When New York State United Teachers was formed 25 years ago, the concept of political endorsements was not just foreign. For many, it was reprehensible. Why should teachers get involved in the ugly business of politics?

Over the objections of many, the two-year-old union first tossed its hat into the political ring in 1974 when it endorsed Hugh Carey for New York state governor. It was a gutsy move - Carey was a little known New York City congressman - but a majority of the NYSUT Board voted to endorse Carey based on his congressional voting record.

Carey's victory over Malcolm Wilson gave members around the state a crash course in the value of unified political action. It also earned NYSUT a chunk of political clout that continues to this day.

In the union's 25-year history, the NYSUT endorsement has been pivotal in numerous races. NYSUT made all the difference for Mario Cuomo in the 1982 governor's race, getting on board early in the campaign and pushing the state AFL-CIO to follow suit.

When Cuomo got word of the union's endorsement, he said, "Teachers bring something special to a candidate. Whenever the teachers don't go with you, you're hurt."

After his upset primary victory over New York City Mayor Ed Koch, Cuomo was quick to thank NYSUT, saying: "I never could have won without you. When you endorsed me in August, I said that nothing more important was going to happen in the campaign."

Following his victory over Republican Lew Lehrman, Cuomo again thanked the union, noting the largest single group on his phone banks were NYSUT members.

21st century phone banks

Since then, NYSUT's political machine has been moving full speed ahead. Rotary phones, carbon-copied scripts and hand-written letters have given way to computer-automated phone banks that allow volunteers to reach voters more quickly than ever before.

The 1995 overhaul of phone banks around the state certainly hasn't left anybody nostalgic for the good old days, said NYSUT Board Director Jane Kauffman of western New York.

The new technology - also used for school board elections and budget votes - automatically tracks calls, prints out follow-up letters and compiles statistics.

NYSUT Executive Vice President Alan Lubin stressed the union's endorsements remain credible because they are non-partisan. In 1996, NYSUT endorsed 118 Democrats and 79 Republicans in the state Legislature. "The primary consideration is the candidate's positions on educational and labor issues - not party affiliation," Lubin said.

Friends on both sides

"That's the difference between us and other organizations," said Lynn Costello, coordinator of VOTE-COPE, the union's voluntary political action fund. "We have as good a relationship with the Republicans as with the Democrats. Nobody thinks of us as a shadow organization for either party."

In the long run, this policy pays off, Costello said. In 1994, when Congress turned Republican, this killed organizations that always voted 'row A' on election day. Avoiding party-line politics has also helped the union keep members involved. In a recent congressional race on Long Island, members actually waited in line to make phone calls on behalf of candidate Carolyn McCarthy, whose husband was killed by a gunman on a commuter train.

"The overwhelming commitment of our members was even more gratifying than the success in this particular election," said David Israel, who coordinates Nassau County political action.

Former NYSUT Board member Neal Sorkin, a Jamesville teacher, has his own tale of teachers' tenacity. One spring in the late 1970s, Committee of 100 members arrived in Albany to find legislators holed up in their offices, the Capitol overrun with protesters. Not discouraged easily, the lobbyists-for-a-day cornered one assemblyman in a bathroom and made sure to get across their message.

Continue to 'Political Action'