First a tweet from one of the UFT cronies who launched the challenge against NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi
Make some noise to save our services! Save our schools! pic.twitter.com/CLF6wjTPi1
— Andy Pallotta (@AndyPallotta) January 29, 2014
This was at the Public Employees Federation, Civil Service Employees Association and NYSCOPBA union rally protesting Cuomo's anti-union policies, particularly the policy to downsize human services in the state by getting rid of union workers and replacing them with non-union workers.
In a reply tweet, I pointed this out to Pallotta:
@AndyPallotta @tfarley1969 So wait, you're raising reelection funds for Cuomo, but protesting him too?
— realitybasededucator (@perdidostschool) January 29, 2014
And of course he was just raising funds for Cuomo a couple of weeks ago:MEMORANDUM
TO: NYSUT Board of Directors
FROM: Andy Pallotta, Executive Vice President
DATE: January 15, 2014
RE: NYSUT’s Legislative Reception
On Monday evening, January 27, 2014, NYSUT will host a Legislative Reception and briefing in the Observation Deck of the Erastus Corning Tower at the Empire State Plaza. The reception will be held between6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
The Governor and his executive staff, members and the executive staff of the Senate and Assembly will be our invited guests.
Light refreshments will be served and a cash bar will be available.
A copy of the invitation is attached. If you are interested and your schedule allows, please RSVP to Karen Rhatigan at (518) 213-6000 x6626 or by e-mail, krhatigan@nysutmail.org.
In other AFT/NYSUT/UFT news, Jessica Bakeman reports the following at Capital NY:
ALBANY—Teachers in Buffalo will likely join their peers in New York City in supporting a slate of challengers to the current leadership of New York State United Teachers, a powerful statewide union.
NYSUT President Richard Iannuzzi is losing ground in his contested April election, with two major urban teachers' unions throwing support to challenger Karen McGee, a local union leader in Westchester. Andy Palotta, the current executive vice president and a force in Albany, is running for re-election and backing McGee.
Philip Rumore, president of the Buffalo Federation of Teachers, said his members are frustrated that the current leadership wasn't as aggressive as they'd hoped in responding to the state's rollout of the controversial Common Core standards.
“Many of the Buffalo teachers have not been satisfied with the positions that NYSUT has taken,” Rumore told Capital on Wednesday. “Let's put it this way: If anything, we are leaning toward a change in direction, but we haven't made a formal decision yet.”
Iannuzzi has gotten aggressive these past few weeks, calling for a "no confidence vote" on NYSED Commissioner King, withdrawing support from the CCSS until a list of demands are met by the state, and criticizing the governor's budget.
Pallotta, the UFT functionary helping to push the "challenger" slate against Iannuzzi, has been raising money for Andrew Cuomo.
I left this comment on the Bakeman piece at Capital NY:
Iannuzzi has gotten more aggressive in the recent weeks while the Pallotta/Mulgrew slate is still hanging out with Andy Cuomo and giving him bags of cash for re-election. The Orwellian nature of AFT/NYSUT/UFT politics never ceases to amaze. Literally up is down and black is white. The less aggressive "challengers" are getting supported because the Iannuzzi regime hasn't been aggressive enough.
You can't make this stuff up - Rumore is going to back the challengers who have been raising cash for Andrew Cuomo because Iannizzi and his slate hasn't been aggressive enough against Cuomo, even though they have ratcheted up the aggression in the past weeks.
Orwellian beyond belief - but par for the course at the AFT/NYSUT/UFT.
Rumore is now just doing what you are going to see a lot of NYSUT locals due- back Pallotta's slate because they are going to win. It's pretty simple, with 800 NYSUT delegates, the UFT has 40% of the voters in the election. With all of those delegates being "invite only" Unity Caucus members, Mikey Mulgrew won't allow any dissent, so all 800 will vote for their endorsed Pallotta slate. That essentially seals the election. Pallotta fills out the rest of the slate with a few others from around the state who are intoxicated by the lure of power, going from small locals to statewide "leaders", to make it seem as though it is a "grassroots movement from across the state" yet it really consists of a few more hacks beholden to Mikey Mulgrew and Unity Caucus. So who ever is backed by Mulgrew automatically wins. Therefore locals fall in line behind him so as not to get on the bad side of the "new" administration. But of course in the UFT/NYSUT/AFT world "new" and "change" mean business as usual. Ironically once Iannuzzi no longer felt beholden to Mulgrew, due to the challenge from Pallotta's slate, he got aggressive, as Rumore's BFT wished he had been earlier. Rumore's BFT responds by backing the same powers who ruled the passive Iannuzzi. But we live in a world where many "leaders" would rather be in the good graces of those in power than to truly stand up for their members.
ReplyDeleteNothing will change until there is no longer a one party system at the state level. The unorganized 60% of the state needs to become organized. They need to bond together to oppose the Mulgrew run Unity Caucus. The good thing about this year's election is that some of the smarter people from around the state are beginning to become aware of the rigged nature of these elections. Hopefully the awareness leads to necessary changes.