BOXCAR AND LIL' JIMMY

THE UTP PROUDLY PRESENTS
BOXCAR STEViE AND Lil’ jimmy
FLAP JAWING TALES O’ CORRUPTION, greed and power grabbing by the UNITY caucus~


Our little story begins with two former NYC teachers, now hobos because of the Pataki 25/55 veto, sitting by the side of the old Erie Lakawana tracks somewhere in northwestern Pennsylvania. Autumn is approaching. The first cold winds of the season blow down from Canada and across Lake Erie. They fondly remember the warmth and security of their 6R assignment outside the bathroom. Their conversation is typical of those that the UFT has forgotten, those that don't have a double pension.

Jimmy: So STEVIE, WHEN RANDI got over
on
how dem district rep’s ARE PLACED, HOW’D IT HAPPEN?

STEVIE: WELL, IT GOES BACK A LONG way. THE UFT THOUGHT THEY WAS GONNA HAVE A BIG RUN IN WITH THE NEW MAYOR AND THE NEW DOE. ‘COURSE DEY WAS RIGHT ‘BOUT DAT. So the executive bd. Voted to give the president the right to appoint the dr’s .

Jimmy: but what about checks and balances, and preventing the abuse o’ power. Ya know, My pappy used to say absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Stevie: course he did.

Jimmy: And it should come as no surprise to you then that the Executive bd is made up almost entirely of unity followers. Lock -step followers. Soldiers, of a sort. Yes-men--you get my meanin’?
So they gave the president something that in a way wasn’t theirs to give: the right o f chapter leaders and members even to elect their representatives.
It’s a basic fundamental right, of course, and just one of many examples of unity abuse o’ power.
the fact that there is no one to prevent them from doin’ anydamnthing they like--like giving away something to the President dat she aint ever gonna feel
like givin’ back--is sump thin that has to change.
It’s a dang dictatorship at dis point.

Stevie: lordy, dat sounds tantamount to collusion to me. Dat executive bd needs to be seen to, if you get my meaning.

Jimmy: yer right. Its just like getting hit I’ d’ head wif sump thin. Its totalitarianism
And dem unity folk collaborated on it.

Stevie: goddamit nothing’ seems to change. It the same thing over and over. I bet they can vote demselves a raise too. I cantstandit no more. It makes me so mad! well anywho , jimmy, I gotsta calm down . I'm gonna put some neatsfoot oil on my 2nd basemans glove. It helps me relax, but Tell me again about whats it like to be DR, ya know, like ya always tell....

But Jimmy starts with a song:
"My heart begin to roam around and I begin to sing,
If that freight train goes through this town, I'll catch it on a wing;
I pulled my cap down over my eyes and stepped up to the track,
I caught the stirrup of an empty car but never did look back."

Both look up at the first night stars and wonder. They wonder what it would be like if their union really represented them....