No need for much editorializing here: the facts speak for themselves on a comparison of UFT and transport Workers Union Local 100 (city bus and subway workers) contracts. The piece below was put out by TWU.
I can't understand why any UFT member would consider the argument that we can't do better after looking at this.
I truly do not feel that we are settling for less then they are, or will be. I believe that over all our contract is a fair deal. I do not think we could have done that much better. We weren't in the negotiating room.
ReplyDeleteEvery union has a different set of wants and needs. We do and they all do too. It's hard to know what they will or will not accept, or what the City will eventually accept. What we do know is that our team negotiated and agreed upon a contract. That contract was approved by the Executive Board, the Delegates of the union, and also a sign off from the municipal unions as a whole (which will affect them too). Would I want 8% now. Sure! But, you know what-- the school year remains unchanged, the school day remains the same, in time. We are getting full retro, and 19.5% compounded money between now through 2018. Top salary going to nearly $120,000. I consider this to be a good contract and will vote for it and will recommend others to vote for it too.
You see it right in front of you that another public employee union did better and you still want the do-do Mulgrew is shoving down our throats. Some of you make me embarrassed to be a teacher. Have you no self respect?
DeleteThe math is right in front of the Unity guy and he still says the garbage is good.
DeleteYes, but Mulgrew said we are getting a good deal....surely he would not lie.
ReplyDeleteVOTE NO ON THE CONTRACT!
VOTE NO TO UNITY!
Anon 6:37
ReplyDeleteI guess you don't give a shit about the DOE caaste system and how it makes the ATRs second and third class citizens.
The money is inadequate and deferred, no class size reductions, and the "fair student funding" is still in place. Great contract. if your deaf, dumb, and blind.
Apparently some of our members are deaf, dumb and blind.
DeleteDoes anybody know if it is legal for them to deprive us of the retro pay if we choose to quit? Its work we already completed. How could they make us stay on in order to get that money from 2009-2014?
ReplyDeleteIf the membership of the union agrees to it, it's a deal. Like it or not, that's democracy. I understand that UFT won't engage in debate so it is not exactly a fair fight since they have full acess to the schools. But hey, life is not fair.
DeleteThe "flier" that you are proud to endorse the full MTA package doesn't mention the "give back" of health care costs rising from 1.5% of base pay to 2% of their base pay. Oh right, our proposed contract still has us paying ZERO on health care through 2018. Is is apples to apples?
ReplyDeletePS- YOUR COMMENTS TO THE LOCAL TABLOIDS MADE ALL TEACHERS LOOK GREEDY. WE ARE NOT ALL GREEDY AND YOU DO NOT SPEAK FOR ALL OF US. THE NEWS AND POST HOWEVER ARE MOST GRATEFUL FOR YOUR HELP.
It did not make us look anything ... U r clearly a unity supporter
DeleteUnity loves zeros.
ReplyDeleteForget Unity, as a hard working teacher I don't want to be misrepresented, or mischaractetized by anyone. That includes your comments to the tabloids, as though you're speaking for everyone. Or, theTabloids editorializing about teachers. Next time you want to opine, please be sure to say it is "of your opinion", or your caucus. By the way, I am not a CL, or a voting delegate. I am however a NYC teacher.
ReplyDeleteRegarding a comment from Chaz earlier, please read the news! De Blasio is allocating $4B to lessen class sizes and to get rid of the trailers. Doesn't have to be part of our deal.
ReplyDelete"Deaf, dumb and blind"...Chaz and company, 95don't you know that bullying is not allowed in NYC public schools? Also, shouldn't be tolerated in your MORE forum.
ReplyDeleteAnd you complain that you can't get a chance to debate? Who are you kidding?
ReplyDeleteIf we are going to talk about paying for healthcare, we then must talk about pension. I believe transit workers are still on Tier V so they pay much less for their pension compared to new UFT people who are on Tier VI. Our newer members pay a significantly higher rate into the pension and can't retire until they are 63 and with an inferior pension. I believe it maxes out at 55% of final average salary. If we throw in pension along with the healthcare, it is pretty much a wash but I will look up more on that when I have a chance.
As for the tabloid comments, are you kidding? Wanting to get paid now for work done in 2009 is not greed by any stretch of the imagination. The UFT is asking us to make an interest free loan to the city and giving us basically nothing in return.
