This comment came from a member of UTLA:
“I think we all can celebrate. that Monica Ratliff won that election. The efforts of many UTLA members helped in that effort, and may have played a major role in her election.
“It is interesting though, to look at the article at utla.net about Monica’s victory–http://www.utla.net/ratliff
“Here is a quote in it from UTLA president Warren Fletcher:
“We are overjoyed that a working classroom teacher will be part of the School Board,” UTLA President Warren Fletcher said. “She has on-the-ground knowledge of the harmful policies and destructive mismanagement that have hurt our schools, and she will bring a perspective that is sorely needed.”
“I totally agree with everything he said above. But I have to wonder about that robocall from Fletcher we received on Monday, that spoke of “two fine candidates” for that school board election, implying that there was no difference between the two, and that both were equally good, when the facts were exactly the opposite.
“I also have to wonder about both Fletcher and UTLA Secretary David Lyell attending the David Sanchez (Ratliff’s opponent) “victory” party Tuesday night. https://twitter.com/LASchoolReport/status/337061961772716032
“I also have to wonder about a union president (Fletcher) who when appealed to personally by Diane Ravitch to fully support Monica Ratliff, never responded to her e-mail, and continued an absolutely ridiculous policy of “dual endorsement”.
“Another quote from that article:
“Monica Ratliff’s win continues a solid streak of success for UTLA-endorsed candidates.”
“What gall for UTLA leadership to take credit for the Ratliff win! (Many UTLA members deserve credit for helping Ratliff to win, but certainly not UTLA leadership, not one iota.) Do they so underestimate the intelligence of UTLA members, that they “endorse” both candidates in a two-way race so that they can claim “victory” no matter which of the two wins against the other? (I am sure they would also be claiming “victory” if Sanchez had won, although that would have been a great loss for the teachers and students of this school district..)
“Although most UTLA members are like myself, very happy with the Ratliff win, I don’t think we should therefore excuse the inexcusable behavior of UTLA leadership in this race. I think there should be an independent investigation of this, leading to a possible impeachment, recall, or vote of no confidence in some or all of current UTLA officers.
“I think their actions in this race were cowardly, dishonest, corrupt, and irresponsible.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I am definitely pro-union. But when the unions do such nonsense as try to play to the middle (even though they clearly support the privatizers), it is a sad day.
M. Schneider, it’s an unfortunate time we live in for many union members with their unions projecting in the public’s eye that they are our advocates, while behind the scenes they are also working with the administrations. They are looking out for themselves. Many have become the pigs in Orwell’s “Animal Farm”, so from an insider’s point of view, from a member of a teacher’s union in Northern California I can understand what it means to see this hypocrisy.
M.Schneider – consider a skim of George Lakoff’s “Don’t Think Like An Elephant” from the howard dean days.
The definitions of “The Middle” that so many concern themselves over are right wing constructs. They are actually kind of politically beautiful – take all kinds of GREAT for the 1% policy, and label opponents to those policy as against “The Middle”!
There are 4 sets reasons those who call themselves “leaders” in the opposition to the 1% use these constructs – “The Center”, “be bipartisan”, “The Middle”: these “leaders” are actually working for the 1% and selling us out; these “leaders” are aspiring to the job of sell out; these “leaders” are some flavor of political naif; these “leaders” really really lack the bandwidth to have a leadership job.
Sadly, this article could easily apply to the Washington Education Association and its largest branch, the Seattle Education Association.
Orwell seems to come up often these days. Fletcher is a vile little Judas. I left LA and now live in No. CA. I dont plan to teach in public schools . I will go back to the colllege to what a migrant worker does per hour. What a bad ideait was to become an educator.
UTLA doesn’t play to the middle. They play for the opposing team. Just try and get them to enforce any provision of the contract and see what happens – absolutely nothing.
We at UTR (representing 8 cities of teachers in one school district) have a working teacher from a neighboring district on our school board, but she always votes against us. UTR was favorable and endorsed her, but it’s been anything but desirable. Some say she came to our district as a member of the school board to get the health care that she was not getting in her own district. I don’t know this for sure, but what I do know…she always votes against us.
Wow! The Randi and Dennis mentality spreads like a fungus.
