Very Good. Union Matters is our matters the Union members. And it should be part of NY Teacher, we should challenge the UFT on this! If not how can we grow in membership readership Union Matters?
Come to a meeting and ask Mulgrew. Personally, I think we need to defeat them and start hiring union reps based on competence as opposed to patronage and/ or loyalty to the Party.
Honesty is what impresses me most about your posts and this one was right there as always, speaking truth to power. Thank you for this and all the posts you publish about how power seems to absorb the truth and turn it into greed. It’s true I’m not a UFT retiree, but I worked in Academics my entire career as well as a representative in my DC 37 Union for a short period. I was only able to accomplish two beneficial changes back then as an inservice employee/Union member. The meetings would infuriate me as a sane individual l sat there listening to the hype and condescending attitudes of the leaders and legal representatives speaking down to us as if we were all idiots. Since retiring I see and hear things that make it painfully obvious that nothing has changed for the better. My son is a HS teacher in the NY system and is a Union representative in his school district. He is frustrated by the nepotism that allows many principals (who are friends with high ranking union officials and some politicians ) to work outside union contracts to apply favoritism to those who don’t argue against unfairness. This seems like “small potatoes” to many, but to me, I see where it festers and becomes a major issue in why “the call to arms through votes” is ignored. Union members, myself included, are consistently being brainwashed into thinking they have no choice but to follow along for consistent fear of retribution. I am too much of a rebel against injustice in any form to be spoon fed what I should think. Facts are facts. Garrido and Mulgrew are beholding to politics and the bottom line, not to their members. The PSC has it made in the shade upon retirement because they have always been considered the exalted ones. We in DC37 put up with a great deal for our meager salaries, even though we did much of the grunt work, believing once we retired it would all be worth it. However, for the last three years and possibly longer, we are still doing the grunt work as retirees, paying for lawyers to sue City Hall for breaking long term promises as we age. At these fragile times in our lives, many of us living are on limited incomes , we were given a chance to finally stand up for ourselves and give some much needed push back. Yet, the powers that be with politicians and Union leaders are still behaving condescendingly toward us. When do we get to rest? Do we have to be dead? When do we start to be treated with respect for our loyalty and hard work? How can the union leaders and Mayors be given the keys to our lives even after all the truth about the harm they have caused us is being brought to life? When will members wake up and begin to see the truth, not only for retirees, but also for in service as well? Only way I see it is to fight for what we earned and stand against the harm being brought upon each of us. Vote them all out union leaders and politicians alike. And then continue fighting on the side of what is just and right for the members and society. This is my truth spoken to power.
Thanks for your kind words. DC37 leadership is culpable right along with that of UFT. We need to stand together and make sure unions have leadership that looks after members, rather than seek savings for the city.
Really appreciate your commentaries. I'll only add that making this fight ours and winning requires seeing the terrible role that NYSUT plays in sabotaging what active members and retirees need. NYSUT is part of the problem.
Arthur, as author, did you pass this by Bennett? Our united front deserves sound reporting, and your history of editorialized reporting, if I can put it as such, reflects the tradition of, and representation of, oppositional reportage. We have to get our act on one page, and perhaps sober reflection will help us unify, truly.
Now that you bring it up, it occurs to me we are no longer opposition. We won, and Unity is the opposition. The Retiree Advocate page reflects RA, but the Retired Teachers page on NY Teacher does not reflect RTC. It is, as I suggested, controlled by Unity, despite our overwhelming electoral victory. This page is mine alone, and reflects my opinions. You're free to disagree. I have run some things by Bennett, but not this one.
It is difficult to find a position. The posture of opposition gives me brain cramps, personally, if unneeded. Joining with Bennett, using our—your and our collective—smarts to continue oppo may be—is?—crucial. Up to you, guys. (Don’t get cramped!)
I am in regular contact with Bennett. I go to meetings with our Executive Board. There are ongoing discussions, and there is planning. That said, this page does not necessarily reflect the opinions of RTC, or RA. It's my page and I'll be keeping it that way.
Great post
Thank you again for presenting the facts
Regarding our union status
Ben Grossman
Joined the Union on
September 4, 1961
Thank you again, Ben.
You are on point. Unity will try to suppress the RTC. Bennett was compelling when he was on Marianne Pizzitola’s YouTube program.
Could this be a way to communicate directly with UFT members?
It's one way. This Substack is another. We are resourceful.
Interesting that Weingarten and Mulgrew are campaigning to “save democracy”: for everyone except UFT membership.
