It's that time of the year. No, not the traditional holiday season, but rather the UFT election season. And what does that mean? Plenty of opportunities to partake in adult beverages, fine food, and good people. 

For those not aware, UFT Solidarity, ICE/UFT, New Action, Educators of NYC, Retiree Advocate and the MORE Caucus have formed a coalition slate to run against Mike Mulgrew and his Unity caucus in the upcoming spring UFT Elections. Henceforth to be known as "United for Change".

United for Change is kicking off it's first Bronx Happy Hour on December 10, 2021, at the 
G Bar which is below Giovanni's at 579 Grand Concourse in the Bronx @149th St from 3:15 to 7:30. The entrance for the G Bar is on 150th St.

G Bar is easy to get to and easy to get home. The 2/4/5 trains are a few blocks away 149th St. If you are coming by car G Bar is just a few blocks away from the Deegan, Yankee Stadium, and the 149th St Bridge. And there is a dedicated parking lot on 150th St. Use this form (click here) to RSVP and let us know you are coming. The form just helps with the head count. If you don't want to fill out the form just show up and come have fun while hanging out with some great people. 

This is just a start. Thus far there is a Westchester County Happy Hour already being planned for January, as well as discussions on the possibility of a Saturday afternoon something in Orange and/or Rockland counties. So be on the look out for that!

Remember, Friday, December 10, at the G Bar which is below Giovanni's at 579 Grand Concourse in the Bronx @149th St from 3:15 to 7:30. The entrance for G B around the corner on 150th St.

I'm supposed to be with my high school friends right now. Right now I am in a hotel room in Schenectady spending the weekend at the Rivers Casino. But I was checking the blogs and came across James Eterno's ICE blog. I was reading about the disaster Mulgrew had at Wednesday's Delegate Assembly meeting and
decided to take the laptop out. 

Since I am no longer a delegate, I now have to hear about things through the blogs or second hand. From what I have read it is about time something like this happened. 

Back in 2019 I wrote how to make the DA more transparent and more inclusive. Two ideas that I had were to allow live streaming of the DA to all members. There are many platforms available and at not really much cost. Well, that seemed to have happened Wednesday when someone, somewhere transmitted the live DA to opponents in front of 52 Broadway. Good. About time. But the dirty little secret is; this has been happening for some time, especially the last 18 months when the DA's were phone based.

Oh yeah. The UFT will say, "Anyone can watch." Sure, anyone can. If they schlep down to 52 Broadway and then whisked off to a cold room with a live feed off of a shit poor monitor. The time is now to make all DAs available on the UFT website, Facebook, Twitter, and wherever else possible. Want us to sign in with logins we use to go on UFT website, fine. There are methods to keep non members out. 

As for the voting? I love the voting system that is used by phone. It's awesome. True democracy. The ability for delegates to not fear reprisals. However, one should wonder if the union knows how someone  voted by phone number. 

It's time for the delegate assembly to enter the 21st century. The UFT has an app, let delegates vote by using the UFT app. I can get a high school student to help the UFT add such abilities. In fact, the same high school student can also help the UFT add any possible bandwidth it might need.  

Is this damaging to Unity in the long run? No, not really. It might change some people's minds. Those who stay on top of what is going on with the UFT. Delegates, bloggers, people who read the blogs, other activists, but that is not enough to cause a major disruption. The people who already give a shit are out there. Be they on Facebook, Twitter, or some other social media. 

How do you reach the apathetic or the ignorant? No one has come up with the answer. I think I have and I tried. I tried in 2016 but was brushed aside with "we have memes." The memes being read by the same people that already share the same views. Nothing is better than campaigning in an echo chamber. 

A few weeks ago in my school we had an election for a vacant delegate position. I threw my hat in at the last minute. Someone ran against me, a teacher that has been at the school for several years. I have been at the school since September. I lost. I got six votes. The other person got 13 votes. Twenty people voted in a school with almost 100 UFT members. No one cared nor did anyone really know what a delegate does or why a delegate is important. Why? Many, many young and new teachers. Will these teachers be voting come the spring when the get their ballots at home? Will they take the time to not only fill out the ballots but to mail the ballots as well? 

