All ABC Wants for Christmas...

...is a responsive union.

Happy holidays to all. I wish you a joyous and fulfilling week off. I’m working with a new and different group, for me at least, and I’m excited. I’ve been composing a presentation to share in our next forum on January 5th at 7 PM . This one is for retirees and if YOU are a retiree, I hope you will join us.

Lord knows we need a change. Our health insurance is hanging by a thread. If the NY State Court of Appeals rules against us, all our wins will mean nothing. And if we win, and by that I mean if NYC Retirees win, our ostensible leadership will have had nothing to do with it. Mulgrew and Unity refused to support our lawsuits.

When NYC Retirees President Marianne Pizzitola came to our RTC meeting, the Unity Caucus treated her like a pariah. But if they manage to retain their health insurance, it will be Marianne they have to thank. Lately, I’ve been talking with multiple Unity members who’ve had it with being micro-managed by Mulgrew. They tell me it’s like working for the most abusive principal in the city.

Marianne deserves our gratitude. Mulgrew deserves a one-way trip to the modern classroom, and the Danielson observations he imposed upon us but never, ever experienced. Let’s see how he fares when facing supervision, rather than paid sycophancy.

In-service and non-Medicare retiree members are in for a rude awakening as well. The Unity Caucus, along with their BFFs in the Municipal Labor Committee, cannily negotiated a 10% cut in what the city would pay for health insurance. At some point, there will be a new plan for them as well.

PSC, the city college professors, voted against all these givebacks to City Hall. While Unity says a 10% cut means as good or better services, they envision tiered care. Some doctors are just gonna cost more than others. In fact, while Mulgrew feigns outrage as the city demands premiums, Unity, as part of MLC, agreed to them. Mulgrew thinks we will forget. He’s wrong.

We have a health care issue in these United States. As reasonable people, we can differ on how to resolve it. There are things we can all agree on—for example, if we pay people to represent us, they should work to improve our health care, not demean it. And if premiums are out of the question, don’t agree to them.

I was at the very first meeting of what became ABC, last April, if I recall. It was pretty rough. There was no particular agenda. There were maybe 25 or 30 of us. I then lost touch for a few months, but came back at the urging of Norm Scott, for my money the gadfly / conscience of UFT. (I suspect he was born retired, but he insists otherwise.)

I started going to meetings, and the oddest thing happened. I started actually enjoying them. I hesitate to admit this. It may tarnish my reputation. The Unity trolls like to call me angry, among other things. And why not? Name calling is a whole lot easier than actual argument. And what can they argue? That they were right to sell us out?

I know, for teachers, worthwhile meetings are borderline inconceivable. We’ve all been through meetings. Our vision of hell is the endless faculty meeting, with the principal droning on and on about Some New Thing that, within months, would be discarded and replaced, just like Every Other Thing he’d talked about.

Union meetings, I’m sad to say, can be similar. I’ve been to more than most, having been a 12-year chapter leader. The DA is often the worst, with Michael Mulgrew droning on and on about whatever tickles his fancy. If anyone interrupts or displeases him, he lectures them about democracy.

To Mulgrew, democracy is him pontificating as long as he wishes about Whatever. You might know the saying below. Someone gave me this coffee cup inscribed with it:

Unlike his rambling long-winded, vindictive speeches, Mulgrew’s emails are perfectly comprehensible. While I may take exception to what they say, they’re always pretty straightforward. They’re clear and to the point. Recently, a commenter and I were marveling at his mastery of two such distinct voices.

You never hear about the Very Smart People in the emails, but Mulgrew always talks about them. He’s the one making the decisions, and they are abysmal. I imagine, when he brings up the Very Smart People, he’s actually talking about himself.

When someone asks me, “Are you a good teacher?” I tend to answer, “I hope so.”

If I were to say I was a good teacher, it wouldn’t mean much. If my students were to say that, it would mean a lot. If someone not insane were to observe and compliment me, it could mean a lot too. Me? I don’t know. I do the best I can.

ABC meetings were different for me. They weren’t dominated by any one person. No one had an agenda that precluded anyone else’s. No one talked about how smart they were, or the brilliant deals they’d made. We talked about what we read on surveys. We talked about building a platform by consensus, from comments we’d received. We talked about sending it back for approval.

I wrote nothing in the platform, but I edited it for brevity. After eliciting feedback, it appears we are going with it. There are things I’d like to see there that didn’t make it, but as part of the group, I’m going with the flow.

I see things changing. I see new possibilities. I see Unity members waking up and questioning whether their gigs are worth the terror and loathing of constantly appeasing King Mulgrew. I see better things in the New Year.

I envision A BETTER CONTRACT with both the city and our union. If you’re a retiree, join us on January 5th. Help us figure out how we get there. If you’re in service, you’ll get your chance too. I’ll keep you posted.

Last year, retirees told Mulgrew we wanted a leader, not a king. This year we’ll do the same for the entire United Federation of Teachers. And on that note, I wish you Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanzaa, and a joyous New Year for you and yours!

Graphic by Daniel A.