They have taught us how they butter their bread on both sides hoping to profit from opposing viewpoints
They clearly think we are all mindless sheep.
Linda,
How many comments on this blog have articulated the same hypocrisy about Weingarten with facts to back it up? Hopefully one day one of those comments will also become a post here. And let us remember that Tisch is Thompson’s campaign manager. And recently Weingarten signed a letter “Women for Thompson” endorsing him for mayor. The word “hypocrisy” seems to sum up a lot of what I am feeling.
Diane – a fairly good person whom I respect said that UTLA supported Sanchez because he was the coordinator for the campaigns for and against the propositions that would have cut funding to our schools in California. I.e. the bigwigs in labor supported Sanchez in Los Angeles, and therefore UTLA was obliged to support him. I countered that I felt this is similar to supporting Mayor Villaraigosa because he was once a UTLA organizer. Apparently UTLA sees itself more beholden to big labor than it is to its members. (Or perhaps Warren has a job offer in the wings that we don’t know about? Our previous union leader went to work for a charter school!)
We now have to be sure Monica Ratliff supports us. Once a person is elected, it doesn’t mean they will do the will of the people. I am hoping she will align herself with the most progressive on our board — and perhaps be a chance to counter all that sleazy Deasy is doing.
Thank you so much for your support. I do feel your endorsement, and the Network for Public Education’s were a big help.
Joan Kramer
30 years in LAUSD and I’ve seen it all. My mother was a secretary for 15 years as well.
She couldn’t afford to attend college. She would’ve been a great English teacher.
“Or perhaps Warren has a job offer in the wings that we don’t know about? Our previous union leader went to work for a charter school!” Isn’t this the truth. What is it? Is keeping one’s integrity so difficult or is it the corrupting nature of power?
As a UTLA member since 1972, a current teacher in LAUSD, and someone who proudly worked on Monica Ratliff’s campaign, I too am outraged that she did NOT get the UTLA leadership support that she deserved. I second the motion of a vote of no confidence called for in this cogent, honest piece. Congratulations, Monica and Diane. I have renewed hope that public education can be saved.
Just a correction. It was Antonio Sanchez’ party, not David Sanchez. David is the immediate past president of the CTA, California Teachers Association.
Just a correction. It was Antonio Sanchez’ party, not David Sanchez. David is the immediate past president of CTA, the California Teachers Association.
As a UTLA member I totally agree with you on another failure of UTLA leadership to back one of its own and I’ve said it before. I don’t know if it was corruption but the rumor that someone in leadership was trying to negotiate a back room deal with Sanchez for a job is all over UTLA. Yes we have a problem with UTLA leadership. Our teachers are being left out on a limb for defending their contract, abandoned when they really need the union for legal defense from false charges, being discriminated against because of their age and generally being denied any type of due process. I support the union, I whole-heartedlly support public education but UTLA, there’s a disconnect between union leadership and the rank and file teacher. If we don’t deal with this immediately, there will be consequences.
There are consequences
Paula. For teachers. We have seen thousands displaced, RiFed and replaced by TFA and new subs–there a re vets getting no assignments who are on public aid. 3 teachers I know of went to early graves from the stress of unrelenting harassment. My school, which is in a bad part of town was somehow numious with rising scores, a solid staff and sweet but lazy kids. Then this came down on my school and crushed all of ir . Peoples lives are destroyed by lies and greed, and UTLA colluded with LAUSD to make it. Happen. AJ Duffy sold us all out and Warren Fletcher never had to think twice…neither did the rep(tile) at LD 8 Carl Joseph. He was disbarred and a felon, telling us we were in teacher jail so we had to have done something …..yeah, I reported abuse, noncompliance and corruption.
I am thinking of suing the union in small claims, but better yet, I think we should decertify it.
UTLA members need to not get complacent now that funding has been restored and Ratliff is thankfully on her way to the board of education. Alex-Caputo Pearl should be encouraged to run. I am probably not as liberal as he is but he will make a far greater advocate for students, parents and teachers in the district.
The billionaires’ money is reaching far and wide and might even be “encouraging” union leaders to go their way. I first began to suspect this when the national union did not come to the aid of the teachers in Washington, DC.
Sad.
