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Would someone please explain the very last sentence of this blog: “If the population currently teaching in the city’s classrooms starts to stray to opposition groups, or is to apathetic to vote, the union could be in trouble”. Does this mean that the UFT is in “trouble” if a large percentage of union voters chooses to “oppose” the Unity ticket? During these uncertain times we all need to stick together. Please respect all members, regardless of what caucus they belong to. The UFT is still the UFT at the end of the day.

Great stuff! 

I would love to understand better the motivations of retirees in why and how they vote.  I would also love to understand better why so few active teachers vote.  

“If the population currently teaching in the city’s classrooms starts to stray to opposition groups, or is too apathetic to vote, the union could be in trouble.”

Listen, I’m active in the Union as a Chapter Leader and in other ways, and I can say that in no way is the union in trouble if people stray to opposition groups. We may not all agree on certain issues, but we all agree that our union is strong because of the strength of our members.

If anything, the results of the election will help the leadership examine the ways it does things and lead it to better things, not the other way around.

If, for example, Unity wins 90%-10%, they’ll know they’re doing something right. If they win 60%-40%, they know that they may have to change some things. If they don’t win, well, that’s a pretty clear message.

In the end though, we are, and always will be, a strong union.

I think that last sentence should have read “Unity will be in trouble”. And if the base is not voting in large numbers, politicians will take advantage of that fact. For years now the base has not really risen up to protest unless you count a few rallies with the most important one being canceled by Randi.

The retirees represent a very large percentage of the vote. And, they remember the union being strong when they were teaching. Many have moved outside of NYC. There is a minority of retirees who still have some connection with what’s going on in the classroom if they still have friends or relatives working for the DoE . Their main connection is the union paper which only shows the best of Unity. Mulgrew recently sent out a letter to retirees outlining the increases to our SHIP benefits which I for one appreciate. That it was done in an election year is not surprising me.

On a recent trip to Florida my friend ran into 2 friends who brought up the closing of Jamaica HS. They used to teach there. When I brought up that James was running for president, they were astounded. They remember a mild-manner teacher and not the rep he became. The rest will probably be just as surprised when they see his picture on their ad. I personally thought the ICE ad and layout very mediocre given that it was their one and only chance to reach the majority of voters. I expected something a bit more polished given that opportunity.

Maybe it was also a lost campaign opportunity on James’ and the ICE team’s part not to reach out to the retirees of their respective schools all these years and get the word out. As far as the vote is concerned, those schools that are run by good administrators will most likely get the Unity vote. The schools that are suffering under a tyrant will get the opposition vote and those who dislike Unity but are not yet comfortable with the opposition will toss the vote.

Ken,
If you are asking if these benefits are free, the answer is no. We pay very high union dues as well as health premiums. Of course any retiree, whether it’s union or private hope that those in charge of their pensions are doing the very best for them. The UFT has always been helpful to retirees and have a dedicated staff to service us should we have any questions or concerns about our health coverages. Of course we hope that our premiums do not go up too high given that we are on a fixed income. The union tries to find the best providers who accept their benefits when it comes to dental, hearing aides, glasses, etc. And given the cost of health care in America, this is a blessing.

I know you are not always “union friendly”, but thanks to unions the middle class has been able to get affordable health care for their families. I had 3 very major operations that thankfully did not cause me to go bankrupt.

You asked about firings. Many teachers are in favor of a fair method that can get poor teachers off the payroll. No one wants to work with a lazy or incompetent teacher. As for seniority, I will always support it. No one should be discriminated against because of age. And many senior teachers are excellent teachers. The system has inherent problems that have nothing to do with teachers. Curriculum being among the first. We stuff too many concepts into one year of teaching while our counterparts in other countries teach fewer concepts but with deeper understanding. Secondly, discipline is a major problem with no real accountability. Next, there is very little support for the social and psychological problems of our students. You will not find parents who are not supportive trying to get their kids into a charter. Lastly, all schools across the country, including charters, are making it very easy to pass. Last week’s episode of The Simpsons had First Lady Obama saying, “I got all A’s at a time when it was hard to get an A.”

Our union also offers weekend courses so teachers can learn new methodologies in all subject areas. They also provide materials we can take back to the classroom. These courses are affordable. The DoE offers very little in the area of professional development under Klein. The first thing he did after taking office was to take away our Science Center which was a fantastic.
program. Not only were we given development on hands-on lessons, but got free materials to take back. And they were available to us to borrow materials and call them if we needed assistance.

I did vote the opposition slate because our union has failed us. I am a firm believer that teachers should be part of the hiring/firing process. We need to have ownership of our schools because we really do understand the needs of our students. Unity took away our right (as well as many other rights) to be part of the hiring process which btw was working. Administrators, teachers and parents served on that committee. Any good school should work collaboratively. Unity does nothing to insure that for their public school teachers while I believe their own charter allows for it.