It's coming down to crunch time. UFT election Ballots are due a week from Monday, May 9. The counting of those ballots I believe, will be the next day. Then we wait. Will UFC win? Will Unity win in a landslide or will it be close?

From Norm's blog of April 4...

But if the votes come out and Unity wins, but takes a big hit on the numbers – and that’s what I think will happen, will that send a clear message? Will Unity adjust some of its policies? Will they find a new leader?

But if Unity gets into mid-60s or less, which would be an overwhelming win in normal elections, in the UFT that opens up real danger signs for Unity. 

Norm and I had this same discussion back in January.  I had blogged that fear has encapsulated Unity and  last month that it appears that the smell wafting from Unity is one of fear.  

Will there be reform within the UFT if Unity does wind? Not with the recent percentage of votes it has had in recent elections. Winning with those numbers will just let those at the UFT to unclench their sphincters and continue on as they have in the past, even if they lose the high school executive board. 

But, what if Unity wins and the vote total is sixty percent or less? Or if the retirees (which about 15k voted for Unity in 2019) turns to United for Change, yet Unity still wins? Will there be reforms? 

Overall, there won't be any real reforms. At least not with the current leadership in charge. What will be needed will be a scapegoat. And that scapegoat should be and will be Mike Mulgrew. 

But Mulgrew will not fall on his sword as he should. That would be the grown up thing to do. The responsible thing to do. But it shan't happen. 

What should happen, and what does The Crack Team thinks will happen? A simple Coup d'état of the presidency of the UFT is all that is needed. Mind you, we here at SBSB are not advocating for any violence or revolution within Unity ranks. Rather, a peaceful coup in which several of those at Unity tell Mulgrew his time is up and it is time to move on to something else. 

Find an Elba for Mulgrew. Staten Island is already an island so that is a good start. But seriously. Give him a retirement party, the gold watch and what not and let him live off his DOE and UFT pensions. If they want, give him a gig at AFT headquarters in Washington or something. There are some really good people within the UFT and the get besmirched with guilt by association with his name. I wouldn't doubt they are thinking the same way. 

One way or the other Mulgrew must go. And if it is not by outright victory of United for Change then those within Unity have to do what is ethically and morally right.

UPDATE: I made BIG MISTAKE! I conflated the original quote from Mulgrew vas one incident. I misread and took when he said he was traveling to school nearby as him being in the Bronx. I was it was pointed out to me, I edited this blog post, I was incorrect, I take responsibility, and I apologize.

 Sometimes being a leader is not just being a leader of those who elected you, but being seen as a leader to those who haven't elected you or even to those who don't know you. That is the hard part. That takes time and effort. And sometimes it is needed. 

On April 8 Angellyh Yambo,  a 16 year old student at University Prep Charter High School in the Bronx, was shot and killed in the Bronx walking home. I can't imagine the devastation and the pain the family must be going through. 

I had not known until I read Arthur's blog with his DA board minutes of April 13 that the teachers at UP are represented by the UFT. As per Mulgrew during his opening soliloquy...

Last Friday was horrendous shooting of three students. UFT-represented charter run by group of teachers--We have a better procedure with NYPD to get people home. We've had people there all week... Thanks Jeff Povalitus  and safety team.

Jeff is a stand up guy. If Jeff is involved, you know something will turn out well. 

But one thing bothers me.

Mulgrew could have made an appearance. He is the UFT President and this not only affected it's members, but the community of University Prep. Again, never missing a chance to miss an opportunity. 

I have seen the UFT first hand when it comes to a student dying. This school year a 4th grade student in my school died from an asthma attack at home. The UFT was there in force. They did what was needed to be done. I can give credit where credit is due. 

But a student being gunned down on St Ann's Ave is different. This cries out for leadership to be seen and heard. Maybe Mulgrew to visit the school was too much of a schlep from Staten Island. In a way I can empathize with him. For me, going to Staten Island from White Plains is too much. Do I go through Jersey or Brooklyn? But make to Mulgrew.

He just doesn't get what being a leader entails. He just doesn't understand what optics mean. He doesn't get how to schmooze. He doesn't get that for whatever reason some look to him for leadership. And it appears he only will do the right thing if there is something in it for him or if there is some sycophant involved. 

