Why Do UFT Retirees Get to Vote in UFT Elections?

Late on Christmas night I jumped into the middle of a Twitter conversation between Norm Scott and Randi Weingarten. The jist of the conversation was about the lack, and rightly so, of democracy in the the UFT. Of course Leo Casey chimes in with;

@NormScott1 @rweingarten @Sangiovanni @GetUpStandUp2 Strange idea of democracy: losers in election get to make the decisions
— Leo Casey (@LeoECasey) December 25, 2013

But that is another story for another blog post. Of course losers don't get to make decisions, but the losers get to participate, no? Isn't the US Constitution set up to give voice to the minority?

But at that point I chimed in asking a pertinent question which Randi replied to;

@SoBronxSchool @LeoECasey @NormScott1 @Sangiovanni @GetUpStandUp2 -yes& retiree vote is capped so it can never determine outcome of election
— Randi Weingarten (@rweingarten) December 26, 2013

Huh? So the rationale is as long as the retiree vote is capped? At this point, Reality Based Educator shared;

@rweingarten @SoBronxSchool @LeoECasey @NormScott1 Retiree vote increased in 2012 to 23,500 by Unity to rig elections.
— realitybasededucator (@perdidostschool) December 26, 2013

And my reply to Randi, which she never responded to, was;

@perdidostschool @rweingarten @LeoECasey @NormScott1  Willie Mays doesn't get to vote in MLBPA Union elections, why do retired tchrs?
— Bronx Teacher (@SoBronxSchool) December 26, 2013

Which brings us back to the question, why do retired teachers get to vote in the UFT elections?

I mentioned this to a friend of mine that drives for UPS and is a Teamster just after the UFT elections. To say he was surprised would be an understatement. We both put our heads together and were unable to think of one union that has retirees vote.

I understand that the retirees have done a lot for us in the past. They are concerned about their benefits and pensions. They sacrificed a lot in the past and we owe them a debt of gratitude. As one retired teacher friend of my family would say to me, "You schmucks have given back everything we went on strike for in 1968," I couldn't agree more. But now they are holding back rank and file to affect change.

Personally, I have no problem giving them a seat at the table. Of course they should be represented in the UFT. Be it in the DA, executive board, etc.... They have a right to have a voice. But, to be able to sway elections for current teachers with issues that are affecting us today and in the future is not right. If anything, if retirees continue voting, their votes should at the most count for one-half, and still be capped.

But as long as they get to vote, the opposition to Unity (I don't feel I am at liberty to speak for any one organization) must be proactive with the cards we are dealt and be ready for 2016.

This means reaching out to the retired chapter and forging some common bond. Find out what it would take to get an endorsement, to see how the retired chapter can best advocate for the opposition. It certainly won't hurt to try, it's better than sitting around in committees.

The issues facing the teachers of New York are in the present and in the future, not in the past.