How to get to the apathetic? They need to know there is a choice and a reason to vote. They need to be identified. Think of multi level marketing (This is the only idea I am sharing). Each person speaks to ten people. Talk to their needs. Listen to their needs. MAKE THE MESSAGES to their needs. This is why the Democrats are losing the rural areas. They don't talk to nor do they listen to the needs of other voters outside of their own bubble. This has been the problem for the last several elections by some. Some refuse to get out of their comfort zone.

There must be a recognizable name at the head of the ticket. A name that is known and has experience advocating for the rank and file as well has had run in previous elections. A veteran teacher. A teacher that has been through the ups and downs of the DOE. A teacher that has been on national TV, not once, but several times. 

Unity will be very, very hard to beat. But to even put a sizeable dent will take more than just leafleting schools. It will take rolling up the sleeves and thinking outside the box. But sadly, I am seeing some want to cut off their noses to spite their faces and refuse to play with others. Those others who know how to fight. Know how to roll up their sleeves. And those that really and truly want to win.

Thank you. There is a $5 blackjack table awaiting me.

The rumors are true. There is a coalition forming to take on Unity in next year's UFT elections. The details are being worked out. Nothing is official yet, but Solidarity, New Action, ICE, Educators of NYC, Retired Advocate, and MORE are in negotiations and discussions. It's still wait and see but one never knows. 

That being said, The Crack Team has received a copy of the joint statement draft put out by all parties involved. I am publishing it on these pages without editorializing, commenting, or making suggestions. However, anyone who is reading this is free to to add their two cents in the comments section and should feel assured that the comments will at the very least be read by all the caucuses. There is a lot that an be agreed on I am sure, And the disagreements can surely be turned into agreements. Please let the ideas flow

The Joint Announcement:

Are you feeling overworked and underappreciated?

Are you angry about a failed pandemic response that closed schools too late, and has failed to protect health and safety as we returned to work?

Are you upset that your union is complicit in so many of these dangerous decisions?  

Are you wishing there were more counselors, teachers, social workers, librarians, related service providers, and  just educators altogether?

Are you angry that the union instead settled for modest influxes of funds that can’t be spent on hiring long-term non unionized employees?

Are you angry about all the backroom deals, givebacks, and weakness on school segregation, healthcare, and standardized testing?

What about failing to file any grievances from rank-and-file members for almost 18 months while our rights, health, safety, pay, and overall power and respect in schools were under attack by a school bureaucracy that constantly disrespects the New York City community?

Do you wish our union would actually listen to us and organize us towards acting for change? It’s been proven to work in LA, Chicago, West Virginia, and many more regions. The opposite approach has been followed by our current union leaders. This spring, we have a choice for what union we can have.

We don’t want to settle anymore. Back to normal won’t be good enough. It never was good enough.

This spring, vote for A Better Union [placeholder phrase- Our UFT can do more and be better.].

We stand for a new union leadership that reverses the damage done by our current leadership and charts a new path forward. We stand for………

