AFT member publicly calls out AFT prez weingarten. Video here.

[Hannah Bell]

http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2010/07/aft-gates-california-teacher-chastises.html

I'd like to shake that woman's hand.

Weingarten's behavior to union dissenters was despicable. The video of that follows the AFT member's call-out.


Randi wants "respect" for the people who are busting the union & putting her members out of work.




According to this, 70% of AFT's membership doesn't even vote.

Are there problems in your school? Is it on the verge of closing? Are you going to become an ATR? Will Bill and his buds, the Wal-Mart family and Eli Broad, put their billions behind having you fired? Is your school overcrowded? Are there dozens of class size violations? Do you think the UFT should be worrying about those things?

Well, the Unity Caucus disagrees, and what they say goes. They're having a party right now so don't bother them with your petty nonsense.

And that's the system 91% of the 30% of teachers who bothered to vote voted for.

It's becoming very clear to me why the other 70% didn't bother.

http://nyceducator.com/2010/07/ms-weingarten-calls-meeting.html



and apparently some of the delegates are zombies controlled by randi the zombie queen:

Hi I was a DC delegate to the AFT convention. I didn't really understand what the Unity Caucus was all about until I attended this years convention. I met some New Yorkers and asked them to sign a petition for Fair Union Elections in DC under AFT. They told me they could not sign anything unless they ask their chapter leader. Of course their chapter leader told them they couldn't sign my petition and shouldn't speak to me anymore. My mouth dropped to the floor in disbelief. I watched on as they lowered their heads in a cowering like fashion, refusing to even make eye contact with me. I asked them again to convince my mind of what my eyes were seeing. I said, so you are NY teachers in the UFT ? Without looking at me, only one answered yes. I responded WOW- slavery really isn't dead.

http://nyceducator.com/2010/07/ms-weingarten-calls-meeting.html

[cornermouse]

1. k & r

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. It's very corrupt

It's also very frustrating because many locals really need the support of Randi and her national people. If you speak out and lose that support, your local suffers.

[Hannah Bell]

3. so randi punishes dissidents in other ways too, not just by mocking them publicly.

i really despise that woman, & i don't even know her.

she seems to be the equivalent of any knife in the back ceo -- only more hypocritical.

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. Not just Randi

This union has been like this for as long as I remember. This was the first time the sitting president was opposed since 1974.

The bigger problem as I see it is that the NY local runs the national. Id like to see that power structure broken up. But it probably wont be.

[LWolf]

5. I'd like to shake her hand, as well.

Weingarten's response was pathetic. Perhaps she'd like to explain why a privatizer and union-buster was invited to address the convention to begin with?

But the end...that was shameful.

[adnelson60087]

6. I am a rank-&-file AFT member and I am appalled.

Our Union President has NO business ever putting her members, minority or not, in a situation where other members are chanting "goodbye". If she's not careful, there could be several rifts to develop inside the AFT and that would breed nothing but hard feelings and discord. All the while, Gates et al are reaping the benefits of their anti-teacher, anti-student, anti-learning agenda. This is just shameful. IF I could, I'd renounce my AFT membership and join the NEA, where their president seems to have a damn clue about what he's facing.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. The people sitting behind us on the convention floor started the nah nah nah song

They were from NJ. We think they were health care workers. And they were OBNOXIOUS, especially one woman. She made several nasty comments all day long. Cussed like a sailor. Hey I have a potty mouth too but I didn't use it at the AFT convention!

Before Gates spoke the body debated several resolutions, including the Dream Act. This group behind us made several negative comments about immigrants. It was disgusting. I thought I was sitting in front of tea partiers.

This group also stole our seats during the lunch break, preventing our delegation from sitting as a group during the afternoon session. One of our delegates is an elderly retired teacher and the nasty woman was downright mean to her when she asked for her seat back.

And yes, they cheered at every snarky comment Randi made. It was horrible.

[Smarmie Doofus]

9. That would explain why they don't understand education issues.

>>>>They were from NJ. We think they were health care workers.>>>>>

( the health care workers part; not the NJ part).

But it might also hilite the downside of AFT expanding into areas outside of education.

In other words... why SHOULD health care workers understand what's at stake to the teaching profession in the privatization battle?

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. Went to a breakfast one day and sat with some librarians

I asked them if they were enjoying the convention and they said it seemed to focus so much on teachers. I said well the T in AFT stands for teachers.

I was as polite as I could be but I was thinking WTF did they expect??

[Starry Messenger]

7. Ugh, Randi's paternalistic "explanation" just made my gorge rise.

She obviously egged on the mockery and her dodge about being from New York is stupid. If she can't lead without being belligerent and an asskisser to billionaires, then she is not effective.