There is a must see lengthy interview of UFT President Michael Mulgrew from PIX 11 news that aired Friday morning. Everyone needs to watch and listen very closely to what the UFT President says.
They start the segment by showing a protest in front of Benjamin Cardozo High School on Thursday with a longtime Unity Caucus Chapter Leader leading a chant of, "Teachers Vote, Stay Remote!" Then, the news anchor explains the latest delay in the start of the school year. Next, comes the long interview with Mulgrew.
Mulgrew says the main issue now is staffing. He states that it's been on the table for months. He says there are still some ventilation problems but most have been cleared up. He continues that most of the PPE issues should be taken care of by the end of this weekend. He concludes by noting that some safety problems haven't been worked out but the main issue is staffing.
Mulgrew says he talked to the mayor on Wednesday. He told de Blasio we don't have the staff to open on Monday. "You cannot open a school unless you have a teacher in every classroom." You have to increase the budget. He adds they can't just put kids in the auditoriums as that would violate safety procedures. NYC now ready to hire new teachers. News anchor asks: Can you hire 7-8000 teachers in a week? We should be able to do that according to Mulgrew.
55 positive cases of Covid-19 in schools might be higher according to the news anchor. Mulgrew responds that we did a lot of media last week on contact tracing not working and to the their credit, the city set up a situation room. He adds that we are now getting our test results back in 24 hours from tests. That's gotten better.
Mulgrew states that the MLK Campus is not ready. Ventilation is passing all inspections in most buildings but if they turn on the heating systems that could be problematic. He then adds that private companies and independent contractors have been hired to address this.
Mulgrew then says emphatically: "Look, this is a major challenge and every other large school system ran away from it. We're not."
The news anchor asks if there is a possibility that things could go all remote. Mulgrew answers: "If the virus spikes up, yes." He adds that the infection rate of the virus is the only thing that could cause us to go all remote and that the mayor has made it very clear that he is not going to go all remote at any cost unless it's the virus itself that causes it. Mulgrew agrees with the mayor that you cannot have a substitute for in-person education. We will have safer policies than any other school system.
The rest of the conversation concerns teachers teaching out of license. Mulgrew stands up for physical education teachers.
The main takeaway from this interview is something we've pretty much known all along: The school reopening plan is not and never was Mayor Bill de Blasio and Chancellor Richard Carranza's alone. It's Michael Mulgrew's too. Mulgrew is all in and is just insisting that the details are worked out so that it is safer, not safe.
How do we pay to open schools so around half of the students can come into buildings once or twice a week? Snow day, every day basically. The Independent Budget Office on Thursday estimated the cost of opening the buildings to be an extra $32 million a week. As Living Colour said in The Glamour Boys: "Where the money comes from heaven only knows." This will become our problem when they ask us for new concessions.
Money aside, my understanding is the majority of UFTers and at least 42% of the NYC parents prefer all remote education, not because we don't want kids back in school, but because we don't want the virus to spike again. All of the other large districts in the country have gone all remote to prevent that second wave of COVID-19.
In NYC, most teachers and other school employees will continue to be the guinea pigs in de Blasio, Carranza and Mulgrew's experiment on whether putting a large group in school buildings will lead to a spread of this deadly coronavirus that has killed almost 200,000 Americans and one in 300 NYC residents. Starting next week, District 75 students, pre-k and 3-k students get to join in on the experiment if they so desire.
What truly baffles me is why the Unity faithful such as the Chapter Leader at Cardozo (a decent guy) who was shouting, "Teachers Vote, All Remote," aren't in open rebellion against Mulgrew? Mulgrew is admitting on live TV that he represents the mayor's position; it just has to be implemented a little better. I don't think he ever asked the membership for their opinion. Is your loyalty to Unity Caucus more important than your health and safety or do you actually buy what Mulgrew is selling? I can't understand why so many others just go along too.
50 comments:
What about the fact that teachers are being forced to go into their buildings just to do remote teaching which they could do better and safer from their homes? Also, why are atrs still floundering in the atr pool if schools are complaining they don't have enough staff? I don't want to hear because the doe wants the atr pool.
