The Official Blog of the Independent Community of Educators, a caucus of the United Federation of Teachers
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Open Market Transfer Plan Shows Trap for the Unwary
Billed by the Union as the best thing since sliced bread the "Open Market Transfer Plan" has already shown some of its most basic flaws. Remember this supposed "win" from our wonderful contract. Teachers and other staff would not be limited by caps, anyone could transfer anywhere and the world would become a safer place. Yeah, right!
When you go through the sign up procedure and find a school that is listed that you are interested in all you do is click here and acknowledge there a voila you are in the running for a transfer. But not so quick. Just what is sent to your prospective principal? This question was not asked in the Union's recent Q&A.
As it turns out, not much. Name, rank and serial number information is transmitted. What does that tell a prospective employer? Unless he or she is desperate the inbox with your application will be deleted. There is nothing to base a hiring decision, positive or negative, in what is sent to the school. Perhaps a prospective principal, if she is so inclined, can weed through your online personnel records for pedegree information and basic info but would you want to work in a school where the hiring decision was based on such meager information?
In order to have a chance to tranfer at all you must send a copy of your resume to the principal by U.S. Mail and indicate that you have applied on the online system. This was the advice of Vanvette Heath a DOE problem solver for the new system.
Click and forget at your own peril, although it is hard for us to believe that this system has any chance of success, anyway.
It means that basically you're on your own, "like in the real world," as a Unity hack with a secure job wrote.
ReplyDeleteYou have to get your own interview and sell yourself. And if you're a senior teacher, you've got to convince the principal you're a better bet than am easily manipulated rookie who'll earn
half your salary.
It's great that we have such seasoned negotiators to win us these great benefits.
God help all excessed teachers.
ReplyDeleteMy DR told meus to send a resume after the intial "electronic" inquiry. Then to follow up with a phone call. What's wrong with that?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous' DR said to send a resume- most people do not know this. In larger schools, phone calls won't get past the secretary. The procedure has not been spelt out by the DOE or explained to the teachers by the UFT. Just saying a program is terrific does not make it so. Additionally, having worked "in the real world" for many years, it is a daunting task to sort through resumes. How will Principals find time to do this when they are already so busy putting letters and additional "U" observation reports into teachers' files? What criteria will be used when evaluating resumes? Chapter Leaders are not a required part of the process. You can more or less figure out a person's age by examining the dates of their degrees. "Friends'" relatives can hand their resumes in. Even the UFT believes there is discrimination against some older teachers. Before touting a program, it behooves our leaders to look into all of its ramifications very carefully. Personally, I believe it’s a gift to the DOE and a step towards placing teachers wherever Administration chooses. The Market Transfer Plan door is open by a very thin crack and has slammed shut and locked a real entrance way that was already working for us for years.
ReplyDeleteWhen someone I know called the UFT borough office, they got exactly what anonymous said and more. Who did you call?
ReplyDeleteTo the last anonymous- what "more" did they get?
ReplyDeleteWow. What a fool I was to sit through all those classes.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna get an MD, and save on costly operations by performing them myself.
You guys missed an opportunity to run against Randi. For all your pontificating, not one of you wants to put yourself on the ballot.
ReplyDeleteToo bad. You lost a great opportunity to unseat Unity now that many teachers see them for what they are. Selfish Bastards!
What are you talking about? How did we miss an opportunity to unseat Randi? The election is next year.
ReplyDeleteI have a question.
ReplyDeleteIf you get excessed, you don't have to find your own job, do you? Do the excessed teacher go to the District and - as in the last contract - let them find a vacancy in the district, and if none exists, push someone out with less seniority?
The last poster has not read the fine print in the new contract.
ReplyDeleteThere may not be an election, however when my DR came to my school she touted how wonderful the new contract committee was--leaving out the fact that givebacks were still on the table. And since she spoke at different lunch hours, not many people got the record straight.
ReplyDeleteSo it seems that Unity is already campaigning for the next election, and as of yet, except for the few that read blogs, teachers will not know the real story and will believe in the Unity spin.
