The Contract in Article 20 says the Board of Education (the official legal name for the Department of Education) will not change the salary and working conditions affecting teachers without first consulting and negotiating with the UFT. The Board looks as though it is attempting to put one over on the Union by adding an extra work day for its employees for next year or maybe the Union is their partner in this ridiculous policy change.
The DOE recently released a school calendar for 2019-20 that has a work day scheduled for Monday, December 23, 2019. Work on a Monday when Christmas Eve falls on a Tuesday is unprecedented for as far back as I can recall. The UFT is consulted on the calendar every year. When the calendar was released earlier this week, I was astounded that the UFT was not completely outraged and telling its members about how it will fight the added work day. Unfortunately, it is very possible the Union has agreed to the calendar with the DOE as a picture of the calendar is on the UFT Facebook page without any official UFT objection.
I looked through my past personal calendars for school years where Christmas Eve fell on a Tuesday to see when winter vacation started in the past. I was not at all surprised to discover that the last school day in those years was Friday, December 20. I kept personal calendars going back to 1986. School on December 23 when it falls on a Monday is a brand new DOE policy.
For those interested in looking back for years when December 23 was on a Monday, here they are.
2013-2014-Last school day before winter vacation: Friday, December 20, 2013
Monday, December 23, 2013: No School
2002-2003-Last school day before winter vacation: Friday, December 20, 2002
Monday, December 23, 2002: No school
1996-1997-Last school day before winter vacation: Friday, December 20, 1996
Monday, December 23, 1996: No School
1991-1992-Last school day before winter vacation: Friday, December 20, 1991
Monday, December 23, 1991: No school
Why this extra day? The answer cannot be that there are not enough legal school days on the calendar. In fact, the calendar has plenty of extra days since Eid is in August and the Lunar New Year is on the weekend next school year so legally there are sufficient teaching days for full state aid.
Just to be sure the calendar is long enough without December 23, I counted the school days for 2019-2020. Teachers will be working a total of 186 days in the 2019-2020 school year. Since four days are allowed for conferencing, we are over the state law for a minimum of 180 school days where the schools receive state aid. Having December 23 off would not cause a problem with the state.
The answer also cannot be to further instruction. A single day of school on December 23 will be of little or no educational value and I gather just about every school district in the Western world will be off that day.
In reality, the UFT was either asleep at the switch and allowed the Board to pull a fast one on the calendar or the DOE is unilaterally adding the extra day which should be grieved immediately and loudly if the DOE does not relent.
Can someone in authority please raise this? That would mean you Arthur Goldstein or you Mike Schirtzer or you Jonathan Halabi or any of the other Executive Board reps.
UPDATE September 24, 2019
After the pressure the rank and file as well as parents exerted, the UFT kept the issue alive and the DOE has school has changed the calendar so school is now closed for Monday, December 23, 2019.
Here is a link to the updated calendar and one to our latest blog post.
The UFT doesn’t care about working teachers, all it cares about is the status quo - money and power.
ReplyDeleteQUESTIONS: 1) Are we working a day longer than we did last year? 2) Why does NYC DOE have more than 180 school days in our calendar to begin with? 3) Can the DOE pull this move without at least consulting the UFT? 3) Is the UFT willfully trying to blow this under the rug? I think the real issue is that parents are going to be pissed and there will be tens of thousands of them who will take that Monday off regardless of what the calendar says. However, I as a teacher am going to be furious of a bunch of teachers take that Monday off resulting in me having to take on extra students and/or classes that day. Teachers need to remember that taking a day off before or after a vacation without a valid reason and without prior permission from an administrator can result in a letter to file or departmental charges. (And don't call me paranoid about this, I have 26 years in the system and have seen teachers get dinged for taking days off before or after a vacation for no other reason other than to enhance their vacation experience)
ReplyDeleteWe answered your questions 5:09 but had to revise. Teachers will be working 3 days longer next school year compared to this year. Our calendar in NYC is not based on a fixed number of days but varies from year to year based on when Labor Day falls, when last two weekdays of June are and when holidays fall.
DeleteUFT and other unions are consulted on calendar.
The UFT didn't even preserve the status quo here 4:27.
ReplyDelete183 and 197 days is more than than the state mandated 180 days. I still do not see why we work more than 180 days during 10 months of school even with the Labor day and June situation.
ReplyDeleteLeast anyone forget, most schools in NYC have professional development time on Mondays which means teachers will be having one hell of a hard time flying to their vacation destinations.
ReplyDelete180 is the state minimum. Contract can exceed minimum number of days. UFT is consulted on calendar. Adding a day is a change in the working conditions. I hope UFT fights this but if they agreed, that will be tough to do.
