I was on the UFT Executive Board for a decade from 1997-2007 representing the high schools in opposition to Randi Weingarten and Michael Mulgrew's Unity Caucus. I give my full support to the six bold members from MORE and New Action who are standing tall against Unity's 95 representatives today. If anything, Unity has gotten even more arrogant and less responsive to the rank and file since 2007. The High School Division has been completely marginalised by UFT leadership.
In 2015, MORE and New Action coming together gave me some hope that we could be a little bit of a force at the Executive Board to at least embarrass Unity into doing something more than just going through the motions to support the membership. I appear to have been a little too optimistic in that hope.
As Arthur Goldstein shows in his latest commentary on this week's Executive Board proceedings, on the issues of abusive principals, lower class sizes, and closing/reorganizing schools where UFT members have to reapply for our jobs, Unity is either not up to the task or is downright working against our interests.
Maximum class sizes of 34 in high school subject classes are way too high and the UFT cannot even force the DOE to hold to these caps. The Campaign for Fiscal Equity agreed to average class size limits of 25 for high schools that are in the law are as elusive as ever.
UFT HS VP Janella Hinds now says we must take responsibility for low performing schools. The UFT helps to decide who gets rehired in closing or reorganizing schools by having representatives on hiring committees. When I proposed that the UFT boycott the process in 2008, Unity was shocked as if I just asked for the UFT to endorse selling crack in school cafeterias. A union boycott is unthinkable to Unity. As Jonathan Halabi pointed out on Arthur's blog, the union once went on strike to stop a handful of members from being transferred. Now, they happily are part of the process of deciding which teachers get to stay or have to go from schools where the DOE decides we are the problem without any research based evidence to back up the claim that poor teaching is what causes schools to be so called "failing" schools.
As I have said before, there are two possible solutions that are each next to impossible to achieve:
1-Mobilize a massive rank and file movement to defeat Unity at the ballot box;
OR
2-Get at least 100 activists to get about 65 signatures each on petitions to fragment the high schools into our own collective bargaining unit (union).
The frustration our high school reps are experiencing at the Executive Board further convinces me that Unity is not going to hear us in any meaningful way until they are threatened.
That can only work by getting information out to the schools. Social media is great but not sufficient.
Finally, all I have to say to the misguided folks who are salivating waiting for the US Supreme Court to rule in the Janus case that union dues are optional in the public sector is to be careful what you wish for. We need a union. We really need a union. We'll be even weaker without one or one where half of the members defect and go without any union for collective strength. You think the contracts and working conditions we live under are bad; you ain't seen nothing yet.
19 comments:
I had the feeling that Janella was trying to say we take responsibility even though we aren't really responsible--like members feel a burden even though it isn't rightfully theirs. That was my impression and I'm sorry if I didn't manage to convey it.
One point: Folks who quit the UFT after Janus don't have to quit forever. They can quit for a month or a year. Maybe if a bunch of people quit for a while, the UFT will get it's shit together and actually fight for us. Then, folks would be willing to come back in full force. Thought???
It was incredulous to read about ATR numbers being down and the implied success of the June buyout, while during the same meeting reading that teachers will have to reapply for their positions at two schools - code for they are all becoming ATRs. I don't understand this level of disconnect and prefabrication from the UFT. I certainly don't want to drop out of the UFT. It almost seems they want us to.
In the charade of reapplying for jobs in Newark, the administration relieved itself of many veteran teachers who had worked in the community for years. They were replaced by TFA and other inexperienced teachers. As a result, the holy test scores actually went down!
Abigail Shure
I wanted to add that I'd like to see scenario #2 - a separate HS Union if the UFT remains unresponsive to our needs. I believe many of us on the high school level would help. Hope springs Eternos.
People just want to complain and only a few will put themselves out and get signatures. It's easier for them just to opt out, which they will. It'll be more than 50%. We get what we deserve. I'm retiring anyway and the whole thing can implode, which I hope it does.
Some of us will get signatures. Don't underestimate the anger at the UFT. It might be easier than next to impossible
We do need a union..... Just not UFT/NYSUT
So let's start our own.
June 30th 2018 will be like Christmas for NY City teachers when the JANUS vs AFSCME decision is announced. $58.44 times 24 = $1,402.56. We can save those union dues and still get Welfare Fund benefits paid for by the city.
It will be more than that by then because in May the UFT will finally get that final 2% from 2009-11 added to our pay. UFT will get a cut.
I totally disagree that it will be Christmas for teachers. A union with 30-40% of its members who leave will not exactly be strong at the bargaining table. You think it is bad now, wait and see what is coming.
I think this is a misleading headline "HIGH SCHOOL REPS FEEL FRUSTRATION OF BEING SMALL MINORITY ON UFT EXEC BD". Now I'm all for "sensationalism" "splashy" headlines that help get people excited to read, God knows I've been the creator of a few over at the MORE blog, but this is far from accurate. I do not feel frustrated at being part of the "small minority" on ex bd, I do feel frustrated that it is inherently undemocratic such that there are so many "at-large" members on the ex bd that did nothing more than join unity, vote how theyre told, never speak, and get to go "represent" the rank and file. I am not frustrated at being there. I am quite proud f the work we do there. i wish the headline read empowered, granted it would not get the response, but it would better represent how we feel. We have brought to light abusive administrators, when we get got there no one was discussing it. Now this past week they brought in chapter leaders and special reps just to explain how theyre dealing with administrators. They bring in the head of ATRs and grievances to give reports, that wasnt happening before we got there. Members show up regularly to address union leadership and demand accountability, that wasnt happening before we got there. Paid parental leave was never uttered before we showed up with a petition, now its our union's main objective. At least they formed a committee and make believe theyre addressing class-size, again this is new since MORE/NA showed up. I can go on and on. No, the union has not fundamentally changed, yes these are incremental responses, but frustrated at ex bd,, no that's not accurate. Like the rest of your article and several posts of late, I'm frustrated at the lack of rank and file engagement. It's not enough to get on iceuft blog and complain. Organize your school, run for chapter leader, or at least delegate, show up to an ex bd meeting, share these reports with your members, and try to fight back against unity's stranglehold over this union.
Happy holidays James to you and yours,
Mike Schirtzer
Since the majority of high school teachers who voted think I should be their veep, I will take some editorial license and stick with frustrated. It fits the tone and is a direct response to Arthur's post, which also quotes Jonathan.
If you don't feel frustrated having questions not answered and having resolutions we bring up voted down 95-6,You have much more resilience than me or most people Mike.
That said, I completely support your work at executive board and am grateful you are there.
And happy holidays to you and yours also Mike.
Give Mike 10 years on the Ex bd and see what he says.
Instead of all this, why not say, same old, same old, nothing gets better, the job sucks and keeps deteriorating, and it wont change.
I believe with everything that has happened in the last 15 years of my career so far that now there is a need to create a faction for just high school teachers because we constantly have to accept what the elementary and middle schools vote to accept. The only way to get things done, and I have said this for years to my New Action colleagues, is for the high school teachers to finally be separated. One way or the other, through petitions or the Janus decision, something needs to be done because Unity has no interest in high school teachers.
Read NYC Ed, the friendliest mayor gave us the worst contract in union history, and offered 4 years of 0 to police, all in givebacks. Stop dues asap. And that doesn't mention how bad the daily assault on my life is...
Things stink now yeah, but if there was no Union, I'd be unemployed. They wouldn't keep the ATR around if the Union broke. This is all that is keeping me paying my dues. I hope they don't sell us out.
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