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The following e-mail was sent
to our website in July, 2002, by former BMUST President
Nat Feinstein. One of the principal founders of our
union, Nat retired in 1996, and is currently living
in Las Vegas with his wife Jane. Nat flew back here
in April to attend President Lou DeFilippo's retirement
dinner as one of the featured speakers. Reading these
excerpts from Nat's e-mail makes it very clear how much
our members owe to Nat and his generation of leaders.
... Glad
to see us entering the 21st Century with a website.
...Happy to see the handsome devil from Las Vegas pictured
in your Spring 2002 Edition [of our newspaper "Local
Dos"]
.... Not enough time to meet and greet all my friends
that night.
While many
reviled the Taylor Law, it did mandate Collective Bargaining.
We simply tried to build a militant cohesive group.
My successors hiring Joe Rosenthal [our attorney] was
a stroke of pure genius and great luck a few years later...
It was our policy then and now to go to bat for any
worthwhile redress of grievances in any venue. [Some
people] were afraid if we lost, we would set precedent
for the whole State. We reminded them that Joe's Court
victories had already set many great precedents for
the entire state. They were always mentioned at Gurney's
Inn workshops at Montauk. Our contract is still held
up as a "model contract." He [Joe] has made a remarkable
contribution to this Union!
I started
teaching in 1960 (hired Labor day weekend, [with] no
student teaching and no Certificate). They were desperate,
as you can see. [My] first year of teaching was then
counted as "student teaching."
I was a Founder
[of our organization] in 1961, and a member of the Salary
Committee(negotiator) as a 2nd year Teacher!
I was Head Building Rep for Merrick Ave in 1962. (only
one building Rep), as a 3rd and tenure year Teacher.
I became Vice President in 1963, and President in 1964.
... Founder and President of rival local of AFT in 1965.
..Our existence with a highly guarded membership list
never topped 30. We were not sure who paid their dues
or not. We picketed along with Teachers Association
when events demanded it, in a show of solidarity. It
turned out to be great leverage for the wonderful contract
negotiated by Joe Rosenthal and Mike Dubin in 1968.
We then rejoined the group as there was no further need
for our existence. I was awarded the Founders Award
and the Union Service Award. (Tough thing to do while
being MC at BMUST Dinner.) The dinner held in my honor
in 1996 was deeply appreciated. ...Didn't get the turnout
Lou got but he deserved the turnout for his enormous
efforts on everyone's behalf for 24 years. I believe
the last 3 tables on each side of the room were made
up of people who showed up to dine at the Fox Hollow
and were offered a free dinner if they could sit through
the speeches....
Regards to
all, Nat Feinstein
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