Mulgrew and Unity are a long term virus that has the potential to kill the profession in NYC. If teachers want to go fully remote, which is the only safe option in NYC, they have to start protesting against not only the DOE, but the UFT. Call the UFT and tell them you want to go fully remote and Mulgrew better get on board. Plan a day of protests against Mulgrew in front of 52 Broadway. He will instantly push for all remote, if he starts to lose the support of teachers. The rank and file have no reason for blind loyalty in a traitorous bastard that is Michael Mulgrew.
@Bronx ATR unfortunately there are too many sheep in the herd is what I'm finding. They pay union dues but just go along with the flow. It's these members/individuals that take one step forward and twenty steps back.
Then stop blaming Mulgrew and look in the f***ing mirror. There's where your problem is.
@10:48 am
Say it again. However I think we should continue to blame Mulgrew. Teach people how to treat you.
Mulgrew is just leading the sheep to slaughter. Teachers are the sheep. Most have to get a little more self respect.
Maybe someone should sue the uft for nonrepresentation documenting the medical risks and the will of the rank and file to go full remote
If you want an accommodation you had the chance to join the first 5 teachers who got the injunction ball rolling or you could have been resourceful like me who further corrupted the corrupt DOE, manipulated the system and got the DOEs medical accommodation by playing dirty. Please don't ask how.....others have given ideas here. Bottom line I was sneaky, crafty and resourceful... traits not inherent in sheep.
But keep paying dues.
But 1:22, You sound like a selfish asshole. Having people like you with us is no help. My guess is people can see right through you. Sherp and some rats aren't helpful. I'd prefer some wolves who form a pack to protect each other.
What does it mean if the room ventilation report shows the room to have windows but no exhaust and supply fans? Are windows enough to be considered safe? I see now why people were asking about the coming winter.
Here are your options: Would you prefer to be wool or lamb-chops?
Wall Street Journal:
New York City recorded nearly 35,000 more deaths in its most recent fiscal year compared with the previous one, according to a report from Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office, showing the devastating toll of the coronavirus pandemic.
What's a few more dead teachers to Mulgrew or de Blasio?
I'm 1:22 Not selfish. I got my accommodation because I did more than just whine. If there's a strike, I'll strike. I've already emailed UFT, Cuomo etc... I do my share. But I also recognize that too many sheep are among us and I'm not volunteering to get slaughtered with them. I'm not responsible for people who refuse to fight. When there's a mass walkout or if my school's teachers need to walk out, I'll join but until then, I take care of my business and encourage others to do the same.
Did you post anonymously like most do here? If so, join the herd.
Posting anonymously is one thing. Being ready to vote for a new union or strike if necessary is another. I’m sure there are many who do not want a potential target on there back for a post BUT will still vote and strike with large numbers in order to invoke change.
So Mulgrew needs us to be his eyes and ears for staffing issues?
What is Mulgrew trying to prove saying other large districts ran away? No, they stood up and fought for what was right. Mulgrew is a pussy who did not stand up to the mayor or doe but now he is trying to spin it like him and the mayor are standing up to covid. This jack ass thinks people are not aware of his bullshit.
Because James, we begged you all last school year to endorse an opt out. You said how furious you were, then in June said that nobody wanted it. So great, the uft get hundreds of millions of dollars in dues again. How's it going so far? Maybe you will listen and think clearly this time.
Was was I, an ATR, emailed at 11 PM, on a weekend and Jewish holiday about a change in location? No notice, just show up Monday. Nice job Mulgrew. Dues hard at work.
When I opted out, you called me a scam. I didn't just go along with it.
If thousands opted out individually, it wouldn't have made a difference. It may have actually made it worse as Mulgrew would have been even more desperate for new members the DOE could send to work in buildings.
A decertification campaign is a much better way to go. It is actually an organizing tool as it has to be done collectively. We still need a union more than ever.
