Why I Am Voting for the UNITY Slate: Because Knowledge is Power

"President Mulgrew is a District 75 veteran, so I know he understands us, just like VP Ginese and District 75 Representative Doorga."

As a Special Education Classroom Teacher in District 75 for thirty years, I've seen and experienced the best and the worst of what this career has to offer. I'm voting for the UNITY Caucus slate because I have firsthand knowledge of what the UNITY Caucus leadership has done for my fellow Special Education educators and students over decades.

First and foremost, the leadership of President Michael Mulgrew, Vice President MaryJo Ginese, and District 75 Representative David Doorga is simply unparalleled in terms of personal, social, economic, and political advocacy.

Personally speaking, as an individual educator, I have never seen anything like the tireless outreach and advocacy from Vice President Ginese and District Representative Doorga. They are constantly visiting our classrooms throughout the city, and the level of true caring and compassion shines through to every child, parent, and educator they meet. We educators are kept informed via the District 75 Newsletter, and as a Chapter Leader, the amount of support and resources available is staggering. It is so refreshing in this day and age to see elected officials who truly live by the maxim, "Treat others the way you wish to be treated." No concern, no matter how small, is ever ignored or dismissed. Under the UNITY leadership of Vice President Ginese and Representative Doorga, everyone—and I do mean everyone, from the tiniest Pre-K student to the most celebrated senior UFT staff member—is important. There is never an issue that UNITY dismisses. If it cannot be resolved in the individual school, it goes right up the line. This is a rare and precious thing in any union—everyone's voice is heard and respected.

Speaking to broader social issues, there has never been a force for social justice like the UNITY Caucus leadership, especially in terms of District 75. I'm not even speaking about the rights of children with severe special needs to enjoy a free and appropriate public education, a right that is ethically indisputable to anyone with a moral compass. I'm talking about the thousands of people (many of whom are first-generation immigrants, like me) who are able to start working as Paraprofessionals, obtain a challenging but rewarding career, and then move into different roles (including our current Superintendent). This is such a rare opportunity for people who are seeking to better their lives through benefits, salary increases, paid time off for classes, and finally a dignified retirement with full benefits and a Tax-Deferred Annuity. The UNITY Caucus leadership has enabled so many people, including myself and my family, to go from barely surviving paycheck to paycheck to a comfortable life. This is an unheard-of opportunity that doesn't exist anywhere else in the world.

Economic improvements from the UNITY Caucus leadership are, frankly, too many for me to list. I'd like to point out, in no particular order, the increase by thousands of dollars in hearing aid benefits, the paid time off for prenatal medical appointments, the implementation of Para Choice funds to Teacher's Choice, the annual bonuses... the list goes on and on. Our last contract brought historic advances for District 75 staff and students. I'd also like to point out that President Mulgrew and the UNITY Caucus leadership guided all of us through the 2008 recession without a single layoff. Not one UFT member was laid off during our generation's version of the Great Depression. Furthermore, good luck finding a stock or a CD that will earn 7.00% interest like our TDA fixed-rate option does. Our pension fund is secure and stable because UNITY has sensible, experienced, serious-minded people guiding it through these turbulent times.

Finally, politically speaking, for me, there is only one intelligent choice, and that is President Mulgrew and the UNITY Caucus. President Mulgrew went toe-to-toe with President Trump, Mayor Bloomberg, and all the other politicians in the past and present who don't share our love and respect for our students and UFT siblings. He and the rest of the UNITY Caucus leadership are warriors who know how to fight and win—they are battle-hardened veterans. They have a proven track record of winning, and he won't be intimidated. President Mulgrew is a District 75 veteran, so I know he understands us, just like VP Ginese and District 75 Representative Doorga. This is no time to veer off course and risk losing everything we have fought so hard to win. I know that I will be marking a big X in the UNITY Caucus Slate box and mailing it back, and I hope and pray you will also. There's just too much at stake now to risk losing it all.