As Norm Scott reported, the MORE meeting this past Saturday was awesome. This is a caucus that is a true bottom up democratic caucus without egos and without agendas. All voices are heard.

Maybe that is why UFT Solidarity candidate for Treasurer, Victor Jordan, decided to show up for the meeting.

I was a little late for the start of the meeting. I left White Plains a little after 11 AM and hit some traffic on the way. I missed the beginning of Jia Lee's presentation on evaluations but was riveted by what I caught (Just an aside, this is what the teachers need, a leader that is able to not only articulate the wants and needs of teachers in many methods and styles. One size does not fit all) .

But anyway, as I was signing in I looked to my right and noticed someone else signing in as well. When I turned to look at him and noticed it was Victor Jordan. Yes, the above mentioned Victor Jordan of UFT Solidarity. He looked at me and suddenly, like King Arthur's men in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," ran away thinking I must have been some killer bunny.

Now for full disclosure. I had the pleasure of meeting Victor Jordan last month at Giovanni's on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx. UFT Solidarity was having a Lonely Hearts meeting there and like wanting to drive slowly past a car wreck on the Deegan I just had to see it to believe it.

I had attempted to commiserate with Victor, ask him about his qualifications. Whether or not he is a member of the UFT and whether or not he is actually an attorney. He would not share, but shared, or rather inferred, that his resume is a fabrication.

Oh, and I counted the lack of people that showed and this got Francesco Portelos' knickers in a bunch and then got me kicked out. And when I was talking to one of his groupies outside he started to take photos and I shared with him that he is #1.

But I have digressed too much. 

Man did he bolt. But fortune was with me Saturday.

Seeing how there was no food to be had yet, I decided to get a dog with mustard and kraut on the corner. I had the fortuitous luck of riding down the elevator with him. Again, I asked Victor if he is a member of the UFT. He again refused to answer. Curious.

He said he had made a mistake, that he thought he was coming for a workshop of some kind. Now, it was advertised what Jia would be presenting, but why would this dashing, cosmopolitan, yet to be a member of the bar, not a member of the UFT, hack be interested in evaluations? And why would he travel from the outer boroughs to mid-town and suddenly claim that he had "an important meeting to attend to."

Yeah, he was sent to my his Leader. We all know that. But that is still not what is most irksome.

What is irksome it that Victor Jordan has no business being a candidate for UFT office. He is not a dues paying member of the UFT and has no business giving false hope to teachers across the city.

He claims he is receiving a pension, yet as one can see by Victor's resume he started teaching in 1985. That would make Victor  Tier IV. Tier IV does not collect a pension, (that is if Victor is vested. He taught until 1995 and stopped showing up and was soon terminated) until the age of 62. All our sources have shared that Victor is a few years short of collecting a pension. Oh, and there is no way he could have put in for the 55/25.

We here at SBSB are officially calling for Victor Jordan to step aside of a candidate for Treasurer of UFT Solidarity posthaste as well as a thorough investigation by the UFT Solidarity whatever to see how Victor Jordan was vetted and how he slipped through any verification and by what method and by whom that Victor Jordan was chosen.

This is more than Victor Jordan wanting to "play" UFT officer. He is giving false hope to thousands of teachers in New York City.

And just as bad, this shows how unready that UFT Solidarity is for the big time for not properly vetting it's candidates.

I made a mistake today.

A dear friend, many know her, posited something on Facebook today and tagged many people. I had engaged with a poster that for some reason was able to see through the grime of Solidarity.

He seemed to be towing some kind of official Solidarity party line of "why can't we all just work together," and of course myself, Norm Scott, and a few others chimed in.

Soon Portelos trolled his way into the thread and to paraphrase Jean-Luc Picard (or was it Q?) I had "engaged the Portelos."

I still have a headache.

One thing led to another and I had mentioned how that several members---ooops, I meant, followers, of UFT Solidarity were not UFT members such as Victor Jordan and Christina Vickers (She's a blog post for another day!). And that these members are in positions to make decisions for UFT members.

So instead of engaging like a grown up, or even a 14 year old, Portelos does something even stranger. If that is possible.

For some reason he retorts back to me, and to Norm as well, to publish the streets we live on as one can see here (Click to enlarge)

The coffee shop reference I guess is about when I was hoping wayyyyyy back in July that we could settle our differences. But knowing Portelos, there is more.

However, I wish I had some clarification on this so I can better prepare myself.

Was this a scare tactic? To scare me into doing what or away from?

