While many teachers in New York City continue to be overworked and over-stressed as classroom conditions further deteriorate under Mayor Bill de Blasio and Chancellor Carmen Farina, other education unions are fighting back for real.
In Chicago they are taking a strike authorization vote this week for a possible 2016 walkout. Illinois law requires 75% of the membership to vote yes before a strike can take place so the Chicago Teachers Union is holding a three day vote this week to make sure everyone has a chance to cast a ballot.
UFT leadership will tell us that strikes by public employees are illegal in New York State so we can't even consider such an action. We recently went almost five years without a contract and six without a raise. The fact that strikes were illegal didn't stop UFT members from walking off the job in 1960, 1962, 1967, 1968, and 1975 and working conditions were certainly improved thanks to the activism of UFT members in those years.
Our current leaders think that giving up many of the rights that were won over those decades (see 2005 contract for details) and taking inadequate raises (see 2014 contract that set a labor pattern of 10% over 7 years for city employees and pays UFT members piecemeal up until 2020 raises other city unions received back in 2008-2010) is the way to go. Some of us think fighting like a real labor union would be a better idea.
Another government union in New York City that has gone five years without a contract and six without a salary increase--just like UFT members between 2008 and 2014-- is going to use a militant rather than a UFT style concessionary strategy to attempt to win a decent contract. That union is the Professional Staff Congress (City University teachers) who are mobilizing for a strike authorization vote.
Aren't they risking violating the dreaded Taylor Law which outlaws strikes by government employees? Well yes but in 2011 a UN agency ruled that the no strike part of the Taylor Law is a human rights violation.
Notice also that when the PSC showed videos on their website of support, they featured union leaders from Seattle and Chicago and not New York. That is telling.
28 comments:
Once NYS becomes a right to work states, Taylor Law will become history and strikes will be happening like clockwork.
Anon 5:38 nailed it. After Freidrichs,expect frequent strikes. Taylor law means nothing. Shanker went to jail gleefully. That's what union leaders are supposed to do. Toussaint did as well. Mulgrew would never. He's probably afraid that once in jail, they would keep him. Randi went to jail for the #BLM protests, which is admirable. But, why she wouldn't do it for her members seems odd.
That wasn't real jail for Randi. This thing ends up in state court for sure if union loses Friedrichs? Unions will defend Taylor law. You think they will willingly let the dues go when thousands defect?
i don't understand how Freidrichs challenges the Taylor Law. That will still be in place. What will happen is that Unions will become more militant, and will flout the Taylor Law as they did in the 60s and 70s.
It totally effects Taylor Law. New, smaller unions with real guts will form after NY becomes a right to work state. These unions will be willing to strike. Taylor Law will become obsolete and will be changed to create a new system where unions will be allowed to strike if they are not bargained with in a fair manner. It will free up municipalities from stalling out contracts for years and years and then having to pay retro money with interest all the time. (Even though we got sold out on retro money)
Anon 2:33, I think we are in agreement, then. Bring on Freidrichs. It's definitely time.
Interestingly, I think the Freidrichs decision will impact police and firefighters as well. So, we will all be in the same boat. We will have allies. Whereas the previous anti-teacher moves were very careful in targeting us only, this one is so broad that it hits the whole labor movement. That is a mistake. The cops and fighters were nice and cozy watching us get hit. Now we're in it together. Different ballgame.
Actually, at least here in NYC, the cops and firefighters are not big fans of the UFT. The UFT was the first union in NYC to agree to a very shitty contract that set the pattern that all other unions go. The UFT agreed for shit, and received shit, and then got shit from every other union for agreeing to shit in the first place.
I know cops hated us for that. But, I'm saying that they are about to get hit with Freidrichs, too. So, they are going to be in the same boat with us, now, whether they like it or not.
You guys are seeing the world through Friedrichs colored glasses. Way too oprimistic.
The only thing this Jughead Michael Mulgrew will fight for is to keep his bloated $250,000 yearly salary and to keep his hand on your wallet to fund it. That means he WILL get mobilized and impassioned to keep the status quo, you just watch. This guy is a fake, phony, fraud and should be sent back to the woodshop.
The lack of understanding about Friedrichs on this board is incredible. 5:38 has absolutely no idea what he or she is talking about. If you spent 10 minutes researching a right to work for less state you would know better.
2:33 knows even less than 5:38.
Friedrichs is a conservative method to KILL all unions. New unions are not going to be poping up. And who is going to pass a law to a allow strike. The conservative state senate?
Unbelievable, just unbelievable.
Its time for Michael Mulgrew to get his fat ass in the classroom and teach.
He makes 250000 dollars a year. I am sick of him and the rest of the union leadership.
Anon 7:58, we don't need a new law. We just break the old one. That's what Shanker and Selden did. Many times.
5:38, On what do you base your theory that there will be strikes if we become right to work? Check out how teachers were treated before the UFT started. Not good.
Seems like there are a lot of "experts" here on how right to work states actually function. Too much speculation here. For all those "experts" who are criticizing others, please insight us how things will work once NYC becomes a right to work state. (Comparing NY to right to work states seems hard to do as most right to work states were always right to work states. NY has a massive union structure in place. Will it simply implode overnight or as some mention, will new smaller unions take their place?) Please enlighten us with you wisdom.