The campaign starts now, not next year, and not on blogs but by reaching each and every teacher.
Unless you are working now to reach that end, this blog as well as others will not make a difference.
Dear Anon 11:12am
ReplyDeleteA campaign will be starting soon.
You say: "teachers will not know the real story and will believe in the Unity spin. The campaign starts now, not next year, and not on blogs but by reaching each and every teacher."
I agree. We need to reach every teacher through their school mailbox and we need your help in your school and others. And other teachers you know. We are formulating distribution lists and we hope you will be available.
I will be happy to serve as long as your publications don't sound too bitchy with personal attacks.
ReplyDeleteKeep to the facts, and you will do well.
I still feel you should spend some money on having whatever is sent out to look and sound professional--get a good PR person or something.
Between ICE and UTP members, you should have start making sure you have money in your coffer to also pay for newspaper ads when the time comes.
To May 13 7:22 p.m.-
ReplyDeleteYou have to find your own job under the new contract if you are excessed. A school must hire you. If you can't find a school that will agree to accept you, you become an absent teacher reserve in your old school or district.
And there are no layoffs (pay & benefits stay in place)and no forced transfers so it is only an issue of placement. You might be sent to a school for an "interview" and if that "interview" dosn't go well then you remain an ATR. So if you don't want to be in that school . . .
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, the school that you were excessed from will still have to pay for you on their budget if you are an ATR. That will give them an incentive to find that you are doing something wrong so they can rate you unsatisfactory and fire you.
ReplyDeleteThat is not true. You will be budgeted from the school only if it was because of "program changes" not for lower school enrollment. The Region pays for you then.
ReplyDeleteEGOS, EGOS, EGOS!
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing to here these ICE people just bitter enough to say anything to make themselves seem so important. At the Ex. Bd. this evening, first retiree Norm Scott feels compelled to look out for our in-service backs by going against the will of members. Thanks, but no thanks. I'll have my own rep watch it.
Then for almost 40 minutes, after James Eterno asked for the "union's comment" about Jeff Kaufman's case (who happened to be sitting next to him), it was discussed at length the proceedings and next steps about his case. After Jeff had previously paused the meeting with "point of orders" and other tactical maneuvers we are use to in the DA without, admitting, not talking about the substance of the topic, it was clear what ICE is about. Obviously, they believe that the real business of the UFT Ex. Bd. should be about Jeff and his individual case. Now he can feel special and have part of our policy-making bodies in the union be about him. James could not ask Jeff himself nor could Jeff have asked Randi privately or in an e-mail or something. Although he could have had the answers to his question that way, he certainly wouldn't have had the audience.
Admittedly ICE people have said they like the renewed signs of activism in the union and are clearly grasping at straws to be taken seriously. I wonder what they will find "wrong" next. I know, let's focus on Jeff for the whole next DA. Forget about the other 99,999 other active members
Be creative and be real leaders. If not you can exit stage left.
ReplyDelete"Forget about the other 99,999 other active members"
ReplyDeleteSomehow UNITY thinks they remembered about the other 99,999 members during our members contract negotiations. Unfortunately, we live that contract everyday so trying to forget it is an exercise in futility. We will be raped and plundered no more.
This is the beginning of the end of the Weingarten Era.
Aren't people excessed for program changes? Then, as was previously said, the school pays for you as an ATR and they have an incentive to go after you. Great negotiating UFT.
ReplyDeleteEgos, Egos, Egos-
ReplyDeleteYou are probably a top Unity official or you wouldn't have been at the Executive Board. I guess you guys are ok with personal attacks as long as it's against Jeff Kaufman.
Vote ICE 2007
The dyke sold us all out, like the right-wing warmongers Feldman and unity hacks. They spend more time red-baiting communists inside the union than fighting for the union. The unity righ-wing war machine has slaughtered teachers in New York and across the country for 50 years.
ReplyDeleteDo we have to get people's sexuality involved?
ReplyDeleteIf people are excessed because of "program changes" decided upon by the principal and not becuase of a loss of register then yes, the school is charged. Otherwise it comes out of the district's budget.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, the Ex. Bd. is open to any UFT member, regardless of caucus (hence Norm Scott, and open mike presenters).
