A Unity Member Finds a Conscience

And anonymously sends the caucus lesson plan to Norm Scott

Unity attacked Norm Scott a few weeks ago, misrepresenting his position. Last week someone with a conscience emailed him their marching orders for the RTC meeting. Those wheels of karma just keep on turning.

How do you characterize a caucus that controls a union for over 60 years, surviving bad decision after bad decision without ever facing a major electoral loss (until now)? How do you figure a caucus which, when it loses a HS VP position, changes the rules so HS teachers can never elect their own VP ever again? How do you describe a caucus that sells out member health care?

Isn’t it the job of union to fight for better, not worse, conditions?

If a group is convinced it is right, rejects evidence to the contrary, and bulldozes its message, whether or not it has one, is that pathological? Narcissistic? Is it simply a desperate attempt to stay on payroll whether or not it has any value? Is it fanatical? Is it just self-serving?

Tough questions. Evidently, though, such a group can no longer expect everyone to stay in line. On Thursday, a Unity member leaked internal communications to Norm Scott. This member, evidently, took umbrage at the party line. Of course it’s no surprise that Unity had a strategy for the meeting. It was quite evident, simply from what happened.

It’s illuminating, though, to see how they expressed their plan. I like some people in Unity, and LeRoy Barr, despite heading the caucus, is one of them. That said, I’m really shocked at what he wrote:

If we don’t show up and make our presence felt, we risk handing over control of the Retiree Chapter's operations to a group that doesn’t reflect our values.

Actually, you “risk handing over control” to a group that was elected by an overwhelming majority. Cede control to members? Cede control to elected representatives?

Not on your life, says Unity. It’s gratifying, nonetheless, to see a top Unity official finally admit they haven’t done so. I’ve been giving examples of this recalcitrance, this malfeasance for weeks now.

On the other hand, I certainly understand that any group would want to express its values. What’s really curious here, though, is that nowhere does LeRoy suggest what those values are.

We know that Unity doesn’t value preserving our health care. We know that they, in fact, initiated the push to sell us out. We further know that they have offered us nothing but lip service in trying to correct this situation. Mulgrew stood up and said he opposed changes he initiated, wrote a letter that was sent back as invalid, but has done absolutely nothing to preserve our health care.

Unity prides itself on this letter, the one that accomplished nothing, and expects us to disregard all the unions who voted against this plan. Here’s an inconvenient truth—We would absolutely not be in this situation if Unity had voted against the plan as well.

LeRoy continues:

One important note: if Marianne starts spreading misinformation about healthcare, Medicare Advantage, or our dental plans, please call for a point of information and request input from Geoff Sorkin, who is most knowledgeable about our retiree welfare fund benefits and plans.

This is interesting as well. First, I’ve been following Marianne for some time. I’ve never known her to spread misinformation, least of all about Medicare Advantage. In fact, she and others in her group opened my eyes about it. It is the Unity Caucus who’s been spreading misinformation.

At the meeting, a Unity member asked a lawyer how much money he was making. Should we attack a lawyer who’s protecting us? It’s not my first inclination. Unity differs. Maybe it’s a thing. Should we go with it?

Hi Governor Hochul. Thank you for coming to our union hall... can you tell us how much you make and and what corporations are funding your campaign? You’re not a union member. What makes you think you can come here and speak to us? Also, could you please leave the room while we do business?

Hi xxxxx. Before you present the resolution that you were handed to motivate by LeRoy and didn't consult with any retirees, can you tell us how much you are making from our dues? Also, who funds your Unity caucus?*How much is your pension? What about your second UFT pension?*

Note the additional cautions from Unity’s Vincent Gaglione:

I think we should be very cautious about how we engage Pizzatola in questions about the healthcare plan. The fact is that she knows more than most of us and is polished and practiced in taking material and reframing it to her points of view.

This is telling. One of the big Unity talking points, always, is that we know better than you do. These matters are too complex for you to understand. Mulgrew’s fond of referring to the “very smart people” who make the deals that trade health care for raises that may or may not keep up with inflation. For all I know, Gaglione is one of them.

