To the extent possible the UFT is a membership-driven organization, of course, with 190,000 members, a complex task. Only 25% of members voted in previous elections, the same percentage as the public in elections despite early voting and no excuse-absentee balloting.
Unions play a major role in elections, actually in the primary election, the city votes overwhelmingly democratic. You MUST be registered in a party to vote in the primary, in the November general elections you can vote for whomever.
In local elections the city uses Rank Choice Voting, voters can rank their preferences, from 1 to 5, and the lowest vote getter ballot transfers to the next preference, the process continues until a candidate achieves a majority, which takes about a week. To be on the ballot you must submit a petition, signatures of registered voters in the candidates’ district and the process began last week.
The major unions, SEIU, DC 37 and the UFT have internal endorsement procedures. In the UFT candidates fill out a questionnaire and a committee, usually local Chapter Leaders, interview and recommend candidates, and the recommendations go up the ladder to the Executive Board and on to the Delegate Assembly.
The candidates frequently have similar positions, they are all democrats and interviews are usually limited to education related topics.
New York City funds local elections, for each dollar, up to $250 donated by an in-district registrant the city provides eight dollars. The website lists the donations by name of donors and amounts.
However, as a result of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, contributions are considered as speech and may not be limited by statute, “independent expenditures” are unlimited as long as they are not coordinated with a candidate.
In 2013 the union held in-person open interviews in each borough office for the four mayoral candidates. The preference was clear, we endorsed Thompson, he had served as Chairman of the School Board, and the union had an excellent relationship. Surprisingly, de Blasio received 40% of the vote, the required percentage for a victory.
In 2021, technologies improved, Mulgrew interviewed, actually discussions, live, on a webcast, 12,000 viewers, a straw vote among viewers, another round with four most popular, Scott Stringer was clearly the viewer choice. Weeks before the election a #metoo accusation, Stringer’s popularity dove, and in the RCV election Adams eked out a victory.
The UFT hasn’t announced the process yet, Adrienne Adams, the current Speaker of the City Council has just entered the race, the UFT has an excellent relationship with Speaker Adams, and Cuomo was leading the pack in polling even before he announced his candidacy.
The last time the union supported a winner was Dinkins in 1989, in a close race, oddly in the subsequent contract negotiations Dinkins showed no interest, UFT radio ads, pickets at Gracie Mansion and eventually he negotiated a contract, our members had soured on Dinkins, we did not endorse, and Giuliani won a close election. The Democratic Primary in 2001 was halted by the act of terror, three weeks later no candidate reached 40%, a runoff another three weeks later, and Bloomberg won the November general election and served three terms,
In my unscientific discussions our members have not decided, yes, there are Cuomo supporters, Lander supporters and Speaker Adams has only been in the contest for a few days.
We have an excellent relationship with City Council members, the Education Committee Chair moved from the classroom directly to the Council. A union staffer interacts with Council members every day,
The Unity team understands the reality of politics, relationships matter, “threatening to strike,” frequently espoused by the opposition caucuses doesn’t scare Council members. In fact, it achieves the opposite, it pisses them off. One of the opposition leaders. “we’d vote for Republicans if they support us,” is just plain ignorant, alienating the 44 Democrats by endorsing a Republican, to be polite, would not be productive.
The right wing Manhattan Institute sees unions playing a dominant role, and portrays the UFT as “left wing,” a Quinnipiac Poll taken March 4th reports Cuomo with a strong lead, and, MSN agrees,
If the primary were held now, 31% of registered New York City Democrats surveyed would back Cuomo, followed by just 11% who said they would support Adams, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday. Queens Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, who has the backing of the local Democratic Socialists of America, was in third place at 8%.
June 24th, primary day, is a long way off in the world of politics, with many twists and turns not only possible but probable.
What happens if our membership is divided, no single candidate at this point jumps out of the pack?
With RCV we can endorse multiple candidates for the same office.
Will the opposition caucuses pledge to vote for the endorsement of the union? I hope so
You get things done in the political arena by building relationships, not attacking the decision-makers. In my union rep days the superintendent and I would “agree to disagree” on some topics, we always kept the channels open. We can’t afford for union leaders to “learn on the job,” we need experienced leaders who understand the complexities, the inner workings of governance. Today, online, the opposition attacked the governor, a few weeks before the budget is finalized, not exactly an effective strategy with so much at stake, the governor does have to sign a Fix Tier 6 bill.
My advice to the wannabes, you don’t jump to the major leagues, we need major league all-stars, and Mulgrew and team are my team.
Ed in the Apple: Blogging on the Intersection of Education and Politics Title 