NYSUT and its labor allies are going nuclear over the Senate Democrats’ push to pass a charter school bill today, accusing the majority of abandoning its principles to inoculate members against the millions of dollars pro-charter advocates have threatened to spend in the fall elections.

NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi told me this morning his union is “angrier than we’ve ever been” with the Senate Dems. When I asked if he believes this is being pushed for political, rather than ideological, reasons, Iannuzzi replied:

“I don’t think there’s any question that’s what they’re doing; there isn’t any educational reason to do it, so I’m left with only that reason.”

There’s been speculation that the charter advocates, who are already beating the bushes for a primary foe for outspoken charter opponent, Sen. Bill Perkins, could spend some $10 million during this election cycle.

One anti-charter source said: “There’s only two places that kind of money could come from: Hedge fund people, or Mayor Bloomberg.”

This isn’t the first time Bloomberg, a very big charter school champion, has been accused of being behind an effort to oust anti-charter senators. In fact, Sen. Kevin Parker made that same allegation during an interview with me yesterday.

It’s also not lost on observers that Education Reform Now, the group that has been running an ad campaign accusing the UFT of blocking a measure to lift the charter school cap and causing the state to lose out in the first round of “Race to the Top” cash, is being repped by KnickerbockerSKD – a firm that also works for Bloomberg.

The Senate bill, which would raise the charter school cap from 200 to 460, has no formal sponsor, but was introduced by the Democratic leadership – much to the surprise of rank-and-file members.

“I’m baffled to understand (Senate Conference Leader John) Sampson’s strategy for putting it out when his whole conference seems to understand it’s the wrong bill at the wrong time,” Iannuzzi said.

“…I can tell you we had 3,000 delegates calling senators the moment we found out and the bulk of the answers they got was: I have no idea what you’re talking about; leadership never shared it with me.”

It appears the bill will only be able to pass with a significant number of GOP senators voting in favor of it. Iannuzzi said he will make sure NYSUT members know the names of “every senator – both Democrats and Republicans” who vote “yes” when the union holds its endorsement conference this summer.

Another labor source accused the Senate Dems of “the worst sort of pay-to-play deal-making,” adding: “They think this is going to allow them to keep the majority; the reality is this is the kind of thing that demoralizes your supporters and jeopardizes it.”

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