UFT Election: Unity Irregularities

I find the whole thing blatant electioneering and highly inappropriate.... I’d be curious to dig through next years tax filings and see how much the UFT spent at Woodhaven Manor. .... a contact

Unity election material handed out at official D 27 UFT para event

We know that UFT district reps stuff mailboxes in schools where they do not have someone to do it, often on working hours, our time and dime (which is someone from MORE did the same thing on DOE time they would be cooked). But even if they do it on their own time that is still a violation of some important protocols given how chapter leaders are often dependent on the district rep as their main conduit in the UFT. It's a power relationship and when the district rep is openly partisan it violates that relationship.

But even worse, ask this question:
Is it election fraud if the UFT is holding "official" events as cover?

More Blatant electioneering by Unity than ever

Using district reps on our dime to stuff mail boxes where they don't have someone. But more egregious is the setting up of phony "official" UFT events as cover for their campaign.

A contact in District 27 sent this:

On April 19 some kind of large gathering/celebration dinner for para’s in D27 was held.  There was some spiel about how D27 para turn out is low at events and the union wanted a chance to get to know them better.  This was advertised as a UFT event for paras, not a Unity caucus event. I'd imagine union dues paid for their chicken. Then this was handed out to them after the meeting and there was some campaigning. I find the whole thing blatant electioneering and highly inappropriate. District reps try to hold some sort of meetings where they invite all paras to attend a few times a year after school hours.  D27 turn out for these events is by far the lowest according to what the para rep is saying. Low turn out is the reason given by her para rep for holding a catered meeting to try and attract more paras to come. (Yeah right). All previous meetings have always been held at a school and never before held at a catering hall, Woodhaven Manor on Jamaica Ave as a free dinner. The UFT people did discuss the election in general terms and the meeting featured a lot of self-praise and coy references to read this month's NY Teacher.  The Unity flyers weren’t handed out until near the end. 

They also hold chapter leader events:

I’d be curious to dig through next years tax filings and see how much the UFT spent at Woodhaven Manor.  They did an event earlier this school year at Woodhaven Manor where they asked CL’s from all the schools to try and fill a table. The reason for the event was something along the lines of "Mulgrew feels like he doesn’t know the teachers of D27 as well as he should so he would like to meet you."  He showed up about 2 hours in, spoke for 15 minutes, and then promptly left. 

Mulgrew must have gotten to know a lot of people in his 15 minute hit and run speech.


Unity has always done this but there is a sense that these events have escalated more this year than ever and that will pump up the Unity vote. I know some people will say we should a lodge protest, etc. I am still of the mind that the opposition must get closer in the school level vote (where retirees don't vote) before lodging protests. Hitting 40% in the elementary schools would be a sign of Unity  power crumbling from within.

Will these events gain Unity votes? Someone said "Look at what they are selling people. Why will people buy the same old crap, even for a chicken dinner?"