Most New York City Department of Education employees do not go through their Chancellor's Regulations. UFT members should know these regulations because they are appended to the UFT Contract under Article 20, Matters Not Covered.
Chancellor's Regulation C-33 regulation is called "REMOVAL AND TRANSFER OF PRINCIPALS FOR PERSISTENT EDUCATIONAL FAILURE."
The final standard for removing a principal is this:
Elementary, Middle and High Schools (Including Alternative High Schools
and Special Education Schools)
Other Standards: A pattern of failure to adhere to laws and regulations such as
SOPMs, Chancellor’s Regulations, circulars, memoranda, local, state and Federal laws
and regulations, and collective bargaining agreements.
Chancellor's Regulations are part of our contract. A reason for removing a principal from a school is when he/she does not adhere to collective bargaining agreements. There are probably hundreds of principals that show a pattern of not adhering to any collective bargaining agreements. Why doesn't the UFT go after them en masse using this provision?
It makes sense and it could energize teachers and others to fight back within a school community when there is an abusive principal so it will more than likely never happen with our union leadership.
To be clear, this post is not about about trying to remove from schools average or a little below average principals. We are talking about administrators who consistently abuse their staff. Sadly, they exist and the UFT these days does little or nothing to attempt to compel the DOE to reign them in even when there is language in the Chancellor's Regulations that could be used in our favor.
Is there a possibility that UFT members could sue the Union for failing its duty?
ReplyDeleteSome years ago, I was in the Roosevelt campus in a school where the principal put the Chapter Leader and her desk in a closet. At first the CL had her chair facing out the closet door. Ms. Blige had her turn the desk around so she would be facing the inside of the wall of the closet. She then systematically got rid of the entire staff and replaced them. She is now replacing that staff. The staff whisper and scamper away when seeing her. Many are convinced she uses black magic. The Chapter Leader won her law suit and passed away almost immediately. I asked the Bronx UFT why is this person is still running that school. I was told she has an 'angel'.
ReplyDeleteAnother principal has the same angel. She has also replaced the staff and at a morning line up in June, she berrated an older teacher for not having her kids line up "shoulder to shoulder" for so long until she passed out. The school has no chapter leader. The district union rep showed up and did not do anything. Guess who got u rated and pushed out of school the first day of school. If you guessed the teacher you'd be right.
ReplyDeleteWhere's the goddamn UFT?
ReplyDeleteThe same things are occurring in Queens and I gather in every borough.
ReplyDeleteThe UFT has had this option for years, so the question is why haven't they used it? So many principals in the Bronx that should be removed.
ReplyDeleteAngels aren't always good; the ones protecting these principals are more commonly called something else.
Does the word rhyme with spit?
ReplyDeleteunion law:
ReplyDelete16. My religion prevents me from joining a union and/or paying union does. What do I do?
The NLRA provides that "any employee who is a member of and adheres to established and traditional tenets...or teachings of a bona fide religion, body or sect which has historically held conscientious objections to joining or financially supporting labor organizations shall not be required to join or financially support any labor organization as a condition of employment...."
Workers whose religious beliefs don't allow them to pay dues are entitled to alternative arrangement, allowing them to be exempt from paying dues. However, these individuals may be required to make a contribution in the same amount to a nonreligious organization or a non-labor organization, and still may be required to pay reasonable costs for grievance claims on their behalf if handled by the union.
It is called an agency fee. The discount is not worth it.
DeleteGreat idea under Article 20 members can introduce 'C-33". Speaking of angels at the DOE, the disgraced principal at Dewey High School. Kathleen Elvin was protected for being an F.O.C. (Friend of Carmen). Add that to the list...
ReplyDeleteThe UFT and the CSA surely have a mutual non-aggression pact and any moves by the UFT to hold administrators accountable would be deemed a significant violation of that pact.
ReplyDeleteI'd bet thousands of dollars that there is a tacit understanding between the two unions that keeps the UFT in check.
Why doesn’t the UFT fight to punish students and administrators who accuse teachers of false charges? If someone lies about a teacher, they should get in trouble.
ReplyDeleteGreat transformation,
ReplyDeleteBest School in Lucknow, Pre School in Lucknow