DEMOCRACY AND THE DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE
When you teach every day, there are many things that affect your work: your AP, your colleagues, students, etc. Your union also affects you every day. Your Chapter Leader, for example, affects the tone and workings of the school directly. A Chapter Leader that is "aggressive" in defending the rights of the staff affects the workplace every day. Outside of the school building, the person above the Chapter Leader is the District Representative. He is both advisor and answer man. His relationship with the Chapter Leader helps to determine the policy and practices in your school, to varying degrees. In short, the DR is responsible to not only the school, but every school in their district, and all the UFT members of those schools.
Years ago, DR's came into their position differently from today. Chapter Leaders cast a weighted vote, determined by school population, for the DR of their choice. The larger the school population, the more the votes. But in order to run against a sitting DR, a newcomer needed 5 signatures of Chapter Leaders, thus openly risking alienating the incumbent DR that could choose to give them less than stellar service in the future.
All in all, a flawed process, but more democratic than we have today.
In the last few years, this process was brought to a halt. DR elections ceased. The UFT President circled the wagons, "appointed" the DR's in place and waylaid the process.
Why?
Clearly not for the benefit of the rank and file that the DR is supposed to represent, but for the benefit of Unity leadership. And what has happened to the DR election is symbolic of what happens to democracy in our union on so many fronts. In this shift of power, the DR is no longer beholden to those they should serve (the Chapter Leader and the UFT members of the school), but to the management that makes their position possible. Management has denied us democratic representation, and in its place is salesmanship. To see this, all you had to do was look at DR's flooding schools before the contract ratification. Like locusts, the DR's descended upon the schools to sell the UFT (Unity)agenda.
The Unified Teachers Party proposes the election of DR's by the people they work for and represent: the active rank and file of each respective district. Anything less is unacceptable.
(Both "6R" and this article were contributed by Jeff Brace.)
Years ago, DR's came into their position differently from today. Chapter Leaders cast a weighted vote, determined by school population, for the DR of their choice. The larger the school population, the more the votes. But in order to run against a sitting DR, a newcomer needed 5 signatures of Chapter Leaders, thus openly risking alienating the incumbent DR that could choose to give them less than stellar service in the future.
All in all, a flawed process, but more democratic than we have today.
In the last few years, this process was brought to a halt. DR elections ceased. The UFT President circled the wagons, "appointed" the DR's in place and waylaid the process.
Why?
Clearly not for the benefit of the rank and file that the DR is supposed to represent, but for the benefit of Unity leadership. And what has happened to the DR election is symbolic of what happens to democracy in our union on so many fronts. In this shift of power, the DR is no longer beholden to those they should serve (the Chapter Leader and the UFT members of the school), but to the management that makes their position possible. Management has denied us democratic representation, and in its place is salesmanship. To see this, all you had to do was look at DR's flooding schools before the contract ratification. Like locusts, the DR's descended upon the schools to sell the UFT (Unity)agenda.
The Unified Teachers Party proposes the election of DR's by the people they work for and represent: the active rank and file of each respective district. Anything less is unacceptable.
(Both "6R" and this article were contributed by Jeff Brace.)
posted by A Strong, Proud UTP Member at 12/16/2005 05:34:00 PM
6 Comments:
The appointment of District Representatives by Randi is outrageous and cannot be allowed to continue. The voice of the rank and file which the DR is supposed to represent is silenced and the DR is reduced to what they have become- another mouth piece for the president.
Randi has used her tyrannical hold over the DRs to push her contract down members' throats. They have used intimidation and lies to secure what she wanted - a 'YES" vote at any cost to the dues paying members.
The democratic process of elections has evidently been deemed unnecessary by Boss Randi and Unity.
Now we, the rank and file, have got to demand fair elections and fair representation.
We must TAKE BACK OUR UNION!
Why not have Bush select the members of Congress - neat, clean, efficient?
District Reps should be elected by the membership, this seems to be a no-brainer. We need a more democratic union, where members have a voice. DR's should be accountable to the people they represent. This is a basic American democratic concept. How can you expect someone to represent you when they are beholden to someone else, whom they must serve in order to keep their job? Maybe its just me, but I think a "District Representative" should actually represent their district. Currently DR's represent Weingarten/Unity since that is how they get (and keep) their job. We must work to reform the feudal structure of our union and make it more democratic, so that we are better represented, and protected. I wonder how Unity will oppose this position. How could anyone be against having DR's elected by the membership?
Historically, how many DR's have there been that were not Unity flunkies?
Radical union thinking can lead to tragic results
such as the TWU strike. People who make wild demands or criticize their own union only make teachers uncomfortable and dissatisfied. At least we have a contract and are still working. My advice is to worry more about becoming an effective teacher and leave union business to the professionals.
People who work to reform their union, to make their union more democratic, and wish to have a union that actively works to represent their interests do not make teachers "uncomfortable and dissatisfied" -- we make Unity lackeys uncomfortable and dissatisfied. We have a contract that is an insult to our professionalism - and although we are still working - our working conditions have declined tremendously thanks to our union leadership selling us out, and doing what was best for themsleves, instead of what was best for its members. My advice to the person who posted the last comment is to worry less about trying to secure a cushy union job, and start worrying more about the current state of our union, and the degredation of the teaching profession in NYC. Union business is our business because we are dues paying members, and as such deserve a voice in our union. Blind obedience to leadership is not a very democratic quality, and who are these "professionals" that you speak of? Are they the spineless, corrupt, power-mongers that currently have a stranglehold on our union and sold us out with this last contract?
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