The Shanker jail thing was also a sham. He sold out the 75 strike after a few says in jail and took 15,000 layoffs. We took the 2 for 1 penalties for nothing. People may be willing to strike one day but never with this leadership.
Police and fire will always be exempt - this is totally aimed at teachers. NY will not be a right to work state for other unions.
Fragmented and smaller unions striking will have much less impact and can be destroyed more easily. You Friedrich nuts will be speaking a different tune one day - take your thousand bucks and spend it wisely because one day you will see not raises but cuts in salaries - and pensions. So invest that grand every year to cover a fraction of what you will be losing.
As much as I dislike most of the things the UFT has done in the past 15 or so years, I gotta say that a crappy union is better than no union at all. As Chazz, mentions, once the union goes the avalanche will keep rolling till pensions and pay raises are destroyed as well.
a right to work for less state says it all
pay the dues people dont let the one percenters win
I've been commenting on here, not criticizing. Challenge me; that's why I write here. This is about the only place to have a conversation with people who aren't brainwashed.
As I understand Freidrichs, it will effect police unions b/c the plaintiffs claim that mandatory union dues violate freedom of speech. If SCOTUS agrees, then their ruling would seem to apply to *anyone* who pays union dues in a closed shop (i.e. police and firefighters). Maybe a separate case would have to come to enforce that, but, it will come, and it won't have to go to the SCOTUS, since the precedent will have been set in Freidrichs.
I'm not a Freidrichs nut, since I don't exactly applaud the case. I'm just saying that the UFT's reaction is stupid. You can't lobby the SCOTUS. They are not running for re-election. So, it was pretty much a fait-accompli as soon as the court agreed to hear the case. Best UFT can do is write a good Amicus Brief and cross their (our) fingers. Spreading the word about the sky falling isn't going to change what those 9 douchebags in DC think about the merits of the case.
Now, maybe Norm is right about us getting totally squashed. But, that's been happening anyway. Why not just get it over with and do it all at once? The UFT has orchestrated a managed retreat for over a decade and seem to be interested in continuing that approach. With them out of the way, maybe someone will come along with a more radical approach.
We are now being treated as poorly as pre-UFT. Time to try something different. I'm not eager to see the UFT squashed. But, I am saying that it looks inevitable.
No you are not now getting totally squashed. You know what totally squashed will be? When you have to negotiate your own contract with A charter like school for 1 year at a time. You can be a free agent every year and they will pay you what they think you are worth. They will close down every school with high salaried teachers. The main money is in the salaries and the goal is to cut them drastically so money can flow to corporate interests. James may comment on the paltry raises but watch what happens when they start cutting salaries based on what the market will bear. Now is the UFT making a stand? Problematical - but they still exist with a big constituency and if they knew how to use the membership effectively they would be a bigger force. The more important thing is to fight UNity for control of the union while keeping the structure intact, not to let it all dissipated and have nothing to fight for. Look at Chicago which has been under ed deform assault for 20 years. Even though the reform leadership has had issues imagine if the old guard were still in charge and cowtowing to Rahm? That is about the best we can hope for in these times. Take away the power from Unity - not root for people who hate us the most to do it. And that starts in your school and district.
Great points Ed notes but how do we get mildew out of office. I don't believe it can be done!!!!
Organize! Spread the message.
Norm makes some very valid points here. It could get a whole lot worse for teachers if the union is taken apart by the right wing anti-union forces that hate us.
Listen. You worry too much about MUlgrew being in office which would be irrelevant if your school and 500 other schools turned against him. I keep telling you that UNity has locked up the box so no one can win. And if you look at Ed Notes yesterday you will see that even if Jia/MORE won by some miracle, Unity would go to the AFT to complain there were irregularities and call for a new election which the AFT would grant. If we went to court we would find that the courts don't want Jia to replace Mulgrew either - those guys are all former politicians and lawyers -- but if we controlled the schools and took control of the Delegate Assembly and then began to elect the 23 Executive Board seats where retireess don't vote Mulgrew in power would begin to become irrelvant. You guys are looking for easy solutions - I been there done that -- start with your own schools and plug them into MORE -- MORE (hopefully) has the long view of doing it this way - and stocked with 30 something year olds with a decade of teaching and 2 decades to go. THings can change in an instant as conditions change. The first signs will be revolts in the schools as new leaders arise and look for groups outside their schools that can help them out and also plug them into other nearby schools. Take control of the schools from Unity and things will change.
Thoughtful comments, Ed Notes. I read your blog, and I rarely disagree with you. I do like your take on Chicago as a model. But, I think this UFT is too entrenched and too far gone to bring about a Chicago style change.
I'll be voting for you MORE folks because I like throwing Hail Mary passes. But, regrettably, I think our only change is going to come after Freidrichs is handed down. Then, maybe some More-istas will consider starting a real union. I'd gladly pay dues to them.
The UFT election take the temperature of whether people are ready to start a new union - which for me is not out of the question as long as Unity keeps things in a lock box.
But Friedrichs is no savior.
We were at the Puerto Rico FMPR union fest sponsored by MORE Friday night. They have had Friedrichs on steroids for years to the point that they have a company union competing with them. They were decertified as punishment and have to collect their own dues and are not doing badly. But their entire leadership were fired from teaching and thus had no salaries at all.
If you want to see the future look to PR.
Not a pretty picture but it also gives insight to how a union that fights back has the government used against them aiming to destroy them. The UFT leaders understand that.
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