Federal
When I arrived, President Michael Mulgrew was talking about the James Comey firing by Trump. He then talked about Betsy DeVos and the difficult federal situation. Kansas, Arizona and New Mexico bleak public school situation. Public School Proud campaign gaining support but in difficult environment. Illinois has budget problem with pensions.
Mulgrew then played a video criticizing DeVos.
Paul Ryan visited one of Eva's schools.
State
Great Regents meeting. Had to explain to State Ed Department that grading schools based on tests has flaws. We need a multiple measure system, not the Bloomberg system. ESSA regs will be used to identify struggling schools. Must look at growth. When looking at growth, NYC does well. CTE schools did well with Regents meeting too.
Preliminary new standards out. Special Ed, English Language Learners and early childhood need work.
Governor signed two bills. He went to a NYC public school with Mulgrew to sign bill and thanked teachers and unions. He then did a bill signing in a union hall saying union dues on state taxes are deductable.
City
Parking permits coming back as a result of arbitration. Need more spots. Certain administrators not collegial. Now if we get there early, we can park in principal's spot.
Told mayor we do not support his version of mayoral control. Albany has this issue heating up.
We did joint training with DOE on professional Conciliation (article 24).
Told DOE we may be picketing certain Superintendent's offices. Superintendents in charge of principals. Festering anger in teachers to show who is boss is not positve. If they support principals who don't support teachers, they will hear from us loudly. We must hold DOE accountable for collaboration.
Reverend Barber coming to speak at Spring Conference Saturday.
Women in Need. 70% of homeless in NYC are women with children. Christine Quinn runs program. We are helping kids with schoolwork and now helping with prom dresses.
4.5% raise on May 15 check.
Lump sum in October.
5.5% raise next May.
3 lump sum payments after that.
Thanked members.
Staff Director's Report
Leroy Barr gave some dates of recent events and upcoming events. May 15 immigration forum at UFT HQ. 3000 prom related dresses and suits being given out May 28. Next DA is June 14.
Question Period
Question: When will DeVos visit a school?
Mulgrew Answer: We will talk to her. Met with student and teacher in Ohio where she visited and she did not say much. Do we try to protest her or do a photo op with some kids?
Q March resolution on grading Regents in our own schools. Any movement?
A No movement but it takes DOE time to do this. Current year already set up. Should be better treatment at grading sights as DOE is angry about our reso.
Q Sesis or childcare leave update?
A people told not to do SESIS beyond school day. This is impossible. Trying to work something out. Talked to Office of Labor Relations on family leave. They are stalling. No union yet has this benefit. Mayor wanted this for two years but no city union has the benefit.
Q Why don't we report number of Delegates here?
A We can do that and will do it next month.
Q City has surplus. Can we get lump sum payments early?
A Other unions had to pay to get lump sum payments on time. Ours is too large. We can't get it early.
Motion Period
Motion for next month from Brooklyn Tech that talks about anti communist history and then calls for school based activism on behalf of teachers and students and getting mass support. Attack on Park Slope Collegiate for anti communism wrong. Activists need to be highlighted and defended. Almost anything can be construed as political and teachers can be subject to OSI investigation. Segregation a big problem in NYC.
Sterling Roberson spoke against. We didn't engage Park Slope Collegiate. Contract does not give us an attorney with OSI. Line between free speech and political speech has been addressed. We speak against racism and other problems of society.
Motion was defeated soundly.
Mulgrew did state that the eay OSI is being used is something we have to be concerned about.
Special Orders of Business
Motion on agency fees. Janus case coming. Ensure fair share fees. 40 year Abood precedent. Motivated by Janelle Hinds
Peter Lamphere tried to amend resolution to add resolved clauses including one to do a campaign to have UFT members in schools make presentations to have people pledge to remain union members and pay dues. Need a campaign starting in September.
Leroy Barr put through a series of amendments to strike some of the Lamphere amendment including striking taking on abusive administrators. We do that already. Public school proud has to be our focus.
Leroy cutting the amendment passed as did the original resolution. The original amendment was never voted on.
There were a bunch of city council and borough president endorsements. They carried.
Townsend Harris Chapter Leader spoke next and criticized former IA principal Jahoda and thanked UFT leadership for their help for having Jahoda removed. Used students, parents, alumni and politicians. Mulgrew will visit. Thanked CL for job he did keeping staff united.
Staff Director's Report
Leroy Barr gave some dates of recent events and upcoming events. May 15 immigration forum at UFT HQ. 3000 prom related dresses and suits being given out May 28. Next DA is June 14.
Question Period
Question: When will DeVos visit a school?
Mulgrew Answer: We will talk to her. Met with student and teacher in Ohio where she visited and she did not say much. Do we try to protest her or do a photo op with some kids?
Q March resolution on grading Regents in our own schools. Any movement?
A No movement but it takes DOE time to do this. Current year already set up. Should be better treatment at grading sights as DOE is angry about our reso.
Q Sesis or childcare leave update?
A people told not to do SESIS beyond school day. This is impossible. Trying to work something out. Talked to Office of Labor Relations on family leave. They are stalling. No union yet has this benefit. Mayor wanted this for two years but no city union has the benefit.
Q Why don't we report number of Delegates here?
A We can do that and will do it next month.
Q City has surplus. Can we get lump sum payments early?
A Other unions had to pay to get lump sum payments on time. Ours is too large. We can't get it early.
Motion Period
Motion for next month from Brooklyn Tech that talks about anti communist history and then calls for school based activism on behalf of teachers and students and getting mass support. Attack on Park Slope Collegiate for anti communism wrong. Activists need to be highlighted and defended. Almost anything can be construed as political and teachers can be subject to OSI investigation. Segregation a big problem in NYC.