A bullying tactic? Maybe. Portleos has bullied in the past when he does not get his way just like a during block time in Kindergarten.

A threat? Nah, clowns are supposed to make people laugh.

A dog whistle for the sycophantic, mindless, brainwashed, followers? Could be.


Here is what one should ask themselves. Why is Portelos even spending more than .000000001 seconds of his life to find where Norm and I live? What, gratification, does he get from this? Does he get some kind of perverse excitement?

I don't know about where Norm lives, but there is not much to do here in West Harrison (Perhaps a West Harrsion Travelogue is in order?). But Portelos and/or his followers are in luck!

West Harrison is just less than a mile from beautiful downtown White Plains! Now, the 5 bus of the Bee-Line system can be caught at the White Plains Metro-North Station or if already staying in White Plains the 5 bus can be caught on Hamilton Ave or Lake St which will get you just into West Harrison.


There is a lake, Silver Lake, in West Harrison. Don't expect to swim or fish in there. It's polluted. Probably from all the baseballs hit into hit from the ball field that parallels it.

But enough kidding aside. Time to be serious.

If this kind of behavior by Portelos does not make those who follow him or those about to get sucked in question if he is the right person to not only be a union leader but to even run a caucus those same people must be questioned as well.

It's funny, the same people who are so vehemently against Mulgrew for his bullying tactics support Portelos. Why is that? It's like an physcially abused spouse leaving the abuser and marrying another physical abuser.

Solidarity people, open your eyes. Not only is Portelos despised at the DOE, where one must be able to get along if a UFT president, he his seen as a joke at the UFT as well as a clown. Yeah, I know, that's par for the course, but there are good people 52 Broadway and he has burned those bridges.

Solidarity people, and I know there are a lot of you that are questioning him. Are you afraid if you speak up he will go after you or your loved ones? If so, you have plenty of places to turn to for support. If so, you can stick up for yourself and not be kowtowed by him.

Solidarity people, pay attention to this next sentence. PORTELOS WILL NEVER BE UFT PRESIDENT. Sparkles my cat has a better chance.

It is time to run very fast and very far from Portelos and Solidarity.

I'd bet my bottom dollar Portelos has dossiers on everyone. Secrets to share just waiting for the right moment.

Something just ain't right.

Dang, just when we here at SBSB thought we have seen it all along come Francisco Portelos with a treatise masked in martyrdom, untruths, and narcissism.

Martyrdom, untruths, and narcissism associated with Portelos you ask? Of course. But seeing is believing and one must read it all.

And one must read the SBSB analysis of the gibberish.

Welcome to the grand illusion/Come on in and see what's happening/Pay the price, get your tickets for the show

Our grassroots support is ever growing. We are in schools in every district, from early childhood to high school and gaining more and more retiree supporters daily.

No it's not. We here at SBSB call bullocks! Schools in every district? So what? Big deal.Hmm, let us see. There are about 33 districts or so multiply it by one school in each district and you have....33.

But to be fair, as Portelos was quoted as saying,  

"...it was too early to quantify the slate’s support, but counted about 100 active members, a number that he said sounded low, but was high compared to other groups."

We apologize for claiming 1 member in each district. There are 3.03 members in each district. 

The stage is set, the band starts playing

Please excuse my language, but our sources are telling us our “campaign is scaring the sh*t out of people.”

Yes, your campaign is scaring the shit out of people but not for the reasons you create on your mind. 

To make matters worse, UFT leadership’s own Unity caucus members are joining our group UFT Solidarity.  

Name them. 

Others are silent supporters who want to keep their job’s at the UFT central and district offices. Unity members do not have to leave Unity to support Solidarity. We will not be cleaning house of the many good reps that are out there.

 Wow, these people must feel so relieved. They must be sleeping well now. 

Tonight was the UFT Executive Board meeting. It takes place two Mondays a month, is comprised of about 100 members and has a lavish buffet that sets the UFT back about $12,000 a meeting.

$12,000 a meeting for a buffet for 100 people? That is $120 per head. Do you have proof of this? Or is this a number that is just pulled out of some orifice? 

We here at SBSB fact checked this and at most the spread is about $3k. Yes, even that is too much money. We here at SBSB think a shitload of pizzas will do or some six foot wedges along with cole slaw and stuff or even ordering out for wings, but please, get facts straight. 

Suddenly your heart is pounding

We are dealing with wannabe bullies here.

Whatcha talking about Willis? Actually some people are not wannabe bullies but true bullies. **cough cough** **wink wink** **nudge nudge** Know what I mean, know what I mean? 

