Latest news with #UFT
New York Post
2 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Zohran Mamdani set to pick up powerful NYC teachers union endorsement after primary win
The Big Apple's powerful teachers union will announce their endorsement of mayoral Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani — after its members passed on making a pic in the primary, The Post has learned. Two sources close to the United Federation of Teachers said that the endorsement is coming soon from the nearly 200,000 member union after the results of the Democratic Party primary were made official this week. The union had previously declined to endorse because members were split between Democratic socialist Mamdani, a 33-year-old state Assembly member, and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Advertisement 4 Zohran Mamdani delivers remarks at a primary victory celebration with leaders and members of the city's labor unions in Manhattan, New York, United States, on July 2, 2025. Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock 4 A general view of a United Federation of Teachers sign or UFT sign as seen on an office building in the Bronx, NY on May 30, 2025. Christopher Sadowski Cuomo, who has supported charter schools when he was governor, toned down his support in his 25-point mayoral education plan that also embraced UFT pet programs like community schools, early childhood education and class size reductions in an apparent bid to nab the union's endorsement. Advertisement The union's decision comes off the heels of other power players like the Hotel Trades Council and Local 32BJ opting to endorse the Democratic nominee after previously backing Cuomo in the primary. 4 Michael Mulgrew, UFT President speaking at press conference in lower Manhattan. Robert Miller 4 Former NY Govrnor Andrew Cuomo takes two minutes outside to speak with the NY Post after losing in the Democratic mayoral primary election to Zohran Mamdani. Matthew McDermott A rep for the Cuomo campaign said that they will 'continue to assess the current situation in the best interest of the people of the City of New York' after his blistering loss to Mamdani. Insiders previously told The Post that Cuomo wouldn't mount a general election campaign without seeing an obvious path to victory. Advertisement UFT head honcho Michael Mulgrew sits on the board of the Central Labor Council, a federation of local unions who also recently threw their support behind Mamdani after his upset victory over former Cuomo. 'Political endorsements are made by the UFT's Delegate Assembly,' a UFT spokesperson said. 'The DA will be meeting in the coming weeks to discuss the general election.'
New York Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
NYC teachers' union boss Mike Mulgrew ousts rivals, critics from UTF payroll in ‘purge'
City teachers union President Mike Mulgrew has launched a 'purge'' at UFT headquarters — firing open rivals and also staffers even suspected of being critical of him, sources said. Amy Arundell, a longtime United Federation of Teachers staffer and former Mulgrew ally who recently challenged him for the presidency and lost, was one of five union activists who recently got the boot. Arundell told The Post she was informed late last week that she was off the payroll effective Aug. 31, while the UFT immediately disabled her union email and phone. 4 Amy Arundell was one of five union activists who recently got the boot. 'I consider it a purge,' siad Arundell, 56, a city Department of Education teacher for 34 years and a paid union staffer for 21 years. 'Mulgrew is a very spiteful man.' While Arundell anticipated she might get the ax for challenging Mulgrew in the recent union election, she was shocked that others were removed from the union payroll as well. 'He should manage the union with union values,' said Arundell — who filed a police report earlier this month after her image and the message, 'Piss on My Face' were put on laminated cards that were then placed in urinals at the UFT's Broadway headquarters during a delegate assembly meeting. Meanwhile, Migda Rodriguez, vice chairwoman of the union's chapter representing paraprofessionals, also lost her salaried position. She had run for an executive position on Arundell's A Better Contract slate but lost. 4 Arundell told The Post she was informed late last week that she was off the payroll effective Aug. 31, while the UFT immediately disabled her union email and phone. Obtained by The NY Post Rodriguez still represents the paraprofessionals and slammed Mulgrew and his 'Unity Caucus' for her ouster. 'It's retaliation to the fullest. It's wrong,' Rodriguez said. She said her combined Department of Education and union salary is $80,000 and that it will likely now be halved. 4 While Arundell anticipated she might get the ax for challenging Mulgrew in the recent union election, she was shocked that others were removed from the union payroll as well. Stephen Yang Under the union contract, teachers and other educators get 'leave time' from their school jobs to work for the union. Arundell, Rodriguez and others will get reassigned to a school after losing their paid union staff job. The union group Fix Para Pay issued a statement condemning Rodriguez's termination. 'Migda wasn't fired for doing anything wrong. She was fired for doing everything right, for advocating fiercely for paras, for demanding a living wage, and for refusing to play politics with our livelihoods,' the group said. 4 Arundell, Rodriguez and others will get reassigned to a school after losing their paid union staff job. James Keivom 'She is now part of the `UFT 5′, a group of educators and unionists terminated for choosing principle over party. … This move is not only disrespectful to Migda, it may be a direct violation of the UFT constitution and a slap in the face to every member who believes in a democratic union.' Ashley Rzonca, the union's District 30 representative in Queens, also confirmed she got the boot. She had sent a letter to her supervisor complaining about 'bullying and harassing behavior' from a fellow employee in the UFT 's Queens Borough Office, where she worked. Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! Rzonca said she did not oppose Mulgrew's re-election, but there was concern that some of the 42 school union chapter leaders she oversaw did. She claimed no major issues were raised about her job performance. Mulgrew, responding to The Post through a union rep, declined to discuss the reasons for the dismissals. 'We do not comment on individual personnel decisions. As part of its annual organizational assessment, the UFT reviews the status of individuals who are on leave from their schools to work at the union,' the representative said. 'Those whose leaves [leave time to work for the union] are not renewed are thanked for their service and can return to their regular school assignment.'
