The Gloves are Off

The mayor had better watch out. Randi has taken the gloves off. Perhaps inspired to new union activism by the courageous efforts of Charles G. Hogg, our feckless--I mean fearless--leader has decided to get tough with Bloomberg on the issue of layoffs.

Her plan? Launch a massive ad campaign targeting the mayor's uncaring attitude towards the children he has sworn to protect and educate? Lead a march of her 80,000 plus members through the streets of Manhattan to City Hall, snarling traffic to show our outrage at these proposed cuts? Calling a wildcat strike or a sick-out to draw attention to the problem?

No, her plan is MUCH more devastating than that. On February 10, she wants us all, en masse, in a powerful show of solidarity, to wear blue.

You see the simplicity of it all? When the citizens of New York see as many as five or ten teachers all entering a school dressed in blue, they will finally understand the gravity of the situation and demand action. I can hear them now: "Hey, what's with all the blue? We'd better stop those layoffs immediately!"

Despite the brilliance of this plan, it's possible that more action may be needed. So the UFT has organized a rally for March 5th. To ratchet up the pressure on the mayor, Randi has proposed several new ideas for that rally:

• To show that we really mean business this time, everyone will be urged to wear magenta.
• All attendees will be asked to link arms and high step, Rockette style, until our demands are met.
• New teachers will wear feather boas and fishnets while they sing "Cabaret" in husky voices on the steps of City Hall.
• The few remaining male teachers over 50 will be asked to wear black socks, sandals, and Bermuda shorts.

Of course, these are only a few of the suggestions that Randi has managed to come up with for her 100 mil plus a year. If you have any other ideas for bringing the mayor to his knees, post 'em here. Personally, I'm leaning towards asking Leo Casey and Randi to dress up as Peter Pan and Tinkerbell.