Moreover, if you want to lead an opt out campaign, start your own blog and do it.
their backs*
Ok, James, so where did your way get is? I would be pretty pissed if I was still paying dues. Now what? But back to the point: What about the 1000s of
@UFT
teachers being senselessly forced to commute to school just to teach an entire day *remotely*? Still guinea pigs for Plan Mulgrew-BdB?
Oh boyyyyy. If you're happy saving the union dues hooray for you. You're $1600 richer and that's good for you. With all due respect many of us prefer doing something else to "win". Covid woke up the sleepers. Hopefully they will now vote out Mulgrew or find a way to start a "no confidence petition". We have the vets with info intel and the new jacks with the muscle. Together we can return teaching to its original purpose: An honorable profession that truly educates the masses. A profession in which we can all be proud. Let's goooooooo.
@3:10 pm
who is the "we"? Why does James have to endorse an "opt out"?
I despise some of the BS going on in the US. Am I going to leave? Hell no. I can be active to "change" what makes me upset but nah, I'm not leaving. I just can't figure out why you need James to endorse YOUR idea to opt out. I must be bugging out--azz the kids say.
Thanks James, tell people who are suffering to start their own blog, as if paying dues has helped us get anywhere.
So when they hire 7k new teachers and we go full remote what happens with all these extra teachers??
If you are interested in starting an opt out movement that I would not endorse, go ahead. If you are going to help promote a new caucus to challenge Mulgrew or a fragmentation drive to start a new union, email me and we can figure how to do something. It is a waste of time and energy to have the same old argument where we never change each other's mind.
The problem with the UFT is the leadership starting with Mulgrew on down, not the concept of a union. If the time has finally come where the rank and file is going to organize to replace the leadership, then I'm all in. We can discuss how to do that.
How about term limits for UFT President and other high UFT Executive Board leadership members. Say maybe 6 years or 8 years at most? Would it make a difference?
4:29: Bye Bye! In addition if we go full remote the pink slips are going to fly for appointed teachers as well.
Really 2:33? I post anonymously on a freakin blog. I don't email or call politicians or the uft anonymously.... you know when putting a name behind it actually counts. The herd is comprised of those who blindly or fearfully follow. That ain't me. I didn't follow the herd of whiners who couldn't figure out how to get an accommodation and then were too scared for a job action while also too scared to hire a lawyer like Bryan Glass. You're pissed at me because I was savvy enough to protect myself at no one else's expense. That's just absurd. Good luck to you. We're actually on the same damn side.
Oh sorry you are Eugene V Debs reincarnated.
This is what Mulgrew agreed to NYC?
You all pay for this?
NYC DOE continues to withhold info on staffers’ exposure to COVID-19
By Susan EdelmanSeptember 19, 2020 | 5:00pm
Maybe when covid deaths get to 300k Mulgrew will take it seriously. The problem is some of you might not be alive to no-show work.
Gee, I'm shocked: Just like NYC...
N.J. school district that fought for full in-person learning reports COVID-19 cases
So how is everybody gonna do a 45 minute lesson online? Ta;lk for 15 minutes and let them do whatever they want for the last 30 minutes?
https://nypost.com/2020/09/19/nyc-doe-mum-on-staffers-potential-exposure-to-covid-19/
$1600+ well spent. And you shouldn't mind pay triple dues on 10/15 for this type of service.
NYC DOE continues to withhold info on staffers’ exposure to COVID-19
As more teachers test positive for COVID-19, city officials are refusing to disclose how many other school staffers have been quarantined because of exposure to those infected.
The Department of Education said 61 employees have tested positive since starting work on Sept. 8, including 23 who reported to 21 school buildings and possibly infected others. Two buildings had two cases each. Fourteen other staffers tested positive before reporting to their schools.
Officials would not say how many educators have been quarantined, but noted they are expected to work from home while isolated.
Spokespersons for City Hall, the DOE and Department of Health would not say if any of the 61 infected teachers have called in sick or been hospitalized with COVID-19 symptoms.