You're wishing secretly you were a star

Once I spoke and Exec Board member XXXXX informed me after that he found Mulgrew standing alone in the next room where the buffet was listening during my speech.

 Maybe he was adjusting himself. Or just wanted to laugh his ass off in private.

Upon my return VP of Non-DOE members Anne Goldman was on the mic.  She is also the wife of former UFT Manhattan Representative Jerry Goldman and mother of UFT political guru Jason Goldman (next to Paul Egan of course).

So what does it matter about her family? Why must her family be involved?  What purpose does this serve? 

But don't be fooled by the radio/The TV or the magazines

I was driving home from school one day and stopped at a red light. My phone always sits on my dashboard, within arms reach, and I often use voice activation to call or text.

Impressive. I keep my phone between my legs when I drive. Who cares where you keep your phone or that you use voice activation. Why? Because it is all "look at me! I use technology!"

A message reminder I had set popped up stating “Call Nurses.” Before the light changed I had quickly navigated to the UFT Nurses Chapter page.

Hmm, it's starting to get interesting. Hold on everyone. Amazing how one can do this and drive at the same time. 

 They'll show you photographs of how your life should be/But they're just someone else's fantasies

The nurses page had links to every private hospital that employees UFT nurses. Each of those pages had the names and phone numbers of the representatives and what times they were available to be reached. By the next red light I started calling and quickly found out that the information was outdated both in phone numbers and in times of availability. “XXXX XXX-XXXX? No she works during the morning.” “XXXX? Oh you mean XXXX? He’s not here now.” “____? She retired.”

Let's disect this. What gives Portelos the right to call people, nurses, at work, to discuss union business? Were these nurses working at the time? Were they attending to sick patients? 

Now, The Crack Team has heard that these were delegates and surely they must be used to getting phone calls during their shifts, but phone calls that are pertinent to the union, i.e. a member needs help, etc... Not from someone who stands behind a podium and plays pretend as a union president while having his photo taken. Yeah, the phone calls might have been permissible, but they were ethically wrong. Again, this is the same old "me first" story that we see time and time again. 

What's worse is that a nurses full name was published. Again, what gives Portelos the right to do that?

Apparently, as we expected, Anne Goldman found out about our calls, and maybe even some flyers others put up at the hospitals and online.

This is not verbatim, but she says something such as “…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!”

Now I truly believe most people in that room had no idea what she was talking about. I did though and I began to smirk as she glanced over at me and says “…AND I AM TALKING ABOUT MR. PORTELOS …AND I ASK THAT IS LEADERSHIP ORDER A CEASE AND DESIST, INVESTIGATE AND REPRIMAND THIS MEMBER.”

She's right. Maybe her tone was wrong, but she is right. But again, Portelos is all about himself. 

So if you think your life is complete confusion/'Cause you never win the game/Just remember that it's a grand illusion

I raise my hand to speak and respond, but UFT Secretary Emil Pietromonaco nodded no. Then another gentleman from the Executive Board, representing the nurses, gets on another microphone and adds something about “…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!”

As we have seen with the continued unsolicited emailing of teachers principals we see it again here. Not caring whether or not he puts someone's job and career in jeopardy Portelos does what he wants, when he wants, for himself.  The same script, only different victims. 

So a bunch of people are pissed at Portelos, and rightly so. But instead of possibly for the first time ever seeing the error in his ways, Portelos of course turns this to all about himself. 

This is what it really comes down to…what their fear and desperation is leading them to do. 

NO, NOT FEAR AND DESPERATION!! Just fed up with the pattern we have seen all over. Harassing women over Facebook who decide to speak up for James Eterno. Taunting emails to female members of MORE. Taunting texts to other members of MORE. The bullying on Facebook and on this blog. If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it must be Portelos. 

So if you think your life is complete confusion/Because your neighbor's got it made/Just remember that it's a grand illusion

But here comes the martyrdom....

Portelos wonders what the UFT can do. From the UFT Constitution he mentions Article 3 Section 6 that a member can be expelled, and Article 4, Section 5, that a member in good standing can't run in UFT election and then claims.....

Desperate move, but it appears that a rigged panel will set up a rigged special review board to expel me and make me ineligible to run.

But where is he getting this? According to our sources at the exec board meeting nothing of the sort was broached nor even thought of.  It won't happen, and sources tell us they won't support it. There are better ways. As one source shared; "But that makes him stupid, not guilty of a breach"

But shouldn't Portelos be more concerned about Victor Jordan who has not been a member of the UFT since Clinton was president. 

