Mulgrew Cries to the Heavens!

                                       

     Being a public school teacher in NYC is difficult. One of the most basic challenges is simply getting to work. If one is fortunate enough to be able to live in the five boroughs, there is public transportation - an option which is increasingly dangerous, unsanitary, and unreliable. For those (the vast majority) who live outside the city, the only option is driving. For decades it has been a perennial challenge. It became increasingly difficult after Bloomberg’s initial eruption as mayor. The importance of parking cannot be underestimated. Many teachers accept or decline positions at a school based solely on its parking situation. Many union reps regard parking as the most important concern of their staffs. Their ardent pleas to city officials were/are often ignored. Those pleas were then taken to the Uft, which was viewed as a powerful organization that could actually get something done. Unfortunately, this was usually not the case, as many working in the union were unperturbed by what they viewed as a trivial issue. I remember being at one meeting with hundreds of ATRs who bitterly complained about the lack of parking (because we weren’t permanent staff members) and the union reps there making no attempt to even fake concern. (The last school I was sentenced to I paid $20 per day to park  -and was happy to have the option - I was in that school for most of a year.) So imagine my surprise when I read that Mr. Mulgrew is filing suit over congestion pricing for cars going into Manhattan south of 68th Street.  Mulgrew’s Shangri-La is located at 52 Broadway, which is of course south of 68th Street. He hasn’t filed this suit because there were mass meetings complaining about it, or union reps from across the city asking for it, or there was a vote taken or attempted. Mulgrew’s cries to the heavens are for the residents of Staten Island, the children of the South Bronx and anyone else he can think of (teachers are never part of that group). All are listed except the real reason - he and his staff’s wallets. https://www.thechiefleader.com/stories/uft-staten-island-bp-file-suit-to-halt-congestion-pricing-plan,51736