1. PROTECTIONS FOR EDUCATORS: Approximately 40% of new teachers leave within their first few years. Many of these teachers reach out to use and explain that they are being discontinued or are resigning because of the toxic work environments in their schools. If a young teacher is able to make it to tenure by “escaping” to a different school, often their probation is extended an extra year or too. Unity allowed the DOE to extend tenure to four years with extensions, if desired by principals. We need to bring back the three-year probationary period for all teachers. Unity has allowed pensions to be weakened through a 62 retirement age and continual staff contributions (Tier 6). We will support better pensions by restoring 30 year and age 55 retirements, with ten year vesting and an end to staff contributions at that time.
2. LOWERED CLASS SIZES: NYC public schools are fully funded and there is no reason why schools cannot earmark funds to reduce class sizes for the 2021-22 School Year. The City Council is proposing a bill that would reduce class size in schools starting in 2022 and continuing gradually over three more years.
3. ANTI-PRIVATIZATION (REGARDING HEALTH CARE AND CHARTERS): No private businesses or profit-motives in our schools, our union, or our benefits.
4. A MILITANT UNION- Taylor Law is contrary to Human Rights Law. We need a union who will empower its members by adding back the 'strike power,' which has been used successfully by educators in many other cities/states, by fighting to amend the Taylor Law.
5. RESPECT: Fair pay for all underpaid educators, including but not limited to paraprofessionals, school secretaries, and therapists. Hire more full-time classroom teachers and school counselors, instead of funding long-time substitute positions and allowing corporate outsourcing of related services. Full benefits and protections for all UFT members. Restore the right to grieve letters in the file and add a victim-centered definition of harassment to the contract. Add protections against retaliatory observations. Restore the culture of educators being able to apply for and receive sabbaticals and realistically expecting to be approved.
6. STAFF AND SUPPORT: More counselors and social workers, teachers and librarians, therapists and secretaries. These must be negotiated into our contract and made part of state law via caseload and class size caps, through concerted and aggressive action with statewide coalitions.
7. EMPOWERMENT: More emphasis on rank-and-file organizing in chapters and districts that focuses on knowing the contract and fighting for stronger contracts. No more top-down placating in our union. We want cuts to the salaries of upper management union bureaucrats and we want our dues, COPE dollars ^[a]and power reinjected into organizing rank-and-file members and chapters.
8. AUTONOMY AND EQUITY: End mayoral control. More worker control in schools and community control of the city school districts. Work with city and state communities, families, parents, and students to bargain for the common good. End school admissions segregation and standardized tests now. End the school-to-prison pipeline in New York City. Teachers should have control over their own curriculum and be given resources to make liberatory lessons that center student experience and provide culturally relevant and real-world context for the skills and knowledge they are learning. Fight for oversight powers, instead of just consultative tasks, to C30 committees and to make district executive positions elected by communities. Encourage more informal peer-to-peer classroom visits and lower the amount of evaluative classroom observations.
9. HEALTH AND SAFETY: Our union and city both failed us during this pandemic. Health and safety must be priorities permanently going forward. No more givebacks on healthcare and safety protocols. We want stronger contractual enforcement tools and more nurses, doctors, and other healthcare staff and resources to establish the 21st century schools we need, green-friendly and free of lead, asbestos, and other contaminants. These are our schools and we won’t let learning take place in dangerous conditions ever again.  

Educators of New York City: Let’s make a change in our union leadership. This spring, vote for A Better Union [placeholder phrase].

 We are hearing the word "victory" bandied about quite a bit, in the last several days since Friday's arbitration hearing. The UFT is claiming victory for defending our earned retro pay that is owed us from 2009-2014. Yes, I am happy that we will be getting it. Though not quite as happy receiving two payments as opposed to one. This is a victory for the city and a loss for the UFT and the rank and file. De Blasio knew exactly what he was doing. 

It was no coincidence that DeB notified the city a week before our we would have received our retro. DeB and the city knew over the summer they were going to try to pull this off. But if they announced it in the summer there would have been talks first. Talks drag on. That would not have benefited the city. 

What to do? Take advantage of the clause in the MOA that anything concerning the retro would go straight to arbitration. Yes, the rank and file should be grateful that the UFT made the clause was part of the MOA. But guess what? That clause was taken advantage of by the city as well. In fact they were hoping for it to be invoked. They got their wish.

Why did the city wish to go to arbitration? Think of this old saying; "You never know how a jury will rule." In this case, an arbitrator. The city had nothing to lose, the UFT everything to lose. There's already a doo-doo storm (The Crack Team had informed me that in the last blog post there were too many naughty words) over the retro being split in two payments. Imagine what would happen if the arbitrator found for the city? 

pyrrhic the UFT was forced to negotiate from a defensive posture. It had no choice but, and for lack of a better word, to cave. James Eterno made a good point on his blog that the arbitrator did not decide this. But rather,  the case was settled between the parties. It was a consent degree. The city had Mulgrew by his proverbial goodies (Again, no naughty words). 

