A common objection I hear from people who don’t like to donate to VOTE/COPE is that “NYSUT always endorses Democrats.”
To be honest, it’s not that simple. In the past election cycle, NYSUT refused to endorse Andrew Cuomo, and even worked to block his endorsement from the AFL-CIO, of which NYSUT is a part. Failing to win a union endorsement from the most heavily-unionized state in America essentially torpedoed his hopes of securing the Democratic nomination.
This article from the New York Post shows why I believe it is a good idea that NYSUT did not endorse the governor. We believe that charter schools are bad for students; he sees them as appropriate political payback. He supports using test scores to evaluate teachers; we know how unjust such a system is.
http://nypost.com/2014/11/06/gov-ready-to-teach-unions-how-to-deal-with-change/
As you can see if you read this article, it is going to be an interesting four years.
No matter what happens, JETA members will continue to do what is best for our school and our students!