Obviously, this is about more than placing a few hundred teachers out of a system of 80,000 to teach classes that don't have a regular teacher over a month into the school year. Ed deform leaders know that if they finish off our seniority rights, it's basically over for the unionized teaching workforce (see Chicago teachers for some evidence).
Ending seniority rights altogether is the holy grail of union busting that Joel Klein pushed for and is still the treasured goal of the zealots who want to destroy our profession.
Don't take my word for it. Read it from the horse's mouth. Chalkbeat did a summary of Steven Brill's 2011 book called Class Warfare. Former Chancellor Joel Klein says all you need to know on why the ATR issue is a major issue for the union busters and it is something they will fight on for every inch of ground.
- On labor issues, Bloomberg sometimes undercut Joel Klein. Klein’s team thought they could get the UFT to sign off on a change in the teacher termination process. But Bloomberg, who was nearing reelection, told them not to push their luck. “The mayor blinked,” the DOE’s one-time labor chief, Dan Weisberg, told Brill. “The mayor just gave up.” Weisberg said he “clashed almost daily” with City Hall over back-channel contract negotiations in 2005.
- Similarly, Brill reports that in 2006, Bloomberg told Klein and Weisberg to “stand down” on pushing a time limit for teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve. As Klein left office last year, he was still calling for that policy.
Weisberg is still pushing to fire ATR's in 2017.
Chalkbeat's synopsis of Brill's book continues:
- Bloomberg was weighing a third term even a year into his second, and his education policies reflected that. The 2007 teachers contract included little in the way of substantive policy, an oddity at a time when Klein was setting an aggressive tone at Tweed. In fact, the only major change, a schoolwide bonus program, was spiked this year. “The plan,” Klein told Brill, “was to make some progress in the 2005 contract — which we did, though not enough — and then go in for the kill in 2007. Mike deciding to run for a third term completely killed that.”
Bloomberg went for "the kill" after he was safely reelected to his third term in 2009 and did not relent while he was the mayor. It's why we had no contract from 2009-2014 and why we are still waiting until 2020 to get paid back in full the money the city paid its other workers between 2008 and 2010.
The UFT has never moved the center of gravity even a milometer back toward teacher rights since 2005. The 2014 contract's biggest gain was to form a new committee on excessive paperwork, something that was already in the existing contract. We have not made a substantive work place gain since Circular 6 was added in to the contract in 1996 to get us temporarily out of potty patrol. 2005 put us back in the potty.
Now Carmen Farina is going to place a few hundred ATRs without principal approval and the backlash from the union busters has been nonstop. Since principals only have to keep beyond the school year force placed ATRs who are rated effective or highly effective, I can't say this is a move in our direction.
I wish our union's leaders were capable and able to proudly show how experience matters. Instead, our President released a rather timid statement defending the ATRs and left it to parent activist Leonie Haimson and the teacher bloggers to take up the cause.
Expect the unrelenting press attack on the ATRs to continue in full, particularly when the UFT contract comes up for negotiation in 2018. Giving ATRs a time limit to find a new job or be fired, when everyone knows principals are mostly not going to hire senior teachers, is an end run around the tenure and seniority laws. Since schools are still closed and downsizing happens all the time, turning excessing into a layoff is objective number one for the union busters.
The abuse of the ATRs is one of the primary reasons why we need to strengthen the tenure law and contractual seniority protections, not weaken them further. Are you listening UFT leaders?
Make no mistake about it, school reform is synonymous with union busting. It just has a fancier title.
35 comments:
Nicole Thomas' accusations are the most pathetic of the recent lot. There is of course no factual data to substantiate her claims, but worse no charming visuals of dancing lemons, perverts, drunks, pedophiles, miscreants, sloths or subs. The charter groups don't ever want to pay experienced teachers, therefore they paint us with the same brush in a last ditch effort to keep us out of the classrooms they hope to soon inherit.
7:03 PM
That was a comment on Chaz that I believe says it all.
Everything they have is going into this one and I can see why. Don't underestimate the union's chances of messing this up.
Divide and conquer is successful as teachers do not band together to fight discriminatory policies.
Abigail Shure
BOTTOM LINE: There are 2 ways only for ATR's and seniority rules to be destroyed. 1) The state legislature would have to change existing laws on this topic which is highly unlikely. 2) The DOE/UFT could try and work to put a time limit on ATR's and eliminate seniority. However, my guess is that these kinds of changes would have to occur via a contract that would would have to be voted upon (ratified) by all UFT teachers. However, it is possible that the UFT/DOE could pull some secret back room deal to eliminate seniority and create an ATR time limit and this the the fact that scares the shit out of me.
The majority of teachers would sell out the ATRs in about half a second if there was some money thrown at them. Take that one to the bank. They need to be educated that it could be them next.
With Janus right around the corner if the UFT and DOE do try some back room deal to place a time limit on ATR's or mess with seniority, you will see a ton of teachers quit paying dues to the UFT.
The 2007 contract had its own "givebacks".
First, it allowed for the PIP+ termination program that saw over 90% of teachers subject to the program be terminated. and second, the probable cause definition was expanded to include all felony arrests. That increased the amount of teachers who were suspended without pay and health benefits for 90 days and more if the teacher is still waiting for their court date.
Are we gonna get a buyout offer every year? If everyone is being placed by Asher this year, there will be no more ATRs anyway.
Two articles from The Chief- One says that up to 400 of 822 ATR teachers will be placed.
The other article points to "A sharp rise in cases of gross misconduct by school-bus staff". This rise could be attributed to the Bloomberg administration elimination of the Employee Protection Provision which decimated bus staff seniority.
