MORE After the Election

Losing elections for such a long period of time has got to be a hard thing to tolerate. I guess that's why some folks forget what a good, strong union can do to protect it's members and wind up falling into the trap of talking about things that really don't matter that much to regular union members in a direct sense.  People  get silly during elections. They say dumb things and care about even dumber things. But, hey, that's the nature of elections. So I tolerate it.

Having not been jaded by time, and having a very strong understanding of what I'd like my union to do to protect me and why I joined the MORE caucus, I have to confess: I could personally care less who my union caucus endorses for mayor. Being a member of that caucus, I will, if asked, happily draft the endorsement statement (and go through the million and one edits that the democratic process of the MORE planning committee gives to it's writers so that it may be finished)  with a full and free heart.

(But that doesn't mean that I care about it!)

I do care a great deal about what my union can do to improve my working conditions as well as the working conditions of our colleagues and I care about what it can do to bring this whole topic of education back to a strong focus on the students -where it belongs. So after this comic book-like election is over, I'm hoping that MORE -that wonderful new caucus that will continue to grow over the next three years- will focus on the following things:

• Create strongholds in schools where there is a MORE chapter leader or strong MORE presence This may include collective actions (such as mass letters or telephone calls or even rallies outside of a school) where a principal is abusing his or her teachers or it may mean supporting and celebrating  principals who believe in a cooperative process with their teachers. But it should also include training for the chapter leaders in these schools in how to use their full leverage in negotiating favorable arrangements for their members. It should include trainings on the contract (the entire contract. Not that hub-bub they give you out in New Jersey) and should include having a member from MORE being able to sit next to a chapter leader during or leading up to a level 1 grievance meeting. When I think of collective action, at the school level, those are the kind of things I think of. In three years, I'd like MORE to  to be able to boast that if you're a teacher at a MORE chapter, then each and every member of MORE will have your back during the day to day comings and goings of your school -even if you decide to fight 

(OK, especially if you decide to fight).

• Bring back the Grapevine Collective Action may also include a weekly MORE update that informs MORE members of the comings and goings of those schools. What tactics are being used by principals? What has been proven to work when negotiating with a principal? What word is there from, say CFN 221? Or District 15? Information is the game changer. This city's teachers have been fragmented and prevented from collecting it. MORE needs to accept the role of being that thread that connects teachers with information across the city.
• Hire a paralegal The UFT -the one that I loved- use to have one. When teachers were under investigation (and there are thousands of them every year these days) there was a paralegal (her blog is currently on my sidebar. You should check it out). As the wise man once mentioned to me 'why not investigate their investigation?'. I think it's a great idea. I think MORE should look into it. 
• Train MORE leaders to sit with and help members who are meeting with one of our department's  friendly investigators. Little known secret: If you ever find yourself down at 65 Court meeting with an investigator, you don't have to answer any questions if you don't want. Yet the UFT staffer who sits next to you will advise that you to do so. The rules say that any member of the United Federation of Teachers can assist you. I say MORE should make it it's business to sit with members and to disrupt (within the bounds of procedures and ethics) the process as much as possible. The witch-hunts are only on reprieve. They'll be back in short order.
• Whistleblow a reporter once joked to me that the only known thing in the Dept. of Education is that there so much that is just not known. Whistleblowers perform an important function in a large system like ours. While they make folks feel a wee bit uncomfortable when they blow that whistle of theirs, the system as a whole is better off with them in play. Our current system tends to punish people who blow the whistle. Why is Portelos in the rubber room? If you ask me, it's because he blew the whistle on his supervisor. Why was David Pakter tried -TWICE? If you ask me, it's because he blew the whistle.  It's just how things are. I think that MORE should pick up that gauntlet and, when it needs to blow that whistle, it should blow as hard as it can. 

By in large, I would love for MORE to focus on the school based, person to person stuff. They're very open and democratic, so I'll be lending my voice within the caucus to push toward those efforts.

And why? Because as a minority caucus, with the high profile that they (ok, we) currently have, this brilliant and special group of people will be, after this election if finally over, in a very unique position to actually strike out and help the teachers who need help -with or without the actual reigns of leadership. That's why.