As usual, I am totally invigorated by an ICE meeting. I never fail to hear some new point of view or some angle I hadn't thought of. As usual, everyone gets to say their piece, as often as they feel they need to. And still the meeting lasted less than two hours. It was so great to be with old and new friends. And ICE is
as much about friends you can trust as it is about UFT politics. While I didn't have rice pudding, I did have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which shot my glucose levels up but not enough to have to put an insulin needle into my belly.
Published on the ICE blog: https://iceuftblog.blogspot.com/2024/12/upcoming-uft-election-is-discussed-at.html
Wednesday, Dec. 25,
2024 - Merry Xmas and Happy Hanukkah!
Submitted by Norm
Scott
ICE had an excellent
discussion on the UFT election Sunday night with a mix of retirees and working
educators on zoom. Two prominent ABC activists were invited to participate.
Questions were raised early on by people who had not been fully informed on all
the election permutations about the advisability of running two slates. The
history of ABC as a group that began meeting last April and through October
included all the caucuses until they dropped out, was reviewed and
enlightening.
It was great to see
ICE 2004 presidential candidate Marilyn Beckford zooming in with some very hard
questions related to the multiple slate issue but by the end she made a
rousing comment on the exciting possibilities of ABC. Her points were
consistently on target and pertinent as she pushed to get answers to what to
many is a confusing situation.
Even Mike Schirtzer
chimed in from Ecuador.
A possible path to
victory for ABC in a 3-way race with Unity and the caucus coalition was laid
out but the most important point was made by Ira Goldfine, a longtime pal and
activist going back to 1971, where he said the election outcome was not
the most important thing, but the unique opportunity to cause the
first major break in Unity Caucus in 60 years that would have long-lasting
effects even if Unity won.
And ABC was uniquely
in the position to exploit that Unity break in a judicious campaign, which the
Caucus coalitions would not be capable of doing for reasons I explained in a
recent post (UFT Elections: The Two Slate
Solution).
I also posed a sort of
solution to the two-slate situation: Run two slates but with many of the same
candidates who would get the sum total of votes from both slates. Run one
presidential candidate, 6 adcom and just enough candidates to win the exec
bd. Now this is not the position of ABC but my own concoction and there
is time to work something out. Someone pointed out that the very existence of
two slates even with common candidates would be confusing and lead to some
people not voting, a serious point, but there are also advantages to having
each group run its own version of a campaign without having to get permission
of the other group and if ABC can penetrate deeper into the schools, while the
caucus coalition pulls on its base and whatever the retiree vote brings in,
plus the key point of Unity defections, this may be a winning combo.
I floated this idea to
someone in MORE the other day and he said a mixed election where Unity would
still have a big share could be a disaster. I disagreed, saying if we believe
in proportional representation, having all caucuses and independents including
Unity would invigorate the union. My idea seems to be dying on the vine for
both groups. Well, I tried.
A reso was floated for
ICE to endorse the ABC slate and while the sentiment was YES, ICE will continue
to discuss the issue into the New Year. It was pointed out that ICE was never
considered to be a serious enough group to be invited to join the 3 major
caucuses, while ICE played a significant role with UFC 3 years ago.
Here is a proposed
reso that includes a call for all caucuses and independents to join the ABC
slate.
ICE UFT Endorses ABC -
A Better Contract Slate
The Independent Community of Educators (ICE UFT), known for championing
member-driven initiatives and transparent, democratic practices, is proud to
endorse ABC - A Better Contract.
Thousands of United Federation of Teachers (UFT) members, many engaging with
their union for the first time, are stepping up—sharing surveys, signing
petitions, and attending open Member Assemblies. These educators, like you, are
ready to lead and deliver the changes that UFT members want and need.
ABC represents a team of educators committed to:
• Cost-of-living raises to keep up with
inflation and protect member earnings,
• Fixing Tier 6 so all members can retire
with dignity,
• Fighting for Para pay parity to honor
the essential work of our paraprofessionals,
• Securing quality healthcare benefits
without sacrificing member wages,
• Improving working conditions for every
educator,
• Championing professional autonomy, and
• Defending public education against
privatization and attacks on unions.
