For those that have lived in a cave for the last 24 hours, Solidarity, led by Lydia Howrilka here) who did not have underlying medical conditions but lived in fear for those they lived one did. and represented in court by über teacher lawyer Bryan Glass won a Temporary Restraining Order for the five plaintiffs (Read decision

What happens next? The TRO only pertains to the five plaintiffs and expires on Monday, September 21. Plus, the Corporation Counsel according to a source is not appealing the TRO, and the judge in the case is welcoming affidavits for other teachers who feel that they are in the same situation as the original five plaintiffs. Email Bryan Glass for more information. Immediately. Affidavits must be in no later than 6 PM EDT Thursday, September 17.

No on to bigger and sadder things.

The UFT, the Unity part of the UFT, could have had this victory. I saw this decision coming and not just because Bryan Glass is the attorney. It made sense. Five teachers, all with loved ones with Centers for Disease Control underlying conditions. A mayor and a schools chancellor that day in and day out not only spew inane contradictory blabber out of their mouths but have time and time again shown that the only reason to re-open school building is that each need to know that all is OK in the phallus department for them.

What does the UFT do? Does it play offense? Not exactly. They were playing what Warner Wolf termed the Giants offense back in the late 70's. The UFT was playing a "prevent offense." The UFT just didn't want to punch the ball into the end zone. They could've. The had the resources to. They just didn't want to.

Yes, Mike Mulgrew for most of August was talking strike. "Wow," some people said, "Mulgrew is being proactive." But striking would not have been a good idea. I laid down why a strike would not have worked two weeks ago. But seeking injunctive relief in keeping schools closed would have been a winner.

One of the advantages in going to court, the city and the DOE would be have not only been forced to lay out their re-opening plans but would have been forced to defend contradictory, ever changing, and unsafe reopening. The city and the DOE would be defending the indefensible. The UFT, on the other hand would show that only the union had the safety and welfare of the students, the school communities, and yes, the teachers as a priority.

With winning in court and keeping the school from reopening the UFT is letting the judge make the decision. The UFT won't have the public perception of turning it's backs on our most vulnerable. The UFT could've had the city and DOE as the villains, as the ones that are usurping education and the re-opening.

The UFT could have had their own plan for 100% remote learning which as of this evening, 9:01 PM EDT on September 15, 2020, the DOE hasn't figured out.

But with a strike, there is always the threat of scabs. Not so with a court ruling. With a court ruling no risk of 2 for 1, or losing automatic checkoff. Teachers would still get paid. The UFT would have had hand. They could've negotiated from a position of strength. The clock is running out for the UFT to proudly take its gonads show them off to the rank and file.

In the mean time the latest I heard is 55 teachers testing positive for COVID. In several schools the teachers are refusing to enter the buildings, photos on Facebook and Twitter of mold in classrooms, schmutz on vents, windows that open have an inch, and too many schools with not enough PPE. Hey, how is that agreement going so far?

And lest we forget the numbers are going up for students who are doing full remote and the DOE is still 10k teachers short.


Time for 52 Broadway to bring in the big guns, and act in a big way.

NYC school buildings will not be opening in September. We will be doing remote learning.

There I said it. I don't have any current knowledge nor any clairvoyance. But think about it, it is not happening.

One reason is that I do not trust the DOE to do the right thing. And even if they tried to do the right thing as far as opening the buildings it will be a failure of epic proportions. And, as of now, I am giving the UFT and Mulgrew the benefit of the doubt that they will not agree to any reopening unless ever t is crossed and i is dotted.

Plus, where are the hundreds, if not thousands, of extra teachers going to come from if each school is split into cohorts?

We have massive outbreaks in states down south. Will these manifestations of COVID slowly creep up here?

Will too many teachers suddenly take up smoking and receive an accommodation to teach remotely?

Each point I made is valid, but it doesn't tell the entire reason why there will not be a reopening come September. There is one cohort (pardon the pun) that no one is thinking of which will decide the fate of a reopening.

The parents. I'll tell you why.