ReplyDeleteAnd I remember working on Easter Monday more than once
ReplyDeleteYes but never school on a Monday, December 23. Spring break usually revolves around Passover. Good Friday is always off but the rest of spring break is traditionally tied to Passover.
ReplyDeleteNo such day off as Easter Monday. Unless Passover is that day too, we do not have off... Never have.
ReplyDeleteAs for 12/23, I am annoyed too, but realize most people work on the 24th as well.
I believe they are making us work the first night of passover.
ReplyDeleteAlso, didn’t the state require more school days?
How many teachers work December 23? NYC because our union sucks.
ReplyDeleteI have every intention of putting in for a personal day. Hopefully I can keep up my attendance record between now and then, and not give them any excuse to deny it.
ReplyDeleteJanuary 2nd?
ReplyDeleteTHIS IS YOUR THANK YOU GIFT FROM YOUR UNION FOR VOTING THEM IN AGAIN!!
ReplyDeletePERFECT TIMING OF THE RELEASE OF THE CALENDAR AFTER THEY WERE VOTED IN AGAIN.
GIVE IT A FEW WEEKS...THE INCREASE IN COPAYS IS COMING
Don’t put in for personal day. Call in sick instead.
ReplyDeleteTell them you always get sick when December 23 falls on a Monday but you never had to tell the school before
How can we fight this? Is there any way?
ReplyDeleteI have said this before and I will say it again - the NYCDOE does not close schools and neither does the Unity Federation of Teachers - at least not in reality. In reality, if the attendance rate of teachers for any particular day falls below a certain number, the school is funcitonallly closed because no learning is going on and the school is turned into a child care center. This happens all the time when weather conditions are to hazardous to travel, yet snow days are not called. The same thing will happen on December 23rd. I hope the executive board and any able NYCDOE staff at Tweed Courthouse are ready to man the classrooms (though that number of staff will hardly be able to fill the vacancies for that day). The only teachers who show up probably will be those without tenure. I tell you, with a union like the UNITY FEDERATION OF TEACHERS, who needs corporate reform union busters?
ReplyDeleteI am betting that the DOE will be putting out a chancellors memo saying that teachers must report to work on December 23 and that any teacher who calls in sick MUST have a doctors note. Oh yeah, we all work late on Mondays too. Good luck flying out of NYC on that day.
ReplyDeleteThe whining goes on about the most trivial matters. Let's blame the UFT for a rainy day. And now Arthur, Mike and Jonathan are in "authority". If you want to raise the issue why not drag your ass down to the UFT Executive Board meeting and use the open mic to make a fool of yourself?
ReplyDeleteNothing new about school on January 2 when Christmas and New Year's Day come on a Wednesday. It is school on December 23 that is the change that the UFT should say no to.
ReplyDeleteThis is what Arthur, Mike and John and the entire Executive Board are elected for. They represent us.I don't think giving away a day is a trivial matter.
ReplyDeletewith 26 yrs in and 200 days in the bank
ReplyDeleteim taking that monday
You should not have to take the day. Everyone should have it off.
ReplyDeleteTeachers who take that Monday off without a doctors note are gonna get letters to file or worse. DOE lurks on social media. All it takes is for a teacher to post up a picture of them sitting on a beach on that Monday when they said they were "sick" and they will be in a hell of a lot of hot water. Don't forget there are also a ton of rat teachers who will rat you out to admins.
ReplyDeleteIs this really such a crisis??? How about all the other people in the city that have to work on December 23 and 24? They aren't whining about it. You have your wonderful Mayor who authorizes snow days without so much as a flake on the ground causing many parents to scramble to find child care so they can go to work because they don't get a snow day. It's one day in which you probably won't be doing much of nothing anyhow. You cry about one day meanwhile NYC DOE is probably the only education system that honors every damn religious holiday there is adding extra days off that others around the country couldn't even think of taking off. So get over it. One extra day won't destroy your life. Complain about real issues like more security at your schools for those bad kids causing problems. Complain about the city providing the essential supplies so that you and parents don't have to, the crappy benefits you have or more money for dealing with the nonsense you deal with. Get a grip on real issues. Smh
ReplyDeleteCrappy benefits?? Boy are you wrong
DeleteWhat other school district is open that day? Compare us to schools please. That is our comparison group.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 11:19- is it the end of the world? No, it's not. And if we were short on aidable days, I could understand it. BUT- we're not. At 187 days, we could have had off the 23rd, had two snow days built into the calendar, and not be short days. Is the complaining really about the day? Maybe it is- but it is more about a blatant slap in the face to all school personnel, and a deterioration of working conditions. I don't need two days in September to set up and listen to administration spewing the latest pedagogical buzzwords. Let the kids come in on the 4th, and give us the 23rd. I'm positive most DOE employees would be in agreement.