This slate includes first-time candidates and long-time chapter leaders—both
energized and experienced—ready to lead the union on day one and deliver the
meaningful change educators deserve.
ABC began with the
ambition to bring all caucuses together and ensure there was a concerted effort
to reach members that have never voted before. They did not want this attempt
to win leadership of the UFT to be the typical closed door of negotiation with
each faction taking time from campaigning and bargaining over how many seats
with a focus on their own caucus branding.
We believe that
together, we can build a stronger, fairer union that puts members first. The
time for real progress is now.
We invite UFT members
to stand with ABC and be part of this push for progress. Learn more at abettercontract.org and follow them on social
media for updates.
In solidarity,
ICE UFT
Wednesday, Dec. 25 - Merry Xmas and Happy Hannukah - the candles are waiting tonight after we get back from China New Star on Flatbush Ave. later.
Chemo 8 - week two -Chemo 9 scheduled for Dec. 31 - But at least my TDA distribution comes through that day.
Since my health update when I got out of the hospital (I'm Baaaack - Norm Almost breaks Medicare after 15 days at MSK Hospital for Pancreatic Cancer Surgery), I've been asked how am I doing by a number of people (thanks for the concerns). I came back from a two week trip to Spain in October, 2024 at 200 lbs. Now I'm 170 - which is not the worst thing. Symptoms began around Thanksgiving 2023, but who thought of pancreatic cancer, though it was on my mind due to a very close friend dying of it around that time 3 months after diagnosis. My mother-in-law and another close friend died of it too so it has never not been on my mind but I never thought it would hit me too. Well the good news was that my recovery from the operation went well and I regained most of the weight I lost while in the hospital. I was feeling great by early August when I had a teleconference with the oncologist who said I looked great but now they'd have to beat me up again with 6 months of chemo given every two weeks. First I had to have a port installed in my upper chest so they wouldn't have to tax my veins. I have this bump with a wire running to my neck. Don't mistake me for Frankenstein. The chemo regimen goes like this: FOLFIRINOX, a combination of three chemotherapy drugs (5-FU/leucovorin, irinotecan and oxaliplatin)
First they take a blood test and wait for the results before deciding to give the chemo. Takes about a half hour. The chemo session itself involves giving steroids and anti-nausea meds first, followed by chemo1- oxaliplatin- for an hour and a half, followed by an injection to prevent pain from the next chemo2 - irinotecan - which is a half hour, followed by hooking me up to a 48-hour chemo3 - 5-FU/leucovorin- drip pack connected by a tube taped to my stomach to my port. Two days of awkward trying to manage the pack. I guess that's better than trying to load all the chemo into me in one shot. After 48 hours I go back to MSK to have my pack and needle removed and they give me a bone injection shot to help produce white blood cells. I found out after my first chemo that two weeks later my wbc had dropped too low to give me chemo and they gave me two days of short term bone shots that caused a lot of bone pain in my ribs and spine. But they assured me the long-term shot would not be bad and it hasn't been. They postponed me a week but the day before my chemo I tested pos for covid and MSK has a two week quarantine so chemo 2 didn't come until a month after chemo 1. Since then I have been on target. I scheduled my chemo on days that would not stop me from attending the DA and RTC meetings. With RTC meetings off until March that makes the rest of the scheduling easier - I prefer Tuesdays so I can get disconnected Thursday and go back to Rockaway. The first days of chemo are not too bad - I seem to get hit a week later with inability to eat for days and have lost 6 or 7 pounds in those days. Two weeks ago I briefly hit the low 160s for the first time since I was about 9 and looked like a skeleton but I'm back to 170 and looking better. I even started going back to the gym. I need some muscle mass - arms paper thin - don't ask me to make a muscle. One more thing. chemotherapy
can cause peripheral neuropathy, a condition that occurs when the
nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This is called chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) and it certainly has for me so far but not terrible with some tenderness in tips of my fingers and toes. The oxaliplatin for an hour and a half is the big culprit and when things got tough around treatment 6 they decided to make that the last time they would give me oxaliplatin with the idea not to kill the patient with the cure. I was concerned that not taking this hurts my long-term chances but the nurse told me the DR never gives oxaliplatin past #8. I know a 5 year pancan surviver, a doctor who is my age, who has some permanent damage and he went with oxaliplatin through #10 when the neuropathy had reached his knees. He felt she should have stopped it at #9. I also have a friend with a more severe case of pancan who went the full 12 and now can barley walk or use his hands to open a door. So though I had tough days after chemo 7 - 3 or 4 days of no eating, followed by a few hyper days, today starts week 2 of #8 and my doc gave me a prescription for cannabis and I went to a nice place that does med cannabis and they gave me a spray and a pill to take for appetite stimulation and I started fooling around with it the other day. One slight but of good news - I hope - is the blood marker CA19-9 which is not normally done but is a sign of pancan. My number on diagnosis was 230 - normal is 40. That cinched I had pancan. My friend's number was 1800. My doc friend told me to get a marker of CA19 before my first chemo and I had to push them to give it to me. It dropped to 19 - so removing the tumor of course was major good news. I took another CA 19 last week and it was 26 - stat insignificant -- so far -- they will watch this number after the chemo - which when it wears off may open the door for those invisible proto-cancer bastards that are not killed can come back. Anyway, I'm hoping my last chemo #12 will be on Feb. 11 in time for my 80th birthday first week of March. The election stuff has kept me engaged and active and working with some fun young people. Arthur's recent blog captured my feelings of the sense of fun and freedom working with ABC. I've been invigorated despite the chemo. We are doing a retiree event on Jan. 5. Here are excerpts from Arthur - who hates meetings but is having a nice time when ABC meets or chats.
...is a responsive union.Happy holidays to all. I wish you a joyous and fulfilling week
off. I’m working with a new and different group, for me at least, and
I’m excited. I’ve been composing a presentation to share in our next
forum on January 5th at 7 PM . This one is for retirees and if YOU are a
retiree, I hope you will join us. I was at the very first meeting of what became ABC,
last April, if I recall. It was pretty rough. There was no particular
agenda. There were maybe 25 or 30 of us. I then lost touch for a few
months, but came back at the urging of Norm Scott, for my money the gadfly / conscience of UFT. (I suspect he was born retired, but he insists otherwise.) I started going to meetings, and the oddest thing happened. I started actually enjoying them.
I hesitate to admit this. It may tarnish my reputation. The Unity
trolls like to call me angry, among other things. And why not? Name
calling is a whole lot easier than actual argument. And what can they argue? That they were right to sell us out? I know, for teachers, worthwhile meetings are borderline inconceivable. We’ve all been
through meetings. Our vision of hell is the endless faculty meeting,
with the principal droning on and on about Some New Thing that, within
months, would be discarded and replaced, just like Every Other Thing
he’d talked about. ABC meetings were different for me. They weren’t dominated by any one
person. No one had an agenda that precluded anyone else’s. No one
talked about how smart they were, or the brilliant deals they’d made. We
talked about what we read on surveys. We talked about building a
platform by consensus, from comments we’d received. We talked about
sending it back for approval. I wrote nothing in the platform, but
I edited it for brevity. After eliciting feedback, it appears we are
going with it. There are things I’d like to see there that didn’t make
it, but as part of the group, I’m going with the flow. I see
things changing. I see new possibilities. I see Unity members waking up
and questioning whether their gigs are worth the terror and loathing of
constantly appeasing King Mulgrew. I see better things in the New Year. I envision A BETTER CONTRACT with both the city and our union. If you’re a retiree, join us on January 5th. Help us figure out how we get there. If you’re in service, you’ll get your chance too. I’ll keep you posted.
The level of upset amongst the world of opp over two slates is over the top. Calm down folks.
How one non-Unity slate can still win in a 3-way race. A few key takeaways up front: - I've maintained the only way to win this election with the prospects of building dynamic change into the UFT is by enlisting large numbers of working UFTers. Do not rely on retirees to win and dominate a fossilized union (yes I am one of these fossils.) The current configuration of the legacy caucuses unfortunately leads us in this direction.
