Thursday, October 12, 2017

UNPLUG CABLE BOX AND MODUM FOR 24 HOURS FOR CHARTER SPECTRUM WORKERS SUNDAY NIGHT

This came in my inbox from UFT Staff Directors Ellie Engler and Leroy Barr. It's a real union solidarity action for striking cable workers.

When is labor going to try to get their NYC franchise revoked by our friends the mayor and the comptroller?

Dear James,
We must stand united at this moment when our rights as unionized workers are under siege. Join us in an action to unplug your cable boxes to send a message to Charter/Spectrum that you support a fair contract for striking members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 3.
  • What: Unplug your cable boxes and modems for 24 hours
  • When: Sunday, Oct. 15 at 10:16 p.m. until Monday, Oct. 16 at 10:16 p.m.
Almost 2,000 Spectrum workers are five months into a job action against the cable giant to keep the company from destroying their retirement and health benefits, unfairly disciplining workers and threatening job security. Read more about their fight in the New York Teacher »
We hope you'll join us in this effort to demonstrate labor solidarity.
Sincerely,
LeRoy Barr and Ellie Engler
UFT Staff Directors

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

So we do more them than for ourselves? makes sense.

Anonymous said...

What won't you criticize about the UFT? Unplug for a day. You will be working or sleeping most of the time.

Anonymous said...

United Federation of Teachers chief Mike Mulgrew reportedly is crowing that almost 97 percent of city teachers rated “effective” or “highly effective” this year. As well he should — since it means he’s succeeded in making the evaluations a joke.

After all, how do you have so many effective teachers when so many kids can barely read?

Officially, the latest number is 93 percent — for 2016. The State Education Department won’t release the 2017 figures until Oct. 27. But Mulgrew has lots and lots of inside pals at SED: After all, the state’s teachers unions basically dictate who runs the department, thanks to Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie.

But control of the headline numbers doesn’t change the fact that two-thirds of city sixth-graders can’t read at grade level and three-quarters of eighth-graders can’t do math at grade level.
However effective the teachers might be, the school system plainly isn’t.

Even supposed good news turns out to be hollow. Mayor de Blasio has made Advanced Placement classes and tests available to more high school students, so a third of the Class of 2017 took an AP exam. But only a dismal 18 percent passed at least one of the tests.

In most places, an 82 percent failure rate gets your program shut down.

Similarly, high-school graduation rates are creeping up — but most grads aren’t actually college-ready, and have to spend the early part of their collegiate careers taking non-credit earning, tuition-eating remedial courses. Which is a big reason why many don’t finish college.

Want another sign the system serves vested interests, not the kids? The new OpenTheBooks.com study (discussed below) reveals that 694 of the city’s 775 school custodians earned $100,000 or more last year — with many outearning the principal.

The inmates are running the asylum.

Anonymous said...

We are now copying NYPOST edirorials. Why?

Anonymous said...

Nothing on any of these blogs on the what many of us want to know. Why weren't ATRs moved?

James Eterno said...

Maybe we don't know the answer to that question.

Anonymous said...

To the ignoramus at 7:29-
The teacher can do their job and effectively deliver instruction but it is the students job to make the effort to absorb and retain it.

Anonymous said...

That translates to: You can lead a horse to water but you cant make it drink.

Anonymous said...

Just a thought: Principals are having a hard time accepting this and DOE is still 'planning'.

Anonymous said...

There was a protest against placing ATRS in schools permanently. Could that have anything to do with it? Check out the NY Post.

Anonymous said...

Teachers cant do their job, look how low student achievement is. Schools are a mess.

Anonymous said...

Hey 704,

Are you a college instructor feeding rhetoric to keep college kids still paying for education programs?

Get a clue. Why are schools a mess? It’s because of policies in place

A student can yell ungodly slurs at an adult and nothing happens. It HS happened to me.

Teaching in 2017 is hoping you don’t get called into a disciplinary meeting.

A colleague moved a student’s seat yesterday and the kid said to an AP he get embarrassed and guess what? The teacher was scolded

So before you type anything ignorant get a clue

Anonymous said...

I feel that principals union actually stood their ground and complained to farina.

To be honest, principals have been told for years they don’t have to take us ATRs. Why would they accept us now?

If they have it in writing that they can hire who they want why should that change?

Anonymous said...

This ATR crap is like a bad movie that keeps repeating over and over and over again. Every time the DOE is ready to end the AtR pool Farina caves into the bull crap. For example, this right wing low life organization families for excellent schools is the one behind the protests of ATRs yesterday at TWEED.

This low life organization pays parents to protest and the parents are ill informed about the situation. I am sure the parents are being paid to protest. Just look at the signs and one can tell that the parents definitely did not make them.

The reality of this sad situation is that there are no back bones at the DOE. We really need a chancellor who will fight for her people and kick away the low life organizations that continue to defame our most distinguished educators!!! Hoping that June will see the exit of Farina and a chancellor who will destroy the low life organizations who continue to belittle our profession.

Anonymous said...

Dream on. You will get nothing until we get off the computers and stand up for ourselves.

Anonymous said...

It's thw administrators and policies. You are so naive.

Anonymous said...

Great. So, it's delayed a week. Maybe Mr. Asher will send an updated email-video. There was a parent protest also.

Anonymous said...

HAHA. The proof is in the pudding. Students are all failing, students are 18 and cant read and write? Ive seen the videos, students fighting in schools, throwing books out windows, cursing, walking halls, dancing around, where are all of you? If you arent teaching and they arent learning, whats the point? Might as well have younger and cheaper. You all clearly deserve to be fired. The schools are all closing because they are failing. well, that means you arent teaching.

Anonymous said...

$20 a head to protest against ATRs. $50 to make a sign and protest. I was told this by a friend in the organization. Where's the fucking UFT? Mulgrew is so far up Farina's ass that they need to send in FEMA. Then Farina announced no ATRs will be sent into renewal schools because of assumption that we are sub- par. Then DeBlasio uses the same words, word for word, that Mulgrew used when discussing the discriminatory provisions against ATRs in 2014 - we will help those who are not up to the challenge ....

Fuck you Eva Moskowitz, Carmen Farina and you bald headed motherfucker Mulgrew.

Anonymous said...

Far too many schools do not have the resources to address the out of control situation schools are facing, e.g. behavioral issues, violence, bullying, academic inflation to mask the deficiencies, mental health issues, stress/anxiety, broken families, poverty, hunger, homelessness, drugs, etc. Cannot believe the audacity of many DOE administrators and the public's naivete to criticize ATRs. The majority of these educators labeled by the DOE as ATR assisted low performing, low achieving students that had many of the problems that this society has. It is purely ludicrous to blame people that assisted students that schools did not want, yet tried to help these students regardless of the odds. Guess there needs to be a scapegoat, but get off the bandwagon on trying to blame ATRs. People need to wake up and understand that we have all been victims of Bloomberg's vision which left behind a crippling, sick and infested DOE.

James Eterno said...

The only way to fight any of this is for an engaged rank and file to wake up and say no more. That is not likely to happen as I see it but I continue to try here just about every day.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the info about the Spectrum turn-off.