John Bligh
- Retired Teacher
- Former UFT School Safety Department director
Ed Muir, a staunch union activist for 44 years, got involved in the UFT as a picket captain in the union’s early strikes and became a nationally recognized labor leader for his pioneering work on school safety issues.
He died of pulmonary disease at age 84 on Feb. 21, 2021.
A social studies teacher and chapter leader at Brooklyn’s Erasmus HS, Ed was asked to chair a fledgling citywide UFT safety committee. As he expanded the committee’s activities, the role became a full-time UFT position and he hired a team of full-time staff to work with him. He built an independent reporting system to keep track of assaults and other safety incidents affecting members in schools. For those members needing psychological support and practical assistance following a safety incident, he founded the union’s Victim Support Program.
“Ed shone a light on the safety problems that many schools underestimated at the time to avoid bad publicity and because of career concerns,” said Ed Ellis, a member of the early safety committee. “He worked tirelessly to improve school life for students and faculty.”
Jim Bauman, who succeeded Ed as chair of the safety committee, notes that Ed met regularly with the city Department of Education to solve specific safety problems at specific schools. He also worked closely with the national Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, which honored him at his retirement in 1996.
“Ed was invited to speak at conventions and symposiums across the country,” Bauman noted, “and he was a frequent witness at the City Council, New York State Assembly and Senate hearings and congressional committee hearings.”
His son, Ed Muir, remembers his father grading papers and preparing lesson plans before he became a full-time safety expert. “My father was a role model for doing work that matters and making a difference,” he said. “He set an example I always try to live up to.”
Ed was an amateur photographer, and his photos taken at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden lined the walls of UFT headquarters. That love of photography continued after his retirement.
In addition to his son, Ed is survived by his daughter, Theresa; his long-time partner Adrienne Maltz, and her daughters, Valerie Green and Janine Perron; and grandchildren Evan and Fiona Muir.
Donations can be sent to Sloan Kettering at givingmskcc.org or Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence at bradyunited.org.
May he Rest in Peace. I was one of Mr. Muir’s students at Erasmus Hall HS. I had him for history. Made history fun and showed us how relevant history of the past affects our present and our future. One of my favorite teachers.