ReplyDeleteMost parents would agree with having Dec 23 off too. Attendance will be terrible that day.
ReplyDeleteThis calendar is be revised,
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts are we are gonna work 187 days. If this is the same amount of days that we had last year, I don't really care that we gotta work on a Monday as we gotta work 187 days anyway and it does not matter how spread out they are. In fact, I would rather work that Monday instead of working till the last Thur in June. I also agree with the poster who mentioned that the DOE will come down hard on those who take that Monday off without permission. The general public is not too keen on the fact that we only work around 180 days a year and as such, the DOE wants us in school as much as possible. They will not play games in regard to taking a day off before or after a vacation. This point is even shared by the UFT on their Q and A internet page in regard to vacations. Filks better be very careful if they are going to take this day off.
ReplyDeletePoint out where we can find this information please.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the outrage is having an impact.
I don't understand what an Administrator could do if you call out sick? I do not know of anything in our contract or DOE work rules that places restrictions on when we can call out? Sure Admin is encouraged to try and "counsel" those who call out before holidays or Mondays and Fridays, but technically not violating any rules I know of? A letter to file about it? Not even worth the paper it's written on. Nothing I know of about requiring a doctors note. Only rules I know of about doctor notes are you need one if out more than 3 days in a row, and by submitting a doctors note the day doesn't count against your 7 self-treatment days. Also, absence is no longer any part of our evaluation so who cares. Last, I don't really know, but I've always thought that if you put in a request for a personal day and Admin says no, then if you call out you could be considered insubordinate. What the consequences of that are I have no idea. To be clear everything I wrote could be totally wrong. In my humble opinion:
ReplyDeleteScrew the DOE, if you are going away, then go away.
Final thought, I know Diblasio has some kind of weekly radio segment. Someone should call in and ask him about this. It is Mayoral control is it not?
Many good points. I disagree on something however. There is no rule that says you need a doctor's note after being absent more than three days in a row. Only need it after ten days absent in a year. A doctors note will, as you say, let you save a self treated day.
ReplyDeleteDOE can question an absence. I agree with an earlier comment that said someone who calls in sick and posts pictures is putting himself/herself in huge jeopardy.
We should not have to even be discussing this for December 23. It should be a day off based on past practice. This should be fixed now. Keep putting the pressure on.
Always good to hear from Unity Must Go.In a sane world, he would be one of those running the UFT.
I just want to understand the rationale behind it. Attendance will be low for both staff and kids. No real learning ever takes place the day before Winter Break, and even less so on a one day week. Is this Carranza pressuring the city to make sure the kids get their free breakfast and lunch? Is it a test of our solidarity? To screw us over?
ReplyDeleteIf you all really want to get sick, read some of the comments on this issue on the NYCDOE teachers only Chat page and UFT page on FB. Between the arrogance of the newbies, and the downright stupidity of some of the posters, it's embarrassing.
The DOE loves Mulgrew being UFT President because the DOE knows he doesn't give a sh-t about us.
ReplyDeleteI think the City wants something from us and will give it to us if we give back something else. Our wonderful union is in on it. But will act like they are working for us. No other district in NY is going to work on Dec 23rd. People leave to visit family before then. It is a LONG established pattern to be off on Dec 23rd if it is a Monday. Yes, other people work on Dec 23th BUT NOT PEOPLE IN OUR PROFESSION. LET'S COMPARE APPLES TO APPLES.
ReplyDeleteTime will tell what the city wants and what we have to give back.
Why should we have to give back anything when this has been the calendar policy forever?
ReplyDeleteWhy are people saying that others have to work on the 23rd? I’d guess about 1% of school districts nationwide do that (be it Mon, Tue, or Wed). And try scheduling a doctor, dentist, or Accountant appointment for the 23rd.
ReplyDeleteThe real issue is the bureaucratic self-aggrandizement baked into the calendar. The platoon of Deputy Superintendents of This-and-That at Tweed have, as usual, backed us all into a corner on the calendar with all of these bologna PD Days and obscene numbers of conferences. They need all these days to justify the existence of their jobs with a useless initiative to point to.
Here is an excerpt from page 13 of the April 2007 edition of the NYC Department of Education’s Office of Labor Relations supervisory guidebook Frequently Asked Questions:
ReplyDeleteQ: If I suspect that an employee’s self-treated absence is fabricated, may I reprimand this employee?