ReplyDeleteSecondly, there was no name calling in the post about what occurred at teh Ex. Bd. But it is clear to see where the narrow minded, ignorant people are. Is this what ICE is about? Great platform!
I thought that this is the type of "talk" that James Eterno and ICE frowned upon?
Actually James, I don't think you are narrow minded. I've heard you speak and I beleive you to be quite forthcoming and open.
ReplyDeleteI beleive the reference was about
"Anonymous Tuesday, May 16, 2006 8:41:08 PM"'s comment.
Thank you James.
ReplyDeleteI think that name calling post should be deleted. It has no place here or anywhere. Anyone can comment here and I guarantee that's not an ICE person.
ReplyDeleteNow on to Unity anon who was at the Exec bd meeting on May 15 and commented on this "retiree" (as opposd to retirees Pappas, March, Abe Levine, etc. who actually sit on the Exec bd and speak quite often.)
Note I asked how come the special investigation reso didn't have special protections for Chapter leaders who are sent to rubber rooms. No response, as expected. (I bet you are one of the people charging ICE with having no suggestions or ideas – I'll list them one day - all turned down by Unity, especially the call for more protections for CL presented years ago.)
I did not say go against the will of the members. I said if someone in the rubber room wants things expedited the investigation should take no more than 2 weeks and they should be back in their schools if not charged. So how's that for your distorting what I really said?
I have used the 10 minutes (which Randi turned into an hour on May 15) to comment on the lack of protection for people who are being U-rated and others being sent to now overflowing rubber rooms. The reps you rely on are doing a wonderful job.
No one from the UFT showed up at the Brooklyn RR until Kaufman was there and people were lining up for his help, help they weren't getting from the UFT.
How come it took rubber room people coming to the Exec bd before they even dealt with the issue? Didn't they know all these years? Or maybe too busy worrying about John Stossel.
In Oct. 2005 I raised the issue of age discrimination and the leadership acted surprised. Yet an anon unity person slipped me info that teachers in Bay Ridge had filed an age discrim. suit and the UFT refused to cooperate with their lawyers.
There's a mention of 40 minutes talking about Jeff's. You didn't mention the half hour delay (at least) in the start of the meeting because Randi was not there. I bet you didn't lodge a complaint about that. EGO EGO EGO!
Some of the people you mentioned Norm, actually are elected to the Ex. Bd. You are not.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it Norm that someone that was at the Ex. Bd. that does not agree with you or ICE is automatically a "Unity" person? Does everyone that comes to the Ex. Bd. have to take attendance with you?
ReplyDeleteNorm?
ReplyDeleteSorry anon who goes to Exec bd but is of an independent mind and spirit - maybe you're there for the food like I am. I just saw the comments.
ReplyDeleteAnd also to anon who always uses the sdjective "retiree norm scott".
"Some of the people you mentioned Norm, actually are elected to the Ex. Bd. You are not."
Yes. But you spit out the words "Retiree" when it refers to me like it's a dirty word - "retiree Norm Scott feels compelled to look out for our in-service backs" - as if there is something wrong with being a retiree and active. Yet Unity uses the 50,000 retirees and numerous elected retirees on the Exec bd.
I must be active for nefarious reasons in your world while Unity retirees being active is ok. Maybe the fact that I am not getting any Unity perks for being active is what is confusing you.
As for the comment " Why is it Norm that someone that was at the Ex. Bd. that does not agree with you or ICE is automatically a "Unity" person?
I know everyone who is there regularly and other than ICE/TJC people who go there are either Unity (95%) or Unity supporters or Unity wannabees. Ok, maybe for dinner. If you are non of the above why don't you just id yourself or email me privately, not that I really don't know who you are.
Norm knows everyone!
ReplyDeleteI thought there was a purpose for the anonymous part of blogs. Unless it comes to Norm and ICE.
ReplyDeleteNorm, how is that tyou know who is writing anonymously? Are you saying that this blog doesn't really have an "anonomous"?
ReplyDelete