At the Queens High School for Information, Research, and Technology in Far Rockaway, at least 13 teachers and administrators — including the principal and three assistant principals — are now quarantined for two weeks after a supervisor in charge of safety and security tested positive, according to staffers.
“Any one of them could come down with it now,” a staffer told The Post, referring to the exposed colleagues.
Deaf, blind, disabled kids left with no school buses despite NYC reopening
Also upsetting to teachers: They spent two days in the building after the staffer tested positive on Monday. They received notification about the case on Wednesday evening.
A DOE spokeswoman would not explain the notification timing, saying only: “Because of our aggressive health and safety protocols, we immediately moved to isolate that staff member, identify close contacts, and ensure they are quarantining.”
With others working remotely at QIRT because of medical accommodations, only five or six teachers remain at the small school, one of four in the Far Rockaway Educational Complex.
But they were ordered to keep showing up.
“So, there’s no leadership at the school. The remaining teachers are the only ones going in, and they’re working remotely at their desks,” a staffer told The Post.
Remote classes swelling to 'unconscionable' sizes at NYC schools
“The DOE policy is going to cause some people to die.”
Officials would not explain why teachers are required to work in the buildings when no students are attending — a policy that has generated widespread anger.
At JHS 131 Albert Einstein in the Bronx, the principal informed the faculty about a COVID-19 case. “Someone in the building has tested positive, but the DOE has cleared everyone to go in today.”
The principal and three assistant principals who had shown up since Sept. 8 attended a Zoom meeting from home, a teacher said. It was unknown whether they were quarantined.
“If you don’t feel safe as an administrator, how can you make everyone else come to school? That doesn’t make sense to me,” the teacher said.
Just check out the Post: Not only is the doe withholding which schools have Covid, they don't have buses for special ed kids attending special schools and doe teachers say the doe's child care program is a mess. When is the mayor going to get the picture? He is blind to everything.
Another success...
At the Queens HS of Information, Research, and Technology, at least 13 teachers and administrators are quarantined for two weeks after a supervisor in charge of safety and security tested positive, staffers report. “Any one of them could come down with it now.”
James, did you see the latest?
New career ladder position
The DOE and the UFT have also agreed to a new position that will allow paraprofessionals to take a step up the career ladder. The Paraprofessional Classroom Manager will manage classrooms of students while they perform independent work, eat during non-instructional lunch or participate in a remote class from the school building.
Paraprofessionals who apply and are selected for the new position will receive a per-term stipend of $1,750. If no teacher is available to cover a class, a Paraprofessional Classroom Manager can cover for absent teachers. Paraprofessional Classroom Managers asked to perform more than five coverages in a term will be paid the teacher's coverage rate.
Priority for Paraprofessional Classroom Manager positions will be given to paraprofessionals that have been admitted into the Lead Teacher Assistant pool, but who have not yet received a Lead Teacher Assistant position.
See? This is why need in-person. Even teachers have no clue how to deal with remote this year...
Yup. I’m hearing furloughs as well-especially for “specials”.
Oh how nice. Put a paraprofessional oops a paraprofessional "classroom manager" in a room with students who are not eating with their peers(possibly removed by the classroom teacher?), Performing independent work (see above); Working remotely from the school building (came to school without a mask? On the wrong day? Has symptoms and is awaiting parental pickup?) Sounds like a SAVE room. And all for a whopping stipend of $1,750 before taxes. Marvelous.
@8:33,
And there you have it. That the beginning of the end for teachers. Why are they needed if you have a computer and a babysitter? If the UFT doesn’t fight this tooth and nail, it really is completely useless - but it’ll have more babysitters paying dues.
Good question above, what are we doing for 45 minutes on a computer? 15-20 minutes teaching and then they work on their own?
UNION DUES
The entire conversation and debate on union dues is missing the point. No one care if I or you pay their dues. A couple dozen members here and there is not going to change what Mulgrew and the UFT are doing. The fact is Mulgrew and the UFT couldn't care less if you are unhappy and going to pull your dues when you can...in June 2021. Mulgew has expanded his dues base in an absolutely striking and historic way over the last 10 years. There were around 160,000 members in 2010 and today there are nearly 200,000.