- The 63% retiree vote that the legacy caucuses are relying to deliver will not hold up for this election. In the 2022 UFT general election retirees won 29% -the same number they did in the 2021 RTC election. In the latter election word was out about the medicare situation - my biggest disappointment in that election was not seeing the retiree vote expand. That we didn't increase the retiree vote from the year before when few knew about the health plan changes. That led to me being pessimistic for the June election. I was wrong. We ran a great campaign but the difference maker: Marianne. Where will she land in this election and if she doesn't get her people involved the retiree vote will drop significantly.
- Unity still won over 10k in the 2024 chapter loss. Expect that to hold and grow as Unity supporters may have turned on Tom Murphy as RTC leader but may not be willing to turn over the entire union to what will clearly be labeled a left-wing opposition run by legacy caucuses that they have fought for years. RA did not have a bad rep a year ago.
- ABC is the non-ideological, non-sectarian option with people from every caucus, including Unity, so Unity retirees who know the score may go ABC, but not with a slate dominated with MORE candidates.
- The numbers from the UFC full frontal coalition vote in 2022 were not much different from the smaller MORE/NAC coalition in 2016. Why would this election be any different from the in-service vote (Mah Nishtanah), especially since what was UFC is diminished? Given the 2022 vote and reduced caucus coalitions, I maintain Unity would win the election if we were limited to a coalition run similar to UFC, which the legacy caucuses not even reaching the same levels of organizing that UFC had reached.
- Oh, but what about the retiree and para votes from last spring? They
are not automatic and must be worked for. Fix Para Pay is aligned at
this point with ABC. So Don't forget the 27k para potential vote. The in-service para vote, with 27k paras, long ignored by the opposition, may prove more crucial than the retiree vote if we get turnout. Note: A key organizing strategy is taking direct aim at this vote with a plan to fight for para pay instead of the Unity policy of telling them to be happy they have a job.
- ABC with a drastic new approach to not just running in the election but open to taking the election-building process out from behind closed doors and get more rank and file involved - and it has been working. Sample: 100 showed for a zoom for paras and district 75 on Tuesday, and over 50 for a High School zoom Wednesday, including chapter leaders from large high schools, including some key people from Unity.That followed a general meeting with 260 people. Think each in-service having some kind of network outreach in their schools. ABC is building the broadest coalition and still invites all legacy caucus members and supporters to run on the ABC independent slate with no labels. Already some have signed up to run. Is it enough yet? No. But there's a long way to go before ballots go out in May and petitioning starting Feb. 12. And ABC has the petition king: ME.
- Almost 40% of Trump supporters in NYS are in a union and many of them in the UFT and also anti-Mulgrew. Many have been non-voters in the past. With an ABC option that is focused on bread and butter and without a leftist ideology reputation, they may vote. Some will say how dare you hope Trump supporters vote for you? How dare I run to win.
Saturday, December 21 - The shortest day of the year, starting tomorrow the days grow longer
Something to look forward to. Did I tire you out yet with my key takeaways? Here's some more analysis. June joy in oppo Mudville turns to fall blues as Mulgrew offers teeth and eyes, soon to be followed by feet (every member gets a silver sneaker once a year.)
After the para and retiree elections plus the TRS election (UFT's 3 Consequential Elections) showed gaping holes in the Unity Caucus machine, two things happened. Enormous excitement and hope amongst the anti-Unity forces and fear and despair and rending of garments and gnashing of teeth in the halls of UFT/Unity. LeRoy Barr at a UFT staff meeting while they were in Houston at the AFT convention in July warned them that the oppo was coming for their jobs and Unity went into full gear by the end of the summer with a full-court blitz to defend itself by word salad changes in their positions on Medicare, getting better dental, and sending their troops into the schools (not always to their advantage). And it just may be working to some extent. We insiders may LOL, but to the masses in the rank and file who think a caucus is some kind of rash (and they may be right), some of this blitz registers.
Then came the opposition which is, and always has been, a contorted mess. From enormous excitement in June and August, we have seen a split in what began back in March with a unified view of the 3 caucuses and ABC, and ended in October. I will go into the timeline and details at another time. So, now the fear, despair and rending of garments and gnashing of teeth has infected the oppo and Unity forces are perking up, though some Unity staff have noticed the budding excitement and have reached out asking about what will happen to their jobs.