I do disagree slightly with James about that if we didn't get our entire payment in full we should have gone right to court. Again, using the old adage, there is no assurance how a judge would rule. But that's a chance we would have had to take. 

The city wanted something in return, and they got it. After my initial shock on hearing the news Thursday night I figured that out. But what did the city want? My guess was that we would have to furlough 5 days. I was wrong. But no one gets something for nothing. And it is always the UFT giving something for nothing. 

This stunt the city pulled never would have been attempted with the cops, the firefighters, sanitation workers, corrections officers, or any other city union. Again and again the teachers and the UFT are used to go #2 on (again, no naughty words). 

There are many teacher's that adjusted their TDA's and now are screwed. There are many teachers that were counting on this check to catch up on bills and now are screwed. But again, the perception is WE DON'T MATTER. 

This is nothing but a pyrrhic win by the UFT and they are backslapping themselves whilst sipping champagne. This was a gimme putt an inch from the hole.  

What should be done? Openness to begin with. Make public the transcript between the parties and the arbitrator. Put it up on the UFT website. We should demand it. Show us proof there was some negotiations. Show us proof what the UFT had to offer and/or say. Same with the city. These time demand clear candor on the part of the UFT. It is time. 

And the UFT must answer these questions post haste: 1)What is the status of the upcoming per session retro pay and, 2)what of those that are in my situation that will still be owed a payment in October 2021? 

About 10 days ago, James Eterno on the ICE blog shared a story from Politico how the Democratic Socialists of America is planning to infiltrate and then take over the unions of New York City with the UFT seen as the ripest to fall first.

Some highlights from the article include (with a few comments by myself in red)...

The New York City branch of the Democratic Socialists of America presented its members with a strategy last year to gain entry into some of the city’s most powerful labor organizations and ensure they are adhering to the “militant” principles that the group felt had been diluted over time.  

...members approved zeroing in on six of those labor groups 

The organization also identifies ways outsiders can access jobs that would allow them entree into the labor groups.

Another target is the United Federation of Teachers, a nearly 200,000-member union representing teachers, social workers, secretaries and other school employees.   

UFT is the largest local of one of the largest unions in the country. It has the potential to be extremely influential in electoral politics,” the group wrote. “It is extremely internally undemocratic, but there is a reform caucus, MORE, which has many active DSA members.” MORE democratic? Surely, they jest.

“With more DSA teachers, we could bolster and significantly support the internal movement for democracy and militant organizing within the union but it will likely take years to reform the UFT,” Too fucking funny. 

Oh geez, it's coming up to that time. The UFT elections. Here we go again.

ICE has been meeting contemplating whether or not to run in the upcoming UFT elections. Recently members of Solidarity have reached out to us hoping to form a joint slate. Most of us, including myself, were amiable to this.

At one meeting, speaking only for myself, I took the position that for any "joint slate" to move forward that Portelos cannot be involved at all, though I left room open for something for him running downslate. Even him politicking for the election did not sit well for me. But I was open. One pre-condition was for Portelos to actually show up at an ICE meeting and eat crow, mend fences, and be a mensch. But curiously, each meeting in which we were told he will be there something always came up for him at the last minute.

But the more things change the more the stay the same.

Here we go again with alternative facts and whining. I'm not well informed about Portelos' accusation about Shulman to comment. I do know that Portelos did creepily show up at his house in 2016 to whine about not getting his way. But Mike, remember this. New York State has the Castle Doctrine. But I digress. As for the second paragraph, it will be revisited later on in this post.

But bashing Arthur Goldstein? Come on. I have had my disagreements with Arthur. But to accuse him of wanting to be a Unity hack, come on.

If there is an offer for Arthur to join with Unity for HS executive board, it's fine by me and if he doesn't want to, again, it is fine by me. In fact, I hope if he is offered he takes them up on it. With Arthur on exec board I am sure he'll keep Unity's feet to the fire and teachers will continue to have a voice. Portelos, Arthur has something you want. Actually two things you want and will never have, Being on the exec board and integrity.