New York Post
23-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
How Trump changed the future, kill the suicide bill and other commentary
From the right: Don Just Changed the Future 'In the case of the Middle East what Trump said about himself is true,' marvels Commentary's John Podhoretz. 'He said he doesn't start wars. Trump said he ends wars' — and Saturday night 'was Trump ending this evil war of Iran's, either right now or after more pain causes the mullahs to cry uncle. For Israel didn't start this war either. It was launched, by Iran and its catamites, on Oct. 7.' The strike's 'impact is potentially so enormous, and so world-historic, we needn't rush into interpreting its larger meaning.' But: 'Trump has said since the assassination attempt in Butler, Pa., that he believes God spared him for a reason. And now, so do I.' Conservative: Kill the Suicide Bill Gov. Hochul should veto 'The Medical Aid in Dying Act, which passed the State Assembly in April,' and 'would allow people diagnosed with terminal illnesses to request a prescription for lethal drugs,' urges City Journal's John Hirschauer. Besides moving to 'effectively recognize suicide as a human right,' 'the bill has relatively few safeguards,' as 'it does not require that the person requesting the drugs be psychiatrically evaluated.' 'And the bill's drafters declined to include a residency requirement,' meaning people from across the country could come to New York and euthanize themselves. 'Human life is marked by terrible suffering.' 'But once the state decides that anyone, on account of illness, has the 'right' to kill himself, it has decided that suffering can render life worthless.' Liberal: UFT Winning Mayoral Primary New York schools are 'worse today' despite 'an incredible $36,000 spent per pupil — about twice the national average — with National Assessment of Educational Progress scores of 28% proficient in reading and a few points more in math,' grumbles Joe Klein at Substack. One problem: Teachers, like other city workers, are 'unable to be fired.' Although education 'is the absolute key to future success for New York,' it 'hasn't been much discussed in the Democratic mayoral primary.' In a Manhattan Institute report, all of the candidates 'received D's and F's, except one' — Whitney Tilson, 'an obscure Wall Street moderate' despised by the teachers union. The UFT hasn't endorsed any candidate, likely due to its 'utter confidence that the winner will abide by its wishes.' From the right: LA Needed Trump's Help 'Gov. Gavin Newsom told Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that local law enforcement officers were 'sufficient to maintain order' ' in Los Angeles, yet LAPD officers tell Heather Mac Donald at The Wall Street Journal, 'We don't have s— under control.' She cites numerous instances of violence that, by 'sheer luck,' weren't life-threatening. 'Should Trump have waited to see if the locals' would eventually control the situation? The answer's clear: 'Police Chief Jim McDonnell put the LAPD on tactical alert' and canceled all time off. Yet days later, Mayor Karen Bass nonetheless had to order a curfew. 'Still the disorder continued.' Fact is, 'There is more danger from tolerating' lawlessness than from responding to it 'with all legal means.' Libertarian: Cut the F-35 'As the U.S. grapples with ballooning federal budgets and increasingly necessary spending cuts, the military remains ripe for austerity,' blares Joe Lancaster at Reason. The F-35 jet is a perfect example of a 'program that deserves to be scrapped.' Since its inception after 9/11, 'the jet has proven itself not ready from prime time, both more expensive and less functional than promised.' Too bad 'the House Appropriations Committee's proposed Defense Appropriations Bill for 2026 would spend $8.5 billion on F-35s,' and 'President Donald Trump has called the F-35 'the greatest fighter jet in the world.'' 'The F-35 means to replace previous-generation aircraft like the F-16, but instead, the obsolete models are running circles around their intended replacement.' Every new thing we hear about the F-35, 'proves that it's long past time to kill the program.' — Compiled by The Post Editorial Board
New York Post
22-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Democratic mayoral race didn't even TOUCH on fixing the public schools
If there's one thing the Democratic candidates for mayor don't want to talk about, it's getting better results out of the city's public schools. Even though the Department of Education, now burning more than $40 billion a year and over $33,000 per student, is easily the biggest item in the city budget and still growing even though enrollment is declining. To be fair, one candidate did want to talk about the schools, but hedge-fund exec and philanthropist Whitney Tilson never got traction, perhaps because he alone refused to kow-tow to the United Federation of Teachers. Otherwise, 'I give the mayoral candidates a D or an F grade across the board,' said Ray Domanico, co-author of a damning Manhattan Institute report on education in the mayoral race. Of course, most of the field are die-hard progressives who'll never question the anti-excellence 'equity' agenda, nor cross the self-serving UFT. The worst of them, Zohran Mamdani, actually calls for ending mayoral control of the DOE and so guaranteeing that voters can't hold anyone accountable for failing schools. This, when just 33% of the city's fourth graders scored proficient in math last year and 28% in reading, numbers that don't get any better in the higher grades. Supposedly less-radical Andrew Cuomo did try to stand up to the teachers unions as governor, but got his hat handed to him. He's since publicly denounced his own past positions and even embraced a core priority of the mayor he once held in utter contempt, calling to ramp up Bill de Blasio's 'community schools' initiative. In all, Cuomo's education platform panders shamelessly to the UFT and its hatred of charter schools — the only part of the public-school system that offers real educational opportunity in most of the city. No one in the race dares call for a return to Bloomberg-era policies: expanding charters while opening more good regular public schools and doing top-down reorganization of failed ones. Nor will they breathe a word about chronic absenteeism, a huge post-COVID problem. More than a third, 34.8%, of Gotham students — about 300,000 public school kids —missed at least 10% of the 180-day school year in 2024, up from 26.5% in 2019. That's a disaster, but the candidates won't even talk about it Maybe the fall campaign will see candidates talking about doing better for New York's kids, but it's beyond damning that the topic is taboo in today's Democratic Party.
