Trying Times at the UFT Unity Patronage Mill.
By Arthur Goldstein -- The unofficial TRS election survey results are in; UFT to still file lawsuit against NYC DOE asking for re-run of the election
This article is authored by Arthur Goldstein. You can read more of his outstanding work at Union Matters. Please subscribe to his Substack.
The initial vote for Trustee is over, and unofficial results suggest only about 15% of eligible TRS members bothered to vote. Apathy, as usual, is Unity’s best friend. With all their big push to get the vote out, it appears they garnered about 12,000 votes for Mulgrew’s duckling as opposed to 5,500 for Ben Morgenroth.
Did they play dirty? Well, they did what they could. Of course they sent emails and text to all of rank and file, reaching far more members than our relatively small, but determined opposition. Also, while a whole lot of people didn’t get ballots at all, I hear Unity Cult members who didn’t get ballots on their DOE email got it on their UFT email. UFT bosses, in fact, intervened with the DOE to make sure their reliably loyal patronage employees got to vote. Rank and file? As usual, they weren’t even an afterthought.
I’m also hearing the Unity faithful are quaking in their boots. Considering they all receive paychecks beyond those of lowly teachers and paraprofessionals, said boots are most likely high quality. So you may not see quaking unless you really concentrate. The Unity bosses, though, now know which District Reps got out the vote and which did not.
What’s in store for those who failed to promote the machine? Banishment? Fewer minutes to personally kiss the sacred Mulgrew ring? Will they be threatened with the supreme punishment—going back to actual work? Thankfully, probably nothing that extreme. Anyone who actually has to return to a classroom would have no motivation to continue the lie that Michael Mulgrew represents us instead of Eric Adams. Certainly the Unity bosses don’t want any more of that.
While I did not, frankly, expect Morgenroth to prevail, it’s notable that the entire Unity Noise Machine could only spit out 12,000 votes. These votes, in fact, include PSC and CSA, so it’s likely they pushed out even fewer. They are, of course, asking for a revote. There will be an opportunity for those lazy District Reps (who perhaps focused on irrelevant rank and file priorities instead of whatever the bosses want them to) to redeem themselves.
Expect a barrage of propaganda about Mulgrew’s chosen candidate in your email, as well as school and home mailbox. Said propaganda will be printed at your expense, using your dues money. UFT endorsed Mulgrew’s pick right away, and it’s therefore official UFT policy.
This happened at the UFT Delegate Assembly. Mulgrew and his ducklings will dutifully recite that this is the highest rule-making body in the union. This is always true, except when Michael Mulgrew decides to ignore it and do Whatever He Feels Like. Mulgrew, after all, is the Supreme Boss. That’s why UFT officially opposes the NY Health Act, voted up not once, but twice in the Delegate Assembly.
The NY Health Act, with a few tweaks, would once and for all resolve all the Medicare issues that plague our retirees. Furthermore, it would leave rank and file with better coverage than it now has with GHI, and certainly better coverage than whatever 10% cheaper nonsense with which Mulgrew plans to replace it.
So there will likely be a revote. There may, perhaps, be opportunities for rank and file to educate themselves on whether they want a Mulgrew duckling or and independent voice repping them.
Remember, it was the Unity geniuses who have ensured our TDA returns 7%, while every other city employee gets 8.25. That can lose you quite a bit of money in the long term. Now they insist we stick with their magical thinking.
Let me tell you something—after we win the retiree election, and then the general election, they won’t be able to pull this crap anymore. And for that to happen, all we need to do is WAKE UP and VOTE.
Don’t forget to do that, and don’t forget to tell all your friends.
Thanks to Daniel Alicea
Arthur Goldstein is a retired ESL teacher at Francis Lewis High School, former chapter leader and a former UFT executive committee member. He is the author of Union Matters blog. He also plays a dang good fiddle. And now, guitar!
Find him on Twitter @TeacherArthurG.
Editor’s Note: Norm Scott of the Ednotes blog has more details about the latest developments regarding the TRS trustee election fallout and the pending UFT lawsuit, here.
Also, read our latest article about DOE failure to conduct the TRS election.