We have an early contract and a state government that is somewhat more friendly than in the past. Even the Chancellor in NYC seems to be a slight improvement compared to what teachers are used to. Under these conditions, why is the UFT spending whatever amount of member money they are spending on a new television ad?
We have a good idea what the answer is. It's UFT election season. Since it is UFT election time, a feel good commercial that at the end shows the words United Federation of Teachers all over the screen might get some members to think positively about the current leadership and vote for Mulgrew/Unity instead of chucking the ballot in the garbage or considering another caucus.
Unless there is a miracle bigger than when Moses parted the Red Sea, Unity is going to win this spring's election but they would be a little disappointed if their vote totals went down which they very well might as they are running against opponents split into three opposition groups. The ballot will look strange and many will probably toss it in the waste basket. The UFT can't spend member money to put a direct ad out saying vote for Mulgrew/Unity so having some voices on video praising the UFT is the next best thing. These thinly disguised campaign ads have been a regular UFT election feature for so long that the leadership might even be doing them subconsciously now.
Back in the days when there was really opposition on the Executive Board, my friend Ellen Fox got up and asked why the UFT was running a television ad during a UFT election period. Then President Randi Weingarten, after claiming to be insulted by the question, soon thereafter pulled the ad while the election was occurring. At least Randi could be embarrassed.
I wonder if the two so called "independent" members of the Executive Board today who are running on the Unity slate or what is left of the opposition are going to ask that the current ad be pulled during election season. Maybe they will inquire about how much these pointless ads are costing the membership.
Paying full dues and not striking got us the worst contract in union history in 2014, and an additional 4 years of garbage thrown on top in 2018.
ReplyDeleteRaise in percent terms...12% from 2011 until May 2020. Yeah, about 1.1%
ReplyDelete2011: 0
2012: 0
2013: 1
2014: 1
2015: 1
2016: 1.5
2017: 2.5
2018: 3
2019: 2
Plus they still owe tens of thousands of dollars to me and many others in retro with no interest, ten years later.
Vote for the same people, force placement, low/no raises, worse working conditions, raise dues even when we don't get raises, holding back hundreds of millions of dollars of retro with no interest, losing 8.25% TDA while never getting it back, supporting a mayor who treats us like shit, forced excessive paperwork or electronic paperwork/Jupiter Grades, silent chapter leaders...And keep paying those dues when you have a chance not to.
ReplyDeleteLook as those commercials, the uft believes yada, yada. Do they believe in stopping teacher abuse?
ReplyDeleteMy school has s uniform policy, we get yelled at when students refuse... How is that my job?
ReplyDeleteChancellor says school is open tomorrow, we are ready to keep kids warm and safe. HAHA, what a joke. Are they not safe at home?
ReplyDelete452,
ReplyDeleteMy response to administrators when kids refuse to wear uniform is ‘what are the consequences when they ignore me or tell me to get lost?’
Usually, they walk away and give me dirty looks.
719,
ReplyDeleteWhere I’m assigned as an atr, the 8th grade classes were quiet today.
When the ass holes stay home, the job can be fun.
So we get file letters for student uniform and for jupiter grades, neither of which is our responsibility? Uft? Chapter leader? But keep paying dues.
ReplyDelete