(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – Jeff Grossi, a 36-year-old Geometry Teacher at Middle Early College that’s housed inside Buffalo’s Bennett High School - who also happens to be a Buffalo Teachers Federation (BFT)/New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) Union Member, has grown a successful side career of performing under the stage name MC ZiLL – using Hip Hop and Rap to spread a variety of positive and thought-provoking messages.

Now Grossi is once again using his musical passion to focus in on the upcoming General Election that will be held on Tuesday, November 7th, when voters across New York will be asked whether or not New York should hold a convention to change the State Constitution. 

If you ask Grossi, he – along with so many others across the State’s Labor Movement, believes it’s imperative to the future of New York to vote NO, saying “there's ‘no better way to get the message clearly out than a catchy’ Constitutional Convention song and an ‘informative’ music video” that supports the argument – Say No To The Con Con.

His latest project, the music video with a message, aims to enlighten every New Yorker about the negative consequences of voting yes to a Constitutional Convention, underscoring the point that all New Yorkers will be affected by the outcome of this referendum question where voters will be asked to weigh in on having a New York Constitutional Convention (which is being referred to as a con con).

The specific ballot question will be: “Shall there be a convention to revise the constitution and amend the same?”

“This is a ‘message’ for New York’s ‘entire population’ – it’s ‘nothing more than a political bash, spending millions of taxpayer dollars unnecessarily,’” Grossi/MC ZiLL told WNYLaborToday.com during a telephone interview today (Tuesday, October 3rd). “This would ‘put us all in jeopardy of losing so many things and it has been really frustrating getting the knowledge’ (about why New Yorkers will be voting on the question in November).”

“Once ‘I realized what was going on, I found a lot of New Yorkers didn’t know what was going on,’” Grossi (Pictured Below) told Your On-Line Labor Newspaper.  “We ‘don’t need’ a Constitutional Convention, ‘because we can always amend’ (the constitution).  It is ‘unnecessary to spend this kind of money – it doesn’t make sense.’”

The two-minute-and-47second-long Say No To The Con Con video – which can be found on Rossi’s web site at https://mczill.com/concon, on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMy4H9h7t28&feature=youtu.be and can be viewed on WNYLaborToday.com’s Front Page in the WNY Labor News… NOW! Video Cube – does a nice job in explaining what the convention is and why voters should vote no.

Late last week, BTF President Phil Rumore invited Grossi to perform Say No To The Con Con at the BTF’s Council of Delegates Meeting, where it was “overwhelmingly met” with a positive response. 

“I was ‘a little shocked,’” Grossi told WNYLaborToday.com.  “I ‘even got a bit of a standing ovation and a lot of high fives.’  The delegates ‘really liked it and it spoke volumes because the people in that room were older than I am.’  They were telling me – ‘You had me going.’  (The song) ‘crosses’ generations.  In fact, it appeals to ‘multiple’ generations.”

BTF President Rumore told Your On-Line Labor Newspaper today that Grossi “did an outstanding job” and that he is “proud” of the BTF Member.

“It’s a ‘good way of sending the message’ and we know (Union Members) ‘will vote against it,’ but we need the general public to ‘see through it’ – that it will cost ($350 million) in taxpayer dollars.  ‘That will put things into context.’  The public ‘will not be duped or fooled.’  ‘It’s just another way for elected officials to get a perk.’  ‘If people want changes to the State Constitution, ‘it can be done through amendments – not a Constitutional Convention.’”

Earlier this year, several representatives of the New York State AFL-CIO traveled to Buffalo to meet with area Labor Leaders and Representatives, telling them should voters be hoodwinked into thinking this a good thing - hard fought for and taken-for-granted Pensions, Prevailing Wages, Collective Bargaining and Health Care and Benefits for injured Workers could all be on the chopping block, the State Union Representatives warned.

(WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Read Your On-Line Labor Newspaper’s May 24th Labor News Report Headlined: Could The Koch Brothers ‘Get Their Way’ And Make New York A Right-To-Work (For Less) State? They Could - If - A Constitutional Convention Is Held at http://www.wnylabortoday.com/news/2017/05/24/buffalo-and-western-new-york-labor-news/could-the-koch-brothers-get-their-way-and-make-new-york-a-right-to-work-for-less-state-they-could-if-a-constitutional-convention-is-held/.)

A New York State Constitutional Convention would be controlled by well-funded special interests and career politicians, who would dominate the process and take advantage of the system to benefit themselves at taxpayer expense, the AFL-CIO Representatives said.  And to make matters worse, taxpayers would have to pay the price tag in hundreds of millions of dollars.  As a result, Union Representatives believe corporations and their lobbyists would use a convention to weaken Workers’ Rights and protections.  In the end, allowing the moneyed elite across New York State to get their way would do irreparable harm to the State’s economy and to the average taxpaying family, they said.  

