The UFT's Mulgrew is the poster child for what's wrong with too many union leaders. "Bargaining is too hard."
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The UFT's Mulgrew is the poster child for what's wrong with too many union leaders. "Bargaining is too hard."
In August, 2014 New York teacher union president Michael Mulgrew spoke before a convention of his members and trash talked.
“What bothers me more than anything is the idea is that the American Federation of Teachers would back down from a fight … You don’t back down from a fight,” he bellowed.
“If someone takes something from me, I’m going to grab it right back out of their cold, twisted, sick hands and say, ‘It is mine! You do not take what is mine!’” Mulgrew shouted, whipping the crowd into a frenzy.
“And I’m going to punch you in the face and push you in the dirt because this is the teachers! These are our tools and you sick people need to deal with us and the children we teach. Thank you very much!”
Was Mulgrew talking about contract issues and compensation?
Hell no.
He was screaming at a group of delegates who were opposed to the Common Core Standards, which the union endorsed and many teachers opposed as de-professionalizing.
But when it comes to contract bargaining, the same bully boy Mulgrew finds it all too hard.
On Monday, July 10, the United Federation of Teachers leadership announced that the 2022-2027 contract had been approved by the membership.
Although the tentative agreement passed it was with the highest no vote percentage since 2005.
And not every bargaining unit’s contract even passed.
Occupational and physical therapists (OT/PTs) again voted down the deal for their functional contract. They joined nurses, audiologists, and supervisors of nurses and therapists, all part of the same bargaining unit.
As a union negotiator for years, I can tell you that no is the most powerful word we have when bargaining.
Say yes and the deal is done. Say no and you get to come back and bargain again.
But not for Mulgrew.
Mulgrew has told the members who said no to a shitty deal that it would be too hard to bargain some more and they must go back and vote again and this time vote yes.
The same Michael Mulgrew who was the tough guy when he was defending Common Core against teacher criticism has folded like a cheap suit when it comes to bargaining for his members.
Despite voting 2/3s ‘no’ the first time around, they will be made to vote again- with the hope that they will vote yes this time around. The entire process will take place by mail, and will be completed in the month of August, when many members will be on vacation.
So wrote New Action, a New York opposition caucus.
My question is where is AFT President Randi Weingarten in all this? After all, Weingarten and Mulgrew are part of the same AFT Unity Caucus and are pretty much attached at the hip.