Rejecting the Fact-finding Is the Only Option

by Ellen Fox

After many months of shilly-shalling over terms of a contract that is already almost two and a half years overdue, a panel of three "independent" "fact-finders" released a 51-page report last Monday.  Your UFT Leadership is now offering that report as the “basis" of a contract that would cover the period of time from when the last contract expired (May 31, 2003) to June, 30, 2006 - a total of 37 months.
 
The recommendations of the "fact-finders" offer few benefits, and many, many givebacks.  Members really owe it to themselves to check the facts out in the original 51 page report.  (For convenience sake, people could simply read the "Recommendations" section, which begins on page 36.)  Unfortunately, the UFT leadership hasn't gotten hard copies of the document into members' hands.  People must go to the UFT.org on the web to read it.
 
In the meantime, the UFT has made copies of a "fact sheet" ---a 2- page digest of some of the salient parts of the report.  Because the Union is attempting to "sell" a very bad proposal, this document highlights in bold-face the very few "advantages," and obscures or minimizes many of the most serious drawbacks.
 
If the proposal actually makes it to a contract vote, UFT leadership will attempt to frighten members into accepting it by claiming that their only alternative is a protracted and onerous strike.  This is definitely NOT the case.  We all owe it to ourselves and our colleagues to REJECT THIS PROPOSAL, and VOTE NO!