A: Yes. You should contact your Senior Regional Counsel or ISC Counsel and the Special Commissioner of Investigation for the New York City School District (“SCI”); http://www.nycsci.org/ or 212-510-1400. If, after an investigation by you and/or SCI, you determine an employee was not in fact sick, you should follow the disciplinary steps listed below (i.e. investigation, disciplinary conference, and, if appropriate, disciplinary letter to the file). In addition, the absence is unauthorized and you may dock this employee’s salary.
(Note: The positions of Senior Regional Counsel and ISC Counsel were replaced by DOE attorneys designated as “Senior Field Counsel.”)
OK 3:12 but there are sufficient instructional days already in next year's calendar to have December 23 off and still be over the state's mandated number of days for instruction. They have conference days built in. School on Monday, Dec 23 is pure punishment.
ReplyDeleteI hope the unions (UFT,D37,CSA) get together and fight it. Perhaps they already are. I don't know why they are afraid of a public fight on this issue. Is it the usual fear of the NY Post?
My guess is the parents would side with us. Attendance will be awful on that day. Kids I know would be with us. Opening buildings for a one day week in December is not exactly a good use of energy either.
5:27, I agree. Fake absence is a big deal.
ReplyDeleteif the only penalty is a letter to file anda dock of one days pay- that doesnt seem so bad.
ReplyDeleteCorrection. RBE checked our math. He pointed out that it is 186 work days, not 187 as was said above, for next school year for teachers. That is a minor error made above but the piece totally holds up. There are more than enough days in the calendar for next year. Only 183 working days for teachers this school year. Remember the state allows four conference days and Regents days are counted too in the minimum 180 day mandate. We are still above the state mandate for instructional days and can have December 23 off as we always have had when it fell on a Monday in the past.
ReplyDeleteThanks for checking RBE.
Sounds like a good day for a sick out to protest our shitty working conditions and eval system.
ReplyDeleteNobody has the balls to initiate a sick out.
ReplyDeleteAny teacher who takes off that Monday without a doctors note is risking a letter to file or worse.
ReplyDeletethis whole thing makes me sick
ReplyDeleteTypical uft and doe. But all of us jackasses keep paying dues. Another example that the uft doesnt give a damn about us.
ReplyDeleteI just did spread the word...Can't be organized...just do it...pssst pass it on
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile in Long Island some schools got two days before Good Friday and may be getting the Friday before Memorial Day off as well if they did not take snow days. In addition, they are done several days before city schools.
ReplyDeleteNYCDOE is the biggest babysitting service in the country. The 2019-2019 school calendar proves that beyond a shadow of a doubt now.
ReplyDeleteAs a cluster teacher who plans to work on December 23rd, I urge all teachers to please NOT take off Monday, December 23rd. If there are a ton of teachers absent, cluster and regular classroom teachers who show up for work will be getting extra coverages and students due to to mass teacher absence. (There is no way in Hell the DOE will have enough subs to cover even a bit of these teacher absences) This is not fair to the teachers who show up. Yes, we all hate that the DOE/UFT is screwing us on having to work on that Monday. However, we are civil servants with a responsibility to this city and more importantly, we have a responsibility to each other. If I have extra classes on that Monday due to teachers being absent and I see photos of them on Facebook sipping a gin and tonic on the beach that day, I am going to one pissed customer. I would like to take that day off just as much as anybody but I am not gonna do that my screwing over the teachers who will show up that day. I am sure a lot of newbie teachers will do what ever they want, but as a veteran teacher I have a sense of pride in not making my fellow colleagues have a crappy day due to taking that Monday off.
ReplyDelete@5:30 with 20 years in, and over 100 days bank -- ive earned the right to take a day off when i damn well please
ReplyDelete@ 5:32, then join us in the sick out, it's happening, might as well be in on it, help send the message, imagine if we all called in and gave em a taste of what a strike would look like in this day and age? You never know maybe they will wake up and see the power we really yield as teachers, YES TEACHERS YOU HAVE POWER YOU JUST NEED TO WIELD IT!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSickout for December 23. I'll believe it when I see it but it sounds like a plan.
ReplyDeleteHey Anno 7:23, I have 19 years in and 134 days in my CAR and I sure as hell do not plan on taking that Monday off. I refuse to screw my colleagues over by taking the day off knowing full well that they will get extra coverages. I'm not planning on going away for vacation so why should I be an ass and take the day off just to make a point to the DOE?