Mulgrew knows exactly what he is doing! And there has been and will be a price to pay. You think our low raises, which have been far below inflation, over the last 10 years is not a reflection on the growth and size of our union? The fact is that Mulgrew and the UFT have sacrificed current members to grow the union and the will continue to do so! Adding an extra 10,000 bodies and paychecks in this current crisis is a lot of union dues and Mulgrew will send you into COVID19 death traps to get those extra dues. The UFT certainly is not missing your dues(but I must say I do support pulling dues if it makes you feel better. Certainly this union is way too big and out of touch to ever change or care).
GET READY FOR THE SLAUGHTER
Mulgrew and the UFT will do anything to keep as many members on the payroll as they can so they can collect their dues. The more bodies, the more dues, it is that simple to understand the UFT.
There have been all kinds of discussions in the background about a "grand bargin:" retirement incentive, unions making sacrifices/givebacks, tied into giving de Blasio the ability to borrow 5 billion and avoiding layoffs. These talks have been going on for months. As of now Cuomo is the lynch pin that wont give in. He wants the city to "cut the fat" before he agrees to support the legislation needed for a retirement incentive and to let NYC borrow.
The budget looks horrible for as far as the eye can see! The city spent nearly five hundred million more dollars last quarter than it pulled in. The cash reserves are at the lowest point in proportion to the budget in a decade and over 4.4 billion less than the average balance from 2016. The city has not had such little cash on hand since 2013. At the current rate, without a shut down, the city could run through its unrestricted cash in a year. Even with the best case scenario in place the Comptroller says the city will have less than two billion in cash at the end of this year. If there is another major shutdown, which many expect, the city will have difficulty making payroll sometime next year without huge cuts.
There is freight train rushing down the tracks and de Blasio has done little so far to avoid it except to beg the Federal Government for money, ask the state to let it borrow, pray the Democrats take control of the entire government and furlough his staff for five days(and he just did that so he can say he sacrificed too when he comes to take from us).
The UFT is going to sacrifice everything they can to keep people in their jobs, not because they think that it is what's right, but because it gets them the most dues. Salary freeze- step freezes- additional healthcare contributions- etc. are all going to be on the table and the UFT is already supporting letting the city borrow!!!! If the city is allowed to borrow we will shoot back to 1975 in an instant and be in major danger of a commission being put into place and changing our contracts unilaterally. The UFT would actually like that, then they can scream fake protestations of it being out of their control; members enjoy being so splendidly ignorant they will forget that the UFT actively supported de Blasio's burrowing, knowing fully the commission would be in place.
WAKE UP!
It is shocking how teachers are so naïve, ignorant, ill-informed, and dare I say stupid. If it was up to Mulgrew you would have been back in school already! Mulgrew agreed to open the schools with no teacher input, with no testing program in place, limited PPE in place, windows that only open inches, etc. because he was not looking out for our safety, he was looking at all the extra staff the city needed and would be paying the UFT dues. And do not dare tell me: "oh but he won some teachers the ability to get accommodations and stay home." Go learn about NYC, NYS and Federal law which required your employer to give you reasonable accommodations if you have a disability. The city did what it was required for it to do under the law, Mulgrew won nothing! The law covers disabled, not if someone in your house is disabled, not if you have childcare needs, etc. and that is why the other groups do not have accommodations.
Thank goodness for militant UFT members! The UFT has been telling protesting teachers to "go back into their building, they are safe." Teachers want to teach, they do not want to sit outside, but they know these schools are death traps! The UFT and City has only been quick to respond to needs at this point because of the private lawsuit filed by teachers. The UFT should have been the one fighting the lawsuit, not trying to coverup their own incompetence.
The worst days for being a UFT member are dead ahead!
Everything said here is valid enough. With that said I wish us all good luck tomorrow whatever it is you are doing.
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