Three members of MORE have been on the UFT Executive Board since 2022: Ronnie Almonte, Alex Jallot, and Ilona Nanay. StrikeHot sat down with the three of them and discussed what they have learned so far and strategy going forward. 

StrikeHot: What motivated you to run for the Executive Board  and what did you hope to accomplish in your term on the board? 

Alex: The bigger picture is to hopefully enact some sort of change in our union and to pass some resolutions that would benefit the rank and file and push our leadership to do the right things. The way that our union leadership runs right now is frustrating. It's very much top down. But I also wanted to see what the inner workings of our union were like. So being on the board for the past year has definitely opened my eyes to how leadership operates and what their motivations are.

by Kit Wainer

[These notes reflect my personal reflections on MORE’s efforts to run a series of chapter leader election campaigns in spring 2021. I should note that I left NYC to pursue a PhD in the summer of 2022 so I know little about what has happened in the caucus since then].

For those considering running in the current Chapter Leader or Delegate elections this spring, please join MORE at our next election training on Thursday 2/15 at 7pm (bit.ly/chpt-workshop).

Dramatic membership growth

MORE’s growth from roughly 100 dues-paying members just prior to the pandemic to more than 700 by August 2020 inspired many of us in the caucus leadership to try to capitalize on the momentum by deepening and expanding our influence within individual union chapters. At that point, what percentage of the membership was “real” and not just on paper was very difficult to measure. The 3-4 meetings we held over the summer of 2020 drew more than 200 people each. The late August meeting—held at the moment the UFT leadership was wielding a phony strike threat over school safety—drew more than 1,000. But since all caucus work was remote and remote politics was still something new, it was difficult to know how many were showing up only once, or how many showed up for general meetings but never participated in anything else.

The following interview was conducted with Olivia Swisher, art teacher and Chapter Leader at MS 821 in Sunset Park, about her experiences on the UFT Negotiating Committee for the most recent 2022-2027 contract.

Strike Hot: What were your goals and hopes in volunteering for the negotiating committee? How did the experience differ from your expectations?

Olivia Swisher: My personal goal for participating in the UFT negotiating committee was to learn about the negotiations process firsthand.