Even at Tuesday's final RTC meeting of the year, a few retirees who I didn't even know stopped by to say they are big Ed Notes and Arthur readers and were very worried about a two oppo slate. I was even called by a friend and current MORE member asking if there was anything he could do to help heal the breach. My response was long (of course) and complicated and had to include the history going back to March and through October to understand the current situation. I keep getting called out on my insistence of showing background history- that I should focus on today, but context and history count. You can't grow a plant if there are no roots. Is there a way forward to running one united slate? I tend to say no at this point and will proceed in this analysis to my theory of how the only slate than can win is ABC, even if it might seem far-fetched. So let me start with some history, of course. The 2022 UFC coalition failures - United for Change was a milestone in UFT history as every oppo group
joined in and we ran 400 people, a massive undertaking that included,
RA, MORE, NAC, ICE, Solidarity, EONYC, OT/PT and some independents. UFC's main success was the increased % for UFC but that was due to Unity drops which did not go to UFC. That dropped Unity vote just might shift into the ABC column due to the Unity presence in ABC. UFC did not bump up the in-service vote or even the retiree vote in that election.
Look at the charts Jonathan posted and note the key turnout numbers for in-service compared to retirees:
I contend that with a weakened UFC, these numbers will remain constant for the caucus coalition, with the only wild cards retirees. The only way to win is to go after the 80% who don't usually vote, not an easy task but that looks like the major initiative of ABC and to siphon off Unity votes.
In a follow-up I will explore this issue with a forensic analysis and breakdown of strengths and weaknesses of the caucuses and what they have done so far with further analysis of how ABC can win a two slate race.
In my conversations with progressives over this election, their response is to tell me this goal of reaching deep into the schools is wishful thinking -- that people are too busy and overworked to care. I guess being in the schools they know about the apathy but they seem to have given up on breaking through. I still have faith and confidence.
I get being excited by the retiree win and the opportunity it offers. How ironic that the usual suspects in the oppo who have opposed the influence retirees had in UFT elections when they were pro-Unity have now seemingly shifted positions and want to win with the retiree vote.
I end with an big OY! See next post for the VEY! And don't forget if you are a retiree, Join the ABC zoom:
This is getting to be fun - reaching to people in new ways for an election. Registration over less than 24 hours has been very brisk. If you are a retiree hop for the Jan. 5 event with Arthur, Pat, Laura, Claudia and me. Arthur is working on a dynamite slide show.
Monday, Dec. 16, 2024
In this upcoming historic election race, we will
wake a sleeping giant and take back our union ! RSVP for our Zoom
meeting: http://retiree.uftmembers.orgThis went out on The Wire, but I want to share it with you. Please come
meet with us on January 5th to discuss how we, as retirees, will move
forward with a democratic union. - Arthur Goldstein
Hey UFT retirees! We're gearing up for the 2025 UFT citywide election campaign and need your invaluable experience, expertise and passion. Join us for the first zoom meeting of ’A Better Contract’ slate’s retiree election committee. We will meet on Sunday, January 5th, at 7 PM to strategize and organize for the upcoming 2025 UFT citywide elections. RSVP, now: http://retiree.uftmembers.org
RSVP: ABC UFT Election Retiree Committee
Your
voice continues to be crucial in preserving and improving our
healthcare, pension, and retiree benefits. We need leadership that is
committed to ensuring no more givebacks and willing to stand up for all
UFT members. Let's come together to ensure our hard-earned rights are protected and our collective future remains safe and secure. Don't miss this chance to make a difference in this historic election —see you there! Arthur Goldstein, RTC Vice Chair and former UFT executive board member Pat Dobosz, UFT RTC delegate Laura Genovese, UFT RTC delegate Claudia Giordano, UFT RTC delegate Norm Scott, UFT RTC executive board member
RSVP: ABC UFT Election Retiree Committee
ABC (A Better Contract)
is dedicated to building a union where every member feels valued,
heard, and empowered. We are union proud and union strong. We are
non-partisan and focused solely on bread and butter issues. With
your support we can continue to challenge the status quo, win the
upcoming 2025 Union leadership election, and bring about the change we
need. If you have any questions, suggestions, or want to get more
involved, don’t hesitate to reach out. Together, we can create a
stronger, more equitable future. Finally, please take a moment to check out our landing page to see how you can get involved: http://uftmembers.org Stay updated with us at: http://abettercontract.org To run on the ABC slate for the 2025 election, go to: http://slate.uftmembers.org Download, share and print a flyer to post at your school/work site: flyer.uftmembers.org And follow us at:
I admit that at times I've been a skeptic, but when almost 300 registered and 230 showed -wow! And what an interesting presentation and discussion. People seem to think this is all about the upcoming UFT election. The next contract is where a battle will take place. This is not only about the election, but about organizing the unorganized. Sign up for something.