When 9/11 happened I was at a school in the Bronx a few blocks from Yankee Stadium. Around 10 AM or so parents started lining up to take their kids home. Originally I assumed that the Stadium and the Bronx Court House which was nearby as well were likely targets and the parents shared that thought. But I soon learned after the attacks in speaking to other teachers, that all schools were emptied out by parents that day. The school I was at was was a ghost town by 11:30 AM.

Now fast forward to 2020. 9/11 was a less direct threat to the well being of the system's students. COVID is much more existential threat to the health and safety of students.

COVID, or CoronaVirus, can be anywhere, unseen, at anytime. One place not cleaned right, not scrubbed, or sanitized can wreak havoc. Are they going to screen for temperatures for those entering schools? How then do you keep those who are asymptomatic out?

Look what happened in Chappaqua this past weekend. There is now a cluster of 19 people infected because one putz went down to Florida and brought it back with him.

Where are results we can see? That the parents can see? Will one be able go to DOE website and find out the cleanliness and safety of their school?

In fact, where is the transparency of the "walkthroughs" that have been ongoing for the last several weeks? Why can't we see them? Are there results?

We're going have a plan in two weeks? That's too fucking funny. Should've had 10 plans in place by the end of May.

The parents and the communities control if the buildings open. The parents and the communities don't want dead children. The school buildings are not opening in September.

Some years ago, well actually in 2005 whilst doing family research, I asked my dad if his
dad ever voted. Being that my grandfather was a precinct captain in the Bronx for Tammany Hall and my dad regaled with how my grandfather manipulated voting, I was curious.

My dad's answer wasn't yes or no, but rather; "Do you mean how many times did he vote on Election Day?"

Turns out my dear old grandpa voted early and quite often on Election Day. He used different names, different birthdays. All for the guys at Tammany.

So how does this matter to you, the DOE employee? The "Return to Buildings Survey" is out!!!!!!!! (click to enlarge)


So as you read this you think, why is this blogger so excited? The Crack Team's computer guy, Zippy the Brain Damage Chimp found a flaw.

Just like my grandpa, you can fill it out early and often on the survey. Here's the link. 

Take the survey as many times as you wish. In fact, send the survey to grandma, grandpa, you family all over the world. Does your pet have opposable thumbs? Let Fido or Fluffy take the survey!!


Just remember, fill it out early and often. If doing survey on phone, look for arrow in lower right corner. If on desktop, click next.

"There is no such thing as reality. There is only perception." - said by so many


Since all this Corona Virus hazerai has gone down since March I have noticed that the UFT has been (at the very least) in a more proactive manner, as well as being a bit more forceful.

Speaking for myself I hope the town halls are permanent and once we are off restriction will becomes more of a traveling town hall with smaller audiences but more frequently across the boroughs, or once a month in each borough. But there is still work to do.

It was pleasing to read about Mulgrew in the Post last month ripping the bloated bureaucracy at Tweed as has been reported on these pages.

It was also not unpleasant to read how and hear from Mulgrew how pissed he was about spring break being cancelled.

And though the UFT was fashionably late to the party, it was at the forefront of the pressure on the DOE to close the school buildings and pivot to remote learning even though some fruity little caucus thinks they were the influencers.

Right now, I am giving the benefit of the doubt that the UFT will continue being proactive. We have been down this road before. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame of me. Once bitten, twice, shy. The devil is in the details. You catch my drift, no?

Maybe, just maybe, Mike Mulgrew is having a Pat Lynch moment(s), but without being the asshole that Pat Lynch is.

There is still more the UFT can do. Not only grab the DOE by the proverbial testes but give a good tight squeeze whilst twisting.

How about this? Leak the names of all CSA and non-UFT useless wastes of space in Tweed with their salaries and perks. That's a good start.

And go after the lawyers. How many lawyers are there working for the DOE are there to make teachers jobs and lives miserable? I think Solidarity came up with 300. Say these 300 lawyers average a salary of $85k. Getting rid of them all can save $25.5 million.

What's sad is this going after the lawyer thing could've and should've been done years ago when teachers were being sent to the Rubber Rooms for carrying a Coca-Cola.

