Band Aid for a Gunshot Wound
What follows is a resolution that came from the UFT Executive Board Meeting.
Resolution on UFT District Representatives
Whereas, the role of District Representative is to implement the union's responsibilities to the members of the schools they serve with particular attention to: providing school chapters with the expertise, support and services necessary to assist in building and maintaining strong, effective chapters which will meet the workplace needs of our members; community outreach, parent involvement, political action and those activities that promote the mission, goals, aims of our union and the members we serve; and
Whereas, it is essential to provide continuity of services to chapter leaders and members in an effective way: and
Whereas, the Board of Education continues to organize and reorganize and has done so each year under the Klein administration and has signified an intention to continue to do so; and
Whereas, mayoral control is due to legislatively sunset in June 2009; and
Whereas, if mayoral control does sunset, there will be yet another reorganization; be it
Resolved, that the President convene a bipartisan committee to provide recommendations to the officers and Executive Board as to the most appropriate District Representative selection procedure that best assists DRs in accomplishing their jobs, including their ability to serve chapter leaders and the members in their respective schools, sites and work places; be it further
Resolved, that the committee considers including the impact of mayoral control continuing or expiring in its recommendations; be it further
Resolved, that until the committee reports and action is taken by the Executive Board on the committee's report the process used for District Representative selection over the past three years will continue.
________________
If you need a translation, it should read:
The role of the DR is to stifle dissent, create fear (strike!), avoid any real conflict with school administrations, pimp a contract that gives you less rights and them less to do, and promote apathy and ignorance in the rank and file. As UFT President, I appoint these positions as Boss Tweed would. However, because I failed to have the blatant power grab known as the "emergency appointment" process continued, we will now spin as such:
a)We will create a committee stacked with Unity appointees and flunkies (with a sprinkling of those pain in the ass ICE/TJC lunatics).
b)Thus we will continue to do whatever the hell we want, with a passing nod at democracy.
c)This will all take quite some time. It's not as simple as let the members decide.
__________________
So:
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT!) and the Unified Teachers Party are co-sponsoring a motion calling for restoring elections of District Representatives, to be presented at the next Delegate Assembly in October. Unable to get the floor during the ten-minute time limit last May, former UTP director and current ACT! editor, Joe Mudgett, and his allies will try again.
Considering the fact that the UFT's executive board failed to reauthorize its emergency appointment policy by last June's deadline, effectively making it null and void, and considering that UFT president, Randi Weingarten, continued to appoint DRs over the summer despite this fact, it is imperative to breathe democracy back into the ranks by passing this motion.
Teachers across the city are urged to take action by urging their chapter leaders and delegates to support the motion for democracy!
ACT! editor, Joe Mudgett
Alliance of Concerned Teachers
Resolution on UFT District Representatives
Whereas, the role of District Representative is to implement the union's responsibilities to the members of the schools they serve with particular attention to: providing school chapters with the expertise, support and services necessary to assist in building and maintaining strong, effective chapters which will meet the workplace needs of our members; community outreach, parent involvement, political action and those activities that promote the mission, goals, aims of our union and the members we serve; and
Whereas, it is essential to provide continuity of services to chapter leaders and members in an effective way: and
Whereas, the Board of Education continues to organize and reorganize and has done so each year under the Klein administration and has signified an intention to continue to do so; and
Whereas, mayoral control is due to legislatively sunset in June 2009; and
Whereas, if mayoral control does sunset, there will be yet another reorganization; be it
Resolved, that the President convene a bipartisan committee to provide recommendations to the officers and Executive Board as to the most appropriate District Representative selection procedure that best assists DRs in accomplishing their jobs, including their ability to serve chapter leaders and the members in their respective schools, sites and work places; be it further
Resolved, that the committee considers including the impact of mayoral control continuing or expiring in its recommendations; be it further
Resolved, that until the committee reports and action is taken by the Executive Board on the committee's report the process used for District Representative selection over the past three years will continue.
________________
If you need a translation, it should read:
The role of the DR is to stifle dissent, create fear (strike!), avoid any real conflict with school administrations, pimp a contract that gives you less rights and them less to do, and promote apathy and ignorance in the rank and file. As UFT President, I appoint these positions as Boss Tweed would. However, because I failed to have the blatant power grab known as the "emergency appointment" process continued, we will now spin as such:
a)We will create a committee stacked with Unity appointees and flunkies (with a sprinkling of those pain in the ass ICE/TJC lunatics).
b)Thus we will continue to do whatever the hell we want, with a passing nod at democracy.
c)This will all take quite some time. It's not as simple as let the members decide.
__________________
So:
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT!) and the Unified Teachers Party are co-sponsoring a motion calling for restoring elections of District Representatives, to be presented at the next Delegate Assembly in October. Unable to get the floor during the ten-minute time limit last May, former UTP director and current ACT! editor, Joe Mudgett, and his allies will try again.
