I read the Daily News article on the evaluation system negotiations. The News reported on what the mayor said on his radio show yesterday.
Mayor Bloomberg said that he would rather lose the money (now $250,000,000 in state funding) and make "painful cuts" to the schools or other agencies rather than cut a deal that doesn't "hold their (teachers) feet to the fire."
"If we can't come to an agreement, it's going to be very painful, but the city's certainly not going to sign on to any agreement that isn't a real evaluation agreement, and one that can be monitored by the public," Bloomberg told John Gambling according to the News. He added that he is still optimistic a deal can be reached.
UFT President Michael Mulgrew was quoted in the same News article as saying that he's not hopeful a deal will happen. He stated, "It seems the mayor is more interested in using the evaluations to hold teachers' feet to the fire, than he is in helping them do their jobs better."
Is this all muscle flexing and saber rattling or is this where negotiations truly stand now? I have read Norm Scott many times saying we should watch what our union's leaders do and not what they say.
Accountable Talk blogger believes the fix is in after he talked to a union official who came to his school.
I refer back to our piece from Sunday on how this will all play out. I expect that maybe the governor and AFT President Weingarten might become involved at some point soon.
The rank and file should put whatever pressure we can exert to convince the UFT not to cave in by agreeing to an evaluation system that relies on junk science and harassing observations to rate teachers.
Always value your word James. Thank you for the post. I've personally set aside some time today to send the MORE Petition to as many teachers as I can - got a number of them to sign it. I've also asked them to spread the word. It's small but I am trying to educate as many as I can. Thanks you. I dislike Mulgrew for the utter lack of transparancy in all this - so many rank and file members left completely in the dark as to what moves he is contemplating - members should not have to live this way. Most of the teachers I speak to have no clue to what VAM or APPR mean. They are surprised that a new teacher evaluation might be coming. Yet, I must pray he doesn't sell us out.
ReplyDeleteHow about starting a petition to our union not to sell out on this deal. I'll sign it along with most of my staff.
ReplyDeleteI agree. The MORE petition does not go that far. It only asks for a membership vote on a new evaluation system. We should be opposing the entire concept of rating us based on student test scores and multiple observations. Hit back UFT>
ReplyDeleteEntering the last year of the illegal third term, the mayor is a really bad lame duck or should I say dead duck politically. His endorsements will become toxic as the third tem. Bloomberg blizzard, Cathy Black, and the welcome he received in the Rockaways during Sandy should open even the most loyal supporter of Bloomverg queezy. The presidential election showed the voter resentment towards big business influence upon in elections. I can only hope that New Yorkers pay back Blomberg by trouncing his hand picked successor in the primary. The UFT should offer Bloomberg the same consideration he has gievn to members working without a contract after he grabbed the TDA fixed income rate away from members and scewed the leadership, the members and smiled all the way. Klein did the same with teacher ratings that once again Bloomberg in spite of state law wants to use to hold teachers accountable.
ReplyDeleteJames,
ReplyDeleteThe mayor is lying, he can't make “painful cuts” because that is not what the money was supposed to be used for! It is/was a grant to try something different. It was never supposed to be used to fund anything else or as a replacement for other budgetary items! As a supposed, “businessman” he knows this!
Bloomberg is immoral and AGAIN using bad faith tactics in an ongoing contract negotiation.
That Mulgrew and friends do not point this out is a travesty and shows where their allegiances are.
The rank and file will be sold out again. Unity will say it is inevitable and at least we can be at the table.
sad, so very sad
while the MORE petition could have gone further, the strategy -- given we do not know what the deal will be -- of calling for a vote would allow for a Vote NO campaign which might even lead to voting it down -- though watch the Unity machine which is already sending the hacks into the schools to soften everyone up.
ReplyDeleteNo to value added and Danielson. Not just a membership vote.
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ReplyDelete...".No...you CAN'T vote on it...."(fascist behavior)
Its so painful to be a teacher today.
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