Whoever sends out this propaganda is doing nothing but lying and twisting the facts for their own benefit.  The e-mails are never signed by a person but rather as “TRAC,” as if it is some legitimate organization that many people support.  TRAC is subversive and detrimental to our professionalism as teachers.

I have been a teacher for 31 years and I have seen groups like yours come and go.  TRAC does nothing positive to help the teaching profession.  You make no suggestions to make things better.  You criticize, slander, and try to destroy any shred of trust that is left.  You just cause unrest and mistrust.  It is sad that you are so negative and cynical.  An organization based negativity will not survive.

I have been a member of UTD for 27 years.  I have been a union steward for 3 years.  I was very unhappy with what was happening with the union, which is why I became a steward.  I know after being involved with many organizations, both professional and personal, that you do not change things from the outside.  You change things from the inside. 

Many of us have been involved with changing this union in the last 7 months and we resent you calling us liars.  We have worked very hard to try to restore the integrity of a good union who had corrupt leadership and an apathetic membership.  Unfortunately, we let Pat Tornillo and Murray Sisselman run our union without our input.  We trusted them and they let us down.  Now we have taken back our union and we are running it with the help of honest, hardworking professionals who care about kids, our schools, and our profession.

By the way, anyone who told any bargaining unit member that they could not vote was wrong.  Every teacher, clerical, paraprofessional, and security monitor was invited to vote.  I resent the fact that TRAC intimates that there was some kind of conspiracy to keep certain people from voting when two people told you this.  Where's the proof? 

If anyone thinks it is better to work in Broward they should go there, work and see what a really weak and insignificant union does to teachers.  In fact, let them work anywhere else in the state of Florida and see if the conditions, salaries, and School Board relationships are better.  They are not and TRAC should not incorrectly publish that they are.

I believe in unionism for teachers, because I know the abuses and slave labor conditions that teachers, clerical staff, and paraprofessionals endured before there was a union.  I know what those same people endure in other counties in this state.  I have friends in nearly every other school district in the state and they envy us. 

We need our union, UTD, but we do not need the corruption and theft that took place.  That is over.  Today is a new day and we need to embrace it.

Please stop slandering us, the hardworking union members.  Work with us for the sake of the profession, not to the detriment of the profession.

Sincerely,

Christine Chavers

Felix Varela Sr. High School