With UFT set to make final endorsement votes as early as the April DA, it's critical that Chapter Leaders and Delegates come prepared. This is a repost of an entry at https://newaction.org
Peter, I question the process. I used to be on it. Almost everyone on was Unity. I saw MORE members ask to be added and denied. Moreover, I was dropped from these committees after I switched from Unity to New Action. There's a reason not a single member of the high school executive board was given a chance to participate. There may be some independents here and there, but overall this is a Unity committee hiding behind the UFT logo, and nothing more.
The Boro Rep, the Boro PAC coordinator, DRs and activist ChapterLeaders who hopefully make recommendations based on the candidates, “caucus affiliation” should not determine the participants, at the DA a motion was made to include Council member Caban, she missed the date to ask for an endorsement, was remedied, will be on the May list, motion was withdrawn, the budget battle between the Council and the Mayor will be tough, UFT should get beyond caucus politics
Peter, you are absolutely right, caucus affiliation should not determine the participants. I'm telling you that it does. Every UFT staffer you just mentioned is a Unity member, so the endorsement process is set up by members of Unity Caucus. I have known these same Unity DRs and staffers to prevent non-Unity CLs from joining on the basis of caucus affiliation. I'm also telling you I was dropped from the process after I changed my caucus affiliation from Unity to New Action. Now we see a list of endorsed candidates that includes charter advocates and budget cutters. But no names who fought Mulgrew on the 12-126 amendment in solidarity with the non-Unity caucuses. This isn't rocket science.
The recommended endorsements come from borough committees made up of District Reps and Chapter Leaders, the process and the debate was well done
Peter, I question the process. I used to be on it. Almost everyone on was Unity. I saw MORE members ask to be added and denied. Moreover, I was dropped from these committees after I switched from Unity to New Action. There's a reason not a single member of the high school executive board was given a chance to participate. There may be some independents here and there, but overall this is a Unity committee hiding behind the UFT logo, and nothing more.
The Boro Rep, the Boro PAC coordinator, DRs and activist ChapterLeaders who hopefully make recommendations based on the candidates, “caucus affiliation” should not determine the participants, at the DA a motion was made to include Council member Caban, she missed the date to ask for an endorsement, was remedied, will be on the May list, motion was withdrawn, the budget battle between the Council and the Mayor will be tough, UFT should get beyond caucus politics
Peter, you are absolutely right, caucus affiliation should not determine the participants. I'm telling you that it does. Every UFT staffer you just mentioned is a Unity member, so the endorsement process is set up by members of Unity Caucus. I have known these same Unity DRs and staffers to prevent non-Unity CLs from joining on the basis of caucus affiliation. I'm also telling you I was dropped from the process after I changed my caucus affiliation from Unity to New Action. Now we see a list of endorsed candidates that includes charter advocates and budget cutters. But no names who fought Mulgrew on the 12-126 amendment in solidarity with the non-Unity caucuses. This isn't rocket science.