Well, it was a busy few days, filled with many "assemblies" in which we joined locals from around the state listen to speakers who discussed everything from defining the priorities of NYSUT for the year to come, to the importance of standing together during these very trying times.....
Some comments that I believe will give you some of the highlights of the RA:
FORMER New York State Commissioner of Education David Steiner addressed the group just one day after his surprise resignation. "This is an incredibly tough period," Steiner said, "Efforts of reform have too often boomeranged into assault...How did it come to that"? He also made a point of commenting on the "reforms" going on with testing to measure student progress. He questioned how tests have come to measure differences between adults not children, which resulted in a standing ovation.....
NYSUT Vice President Maria Neira spoke as well, and she explained NYSUT's role in the new APPR, making it clear that NYSUT "participated in negotiating that law because it was the way to advance our principles," she said......."Not 100%. Not always perfectly, but we knew we had to take charge and be at the table to represent our members." She said that being involved in the development ensured that collective bargaining retained a central role.
Executive Vice President Andy Pallotta addressed the crowd and vowed "We have not yet begun to fight," pledging that NYSUT will keep fighting to protect the future of New York State's students and the union. "We are not giving up, and we are not giving in," he said.
The RALLY on Sunday was very well-attended. Representatives from many different unions came out in support of workers' rights. If you were there, you saw for yourself the passion demonstrated by many of the speakers.
If you were there, you know that my meeting place of the TKTS stand ended up to be impossible!!! If you made it there, and met other MITA members there, YAY!!! Those of us who were in NYC already and walked down in the march from the hotel, ended up on the corner of 7th Ave at 40th St,blocks away from TKTS, right in front of Parsons. So, we channeled our inner TIM GUNN and had no choice but to MAKE IT WORK.
I saw a handful of MITA members, as I walked around a bit before the end of the rally to try to see who I could find...... I hope that if you were there, you enjoyed it and feel that it was a worthwhile experience to see it LIVE......
More follow up on RA news in the coming days...... Thank you for visiting the blog!!!