In addition, a yes vote would allow entrenched Albany politicians to make up to $80,000 on top of the taxpayer-funded salaries they already receive and with no timeline to complete their work - there could be no end in sight, they said.  When all is said and done, Albany politicians, their friends and insiders could continue enriching themselves at taxpayers’ expense for years. 

New Yorkers must remember that any targeted reforms can already occur without creating another layer of government and this money would be better invested in our schools, crumbling infrastructure and on vital public services, the State Union Officials said. 

In the end, every right-minded voter must reject the Constitutional Convention referendum this November, they said.

Right now, as much of 70% to 80% “know nothing to little” of what a State Constitutional Convention is and what it would do, the New York State AFL-CIO Representatives said. 

Taking that fact into consideration - unbelievably, 60% of New Yorkers “think it’s a good idea” to hold a Constitutional Convention to “amend and revise,” the New York State AFL-CIO Reps said, adding the question of holding such a convention comes up every 20 years.

What is concerning this time around is that the upcoming November Election is expected to have a low turnout across New York, much less than last November when the Presidential Election took place, they said, which makes it even more important for Organized Labor to get its message out and educate its Membership across the State.

Say No To The Con Con was written by Grossi/MC ZiLL and produced by LK PRO, the publishing company co-owned by Grossi and his songwriting wife, Katie Ann.  Recording, mixing and mastering of the song took place at GCR Audio in Buffalo by Justin Rose, and HipHughes - a viral YouTube Producer (and another Member of the BTF, according to Rumore) whose channel receives over 30,000 views a day, created the music video for the project.

“I’d ‘like to believe that we can reach a lot of people with it,’” Grossi tells WNYLaborToday.com of the video.  “People ‘are always into a medium with a beat and by throwing in a lot of information and images on a green screen (into the video), we can reach more and more people from the ages of (18 through 40) – and that’s an important group of voters.’”

Here are the lyrics to Constitutional Convention Song: Say No to the Con Con:

INTRO:

On Election Day New Yorkers Vote Wisely To This Question

Shall There Be A Convention For Constitution Revisions
Vote No, It’s A $350 Million Dollar Bash For The Cast Of Politicians

REFRAIN:

So Vote No, No To The Con Con

Vote No, No To The Con Con

No Convention For Constitution Revisions

No $350 Million Dollar Bash For Politicians

So Vote No, No To The Con Con

Vote No, No To The Con Con

Say No To A Constitutional Convention
Give Two Thumbs Down On This Referendum Question

So Vote No, No To The Con Con

Vote No, No To The Con Con

VERSE:

Say No To A Constitutional Convention
Such A Very Unnecessary Deception
We Don’t Need A Convention For Constitution Revisions

No $350 Million Dollar Bash For Politicians

Here's An Easier Concept
Changes Citizens Want Can Be Made Through The Normal Legislative Process

Yes!

Already We Can Change Our Constitution At Will
We Draft, Discuss, Then Vote To Approve The Bill

Voting Yes Robs

Taxpayers Pay Delegates Two Salaries For The Same Jobs

We Don’t Need A Congress Carbon Copy
We Need To Increase The Quality Of Life For Everybody

Say No To A Constitutional Convention
If You Snooze You’ll Lose This Important Voting Lesson

They Will Schedule Cuts Like Surgeries
Ruin Public Schools, Colleges, Universities

Gather Together Vote To Protect Our Democracy
Our Rights To Free Speech And To Assemble Peacefully

Access To State Parks, Forests, And Waterway Connections

Let's Not Lose Our Environmental Protections

Expenses Adding Fast
Lose The Economic Protection Of State Debt Limits And Budget Spending Caps

We Will Not Let New York Citizens Collapse
We'll Feel The Full Effects If We're Not Full Of Facts So

REFRAIN:

Vote No, No To The Con Con

Vote No, No To The Con Con

No Convention For Constitution Revisions

No $350 Million Dollar Bash For Politicians

On Election Day New Yorkers Vote Wisely To This Question

Shall There Be A Convention For Constitution Revisions
Vote NO

It’s A $350 Million Dollar Bash For The Cast Of Politicians

So Vote No, No To The Con Con

No, No To The Con Con

Vote No, No To The Con Con

No, No To The Con Con X3

VOTE NO!

For More on Jeff Grossi, Read WNYLaborToday.com’s February 4, 2015 Labor News Report, Headlined: Buffalo Teacher & BTF/NYSUT Union Member Uses Hip Hop Video To Uniquely Spread Educators’ Message In Fighting Common Core/High-Stakes Standardized Testing at www.wnylabortoday.com/news/2015/02/04/national-labor-news/buffalo-teacher-btf-nysut-union-member-uses-hip-hop-video-to-uniquely-spread-educators-message-in-fighting-common-core-high-stakes-standardized-testing/