Considering the fact that the UFT's executive board failed to reauthorize its emergency appointment policy by last June's deadline, effectively making it null and void, and considering that UFT president, Randi Weingarten, continued to appoint DRs over the summer despite this fact, it is imperative to breathe democracy back into the ranks by passing this motion.
Teachers across the city are urged to take action by urging their chapter leaders and delegates to support the motion for democracy!
ACT! editor, Joe Mudgett
Alliance of Concerned Teachers
posted by A Strong, Proud UTP Member at 9/23/2006 04:37:00 PM
20 Comments:
Just another anti-democratic move by Unity. It is important that the sham democratic posturing of Unity be exposed to the membership because too many teachers are clueless as how their union operates. To use an old expression, they don't know if its Sunday or the third inning. This lack of knowledge combined with member apathy allows the Unity caucus to remain in power and is a recipe for disaster- case in point, our current contract.
The DA: that's not a rigged forum.
You UTP people do nothing but whine like wimps about everything. Randi is no good, Unity is corrupt, the union id not democratic, and with all of this complaining what do you offer as a solution?
Do you ever say anything positive? Do you ever mention the children? No, you just push your negativity and spread you destructive ideology.
You take no part in the negotiating committee or offer any assistance in anyway. As far as I'm concerned your lack of involvement discredits you and shows you for the scam artists you are.
"wimps?" I don't think so. My colleagues and I have been readers of this site for almost a year now and the UTP has never backed down from their basic reform issues. The UTP was one of the first sites to publicly point out the lack of democracy that exists within our union. They have never allowed themselves to be side tracked by other issues or by the slurs thrown at them by the unity supporters.
yeah. HAIL UTP!
Please go to the ICE Blog for the update on the District Rep fiasco.
"With all of this complaining what do you offer as a solution?"
Yes we do. Get rid of Unity.
"Do you ever say anything positive?"
Sure. Nice hairdo, Randi.
"Do you ever mention the children?"
Children, children, children, children, Children, children, children, children, bastar.. er children
HAPPY NOW!!!!
Typical snide response. I can just picture you guys standing around chuckling in you black leather jackets.
The sad part of Jeff's claim of "how the appointment process passes over clearly competent candidates over a less qualifed applicant" goes to show his arrogance. You apparently know who is less qualified. So thereroe you know whos should be chosen. As usual it is baout your own grab for power and politics, not substance. This has been your mantra since the ICE blog cam up last year, not about the membership.
Speaking of power grabs; you are probably a Unity person because you don't want to speak to the issue of democracy. Maybe you would just like one of those double pension jobs.
I'd like a double pension and if I could get one I'd sell everyone down the river so fast you'd think I was Randi.
As for Anon who wrote "The sad part of Jeff's claim..." You really need to wrok on yoru tyipng slkils.
Once again I find myself sitting in front of my computer laughing out loud.
I get the feeling that many of the people working directly for Unity secretly agree with much of what is written here and on the ICE TJC sites.
Honestly I don't understand why our current leadership is so against making improvements to the way our union runs. Making the union more democratic could only serve to make the leadership look better to the members. If Unity has valid reasons that could explain why the reforms called for would not make the union stronger I've yet to see them.
They don't have valid reasons.
That's why they resort to anonymous ad-hominem attacks. It's very tough to explain why you actively oppose democracy.
Democracy doesn't only work on election day or with a traditional vote. It works with activism, opportunities, and freedom of speech. The fact of the matter is thta the UFT has numerous ways for the membership to get involved. The "democratic" process includes the new teacher committee, the 300 member negotiating committee, various committees & workshops at the borough offices and other political actions that members have taken through the city just to name a few. But I suppose their "voices" are not part of the democracy either?
How does Jeff know who is "clearly competent" and who is "less qualifed"? Is he that ominpotent?
Thanks for the comment Randi.
Glad you read the blog. Glad you're enjoying it.
The decision to have a committee was made exactly by what process? It came to you in a dream. If tomorrow you dream about killing the committee it will happen. Committes with the "democratic process" are always packed with full and part-time UFT employees and other Unity caucus members to assure you get the pre-determined results you want. Why not try this: Publish the names and schools/or union positions held by ever member of every committee and tell us whether they are in Unity or not. Double dare you. Bet you won't.
The whole process is rigged so that Unity can maintain its stranglehold on our union. Every Unity lackey knows that, and they do everything to obfuscate the issues that we bring up. District Reps should be elected by the membership... who would oppose that and why? UNITY OUT!
I agree we need to elect the district reps. Bring demoocracy back into the union. GET RANNDI OUT !!
Union Democracy. I can hardly wait!
The fear that was drummed into the membership through lies and distortion about why we should support our current contract,was despicable. I do not need a benevolent dictator to tell me what's best. Do you hear that Union leadership?
More name calling "justdatruth": very eloquent argument.
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