New York Post
16-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
NYC's failing schools need a mayor who will take on the selfish teachers union
Fixing our public schools is one of the most important jobs facing New York City's next mayor: At $41 billion, education spending is the single largest item in City Hall's gargantuan $115 billion budget. But in both televised debates of the Democratic mayoral primary, my opponents offered only platitudes and teachers-union talking points. Last Thursday, I was the only candidate on stage to argue against the foolish class-size mandate secured by the United Federation of Teachers. Advertisement The policy may sound good, but as I noted it will cost $1.6 billion — and having to suddenly hire thousands of teachers who are less experienced and less qualified than the teachers we have will undercut any possible benefit of smaller classes. When it comes to education, we can't afford to repeat the same tired slogans and tinker around the margins. Advertisement But the UFT's self-interest makes real reform impossible. Fighting for kids — and taking on the adults who run our educational system for their benefit — has been my life's mission. It's why I helped start Teach for America and Democrats for Education Reform, and why I served on the board of NYC KIPP charter schools for more than two decades. Now that I'm running for mayor, I am the only candidate who has made fixing our schools a core part of my pitch to voters. Advertisement I have a simple message to the city's parents: Our Department of Education is ripping you off — and lying about it. The facts are damning: Every year, New York City spends upward of $40,000 per student — more than any other district in the country — but nearly half (46%) of our fourth-graders lack basic reading skills. Shockingly, fourth graders in our nation's poorest state, Mississippi — which spends just $12,000 per student — are now reading at a higher level than their peers in the five boroughs. Advertisement The results for New York City's black and Latino kids are especially alarming. In 2024, 58% of black fourth graders and 62% of Latino fourth graders in New York City public schools lacked basic reading skills, compared with 27% of white students and 25% of Asian students. Fourth grade is a critical time, because that's when the curriculum pivots from learning to read to reading to learn. Most children who struggle to read as fourth-graders fall further and further behind — and end up living lives of poverty and hardship. But to cover up its failure, NYC's public schools lie to parents, telling them their children are doing fine and passing them along year after year. That's why I've pledged to end this 'social promotion' after third grade. If the school system hasn't taught a child to read after five years, it needs to keep trying. The good news is we know what works: Establish high standards and a rigorous curriculum, hold all schools and educators accountable, reward excellence and give parents greater freedom to send their kids to schools of their choosing. Advertisement Against the objections of the UFT, former Mayor Mike Bloomberg expanded high-quality charter schools and other innovative public schools, made all schools take responsibility for their students' performance and greatly expanded parents' choices. The results spoke for themselves: The portion of fourth-graders lacking basic reading skills declined from 53% in 2002, Bloomberg's first year in office, to 38% in 2013. NYC's next mayor should expand on Bloomberg's approach. Charter schools, which educate about 15% of New York City's public-school students, are rigorously evaluated every five years. They must demonstrate that they're delivering for their students — and if they're falling short, they can be put on probation or even closed. Advertisement All public schools should be held to those standards. As mayor, I would establish similar accountability for every school in the system. To make sure we hire and retain the best teachers in the country, we need to pay teachers based on how much they inspire and educate our kids, not on their years in the system or the number of certifications they have. The next contract with the UFT must include differential pay based on merit and other measures that actually benefit our kids. And as mayor, I'd fight to overturn the UFT-engineered class-size mandate. Advertisement Unlike the other candidates, I can make that promise — because I'm not seeking the UFT's endorsement, and therefore I don't owe it anything. It's not too late for my fellow Democrats to join me in standing up to this self-serving special-interest group. Our children's future depends on it. Whitney Tilson, a businessman and education activist, is a candidate in the Democratic mayoral primary.
