NEW YORK – Many New York teachers union members are fuming at the union’s recent decision to align itself with Rev. Al Sharpton and participate in an anti-police rally to protest the death of Missouri teen Michael Brown.

Diane Morton-Gauttullo, a paraprofessional at PS 29, has even started a petition demanding the resignation of United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew over the union’s involvement in the racially charged case.

“This is not something we were ever made aware of,” Gattullo told SILive.com. “This is not a cause we should be involved in – we’re educators, not activists.”

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Gattullo contends Mulgrew is representing the union’s interests while ignoring members who believe it’s inappropriate to rally against the police. The UFT has committed its support to protest with Sharpton in a “We Will Not Go Back” march on Staten Island for victims of police brutality. The event capitalizes on the case of Michael Brown, a Missouri teen who was recently shot by a St. Louis police officer, and Eric Garner, a 43-year-old Port Richmond resident who died in police custody last month, SILive.com reports.

“Brown, 18, was fatally shot several times by a police officer last Saturday in Furguson, Mo. Witnesses say his arms were in the air – in a sign of surrender – as a white policeman repeatedly shot the black teenager,” the news site reports. “Cops claim Brown assaulted an officer and the two fought over the cop’s gun.”

Gattullo believes the union’s participation in the Staten Island rally “does not represent my beliefs or me as a UFT member,” and contends that many of her colleagues agree with her position.

As of today, Gattullo’s petition calling for Mulgrew’s resignation has garnered more than 500 supporters on Change.org.

“Right now he (Mulgrew) is negatively representing us,” Gattullo told SIlive.com. “We are the people who educate and nurture these children – we’re not about rallying for a cause like this.”

The online petition reads: “Mulgrew is dragging me unwillingly into the current racial and police issues and aligning me with Rev. Sharpton! I am an educator not an activist and I serve the needs of all students! Shame on you Mulgrew!”

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Mulgrew, however, apparently has no shame. Instead of considering the criticism and reconsidering the rally, Mulgrew doubled down on support for the anti-police rally, sending the message that the union’s radical left-wing political priorities are more important than whatever its members might think.

“UFT has a long history of activism on behalf of our students, their families and all communities of our city. UFT members who choose to take part in Saturday’s march will be continuing that history,” Mulgrew wrote in an email to members. “We know that justice in the wake of Eric Garner’s tragic death will best be served by a thorough and transparent investigation. Saturday’s march will be an opportunity to show the rest of the country that New York City is united in its belief in justice for all.”

The problem is New York City isn’t united in its views on either case, and neither are the UFT’s members, who would apparently prefer if Mulgrew simply shut up and sit down.