This is basic organizing 101.
ABC
continues to set the pace for the 2025 UFT Election race and
transformative changes. ABC champions a better contract with the City of
New York and a better social contract with union leadership. Happy Weekend, UFT! Thank you to all who attended The ABCs of Pay — Let’s Talk About Pay
UFT Member Assembly this past Tuesday. Your time, insights, questions
and thoughtful contributions made the discussion both engaging and
productive. Together, we’re building the foundation for a union that
puts members’ priorities like pay, dignity, and working conditions
first. As
we discussed during the meeting, improving pay and working conditions
requires collective action and a bold strategy that reflects the needs
of our members. Our union president, Michael Mulgrew, recently acknowledged the challenges of pay equity, citing pattern bargaining as a barrier to addressing inequitable pay disparities for paraprofessionals. While
pattern bargaining has been a defining strategy under the current
leadership, it is not the only approach to fix para pay and secure a
living wage. A more creative and assertive bargaining strategy, along with an action-ready
membership, can challenge the status quo, ensuring that all members
receive the compensation and respect they deserve. This reinforces the
importance for new union leadership that listens to members and explores
all options to secure a fair contract. Our
discussion on Tuesday showed that simply by coming together, we are
already making an impact. The issues we raised are now being addressed.
This demonstrates the power of collective action and the effectiveness
of amplifying our voices. We’re excited to keep this momentum going!
Here’s how you can stay involved:Join us at upcoming UFT Member Assemblies: Mark your calendar for January 7, 2025. RSVP, here. Join a Working Group:
We currently have working groups centered around: Organizing, High
School, Elementary, District 75, Paras, and social media. Some will be
meeting next week, already! See the dates and times, below. To get started, go to: join.uftmembers.org Spread the Word: Encourage your colleagues to join our movement and attend the next meeting. Check out our LinkTree for ways to share our message. Join our Slate of Candidates: Want
to join this historic movement for member-led transformative change? We
are actively seeking prospective candidates to run for UFT executive
board, AFT and NYSUT delegate positions. To connect with us, go to: slate.uftmembers.org
Here are our upcoming ABC Working Group meetings:
ALL District 75 UFT Members and All UFT Paraprofessionals Citywide Tue, 12/17 at 7 PM Register here
High School Division Wed, 12/18 at 7 PM Register here
Organizing Committee Wed, 12/18 at 7 PM Register here
**
We are scheduling meetings for retirees, elementary and middle school
and other functional titles, very shortly. We will keep you updated.
ABC (A Better Contract)
is dedicated to building a union where every member feels valued,
heard, and empowered. We are union proud and union strong. We are
non-partisan and we are not affiliated with the establishment union
caucuses that are often too self-agendized. With
your support we can continue to challenge the status quo, win the
upcoming 2025 Union leadership election, and bring about the change we
need. If
you have any questions, suggestions, or want to get more involved,
don’t hesitate to reach out. Together, we can create a stronger, more
equitable future. Finally, please take a moment to check out our landing page to see how you can get involved: http://uftmembers.org Stay updated with us at: http://abettercontract.org Download, share and print a flyer to post at your school/work site: flyer.uftmembers.org And follow us at:
In solidarity, Katie Anskat, Queens Metropolitan HS Delegate
katieharten@gmail.com Paul Egan, PS/MS 194 Chapter Leader
Egan10980@gmail.com Arthur Goldstein, Vice Chair of Retiree Teachers Chapter (RTC)
agoldstein@uftmembers.org Chad Hamilton, P.S. K231 Chapter Leader
chadhamilton231@gmail.com Steve Swieciki, Lehman High School Chapter Leader
uft.swieciki@gmail.com
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