And being a hypocrite. Portelos, come with me down memory lane (click here).

"You miss the point. Unity is laughing at the Portelos spectacle - they know he is nuts but are happy to be using him to divide the opposition. They even brag privately how Solidarity is doing their work for them - and they also spill the beans that Portelos was asking Unity for a job and when he didn't get it he figured he could win favor by creating a caucus that could prevent MORE from winning executive board seats. Is that what the meeting with Randi was about? Play the tape."

No onto the second paragraph and this little whine from Portelos...


It is you. It is always about you. That's the way you want it. Yes, we heard the right things. "Portelos is not involved," "Portelos is too busy," "Yada, yada, yada..." But face facts. You are the face and heartbeat of Solidarity. And you love it. But even if it is not true this is the perception others have. Remember, there is no such thing as reality only perception. 

I spoke to a revered member of NA a while back. Under no circumstances will this person work with Solidarity as long as you are involved. There are many who share the same thoughts at MORE and several with ICE. Are you noticing a pattern? 

Portelos, if you truly, truly care about the welfare of teachers everywhere perhaps it is time you fall on your sword? Divest yourself of Solidarity. Ride off into the sunset and let those who are not seeking fame and glory take the reins. You have some good people at Solidarity, it's time to set them free. You are the one holding back Solidarity.

Is this about you, or is it about the teachers? 

MORE is slipping further and further into one person rule, with extra-judicial policies and
penalties, and rule by the few and not the many.

As many might know by now to prominent teachers and activists were retroactively punished and humiliated for going against the norms whims of a few. This led to ICE at first putting out a resolution to suspend support for MORE and then ultimately, after being democratically voted upon, to follow through.

The following landed in my email yesterday. This is what has sadly become of MORE. No dissent. No contradictions. No nothing except conformity. My thoughts will appear in red.

Dear Fellow MOREistas,

As some of you may know, many of the Independent Community of Educators (ICE) were integral members at the formation of MORE along with others. Over the last few years, while everyone has worked hard to organize around issues that have plagued our working conditions, internal tensions have also deepened. There have been some fundamental differences that have taken us back to debating some of our stated values over and over again. Differences in opinion and disagreements are absolutely normal and part of healthy democratic spaces. However, some disagreements have crossed the line to personal attacks and questioning of intentions. It has made it quite difficult to focus on what brought us all together in the first place.

No, there has been ZERO discussion about working conditions. No nothing by MORE. Nada. Bupkus.This argument made here is specious and disingenuous. However, MORE has spent an inordinate amount of time furthering left wing propaganda, anti-Israel and anti-Zionist screeds, and trying to churn up race wars within the UFT. 

Again, how does this benefit the rank and file?

To be fair, we have not had a clear process for when conflicts have become personal between individuals, though efforts have been made. In the last few months, things have come to a head, and ICE issued their decision to withdraw their support of MORE as a group. Some of us, listed below, have come together to respond. This response is an attempt to acknowledge their decision and agree to work amicably together as separate organizations into the future. We want to be clear that the folks here came together organically without any intentions of leaving specific individuals out. (Most of us were at the last few general meetings or worked on a committee. Others expressed their concerns at previous meetings.) 

No. ICE voted to SUSPEND support for MORE, not withdraw. Big difference. 

THE NEW EVALUATION SYSTEM IS HERE! THE NEW EVALUATION SYSTEM IS HERE!

Oh oh. As usual the devil is in the details and the devil ain't looking too good at first glance.

We all got the email from Mike Mulgrew espousing the latest ($5 bet we are going through this again in 2 years) evaluation system. As usual it seems that Mike pulled a George Steinbrenner. He was negotiating against himself.

The Crack Team and I went over Mulgrew's email with a fine tooth comb, but several things raised (and upon further reading I am sure more will) our eyebrows here at SBSB and our raised eyebrows raised our BS perception.

The new system, when fully implemented, will include more authentic student learning measures — from essays and projects to demonstrations of proficiency in physical education and the arts — that genuinely demonstrate what we do as teachers and what our students are learning.