Why doesn't this contract do anything to help our students? Or to help us help them? Why are we always on the defensive? Why aren't we demanding improvements in the schools?
ReplyDeleteHow can they guarantee the new health care administrators will not have to cut our health care and/or raise premiums? How on earth could they save $3.4 billion dollars without any changes?
Why don't we get interest on our retroactive money?!
How come the banks always get their money first (by city or state law) and workers last?
Greetings,
ReplyDeleteSome concerned UFT Members at the PS 197M UFT Chapter want their voice heard in the debate around the preliminary contract. We urge people to read the text of the proposed contract carefully and not be so gullible and naïve as to judge a book by its cover with the cover being the so-called 18% that will trickle down in insignificant amounts leading to 2020. Insignificant because taxes and cost-of-living will gobble it up in one swoop.
Read the Open Letter critically. See if your own chapter can write up a letter also to raise some questions about the contract.
We balanced the good and bad points of the proposed agreement. We hope the negotiators of the proposed contract pay attention to the issues we bring up for changes in the MOA. We demand an expedited review of the MOA to address the problems many thoughtful members are raising. We further demand real, transparent and democratic debate on the terms of the MOA.
Even if this MOA is ratified, it does not mean that people are really aware of what they are ratifying. The people who are selling the contract know very well this is the case and they count on that to push it down our throats.
Teachers’ Voice Radio will feature a Special Program on the Proposed Contract soon (at http://teachersvoiceradio.net). Information will be forthcoming.
In Solidarity,
Brother B.
For the Concerned UFT Members at the PS 197M UFT Chapter
Just love the overused word "bullying," Bully's have power over their victims. Not everyone who says something bad about someone is a bully. THANK YOU ICE BLOG FOR NOT BACKING DOWN! Mulgrew is selling us out and because he's a coward, he won't debate the merits of the contract. The NYDailyNews and the Post will always portray us as greedy. I'm an adult, I can handle the name calling and still demand my 10% NOW!!!! Instead of the 2% I will see in September. And BTW---Mulgrew doesn't speak for me or the other teachers who recognize a bullshit contract when they see one. Roseanne McCosh, PS 8
ReplyDeleteChaz has my permission to speak for me as a teacher to any NYC tabloid on any day of the the week!
ReplyDeleteRoseanne, "overused"?
ReplyDeleteOkay, not everyone who says something bad about someone is a bully. But, the people saying something "bad" about someone and trying to stifle speech, or an action, in order to make themselves seem more powerful (to themselves or to others) than they actually are. Or here's a definition: to abuse, intimidate, or aggressively impose domination over others. Kinda fits.
Glad you're an adult and you are looking for more outlets to hear that you are off-base. I.e., Tabloids, or perhaps in this forum, albeit in a "respectable" manner. BTW- If you've ever worked in the private sector you may have a clue as to how lucky you really are. This contract may not give us everything that we may want, but it's better than most anywhere else you may look.
James (and Chaz), it is your right as a citizen to speak to the press, Go for it! if you want to speak to them (and they want to hear from you).
ReplyDeleteWhat I am saying is for your comments to be fair and accurate, you must say that your words speak for yourself, or your caucus. To do otherwise gives the false impression that you are speaking for many more union folks than you actually may represent. Roseanne says that she is an adult. We all are. However, there are so many loud-mouth governors and so-called experts who are looking for any excuse to tear down public school teachers. We shouldn't feed into their frenzy.
Hey 6:50 am- I talked for a long time to each of the reporters and they just printed one point I made. It is up to them what to print. If I could go on unedited, it would be this blog and not the Daily News. We did alert them to the box in the hard copy that had wrong information about retirees not getting the money. We do try to be accurate and to their credit, they changed the box online and I was informed they put a correction in the hard copy edition today.
ReplyDelete6:50am--
ReplyDeleteJames, thanks for your candor (above) and for giving space for contrary viewpoints in this blog.
James rock on... More and ice views are under attack. The unity party is all over the web. My Unity chapter leader put all the great things this contract will provide.. I got pissed so I printed some of this and more material and fired back into the mailboxes. Naturally I am exiled because I am on a HS in Staten Island... Mulgrew world
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, since the UFT is comprised predominantly of woman, we are being asked to accept 75cents for every dollar the male dominated unions are offered. Do you really think a union of men in the NYPD or sanitation department would accept this pittance? Hey ladies, just accept your lot in life.
ReplyDelete