I don't know if our post last week was read by UFT leaders but I do know today they acted properly by telling members about UFT's Staples boycott.
We here at ICE like to point out when the union does something well.
The email from the Staff Directors is copied below.
Dear James,
As you begin to spend the $77 that teachers will receive in Teacher’s Choice funds for 2014-15, please keep in mind that the UFT is supporting the AFL-CIO boycott of Staples.
Through its retail partnership with Staples, the U.S. Postal Service is privatizing postal operations and replacing living-wage, unionized Postal Service jobs with low-wage, non-unionized Staples jobs.
Read the UFT resolution to boycott Staples passed at the June Delegate Assembly.
As in previous years, to participate in Teacher’s Choice, you will need to submit receipts as proof of purchase. These receipts must accompany a Statement of Purpose/Accountability form. Once this form is available for this year, it will be posted on the DOE’s Teacher’s Choice website. To qualify under Teacher’s Choice, purchases can be made as early as Aug.1, 2014 but no later thanFeb. 28, 2015.
Sincerely,
LeRoy Barr and Ellie
Directors of Staff
25 comments:
I hope it was your post last week about the Staples Boycott that got the union's attention. Now all the union has to do is shut down their charter schools then I will boycott Staples. If not I may continue to spend my money there.
I find it ironic that the union is concerned about good paying unionized jobs being lost. This new contract SELLS OUT unionized teachers. Remember you have to be inservice under a UFT job title at the time of the lump sum payment to receive it. We are starting to become free labor because this corrupt union knows a lot of teachers are going to be burnt out and leave before they can collect the money THEY EARNED. I will listen to the union leadership when they listen to opposition at the union meeting. Remember Peter's Rules of Order. Tell Mr. Barr I will spend ALL of my money at Staples unless this changes.
Let me get this straight. The union wants us to support unionized postal workers. Isn't this hypocritical for the union to ask us when they did not support illegal observations of ATR's, teachers with a letter in a file, etc. Did the union address class sizes and paperwork in the latest contract? Was there any input from teachers concerning Common Core and Danielson. Remember back in January 2013 the union wanted ONLY the delegate assembly to vote on a new evaluation system if there was an agreement and not the entire membership. The union agreed to back load the 4% and 4% for a total of 11 years. If the union supports wants us to support middle class workers they need to practice what they preach.
The union wants us to boycott Staples. How about we boycott the union!!! I just read a recent article on this blog that due process rights have been diminished over the last 15 years. If the UFT is so concerned about unionized postal workers why are they selling out their own members with reduced due process rights? Why do teachers have no input to their career concerning matters like how they run their classroom? There is so much micromanaging system wide it is pathetic!!! This union is a disgrace and they need to be boycotted. Let's make a statement and shop at Staples.
Let me see if I get this. The UFT abandoned Jamaica High School (and other schools) in the 2011 lawsuit leaving many comprehensive high schools to be phased out. The union abandons the membership but then wants us to support the boycott. Who are they kidding!!! I believe anon 8:46 meant to say that the union allowed the ATR's to be observed which was a violation of the contract. The union has some nerve to ask the teachers to fall in line and support them when there is a pattern on the part of the union of abandoning its members.
The UFT does not support its members. I get that commenters. We are rightfully angry at the leadership for reasons outlined very well in these comments. However, why would you take that justifiable anger out on union postal workers who are having their jobs undermined by Staples? I support the Staples boycott and so should everyone else.
The UFT is VERY INCONSISTENT about who they support. Why are we supporting this union and not others. For example the union was very quiet during the possible LIRR strike. As far as I know the UFT did not publicly support our union brothers and sisters at the LIRR. ALL UNIONS should be collaborating together. I believe the other municipal unions in the city support the ATR's more than our own union. Does the UFT support private sector unions like the UAW?
If the union is fighting hard to support unionized postal workers then why did they screw unionized building administrators who use to be teachers on the RETRO RAISES AND LUM SUM PAYMENTS!!!! If a teacher wants to be a building administrators they will lose out the retro raises and lump sum payments too.
I am not supporting the boycott and I will tell you why. I recently spoke to a friend of mine who is an ATR and he told something that troubled me. A high level union official made derogatory remarks to him about the ATR's. This was unprofessional on the part of the union official. We all pay union due whether you are an appointed teacher or a floater. We expect our union leadership to treat us in the same professional manner. However the union instead created a caste system for teachers.
The union is tone deaf to our concerns and does not care to listen to u on important matters like Common Core, VAM and Danielson (basically our working conditions and lousy pattern that they negotiated). If the union leadership continues this I will go out and buying hearing aides with batteries for all of our union leaders. Perhaps this will help them listen.
Realistically it is going to be difficult not to shop at Staples. I have two membership cards with the retail chain. Also I receive coupon offers periodically. Staples offers a wide variety of services at their print center that would be hard for teachers to ignore. This is why the union leadership is out of touch with what goes in the schools. There are times when teachers have to make their own copies outside of school (there has been a paper shortage for years). This could force teachers to use Staples in an emergency situation. If the union wants us to boycott Staples then END THE PAPER SHORTAGE!!!
I just received an email from Modell's. It stated that when you make a purchase of any amount you will a coupon offer for Staples. Tempting offers like these will make it hard not to shop at Staples. There have been many times where I went to Staples to laminate posters and other classroom displays. This just shows how out of touch our union leadership is.
I just received an email from Modell's. It stated that when you make a purchase of any amount you will a coupon offer for Staples. Tempting offers like these will make it hard not to shop at Staples. There have been many times where I went to Staples to laminate posters and other classroom displays. This just shows how out of touch our union leadership is.
Try Office max
You guys are proving why working people are in so much trouble. You are finding every excuse in the book not to support a very reasonable boycott that could help unionized working people.
Union members not supporting fellow union workers asking for help is disgraceful. Don't blame this on Mulgrew. You guys are totally wrong not to back the postal workers. Your narrow minded thinking is really sickening. Here is the logic: Mulgrew sucks as he just sold out teachers, especially ATRS so I will ignore his request that we stand up for postal workers. We are cutting off our noses to spite our face.
You guys should be ashamed of yourselves if you shop at Staples. End of argument.
Mulgrew won't be hurt if you shop at Staples but many good union postal workers will. Support the boycott.Why would people want to hurt them? Misplaced anger.
So take it out on unionized postal workers. That makes zero sense.
With an outlook like that toward fellow union workers, I now fully understand why working people are treated as poorly as we are these days.
Listen to the postal workers. Not Leroy Barr.
And screw the unionized postal workers? Brilliant. God help us.
I hope the sarcasm came through in the last comment.
James I went to NY1.com yesterday and saw the story on the ATR buyout. I think you did great. The ATR severance package was insulting. Very few ATR teachers accepted the buyout (what a surprise). I think it is disgusting on the part of the city and union to try to get rid of ATR's on the cheap. Obviously it did not work. At least this part of the new contract (ATR severance package) blew up in their faces. I hope other parts of the new contract (for example the pending lawsuit from former members on the retro raises) have the same result. From what I read on the blogs many ATR's would prefer service credit instead. The problem is the union leadership are not effective listeners and are actually dismissive toward ATR's.
Read the July 31 ICE blog post and the links. The Postal union wants this to continue
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