Mike Mulgrew said at either a town hall or a DA recently (I conflate the two sometimes) that we won the teacher war. Well, to the victors go the spoils and the writing of history. Let's do it.

With no plan, nor even a speculation of a plan, in sight, no one knows what to expect come
September. But one thing has been on my mind for some time now which was alluded to in yesterday's exec board meeting.

As per Arthur Goldstein's blog and last nights minutes...

Q:Members with pre-existing contditions--can they work remotely? 
A: On the table.

Yeah, what about it? What if schools reopen, or even partially reopen? What safety measures will be taken?

I have Type 2 Diabetes. My A1c is quite low (can be lower), my blood pressure is normal, my weight is good. Cholesterol, kidneys, everything is good. Knock on wood. But I am still diabetic and that is on the list of people who are susceptible to Covid-19.So what is a diabetic teacher to do?

In 1997 I had really bad strep throat. Had 104 degree fever. Was on anti-biotics. Knocked out my immune system. After I got better from the strep, I developed Shingles.

Should teachers walk into the belly of death?

How about teachers with lung problems to begin with? A little over 30 years ago my dad had pleurisy. It made him much more susceptible to pneumonia.

So should teachers with lung issues risk their lives? 

Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune disease. So is Lupus. What about any auto-immune disease? What then?

A teacher getting chemotherapy is sometimes well enough to work between sessions. What then?

A simple cold can whack someone's immune system.

Asthma? Being on certain medications? Anyone with a chronic illness?

A dead teacher is not a good thing.

I believe I can say that not one teacher is willing to die for Chancellor Carranza. One too many already have.

The city and the DOE are dicking around. But the devil is in the details.

This is time for the UFT to shine.

To truly protect its members.

MORE is at it again. Having become irrelevant and nonsensical and desperate for attention, the crew at MORE has now come up with a method in which it believes that will, make it seem relevant. In a Freudian way they think they are showing what they believe is a phallus, but in reality, is nothing more than a wilted dried up raisin.

I should've paid more attention when it was passed along to The Crack Team some sort of Change.org petition. The "brain"trust at MORE is calling for a sickout. Even made the Post.

Here's the deal. You have maybe 13 hard core members of MORE, Peter Lamphere, Dermott Myrie, Kevin Prosen, Aixa Rodriguez (She's an opportunist anyway.), etc. And about 13 followers. So 26 blind leading the blind while the blind follow in ignorant bliss.

Never mind that a sickout is a violation of the Taylor Law. Never mind that teachers who take this job action will be penalized 2 for 1. And never mind that the support we have now as a union will be hurt.

Worse, you think the MORE upper echelon will be there to pick up the pieces for the teachers who participate? No, not at all. They will be somewhere, anywhere, but not where they should be. They'll be off getting a big star for their Super Sectarian Socialist sticker book from what's left of the "let's burn down the house" dudes at the International Socialist Organization.

Just remember how many times the four (as well as others) aforementioned MORE people have continuously snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. As Captain Kirk said to Khan in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan"...

"Still, "old friend!" You've managed to kill everyone else, but like a poor marksman, you keep missing the target!"

Seriously, this is a crowd that you want to be around? A crowd that does not support teachers and has no problem calling in sick, not for some noble reason, but to make themselves seem important, and leaving children on their own?

And please do not call me a union shill. There is plenty I disagree with the Union about. I will call them out when I must and defend them when I see that they need defending. But one thing I will not waiver on is defending teachers. And this whatever MORE thinks of this sick out, it will be damaging for not only the teachers, but the students and communities as well.

The schools should be closed. Yes, I understand the difficult logistics. Yes, I understand that NYC is not equipped nor ever had the foresight for every school and every student to have access to online learning. But the schools must be closed. Call for a 10 school day moratorium on classes and then see what happens. My son's college has extended spring break through next week, and distance learning starting March 23 and it will be reassessed April 3. De Blasio can very easily do that. Now, not some time soon.

MORE is dangerous and irrelevant. They know it. Everyone needs to know it. Otherwise following them is like jumping off a cliff.