When I was reading this email at lunch today I just happened to be sitting with the gym and music teachers at my school. Fate.

Anyway, proficiency is defined as;

noun

1. the state of being proficient; skill; expertness:

So students must become experts in a sport or physical skill? How do we in the schools, many of whom are athletically spastic decide what is or isn't? How do we decide what is proficient when it comes to the arts? 

I can't sing a note. I can't play an instrument. There is no amount of instruction that will get me to be able to be proficient in either. Now, I do enjoy listening to music. For those that have read my blog you know how much of a Rush fan I am. But does that make me proficient in the arts? Will appreciating a painting make me proficient? 

Same with sports and I will use my son as an example. Since he has been 6 he has been in baseball training. He has been lucky enough to play travel and school baseball. He's a good catcher but he has some things to work on. He has a bit of a long swing that we've been trying to correct for years and he likes to pull the ball. With all the training he's been through, and could it be the instructors fault, should he not be able to overcome those hitches in his swing? Or does he have a mental thing going? Baseball is 90% mental, no? 

But again, to put the onus on the impossible is just wrong. Yes, anyone can throw a baseball or play the riff from "Smoke on the Water," (I can!) but not everyone can pitch like Koufax or sing like Freddie Mercury.

We went into those negotiations saying that any agreement must reduce the impact of standardized test scores

Reduce the impact? I'm so confused here so I checked out ICEUFT Blog for further clarification...

As for the rest of the agreement, it looks (like) test scores will count for half of teacher ratings instead of the current 40%.

I'd like to know more about what James meant, but here is the thing. Aren't we, and I mean we by teachers, parents, educators, grown-ups, etc... holding all the cards here? The opt-out movement is still gaining steam. The public sees through the charade now. Why are we folding when everyone at the table just has a pair and we have a flush?

Under the new system, there will still be four observation options, but we’ve expanded the choices for teachers rated Effective or Highly Effective in the prior year.  Starting in the 2017–18 school year, teachers rated Effective — in addition to those rated Highly Effective — may choose Observation Options 3, which includes a minimum of four informal, unannounced observations plus teachers agree to open their classrooms to colleagues for at least two non-evaluative classroom visits. Highly Effective teachers may also now choose Observation Option 4, which includes a minimum of three informal, unannounced observations plus three times when teachers open their classrooms for a visiting colleague to observe and learn from their teaching.

Isn't the deal of negotiating is to reduce onerous crap that the rank and file doesn't want not to increase it? Here is an example. I own a restaurant in the Bronx. The law requires one (or it can be two) health inspections a year. Now do I as a Bronx restaurant owner go to the city and ask for more inspections a year? NO! But in UFT world more 9pardon the pun) is good and less is very, very bad.

By the way, I am leading the charge to change the law regarding car inspections in New York State. I can't live with myself knowing that my car is inspected only once a year. I insist that my car is inspected bi-monthly.

Seriously, who thinks up this shit that more observations is a good thing and a win?

What is most disturbing is this. The timing of the announcement. Two days before Christmas break, two days right after an executive board meeting in which the high school seats are controlled by MORE. Something stinks and it ain't coming from New Jersey.

Right before vacation so there is no real time for teachers to get together in their schools to discuss what they really think about the new evaluation system and to learn more and to contact the UFT to share what they think. Remember, UFT offices are conveniently closed next week.

This news could have also been shared at exec board meeting this pat Monday but wasn't Heck, at the very least it could have been shared at the very least that an agreement was near and give all members parameters of the agreement. I guarantee you this...

If MORE was not in control of the high school seats this would news would have been out on Monday.

But now comes the hard part for the UFT. Let this process be open and fair! Let there be true debate and feedback in the chapters. Let the DA be a source for free and fair debate. Share all information with all members of each and every executive board. And one more thing.

After a sufficient amount of time (one month?) with the rank and file having access to all sides of the debate allow us, the teachers, the ones closest to the action to vote up or down on this evaluation system. We know what is best for us not 52 Broadway.