Gaglione is a former Bronx Borough Representative, and a longtime Unity leader. Yet with his second pension and everything, he doesn’t deem it wise to argue with Marianne Pizzitola. Nor do I. She’s quite knowledgeable and has instant recall. She doesn’t win all those lawsuits by making things up on the spot. She doesn’t need to. Gaglione seems to know that, to some extent:

You can’t argue those things with her without a battery of facts that take so long to recite that you lose the audience before you start. Stay away from arguing about the plan. We are not experts on it.

The “battery of facts” I keep hearing from Unity is a battery of lies. And Unity members, who have sold us into Aetna’s Medicare Advantage without allowing us to vote on it, are not experts on it. Still, they had no qualms about telling us how great it was, or even forcing us into it. Aetna admitted, in court, that it would deny care, yet Unity still tells us it would not.

Do you trust these folks to negotiate a 10% cheaper plan for rank and file? I sure don’t.

Here is Gaglione’s advice for folks attending online:

For those online, please don’t be afraid to write comments in the ZOOM CHAT during the meeting. I recall vividly the constant comments that Mulgrew is a liar, that Tom is a liar, etc. when Tom was chapter leader. Keep the chat box filled with comments throughout the meeting …. “He doesn’t know how to run a meeting”….“She’s lying”… “Let the audience speak” …. “Retiree Advocates are frauds” … or whatever drivel you can come up with.

I didn’t participate in the Zoom chat, so I don’t know what’s said. I’m furiously taking notes at these meetings. But you have to admire Unity’s concept of how you deal with opposing ideas. You insult people. You call them names. So much for the discourse level of the “very smart people.”

These are the same people who got on their high horses and called for civility as we were freaking out over losing our health care. These are the same people who denied us an RTC vote and voice for years. And after losing a landslide election, their guidance for union meetings is spout juvenile insults, or “whatever drivel you can come up with.”

Unity advocates hypocrisy of the first order—you be civil, and we’ll personally insult you. We say whatever pops into our heads. You take care and be civil. Unity is particularly keen on shutting us up. Be they cordial or rude, that’s frequently their message.

You have to admire the bold suggestion to write, “She’s lying,” after cautioning Unity not to engage Marianne on the issues. Call her a liar when she can’t respond.

And what do you say about Chapter Leader Bennett Fischer? “He doesn’t know how to run a meeting” Tom Murphy, I suppose, knew better. Tom Murphy called on people he favored, if he deigned to allow questions at all. Tom Murphy did not allow the body to vote on anything. A model unionist.

Is that the sort of member participation the Unity Caucus favors? It certainly appears so. At the last DA, Mulgrew filibustered for most of the meeting, and only called on Unity Caucus Big Shots during the motion period. Rank and file were barely an afterthought.

The Unity Big Shots could have passed their motion at Executive Board and given rank and file a rare opportunity, a few lousy minutes, to participate. They chose not to, and the DA remains a tightly scripted event, rather than an exercise in union democracy.

So, what are Unity values? As far as I can determine:

1. Retain office gigs and second pensions for everyone at 52 at any cost.

2. Breakfast with the mayor is more important than breakfast with the members.

3. Claim credit for whatever goes well.

4. Blame others for whatever goes wrong

5. Unity leadership knows better than membership, which should be seen and not heard.

6. We work harder than anyone, ever, whether in air-conditioned offices, at gala luncheons, or on lavish trips.

7. Anyone who disagrees with us is an enemy of the union.

8. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

9. We never make mistakes.

   a. If health care suffers, too bad.

   b. Pay lags behind inflation? Too bad.

   c. If you can’t make ends meet, too bad.

   d. Voted down your contract? Too bad. Vote again.

   e. If your dental plan is crap, too bad.

   f. Co-pays too high? Too bad.

   g. If teachers are terrorized and demoralized by Danielson, too bad.

Finally, if you want to say anything about it in your union hall, unless you’re in the privileged Unity Caucus AND willing to stay on message, too bad.

*Salary questions by Daniel A.