What harm would it do for Mulgrew to appear in the Bronx and show that he is there for the entire University Prep community? 

If Mulgrew can't do the obvious things, what makes you think Mulgrew can do what's right when everything is all higgely piggedly.

The Crack Team has come across information concerning Francesco Portelos' forays into his attempts to corner the UFT nurses vote that is just so beneath contempt, but worse, could have put patient's lives in danger.

As was reported here on November 5th as well as on the Portelos blog Portelos ventured into a Staten Island hospital trolling for the nurses vote. Remember that one? The one in which Portelos blew the dog whistle in his own hyperbolic manner that he was to be drummed out of the UFT? From Portelos' blog in which he is being denounced at the UFT exec board meeting...

“…AND I AM APPALLED…THAT SOMEONE IN THIS ROOM WOULD DARE CALL OUR NURSES, DURING WORK HOURS TO PUSH THEIR POLITICAL AGENDA, WHILE THEY ARE TAKING CARE OF SICK PATIENTS, AND PUTTING THOSE PATIENT’S LIVES AT RISK!”

"…the phone calls to the nurses are monitored and recorded. They violated our contract and could now face disciplinary charges. A cease and desist should be ordered and a full investigation by the board!”

The Crack Team has learned more about that night.

Originally we had assumed that Portelos was either; a) having acquired cell phone numbers called the nurses on their cell phones, or b) called the nurses at their stations on the patient floors. We were wrong. It was worse.

Portelos, as always thinking about himself first, attempted to reach out to nurses by calling the Neo-Natal Unit, the ICU, and the Operating Room. Think about it. Two units where the most vulnerable patients in a hospital are were forced to take a back seat to Portelos' ego.

Think about it. Portelos by his actions put patients lives in jeopardy. Yes, only by the grace of God, there were no emergencies, but what could have happened in the few seconds that a nurse took the time to answer a useless phone call from Portelos if a patient flat lined in ICU? If a baby stopped breathing in Neo-Natal? If a nurse preparing to assist a surgeon on an operation was distracted enough to forget an instrument, an instruction, or some other matter of importance?

It would not matter to Portelos as long has he was the center of attention.

Which of course happened a few weeks later at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn.

This time Portelos was brave enough to show his face. Walking down the corridors on the patients floors, or as Portelos wrote in this piece a few weeks after the Staten Island affair;

"One of them directed me to the staffing room for the nurses. I assumed it was something similar to a teacher’s lounge. As a went back-and-forth across the lobby of Lutheran Medical Center, to find the staff lounge..."

But is this true? For what was Portelos actually doing on the patient floors? As Portelos shared;

"I went to visit my grandmother who was recuperating at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn."

The Crack Team has confirmed that there was no grandma at Lutheran that night. Now, grandma might have been across the street at the nursing home, but grandma at Lutheran came from someone's world of make believe.

Walking through patient floors where patients are being cared for put not only the nurses in a vulnerable position but the patients and their loved ones as well. He violated the privacy patients, their families, and their health care providers expect and demand.

But eventually it all came to an end for Portelos;

“Can I help you with something sir? Can we ask your business here?”

“I can’t believe she got security involved. I’m here visiting my grandmother who’s recuperating from hip surgery. I’m also running for president of the United Federation of Teachers. I thought to drop off some flyers since we represent nurses here.” I told them.

“Sir, if we see you here again we’re gonna have to remove you."

See right there you could tell grandma is all fictional.  Two things gave it away. If he was truly there for grandma, security would have asked him to cease and desist and stay with grandma. But there is something more telling. (Seriously, where is the line between fantasy and reality with him?)

Portelos who is so good at sharing every tidbit that he "believes" happened that night at Lutheran never said anything about having to leave grandma that evening. Never added something like, "I couldn't even say goodbye to grandma," or "I asked if I could at least say goodbye to grandma." Quite interesting.

What was the hospital supposed to do? To allow a stranger with no business in the hospital up on the patients floors? Be allowed to walk into private areas of the hospital? There are incidents all the time in hospitals. We live in an age in which hospitals are considered soft targets, baby abductors troll hospitals, crime happens in hospitals. You just can't leisurely walk around a hospital and troll nurses.

