Fighting for educators, building chapters, increasing democracy, with a progressive agenda
For those of you who voted for us, thank you. For those of you who actively supported us, thank you.
New Action’s message – we support the leadership when they are right, and oppose them when they are wrong – got out to tens of thousands of UFTers. We want members to know we are progressive, influential, and independent.
Tomorrow is the last day for ballots to arrive at the American Arbitration Association.
The count will be Thursday. We will write something about the results here.
Three representatives of New Action met with three representatives of MORE back on November 27.
MORE brought one agenda item: what was New Action doing in the upcoming election? At that point we were working on an agreement to run a full slate, cross-endorsing Mulgrew and Unity’s high school people, with some cross-endorsements in return. That agreement had not been finalized.
New Action brought 3 items. We asked about having a formal means of communication, when issues came up where the caucuses needed to reach other. That was achieved. We asked about assisting each other where we agreed on an activity (such as the petition campaign against mayoral control; MORE probably would have participated, but we did not have a way of getting each other involved). MORE was not as interested in that discussion, although they agreed in a general way. They were more concerned with the immediately upcoming election, but the discussion was positive. The third was what we would do if a bad contract agreement came down. We discussed a joint effort from almost 20 years ago that helped defeat a bad contract.
Then New Action added an item. We raised with concern the level of hostility from the last election period (2010). Kit Wainer said that MORE planned to attack Unity, not New Action. He thought that New Action would have a hard time campaigning without going after MORE – but we disagreed. Then we asked about the bloggers, we mentioned recent disparaging posts. Kit said he never reads the blogs, and that MORE does not control them. We pointed out that if the blogs support MORE and write outrageous things, and MORE does not dissociate itself from those comments, then it looks like MORE supports those comments. Kit did not respond.
The MORE caucus and the bloggers who write for them want UFT members to believe they are a brand new caucus. The truth is MORE consists of several formations and groups that have a track record. One spokesperson/blogger recently alluded to the record of two of their members when they held seats on the UFT
Executive Board—James Eterno and Jeff Kaufman. This blogger noted the sterling record they had from July 2004 through June 2007.
It is worth looking at the role ICE played on that Board. Certainly we should know their record in order to judge what we can expect of MORE if they were elected again.
During those years they had a record of failure. In the spring of 2010 New Action stated that they (not just James or Jeff) “were an embarrassment and actually hurt the members.”
Today MORE makes claims about what they will do if elected. WHAT DID THEY (ICE) DO THEN? They claimed they would fight for “job rights for ATRs.” How many motions did they make at the UFT Executive Board from 2004-2007 to fight for ATRs? ZERO! What about their claim that they would fight for an end to school closings? How many motions did they make? ZERO!
They claimed they would fight to “Restore and strengthen the right to grieve unfair and inaccurate letters and observations.” How many motions? ZERO! The same for their claim to fight to “end harassment, “ reduce class size,” “win parity for paras and secretaries.” YOU guessed it. ZERO! ZERO! ZERO!
When given the chance to provide leadership, ICE did nothing!
We will repeat what we said in the spring of 2010: “Don’t waste your vote on an opposition” caucus that has produced nothing for the members except empty promises. Don’t waste your vote on a caucus that (STILL) refuses to acknowledge its own leadership failure. Don’t vote for a repeat of 2004-2007.”
They often seemed more concerned with delaying or disrupting proceedings than with promoting the interests of the members.
Don’t waste your vote on MORE which offers more empty rhetoric (and more history than they would care to discuss)
New Action - UFT 