ReplyDeleteThere will be no official "sick out" being organized by the UFT. Sick outs are illegal work actions in NYS. Risks include docking of days and union leaders can be thrown in jail. Expect the DOE to send a very craftily created letter written by legal informing administrators how to deal with teachers who take the day off on Monday the 23rd. Also expect a letter from the DOE to teachers informing them of the consequences of taking an extra vacation day without a doctors note or prior authorization. Oh yeah, also expect a tens of thousands of NYC parents who will be on vacation with their kids that day because why the hell not?
ReplyDeleteI too support a sick out for Dec 23rd. WE CAN CONTROL THIS AND SET AN EXAMPLE FOR THE DOE. We all work with kids so it is logical we can get sick. 5:32 we get that you have an easy cluster position. Understand that not all of us do. It is YOUR CHOICE TO GO TO WORK ON DEC 23RD. Just as it is OUR CHOICE to take off. We are not responsible for you having to not be able to do your cozy position that day. JOIN US! SICK OUT ON DEC 23RD!
ReplyDeleteYo Anno 5:23. If you think I have "an easy cluster position", I gladly invite you to come teach my middle school physical education classes tomorrow in the South Bronx. Please be advised that you may be observed at any time under Advance/Danielson and that your lessons must be scaffolded, include differentiated instruction, and have numerous formative and informative assessments included. Don't forget to include turn and talks for all of the 50 kids in each of your physical education classes during the day. If you want to take December 23rd off, that is your choice. Just remember that we are supposed to be responsible civil servants to the students and families of NYC. If the stupid calendar says we gotta show up, they we are expected to show up unless we are indeed sick. Taking that day off to fluff your vacation is irresponsible and outright unprofessional if you ask me. Just imagine if even 30% of teachers take that day off. If that happened schools would be in a very difficult if not outright dangerous situation to manage in a safe manner. I'm sure you are gonna bash me for being some UNITY goon or DOE shill but I am nothing of the sort. I am simply a dedicated teacher who believes in doing the job I was hired to do. More importantly, I am someone who does not want to screw over my fellow teachers. So feel free to go lay on the beach with your family and friends on December 23rd. Just don't forget that many of your colleagues will probably be working in turmoil that day. If that does not bother you in the least, have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year wherever you may be.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the exec board notes on a different Blog, the problem is not the DoE or the UFT but rather the state. Apparently both are working to convince the state to change their minds on December 23rd.
ReplyDelete7:39-YOU ARE enticing me! Just the thought of the Union Leaders being thrown in jail! Wow that makes me WANT to take off on Dec 23rd. Thanks for the heads up. I guess a lot of First Meds or Emergency Doctors offices will be treating sick teachers so that we come prepared with Doctors notes! I know, I know I will have to pay the copay. However it will so be worth it to take a stand against this. I don't think The DOE and wonderful UFT will NOT challenge doctors notes. ANY MORE TAKERS?
ReplyDeleteNYCDOE SICKOUT 2019!
Anno 6:39pm. You and twenty thousand teachers can all call in sick on December and UFT leadership WILL NOT GO TO JAIL unless they are the ones responsible for organizing the sickout. The UFT must fully organize in writing that they are telling members to take off from work. If UFT does not organize and lead a sick out and you take the day off they are not going to jail. What you are talking about is a "wildcat" sickout which would have no effect on UFT leadership. So feel free to take the day off but be prepared to face possible consequences such as a letter to file, docking of pay, or theft of service charges from the DOE/Legal. (I am not telling you what to do, just letting you know of the possible consequences) The fact is at this time we don't know what the DOE has in mind but I am guessing they are not going to fart around in allowing thousands of teachers to take that day off without a valid excuse as posters in this thread have mentioned what chaos that would cause.
ReplyDeleteto 5:19
ReplyDeleteThanks for your opinion. Again, as CLEARLY STATED I WOULD GET A DOCTOR'S NOTE SO THAT I AM COVERED. I DON'T CARE ABOUT A LETTER IN MY FILE(I HAVE NONE!) AND WHAT EXACTLY IS THE LEGAL TEAM GOING TO DO? CHALLENGE A NOTE FROM A DOCTOR? I don't think so. You may not know what they have in mind. BUT THE CONTRACT CLEARLY STATES THAT WE GET 10 SELF TREATED SICK DAYS.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT IT MAKES ME SICK THAT THE UFT, STATE AND DOE DOES NOT RESPECT US AS EQUALS TO ALL OTHER DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE.
IT IS SIMPLE-GET A NOTE OR NOT SICK OUT ON DECEMBER 23, 2019!
Maybe children need to get their meals in school.
ReplyDeleteAnd maybe the DOE gets money for being open.