Portelos not only put patients lives and health at risk but the careers of nurses as well. The hospital on Staten Island and Lutheran are PRIVATE HOSPITALS and have different work rules ans free speech rules than public hospitals.

Nurses can be disciplined, nurses (As well as the union) can be seen as reckless if there are focusing on the inanity of Portelos instead of their patients.

There is no politicking at private hospital. Patients might be offended if they see a sign, leaflet, etc.., that goes against their belief system. But politicking is not permissible of a private hospital, especially during when nurses are on duty.

Which can make one wonder would Portelos walk into a classroom while a teacher is teaching to spew about himself? Would Portelos call a teacher while that teacher is teaching? Nope and nope.

But, he would call and harangue nurses and staff members to blabber about himself when these people are the ones that are at the front lines of patients lives. Nurses can't be distracted while they are on duty. Their only priority is their patients which of course Portelos fails to realize. 

More and more we see that Portelos has neither the maturity, temperament, nor the skills to be a leader. He chooses to lead by fear and intimidation which are not what anyone wants in a leader.

As you have just read, what is most important his himself and his vendetta against the UFT. Remember this, if Randi got him a gig at the UFT there is no UFT Solidarity.

No matter how it is sliced, Portelos put patients at risk and kept nurses from doing their duty. What more needs to be said. Except..

Portelos > Patients lives.

Throughout the summer the entire world had been hearing that UFT Solidarity was to have a rally in front of Superintendent Aimee Horowitz's office in Staten Island this past Wednesday, August 26. The world was ready.

Just an aside, Aimee Horowitz is High School Superintendent for Staten Island and Superintendent for the Renewal Schools. Aimee has also been in the news recently for several of her schools fixing grades and her ignoring the warning signs and the whistle blowers.

We do not condone Aimee Horowitz's actions and believe the world would be better off without her in education. But, this grade fixing credit recovery crud has been happening since Uncle Mike and we here at SBSB question where was the NYC media then.

Now back to the fun.

So all summer as mankind was awaiting the hordes of humanity emerging on 715 Ocean Terrace in Staten Island so that Aimee Horowitz would quake in fear of the Movement that is UFT Solidarity we here at SBSB awaited with bated breath for that day.

Sadly, I was in Lake George but news travels up I-87.

UFT Solidarity had planned not to have the rally in front of the campus of the Michael J. Petrides School on the sidewalk, but rather in front of the building itself. On the property.

The DOE put the kibosh on that and rightly so.

Your request for a permit to hold a demonstration at the Michael J. Petrides School has been reviewed and is denied. Chancellor’s Regulation D-180 does not authorize the issuance of a permit for such purposes.    

Sylvia Jamison 
Supervisor of Extended Use 
New York City Department of Education 
52 Chambers Street  New York, NY 10007 
212-374-6009 
[email protected]

Hmmm, Chancellor's reg D-180.

Someone from UFT Solidarity wrote back. Can't say who, but someone did.




Just an aside. Shouldn't the woman be addressed as Ms Jamison, not Ms Sylvia? Are we living in 1962 Mississippi?

But UFT Solidarity thinks it made a case. We wondered that too so we decided to have The Crack Team's legal intern, Zippy the Brain Damaged Chimp examine D-180 and with a focus on I.F. and I.H. Here are the two lines in question;

Permits may be granted for civic forums and community centers in accordance with applicable law.
Permits may be granted for holding social, civic, and recreational meetings and entertainment, and other uses pertaining to the welfare of the community.  All such uses  shall be non - exclusive and open to the general public.

Zippy says;

"UFT Solidarity is not a community nor civic organization. UFT Solidarity does not represent the citizens. While it does have CITIZENS amongst its ranks, it is not representative of the community as a whole. Its focus is narrow and for a select few. UFT Solidarity is not open nor is it inclusive to the entire community. It is also not recreational in nature. It is amazing that UFT Solidarity can't get past their own self worth to see this!"

Zippy also added;

"However, UFT Solidarity should have attempted to try selling itself as an entertainment act. Their argument might have met with success."

So what became of this rally? As you can see in the photo, it set the world on fire (Again, identities were obscured by a photo of Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe. We apologize to Mr Lee.

Seven people! Horowitz must have been cowering under her desk.

Yes, UFT Solidarity is a movement. A bowel movement.