Justice was our floor strategy.
PopoutA couple of folks came up today and asked me if I had a floor strategy.
At an NEA RA that’s what the big boys do. When you want to control the speakers, you plant folks at different microphones who then give their time over to those prepared to speak.
The Illinois caucus had already voted for the New Business Item calling for the NEA to support the AFT Chicago teacher local in their negotiations with Rahm and his hand-picked school board.
It had now been assigned a number: NBI 13. And this afternoon, after Joe Biden gave a rather sleepy speech to the RA, it would come to the floor.
I had no floor strategy. I would move it on behalf of the Illinois delegation. I would get three minutes to speak. I had asked some others to speak who were more than willing. A couple of young teachers, some from out-of-state, came up to me and said they had gone to CPS and felt very emotional about the issue and would I mind if they spoke?
Mind?
Please!
I spoke.
At an NEA RA that’s what the big boys do. When you want to control the speakers, you plant folks at different microphones who then give their time over to those prepared to speak.
The Illinois caucus had already voted for the New Business Item calling for the NEA to support the AFT Chicago teacher local in their negotiations with Rahm and his hand-picked school board.
It had now been assigned a number: NBI 13. And this afternoon, after Joe Biden gave a rather sleepy speech to the RA, it would come to the floor.
I had no floor strategy. I would move it on behalf of the Illinois delegation. I would get three minutes to speak. I had asked some others to speak who were more than willing. A couple of young teachers, some from out-of-state, came up to me and said they had gone to CPS and felt very emotional about the issue and would I mind if they spoke?
Mind?
Please!
I spoke.
As I look around the hall there must be hundreds, if not more, delegates involved in bargaining right now – my own local in Park Ridge is a case in point.
The NEA supports us all.
So why pass a