John Bligh
- Retired Teacher
Retired teacher James Eterno, a longtime UFT Executive Board member, chapter leader and union activist, died on Feb. 6, 2024. He was 63.
James, a Bayside HS graduate who earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Queens College, began working as a social studies teacher in New York City public schools in September 1984 and retired in April 2018 with 32 years of service. He suffered a stroke in May 2023.
James taught at Jamaica HS in Queens for 28 years, from 1986 to 2014, when the school closed, and was the school’s chapter leader for 14 of those years. He served on the UFT Executive Board for 10 years and was also a delegate for three years.
As chapter leader at Jamaica HS, James fought hard against closing the school. “This is our home, you want to evict us, and you’re going to get a fight from us,” he said during a December 2009 rally against a shutdown.
James went on to teach at Middle College HS at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City for three years before he retired. For the next five years, he served as an adjunct professor at Hunter College, where he supervised student teachers at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
James “fought tirelessly to ensure the rights of educators and students were upheld,” his family wrote in his obituary.
Ibeth Mejia, now the chapter leader at Aviation HS, said James was a friend, a mentor and an expert on the DOE-UFT contract and members’ rights. The two were colleagues at Jamaica HS and Middle College HS.
Mejia described him as a “bulldog” in his role as a chapter leader who fought for members’ rights. “He was a strong advocate, always very informed of union activities,” she said. “He was fierce – everyone respected him.”
She said James encouraged her to become chapter leader at Aviation HS when she transferred there, and, when she was elected, he coached her and advised her on how to write presentations for her grievances.
Mike Schirtzer, a social studies teacher at Leon M. Goldstein HS for the Sciences in Brooklyn, wrote following James’ death that many members turned to him for information because of “his encyclopedic knowledge and the process of collective bargaining.”
Schirtzer also described James’ charismatic personality. “He had the unique ability to get under your skin but still make you love him at the same time,” Schirtzer wrote. “I think everyone knew he was coming from a good place, a love for our public schools and union.
Over the years, our debates made me a better union organizer and human being. He taught me that you can disagree but be civil.”
In his free time, James, a lifelong New York sports fan, followed the Mets and the Knicks, cheering them on in person or while watching the games on television. He enjoyed traveling and taking long drives around the country with his family. Their travels sometimes coincided with union meetings and rallies, including a rally to support Chicago teachers.
James is survived by his wife, Camille Eterno, an English teacher and delegate at Veritas Academy, his children, Kara and Matthew, a brother, John, a sister, Emily Elizabeth Vanderpool, and many relatives and dear friends.
I met him only once at a PEP hearing. I read his blog regularly. I learned a lot from it. It is a tremendous loss whenever someone like James Eterno dies: He was a teacher, an organizer, or a leader with substantial institutional knowledge, someone who fought for teachers! RIP- James Eterno. Prayers to his family.