Absolutely. Good observation!
Very Good. Union Matters is our matters the Union members. And it should be part of NY Teacher, we should challenge the UFT on this! If not how can we grow in membership readership Union Matters?
Come to a meeting and ask Mulgrew. Personally, I think we need to defeat them and start hiring union reps based on competence as opposed to patronage and/ or loyalty to the Party.
Honesty is what impresses me most about your posts and this one was right there as always, speaking truth to power. Thank you for this and all the posts you publish about how power seems to absorb the truth and turn it into greed. It’s true I’m not a UFT retiree, but I worked in Academics my entire career as well as a representative in my DC 37 Union for a short period. I was only able to accomplish two beneficial changes back then as an inservice employee/Union member. The meetings would infuriate me as a sane individual l sat there listening to the hype and condescending attitudes of the leaders and legal representatives speaking down to us as if we were all idiots. Since retiring I see and hear things that make it painfully obvious that nothing has changed for the better. My son is a HS teacher in the NY system and is a Union representative in his school district. He is frustrated by the nepotism that allows many principals (who are friends with high ranking union officials and some politicians ) to work outside union contracts to apply favoritism to those who don’t argue against unfairness. This seems like “small potatoes” to many, but to me, I see where it festers and becomes a major issue in why “the call to arms through votes” is ignored. Union members, myself included, are consistently being brainwashed into thinking they have no choice but to follow along for consistent fear of retribution. I am too much of a rebel against injustice in any form to be spoon fed what I should think. Facts are facts. Garrido and Mulgrew are beholding to politics and the bottom line, not to their members. The PSC has it made in the shade upon retirement because they have always been considered the exalted ones. We in DC37 put up with a great deal for our meager salaries, even though we did much of the grunt work, believing once we retired it would all be worth it. However, for the last three years and possibly longer, we are still doing the grunt work as retirees, paying for lawyers to sue City Hall for breaking long term promises as we age. At these fragile times in our lives, many of us living are on limited incomes , we were given a chance to finally stand up for ourselves and give some much needed push back. Yet, the powers that be with politicians and Union leaders are still behaving condescendingly toward us. When do we get to rest? Do we have to be dead? When do we start to be treated with respect for our loyalty and hard work? How can the union leaders and Mayors be given the keys to our lives even after all the truth about the harm they have caused us is being brought to life? When will members wake up and begin to see the truth, not only for retirees, but also for in service as well? Only way I see it is to fight for what we earned and stand against the harm being brought upon each of us. Vote them all out union leaders and politicians alike. And then continue fighting on the side of what is just and right for the members and society. This is my truth spoken to power.
Thanks for your kind words. DC37 leadership is culpable right along with that of UFT. We need to stand together and make sure unions have leadership that looks after members, rather than seek savings for the city.
Well said. One person will not break Unity. We were complacent for too long, and that included me. At this point, we must call them out everyday.
Absolutely. I'm right there with you!
Yes I stand in solidarity with the Retiree Advocates 👏🏻💪🏻
Thank you!
Really appreciate your commentaries. I'll only add that making this fight ours and winning requires seeing the terrible role that NYSUT plays in sabotaging what active members and retirees need. NYSUT is part of the problem.
Thanks for your kind words. I'm not sure exactly what you mean about NYSUT, but winning next year will mean we get a direct voice in it.
Arthur, as author, did you pass this by Bennett? Our united front deserves sound reporting, and your history of editorialized reporting, if I can put it as such, reflects the tradition of, and representation of, oppositional reportage. We have to get our act on one page, and perhaps sober reflection will help us unify, truly.
Now that you bring it up, it occurs to me we are no longer opposition. We won, and Unity is the opposition. The Retiree Advocate page reflects RA, but the Retired Teachers page on NY Teacher does not reflect RTC. It is, as I suggested, controlled by Unity, despite our overwhelming electoral victory. This page is mine alone, and reflects my opinions. You're free to disagree. I have run some things by Bennett, but not this one.
I worry about running things by people as that smacks of Unity. We want to be the un-Unity --
It is difficult to find a position. The posture of opposition gives me brain cramps, personally, if unneeded. Joining with Bennett, using our—your and our collective—smarts to continue oppo may be—is?—crucial. Up to you, guys. (Don’t get cramped!)
I am in regular contact with Bennett. I go to meetings with our Executive Board. There are ongoing discussions, and there is planning. That said, this page does not necessarily reflect the opinions of RTC, or RA. It's my page and I'll be keeping it that way.