint!
It is called lawfare!
That is absolutely shocking, a union using union dues to sue members who pay those dues. In the era of Donald Trump, I guess Mulgrew is jumping on the authoritarian bandwagon.
He's been on that bandwagon for years and could teach Trump a thing or two.
Unbelievable! Such a focus and threat coming from Mulgrew & his counsel is despicable, and using our dues to fund it is outrageous!
It is. I've long thought so.
Have the ACLU sue the law firm