Caucus of Quit

When opposing caucus members were elected to ‘lead’ the OT/PT Chapter they promised to organize that Chapter specifically with an eye on the 2023 contract.

In the two years that have followed the only “organizing” they’ve done is a “vote no” campaign, with little foresight or strategy. They told people to vote no and then turned their back on their members when the actual repercussions and consequences of the no vote became apparent. Makes one wonder if these so called leaders were amplifying the voices of their members or driving their own agenda regardless of their chapter’s needs. 

Case in point:

Nurses, Audiologists, and Supervisors of Nurses and Therapists demanded to be separated from the OT/PT chapter. They voted yes for the contract but their votes were drowned out by the no votes of the OT/PT chapter. Where is democracy for them?

Over 1,500 emails from rank and file members of the OT/PT Chapter were written to Michael Mulgrew and other UFT liaisons expressing that they were sold a fake bill of goods from their chapter ‘leadership’. They, the members of the Chapter, have asked, in their thousands, for a revote. 

Seeing that her agenda was not the will of the chapter, the Chapter Leader, who is part of an opposing caucus, has thrown a tantrum, blamed Michael Mulgrew, taken her ball, and gone home. 

At the first sign of rough waters she’s abandoned her members – and didn’t even have enough respect for them to inform them first. She did so via a newspaper article. 

Makes one wonder – what’s more important to those in these opposing caucuses: the members or undermining the leadership of our union and seeing their name in the paper? 

Makes one wonder – is this how opposing caucuses will handle dealing with management and the membership of our union should they be entrusted with leading it? If they’re quitting because the members of their own chapter want something they don’t agree with, what will they do when the stakes are higher? Surely they don’t believe that it’s their way or the highway? What kind of democracy is that?

Those who can, lead.

Those who can’t, quit via newspaper articles.

Leadership isn’t for the fragile. 

#CaucusOfQuit