We must understand that as unions continue to dwindle across the United States, large education unions are playing the triangulation game more than ever.
But now, they’re being found out, anfd rightfully so.
There are TWO succinct wars here goin on in the education community:
1. One against the corporate elites who want to deinstitutionalize public education and privatize it for profit AND to dumb down the student body (who eventually makes up the citizenry).
2. The other is against the unions themselves from within. This war stems from all the union due paying teachers who are not served by leaders like Fletcher, Weingarten, Roekel, Mulgrew, and Ianuzzi, just to name a few. Such leaders behave like an auto-immune disease in which the very white blood cells that are supposed to protect the body from harm are now attacking the body as though ordinary lungs, heart, and liver are foreign invaders.
MORE (Movement of Rank and File Educators) is one such caucus that is trying to overthrow the mainstream teachers’ union in NY CIty, and they have made tsumnami waves in awareness. This will take time, money, and acitvism, but it’s completely within all our collective capabilities.
Karen Lewis is one, so far, shining example of confrontational, oppositional, and protective leadership.
I know Diane frowns upon internecine quarelling with unions, but this is bigger than that. This is a matter of pure exploitation and self gain at the expense of teacher’s careers, excellence in education for children and their families, and democracy.
Teachers will eventually overthrow these leaders, but it will take years and persistent public awareness.
Fletcher joins the ranks of leaders who deceive and sell out their constituency. This is a growing theme in education:
http://thetruthoneducationreform.blogspot.com/2013/02/run-for-your-life.html?view=snapshot
Perhaps it is time for a new paradigm.
I’m glad to see that union members are thinking and discerning who acts in their interests. Until members can communicate with each other (how many unions allow that?) what we will have is top-down governance which does not necessarily represent the teachers unions are supposed to represent.
Teachers have so little time as it is and others can take advantage of that.
UTLA will morph back to what they started as or they will implode. It is just that simple. Richard Arthur, one of the founders of UTLA, is still alive and remembers and is disgusted with what UTLA has become. It is time to return to the roots of protecting innocent teachers, promoting good education for all children and giving the taxpayers their moneys worth. That is where UTLA originally came from. Sanchez was an obvious tool of the moneyed class of oligarchs who want total control. In L.A. recently we have had three big wins against that group. First, we beat Measure J which was a sales tax until 2069 for $90 billion with only one paragraph of language. Second, Monica Ratliff just got elected. Third, we just got the Leimert Park station on the Crenshaw rail line. All of these large wins involved PEOPLE POWER not big corporate money. It can be done. They want you to give up and make their jog guaranteed and easy.
When Monica Ratliff came to the UTLA House of Representatives, she was asked speak from the podium in front by UTLA President Fletcher. I guess we was looking for a photo opportunity next to her. She shunned him and instead spoke from the floor and thanked the countless of educator supporters. She also thanked the UTLA Adult Education Caucus who organized like hell to support her, and current school board Member Bennett Kayser. Hats off to Ratliff for being the people’s candidate!
Here is a video of her speaking. Of course the cropped out the part where she shunned the UTLA President.
Just a quick insight into the UTLA system, if I may. The endorsement of candidates is not determined by the officers (including the President). Instead, the PACE committee (composed of UTLA members who contribute to that political action group, and which elects its own officers) interviews candidates and offers recommendations as to whether or not to support the candidates in a particular race. Those recommendations are then in turn voted on by UTLA’s House of Representatives – a body of hundreds of teachers elected by UTLA members.
The officers are tasked with adhering to the policies adopted by the House, and in this election, the HoR recommended supporting both Sanchez and Ratliff. As to whether that decision was wise or foolish, I leave that to you – but the responsibility lies with the elected member of the House, not the officers.
One more thing – Jose Del Barrio (as he calls himself) should know the procedures, since he’s a PACE officer, and a member of UTLA’s House of Representatives.
Something smells rotten about this story. In Ms. Ratliff’s speech, she acknowledges Lyell but does not acknowledge any other UTLA Officer. She thanks Lyell. Why was Lyell acknowledged but no other union officers were? Is it just me or is this smear not troubling? I think this story was planted — we’ll see if this comment even gets posted. But hey, that’s just me. Instead of drawing conclusions, I actually ask questions.