From the Classrooms: One Army, Union Members Prepared to Fight for Our Schools and Our Students

I was chatting with a group of elementary school teachers.

“Do you know there’s an election for UFT leadership in the spring?”

“No”

“Do you know who leads the union now and how are they doing?”

One of the teachers had been a delegate, she liked Mulgrew’s opening report, said it was thorough.

“Do you know other leaders and how they are doing?”

They all knew Karen Alford, the elementary school vice president and liked her, “…she’s outspoken and really cares,” and LeRoy Barr, one teacher said, “He preaches to us, sometimes I feel like I’m in church, I trust him.”

I told them one of the political parties within the union is advocating fighting to eliminate the Taylor Law penalties so that we can go on strike to get better pay,

The teachers were adamant.

One, eagerly, “Why would we ever go on strike, our kids are immigrants, some live in shelters, they’re afraid of getting swept up and sent back to deep poverty and dangerous nations, we’re the only stability in their lives, why would I ever want to abandon them?”

Another, “We’re facing a dictator, we have to get organized and protect our profession and the kids in our charge,” they all nodded. “What would you do if the union did go on strike?”

One teacher,, “They’d go on strike without me, and I’d leave the union.”

Sadly, the opposition is Trump-like, nasty, and with dangerous ideas, 

After a lengthy struggle the Department and the UFT agreed that school will be closed on December 23rd, called a press conference and invited the mayor. An opposition leader criticized, “Why would we invite an indicted mayor?”  Adams, unless he’s convicted, will be the mayor until the end of the year, why would want to needlessly antagonize him?

Last week the Mayor announced no mid year budget cuts and schools with increased registration would  receive additional funding and schools who lost registration will not have to return funds.

If the union had snubbed the mayor would he have announced mid year cuts? No way of knowing, a little act might have saved jobs.

Are teacher and other public employee unions anxious to eliminate Taylor Law penalties?

Not if if means giving up the Triborough Doctrine; public employee unions have “forever” contracts, all remain in “full force and effect” until the successor contract is ratified. Previously the end of a contract allowed management to cut benefits to pressure unions. 
There hasn’t been a public employee strike in many, many decades, public employee labor law in New York States favors unions, and, management would love to reopen the Taylor Law.

Mulgrew and his team are nimble, they play the game of politics with skill.

The new legislative session begins in a month and the UFT is already engaged. I am an active member of a CUNY Alumni Association, we are deeply into advocacy planning.

Aside from Trump attack on public education and teacher unions the major Albany issue will be the state formula for funding schools, with high tax and low tax districts dueling over the formula, it will get ugly, New York City and the UFT must work together, at stake is billions of education dollars,  Mulgrew, Alford, Barr and the other union leadership, plus our membership will have to lobby across the city and the state, we need leadership who both understands the “ins and outs” of Albany politics and the trust of members, I’m confident our membership trusts and supports our union leadership, from members across the city, from school delegates to chapter leaders, the district representatives to borough representatives to union staff, one army ready to fight for the children we teach.

“Planning to go on strike,” will not lead to a positive change in member benefits, it leads to the destruction of teacher unions and public education