Is it the end of the world UFT as we know it, is it the end of the world UFT as we know it, and should I feel fine? 

Earlier this week, the New York Post's intrepid reporter, Carl Campanile, basically wrote a story on how the $128 million budgeted UFT might have to change it's ways with the Janus court case expected to reach the Supreme Court sometime this year. The roosters are coming home to roost at 52 Broadway.

According to the Post, the UFT;

is a far-flung enterprise with a $42 million payroll that includes more than 700 members paid to perform full-time or part-time union duties

with borough reps, district reps and 65 staffers each making more than $150,000. Mulgrew pulls in $283,000.

See, this is just not right. This shows that the leadership is just completely out of touch. Yes, there are some in the UFT who actually, in my opinion, that do earn that money. But why do salaries have to be that high? Why must there be such a disparity between the "anointed ones" and the rank and file? Heck, I know someone from my town who works for the UFT and he makes 30% more than I do and he has never taught. He's a great guy, a great dad, and I like him quite a bit, but he should not be making more than teacher. At least with District and Borough Reps, officers, you can make an argument for, but someone who has not risen through the ranks making that money...no. And, I would not begrudge Mulgrew his salary if he was more transparent. Or accessible. Or proactive. Or listened.

How exactly is OUR money being spent. Why isn't each member of the UFT mailed or given EASY access to how each and every dime is spent?

But according to the Post, the UFT might be getting a clue in regards to this summer's retreat...

The event was held at UFT headquarters at 52 Broadway instead of the Hilton Westchester in Rye, NY, where the union typically holds its retreats.

That's a start! I've been to that retreat. The grub served there is much, much better than most Bar Mitzvah's. Hey, at least have the retreat where there is a golf course. The Doral Arrowwood about 5 minutes up the Hutch in Purchase has a decent 9 hole course. Solve problems, etc... over match play or best ball.

But this must have the UFT crappin' it's pants...

If the Supreme Court rules against government employee unions, membership and dues revenues would likely plummet by 20 percent to 30 percent, labor sources said. The union would have to get written consent directly from teachers to collect dues from them.

It's now a death watch. Who will be this 20-30 percent? The newbie blonde hair and blue eyed teachers who still have mommy and daddy pay for the closet sized apartment in Manhattan while Junior weekends in the Hamptons with his babe Buffy.

Yeah, these teachers can't look past their their next drink when the hang out in their hipster bars in Brooklyn or Amsterdam Ave nursing their craft beers (WHAT IS WRONG WITH JUST HAVING A COORS LIGHT?) while they converse how special they are that they, the rich chosen ones, are sacrificing and delaying their ascent into business or law school.

Let them shit themselves when they need representation in a discipline meeting or worse, a lawyer. Let them be on their own.

Better yet, and this should happen with a reverse lawsuit, if you don't pay the dues you get noting. Bupkus. Nada.

Yeah, I am not happy with the UFT leadership. But I will keep paying my dues because not only do my dues benefit me but my dues benefit other teachers.

Once you stop paying your dues you get none of the spoils of the contract. You must negotiate your own salary with the principal. You teaching schedule. Your days off. Your hours. EVERYTHING! No health benefits. No welfare fund,. No pension. No nothing.

You don't pay union dues, you are then a independent contractor. Heck, you are paid as a 1099 and have to pay your taxes quarterly.

Every CL in each school will share a list of teacher's that refuse to pay dues and those teachers will be nothing more than rats and scabs. Let them be an island onto themselves. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

Same goes for the UFT. They need to get their act together. Show us what you got. Now.

There is a great disturbance in the public service employees force. And it's emanating from Port Chester NY.

Earlier this month in the next town over from me, Port Chester NY, the village board  wishing to reduce an $800k budget gap laid off the 8 professional fire fighters that service the village and left the protection of the village to about 300 less trained volunteers. Mayor Dennis Pilla is a voting member of the board as well as the catalyst in this thuggery. This also negated the agreement the village had with neighboring Rye Brook in which Port Chester supplied one paid overnight fire fighter (Rye Brook has had it's issues with firefighters in the past. In the 90's they privatized and went with a publicly traded company for fire protection, Rural-Metro. It was a disaster).

There is talk that the village board did this because the paid fire fighters filed a labor complaint claiming the volunteers mishandled a house fire in March.

Port Chester can afford these fire fighters. The village population is almost 30k, but is almost 60% Hispanic. The Justice Department had to get involved several years ago because no Hispanics were being elected nor nominated to run for the village board.

Twenty years ago, heck even 15 years ago the only reason to go to Port Chester was if you were drinking in Connecticut in which closing time for bars was 2 AM and you wanted to continue drinking until 4 AM. Today, restaurants dot Main St left and right, the resurgent Capitol Theater is becoming a stop for the likes of Jackson Brown and Ringo Starr and there has been much waterfront development along the Byram River. 

A dad of a son my son has played baseball with just retired from the Port Chester Fire Department. He is lucky. He has a pension. For now.

The professional fire fighters of Port Chester are in same boat us teachers public service employees being blamed for the incompetence of politicians. Ironically, Rye Brook is where the Westchester Hilton is in which the UFT holds all it's "retreats." Wouldn't Mulgrew not want to worry about fire protection? In fact the closest house to the Hilton is in Port Chester, not Rye Brook (The Rye Brook fire house is near Westchester County Airport).

And guess what the Journal News reported today? Three Democrat board members who were elected in March have been removed because they;

 "failed to sign legal paperwork following this year's election wins."

This is another attack on public service employees. Port Chester is yet another municipality that can't keep it's finances in order and decides that the scapegoats must be it's public service employees and the the public it's victims.

Each and every time I get into a conversation with a sanitation worker, a parks workers, a cop, a fire fighter, etc... and share that I am a teacher and what is happening to us I tell them that they are next. Well guess what? The professional fire fighters of Port Chester have been the next ones nailed.

Our union, it's leaders, the caucus that runs the UFT has been silent. It has paid thousands to the Westchester Hilton for years to have it's retreats as well has paying hotel tax to the Village of Rye Brook (Rye Brook and Port Chester are both in the Town of Rye...not to be confused with the City of Rye)

We here at SBSB are calling for the UFT to immediately cease doing any business with the Westchester Hilton and any other businesses within the Town of Rye and the villages of Rye Brook and Port Chester until the eight professional fire fighters have their jobs restored as well as the appropriate back pay.

I have run into some really good people at the UFT in the last several months. This does not negate me from my support of MORE/New Action. But sometimes a word of support can go a long way.

God forbid if someone were to die due to inadequate fire protection.