New York Teacher has a great article about Randi’s negotiating team. Not only was Unity represented, but the “opposition” party New Action had a say too.
New Action, the "opposition" party, offered no opposition in the last election to Randi Weingarten for President of the UFT. In exchange, Unity allowed several New Action members to run unopposed on the executive board.
It is the height of hypocrisy for Unity to maintain that it entertained ideas from the opposition. In fact, banking on the naivete of a large pool of inexperienced and easily frightened teachers, it lazily embraced a sellout contract, demeaned the profession of teaching, worsened an already tough job in NYC, and gave away anything they could to maintain their comfortable six-figure, double-pensioned jobs.
Is it any wonder half of all new teachers leave the city in 3 to 5 years?
Mike Shulman, New Action leader and former UFT Academic VP, has apparently been bought off with a Unity job, and will no longer stand up for our best interests. In fact, he was part of the team that brought us the very worst contract I’ve seen in 22 years.
Now Randi wants to handpick even more shills to sell us out again, while somehow reinforcing the illusion that Unity cares about something other than their narrow self-interests.
We need union leadership that cares about the welfare and future of New York City teachers. We need leadership that will stand up and fight for us. New Action, sadly, is now just another branch of Unity.
Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. No one should be in power for 50 years.
It's vital we unite and select one single opposition slate to topple Unity/ New Action in 07.
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