Sterling Roberson spoke against. We didn't engage Park Slope Collegiate. Contract does not give us an attorney with OSI. Line between free speech and political speech has been addressed. We speak against racism and other problems of society.
Motion was defeated soundly.
Mulgrew did state that the eay OSI is being used is something we have to be concerned about.
Special Orders of Business
Motion on agency fees. Janus case coming. Ensure fair share fees. 40 year Abood precedent. Motivated by Janelle Hinds
Peter Lamphere tried to amend resolution to add resolved clauses including one to do a campaign to have UFT members in schools make presentations to have people pledge to remain union members and pay dues. Need a campaign starting in September.
Leroy Barr put through a series of amendments to strike some of the Lamphere amendment including striking taking on abusive administrators. We do that already. Public school proud has to be our focus.
Leroy cutting the amendment passed as did the original resolution. The original amendment was never voted on.
There were a bunch of city council and borough president endorsements. They carried.
Townsend Harris Chapter Leader spoke next and criticized former IA principal Jahoda and thanked UFT leadership for their help for having Jahoda removed. Used students, parents, alumni and politicians. Mulgrew will visit. Thanked CL for job he did keeping staff united.
27 comments:
Parking permits are beck due to arbitration? Hmmm, I did not even know it was in arbitration. UFT might just be saying this to make it look like the parking permits were "won" by UFT. My guess is that DeBlasio simply gave the permits back as a token to get teachers to vote for him in the next election.
"Leroy Barr put through a series of amendments to strike some of the amendment including taking on abusive administrators. We do that already. Public school proud has to be our focus." Leroy is full of jokes- they should stick to social media- theyre somewhat good at that (MORE is much better) leave the dirty work of taking on abusive principals to the rank and file
When does the UFT plan on informing ATRs about anything? Can someone bring this up at one of these fucking meetings, please? Thank you.
I call total BS that the permits are back due to arbitration. 2 reasons why I call BS. 1) The CSA (principals union) tried to get their parking permits back via arbitration a few years back and lost in arbitration. 2) If the UFT really did take the parking permit situation to arbitration, it would be public information and we would be able to read about the arbitration case as this is public information. In other words, until I read the official, published, results of a UFT arbitration case regarding our parking permits, I call total BS on this. As the poster above mentioned, the most likely scenario is that DeBlasio wants UFT votes in the next election and getting us our permits back was a free and easy way to sway some votes. Mulgrew needs to choose his words wisely. By saying the UFT "won" our permits back in arbitration it makes it seem like the UFT actually did something for the rank and file. If DeBlasio simply gave us our permits back, there was not arbitration and there was no "win". In the end, I really do not care as I am very delighted to have our parking permits restored. However, the detective in me would love to know the real truth of why our permits were restored.
Another hard earned victory from our heroes at the UFT. LeRoy is setting of M80s and Sterling's got the Roman candles. How could anyone even think of leaving the union!
And what about the ATRs?
Crickets on the western front
They are useless.
Point: If it is in fact true that the UFT got our permits back via arbitration, this actually makes DeBlasio look bad. Going to arbitration costs the city a ton of money and it makes it look as though DeBlasio actually did not want to give us our parking permits back. Arbitration is a very public process and we need to see the results of this arbitration. Mulgrew can't hide this from us. (Very happy to get the permits back, but I do not want to see Mulgrew try and twist facts in his favor if the truth is DeBlasio just threw us a bone on this)
They twist everything as victory, no matter how tiny or negative...
How bitter are people that they cannot even give Mulgrew any credit for anything? The change in parking does not change anything for me but most people would say it is a gain.
Yes, we are furious. And this does little to stop the daily torture.
As someone said earlier they feed us with a spoon and take with a shovel!
All I know is that I am stoked that we are finally getting our permits back!!!
Mulgrew is on the shit list, he's up there with Bloomberg, Klein, Farina, Mulgrew and Weingarten - in that order.
The harassment and toxic environment that are going on in some schools is a direct result of a shameful UFT that is uncapable and unwilling to challenge anything. A Union has a jov to serve its members.
UFT District Reps when are you going to do your jobs?
They never do anything. Shameful Union.
It's an election year, so Bill threw us a bone with the parking and a snow day. Thanks Bill. I wouldn't give Mulgrew credit for it though. Mulgrew still hasn't addressed the ATR questions that ATRs have concerning forced placement, abusive principals, excessive observations, class size, dangerous schools, lack of metal detectors, rampant drug use and dealing, inexperienced principals, excessive PD, and lack of adequate representation of numerous issues and fronts facing the rank and file.
ATR updates are needed...
@waiting for support
What questions do you have so MORE can relay them to UFT leaders during ex bd
PLEASE ask them if it is possible to meet with the DOE to amend our observations to the NYS mandated number of 2 observations. This would be such a simple thing to get done. The DOE/CSA wants 2 observations. All the UFT has to do is get it on paper and send it in to NYSED for approval. You can do it MORE!!!!
How are ATRs going to be placed?
What if there are no vacancies for certain licenses?
How does this affect building seniority?
Is this a permanent position or just another bullshit provisional placement and if so why?
Why hasn't the UFT reached out and kept us informed or ask for input?
Why can't Arundel or Mulgrew inform the ATRs of what's happening for September? Why should More members have to ask for us like we're a bunch pariahs looking for a crust of bread? Bullshit, total bullshit.
All of the questions posted by 11;46 am as well as can ATRs be notified of their placement BEFORE August? An AP said the info is known in June.
Email Mulgrew
mmulgrew@uft.org
TWO OBSERVATIONS PLEASE
I'm an ATR and have been observed over thirty times this year. I went to the union and they said they said it wasn't harassment. I can't wait for Janus.
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