The Association for Union Democracy Asks Us A Few Questions

Recently, the UTP was contacted by the Association for Union Democracy (AUD) and they asked us a few questions. Here is a small piece of how it went:


AUD: Is Edwize a valuable resource for you and other UFTers? Why? What should Edwize be that it is not, in your view?

UTP: No. There is no value to Edwize, other than its comic value. The site is just another clearinghouse for the Unity caucus and its agenda. Edwize should be a forum for the discussion of internal union politics and policies--just what it is not.


AUD: Was Edwize an important forum for debate of the contract? What were the benefits Did rank and file members who were not activists talk about Edwize and conteant posted there?

UTP: No. Edwize was not talked about by the average, rank and file member. Most members do not have any knowledge of Edwize, and if they did, they wouldn't have any inclination to follow it. They are too exhausted from doing the undoable.


AUD: Did you experience any censorship of your views on Edwize?

UTP: We have never posted there.


AUD: Should Edwize be a forum for discussion/debate in the upcoming UFT elections?

UTP: Most certainly.


AUD:Edwize does not link to the UTP, as far as I can tell. Have you asked them to link to your site?

UTP: No, we have not. We figured that after the Special Rep. for High Schools intimated that we were Nazis (we're not, by the way), we wouldn't waste our time.



Do you support a strong,democratic labor movement? Visit the Association for Union Democracy at www.uniondemocracy.org

The Choice That Is No Choice

This month's Delegate Assembly contains a very interesting Agenda Item. It is the Resolution on a Bi-Partisan Committee to Recommend the DR's Selection Process. It reads as follows:


Whereas, the role of the 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 service 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 do so; and,

Whereas, mayoral control is due to legislatively sunset in 2009; and,

Whereas, if mayoral control does not sunset, there will be yet another re-organization; 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 DR's in accomplishing their jobs, including their ability to serve chapter leaders, and the members in their respective schools, sites and work places; be it

Resolved, that the committee consider 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 Representation selection over the past three years will continue.


It seems that our leadership one again practices that nefarious sleight o' hand at which they are so adept, so wonderful. What are we really being offered here? Well, it seems we can take a "bi-partisan committee" that will no doubt maintain the status quo and bring back the desired result; or, on the other hand, we might reject the committee, and continue to let the dictator appoint the DR's, as she has been doing now for some time. Our Machiavellian leadership clearly can't deal with any more reorganizations, but they can continue their top down management style, even though it's the very thing they claim to criticize about the DOE. When it's their control that is threatened though, Unity leadership can sing a different song. They give you the choice that is no choice at all: mustard or mustard?