Why Our Union Cannot Support Christine Quinn For Mayor.

In a month the UFT will endorse a Democratic candidate for Mayor and Christine Quinn is making a major push for that endorsement.  However, under no circumstances should our union endorse Christine Quinn for Mayor since she aided and abetted Mayor Bloomberg's grab for power by approving a third term that has been a disaster for the NYC Public Schools. She was rightfully booed at the UFT sponsored conference for some of her comments and seemed to agree with the Mayor's education policy in co-locating charter schools, a non-educator for Chancellor, and wants to keep the phony letter grades for schools.  Let me remind everyone that as City Council President she rarely ever stood up to the Mayor, especially when it came to the Mayor's divisive education policy. In fact, she supported many of the Mayor's policy programs when in came to education.

Why shouldn't the union support Christine Quinn for Mayor?  Let me count the ways.

First, she allowed the Mayor to change the City Charter so that he and she can run for a third term.

Second, she failed to provide leadership in not standing up to the Mayor's distructive education policies that included closing schools, ignoring commu, nity concerns, and demonizing teachers, allow charter school co-locations, agree to ever increasing class sizes, and a 20% reduction in school operating budgets since 2008.

Third, she still insists on looking at non-educators as a Chancellor and cited Arnie Duncan an example which caused teachers to give her a loud chorus of boos and deservingly so..

Fourth, she wants to keep the phony letter grades that most educators know is a farce and keeps Principals like Iris Blge in power.

Fifth, she opposes teacher seniority rights and quietly supported Bloomberg's LIFO bill.

Finally, she has failed to show any real independence from the Mayor's education policy and given the power of  being the Mayor will be like having "Bloomberg Lite" in office.  Consequently, the union should not endorsed her candidacy for any reason whatsoever. Now if only our tone-deaf union leader would hear their member vocies on this issue but don't count on it.

Why We Should Not Support Christine Quinn For Mayor.

Absent from the many politicians and the Mayoral candidates at the UFT and CSA press conference about the inappropriate and inflammable remarks comparing the UFT to the NRA made by Mayor Bloomberg on Friday was Christine Quinn.  This is just another example why the union would be making a mistake in supporting Christine Quinn for Mayor.  To support Christine Quinn is agreeing to elect "Bloomberg Lite" and very little would change with her in office.

It wasn't long ago that Christine Quinn stayed strangely quiet when the Bloomberg bill to eliminate "first in, last out" for NYC teachers rammed its way through the State Senate in 2011  It was only when Ms. Quinn realized  about that the "Bloomberg bill" was not being voted on by the State Assembly and Governor Cuomo did not support it did she change her mind.  In fact when the union had a rally, she failed to show up to support the union and go against the Mayor even after the "Bloomberg bill" was destined to die.  I wonder why?

Ms. Quinn also remained quiet about the closing of many schools and his ill-fated "turnaround program" over the last couple of years.  She was almost always at his side and very rarely took an opposite view from the Mayor.  While, Ms. Quinn will probably distance herself from the Mayor as his lame duck status makes him a liability, especially on education.  Look for her mayoral tenure to embrace many of the Bloomberg policies such as Charter schools, top-down management, and closing schools.  Or as many call it "Bloomberg Lite".

I don't for a second believe Mayor Bloomberg would not support her Mayoral ambitions.  His looking for other candidates is simply a ploy to show that Christine Quinn is not a Bloomberg crony and help her show that she is her own person.  Really?  I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn.  Yes Catherine Quinn has criticized the Mayor's remarks but that is part of the plan to show that she is independent of the Mayor.  However, the truth is very different.  She is nothing more than one of his cronies.

If Christine Quinn is really her own person then let her pledge that she will negotiate a contract with the UFT that reflects the "City pattern" and full retroactive raises with no givebacks.   Moreover, stop the destructive and community busting Charter co-locations, and finally stop closing schools.  Any agreement that falls short of these requirements are unacceptable.