One method is shunning as the Amish do. The other method of discipline, if there is any, is something that has been suggested by The Crack Team. 

The Crack Team calls for Portelos' super magic UFT Junior decoder ring to be confiscated as well as his UFT Junior  coloring book along with the UFT Junior realistic grievance book used by grown ups.  Oh yeah, and the whistle too.

So let's do the math. One hundred members of Solidarity, plus let's say...10 nurses, not bad. Though not even enough to get on the ballot.

With the UFT elections around the corner, we here at SBSB thought it would be a good idea to have post about candidates already in place and introduce them to our readers.

This idea came about in The Crack Team retreat of Sunday at Winged Foot (Can MORE have a retreat here in the spring?) in Westchester County. One of The Crack Team members brought up a good point from the last UFT Solidarity posting of October 10. Actually two good points from the post...

We here at SBSB wish to know how many of these non-UFT members are in decision making roles of UFT Solidarity and if any are, should they be making decisions that can affect membership?

and

 ...we learn that UFT Solidarity team is  "still coming together" even as it nominates those with curious resumes, advocating those who claim they are lawyers, and makes one question whether or not 20 years later, that a nominee of theirs is officially a UFT member.

Allow us to introduce the UFT Solidarity candidate for Treasurer, Victor Jordan.

Now as any good voter worth their weight, they want to know all they can about someone they just might consider voting for. Mr Jordan, as one who can tell by clicking on the above link, as quite an extensive and eclectic resume. But we just want to narrow it down to a few things that leave The Crack Team with questions.

In Mr Jordan's resume, it mentions that he was a graduate of Albany Law School, receiving his Juris Doctor in 1999. That same year, Mr Jordan passed the Bar exam in July. Now mind you, passing the Bar exam does not make you a lawyer. One must be admitted to the Bar. Mr Jordan had not been admitted in 1999. Why? According to Mr Jordan he....

"...was not available to submit his  application to the Bar because he had accepted a position as a Research Fellow at the  University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago."

That's swell. But really, all that work and you give up on getting admitted to the Bar? 

But even more curious, Mr Jordan then again passed the Bar exam this past February. Now, we here at SBSB do not know if there is a time limit on being admitted to the Bar once you pass the exam, but find it curious.

What we do find curious is that Mr Jordan, without being a member of the Bar has been (According to his resume) an adjunct professor of labor law at the Harry Van Arsdale School for Labor Studies at Empire State College during the 2014-2015 as well as teaching there as an adjunct professor of economics from 1985-1995.

We could be wrong, but would not one need to be a lawyer, admitted to the bar, having actually practiced law to teach labor law?

Also, would one not need to be a practicing attorney as well as actually represent clients in a 3020-a proceeding before one can place on one's resume that one has defended...

"...professionals licensed by the New York State Education Department"

What has Mr Jordan done to defend teachers?

But enough of that. What of Mr Jordan as a teacher?

According to his resume, Mr Jordan taught math at Erasmus Hall High School from 1985-1995. That's it. We do not know if Mr Jordan retired, resigned, or was terminated.

But more importantly, is Mr Jordan a dues paying member of the UFT? Because if he is not, according to the UFT Constitution, and we here at SBSB thank UFT Solidarity for posting it on it's website, that to be eligible (According to Article IV, Section 5)...

No member shall be eligible to hold office who has not been a member in good  standing for at least two (2) years immediately preceding the final date for nomination.

Very interesting indeed.

Even more troublesome is what connection does someone who has not taught, has not been in the NYCDOE for over 20 years have to the teacher of 2015 and beyond? Where is the connection? In fact, looking at Mr Jordan's resume and the many questions it raises how can one be assured that Mr Jordan will actually put the time and effort into his role and/or fully complete his time as Treasurer?

As for the decision of UFT Solidarity, why? Why not a current teacher, anyone else teaching right now is more qualified than Mr Jordan. Anyone teaching right now has more of a connection to the teachers of today and tomorrow than Mr Jordan.

This reeks of desperation by UFT Solidarity just trying to fill a position with anyone with a heartbeat. Again, this should call into question once again of the decision making at UFT Solidarity (Joy Hochstadt was seen as an invaluable member) and this should give pause to anyone thinking of voting for UFT Solidarity.

The UFT election is not time for one's revenge, placing bodies in position of power, and not the place to not vet someone's background and intentions.

The question raised here about Mr Jordan are valid and should be addressed post haste by UFT Solidarity and all UFT members.