Workers are not widgets. Experience matters.
Are you listening UFT?
UFT is not listening. They are thinking that the rank and file are not following what is going on with all of this crap. And you know what? They are probably right.
If ratificatikn of a UFT contract required 2/3 majority vote, the 2005 sham of a contract (thank weingarten) would never have passed. James, why isnt this UFT policy?
The rank and file did ratify the 2005 contract due to the "raise" we got. (Even though it really was not a raise since they added more teaching time) As mentioned above, it will be interesting to see what kind of reaction the rank and file will choose to vote for a new contract that puts a time limit on ATR's. I think if the city dangles more money or a "sing on bonus" that the rank and file will totally fuck the ATR's in favor of the money. The sickening part about this is not only would the rank and file sell out their own brothers and sisters in the union, they would be putting their very careers on the line because in this day and age ANYBODY CAN BECOME AN ATR!
Anyone can become an ATR, but the UFT can't sell out the ATRs or they would have done years ago. LIFO. Let them try to change that and see how real unions react.
The main reason we didn't have a contract between 2009 and 2014 is because the UFT would not completely sell out the ATRs but they certainly had a major hand in creating the problem and knew they couldn't take the next step or it would be all over. If, however, our friendly mayor caves to the media pressure on this, then it could be a problem. The comments are so right about how anyone can become an ATR and a whole lot more would be if a time limit was put in. I'm not that concerned about a time limit (UFT won't go there as precedent would reverberate throughout NY labor) as I am about these incremental changes that make it harder for ATRs to survive. The forced placement this fall is a problem. Rules that say someone has to be rated effective or highly effective and they are permanent are also a big concern. Many principals will go a long way to make sure they are not stuck with veteran teachers. It hurts their budgets and their ability to have more newbies who are easier to control. Forget about the value of experience. Many ATRs who are placed in positions are going to be rated developing or ineffective so principals won't have to deal with them.
As for the 2/3 vote on a contract, it is an interesting idea. Contracts should need more than a 50%+1 approval rate to go into effect. I don't know of any unions, however, that use a super-majority to approve a contract.
UFT will NOT make any secret deal towards eliminating seniority or placing a time limit on ATRs because if they do you can kiss the union good-bye and other unions will come down on the UFT because it would set a precedent towards their own status which is EARNED. Agree with James Eterno @ 10:23AM - with the force placement that will be implemented in October 2017 principals will rate staff unfavorably because if they don't they will be forced to take the ATR status person which will bless the school site with a higher salary, veteran status and age. Do you have gray hair and wrinkles? Oh no, got to go.....
UFT does not give two shits about what other unions think of them. The proof of this fact is the last contract where the UFT allowed our retro to be paid out over a bunch of years instead of being paid up front and WITH NO INTREST!
Well, principals that do NOT want to deal with any ATR status person will do everything in their power to hire ATRs with few years or new DOE staff. If principals do not want to suffer from guilt, depression, etc for ruining people's careers with many times no reason later on in their lives, they really need to treat their staff and ATR status staff better. There is nothing better than to be a true leader. A true leader is humble, a servant, does not allow negativity within their school towards anyone and allows their staff to grow professionally. There are far too many principals that lead by injecting fear.
Sad comment on the state of leadership in NYC schools.
UFT agreed to this shanda.
Mulgrew's response to the media war has been anemic.
He really needs to step up to the plate.
He won't do anything for us.
The UFT is an absolute disgrace. As an educator of 4 years in the DOE I watched many colleagues not get tenured or be pushed out with 3020a. Then when you speak up about anything they come for you too. There are unethical admins everywhere in this corrupt system. Communism 101.
Some ATRs through their comments have a giant chip on their shoulder. It is true that most teachers don't give a damn and I bet many ATRS didn't give a damn until they became an ATR.
We are on the same team. We just need to know it.
@5:38PM - it's not a chip on the shoulder. Veteran ATRs have institutional knowledge. Many do not care when not an ATR, but there have been some that have. Why? Careers are in jeopardy even if not an ATR because of the age discrimination, harassment and attack on pensions. Whether the status is ATR or not, everyone can become an ATR.
'ATR' is a bullshit label made up by questionable leaders that wanted to get rid of tenure, pensions, destroy careers, therefore, age discrimination and harassment has peaked since.
Teachers and other titles have been stripped of their profession under this ATR label.
I memory serves me some years back Bloomberg wanted to do layoffs or excessing of teachers from closing schools without consideration for senoirity. He needed Cuomo to go along. But, Pat Lynch of the New York policeman's benevolent Association shot that down. The cops won't tolerate UFT losing seniority. Because they know they'll be next.
The UFT can't even solve a simple problem such as ATRs not being issued staff bathroom keys.
How this situation has been permitted to continue for years on end is beyond me.
Does anyone have a sensible explanation?
James, do you want to start compiling a list of schools where ATRs are refused bathroom keys?
I didn't have that problem when I ATR'ed. What schools don't give bathroom keys?
I thought it was the whole labor movement that put pressure on the UFT not to cave in 2010. Sheldon Silver stopped the non-seniority layoff bill the Senate passed from ever seeing the light of day in the Assembly.
Many schools don't give bathroom keys. It's gotten better over the last 2 yrs but having to ask for a bathroom key at the front desk or the main office is insulting to say the least.
Park West Building does not give elevator key unless you have a medical note. That did not work with me.
Prospect heights brooklyn. No keys. Jefferson Brooklyn makes you pay to borrow keys.
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