The PBA and the UFT

 

   I’ve been reading about the predicament the deBlasio administration is having over the Gardner case: a very tragic case in which a father was selling loose cigarettes and lost his life via an illegal chokehold.  There are several things in this case that made it a powder keg.  There was a video of the chokehold and Mr. Gardner saying he couldn’t breathe whilst the chokehold continued. There’s also the fact that Mr. Gardner was overweight, which is now being used as some type of excuse for his death. Now I must note that police arrests call  for compliance from those being arrested, and if one resists arrest there is a risk of physical injuries for all involved -  these injuries may be severe if any of the parties are in poor physical health. This I assume is one reason why that chokehold was illegal.  The officer involved, in my opinion, committed manslaughter. If deBlasio says as much he will lose whatever respect the police have for him. If the officer involved isn’t fired, deBlasio risks public protest at a time he’s running for president.  I also must add that I respect police officers and the jobs they are required to do, but that doesn’t mean I support them when they do something illegal.  It’s exactly the same way I feel about every career, including teachers. If a teacher does something wrong, in which a student or staff member is hurt, there is no way that I would feel compelled to protect and/or protest on that teachers behalf.  This seems to be a sharp contrast to the way most police officers feel. Many officers see this case as being tried in the court of public opinion and the officer being railroaded out of his career. Many teachers know how it feels to be railroaded out of a career. Usually for the (non) crime of making too much money. How does the PBA and the UFT handle these respective cases?

     The PBA is now in full warrior mode. Pat Lynch looks like an ancient Celt going into battle. I can’t help but admire him and his unwavering loyalty. He puts this accused, and in my opinion guilty, officer front and center. He uses logic, threats and whatever he can to help this one officer. The NYPD seems braced for outright revolt or mass public insurrection, but Lynch doesn’t waiver. Now there’s another Celt in office as a union president - Mike Mulgrew.

   The UFT is ‘our’ union and is warranted with protecting the rights of NYC public school teachers.
When my school closed (facilitated by Weingarten’s ill advised and promoted 2005 contract), as so many did during Bloomberg’s regime, the UFT protected our rights by having us placed as babysitters. They insured that most of us would never be rehired by agreeing to individual school budgets (Fair Student Funding) and when the city asked for an expedited dismissal process and separate and unequal rules for ATRs, our smiling Celtic appeaser Mike Mulgrew readily agreed.

   This is just a brief post, but I could write a book on all the incidents I know and have seen concerning the plight of innocent teachers and the unwillingness of the UFT to step up to their obligation.  When looking at the PBA, one must ask, ‘Is the UFT actually a union?’