Friday, November 29, 2019

ADVICE FROM CHICAGO

There is an opinion piece from In These Times written by Jackson Potter, a Chicago Teachers Union activist who was one of the founders of the dissident CORE caucus that won power in the CTU in 2010. The title is "What Other Unions Can Learn from the Historic Gains We Won in the Chicago Teachers Strike." Potter analyzes the strike and then he offers important advice for unions, including having us work with other unions to achieve broad goals.

Some highlights:
On top of winning new funding streams, our broader social justice demands built upon victories in the recent Los Angeles teacher strike, as well as Boston’s teacher contract campaign that won language on class size restrictions. In no small way, the 2019 CTU strike was connected to a rising movement of teachers nationally that has fundamentally altered the political and labor landscape in the United States. 

When we struck in 2012, the action was largely defensive in nature and came on the heels of Scott Walker’s attack on collective bargaining rights in Wisconsin. This year’s strike represented a move into offense—beyond efforts to stop school closings, vouchers, bankruptcies, pension liquidation or state take-overs. Instead, we’ve added about 750 new positions into our schools, staffing that will dramatically increase investments into our classrooms for the first time in decades.

Later, Jackson offers some advice:
One of the keys to our victory was labor solidarity. Chicago teachers struck alongside the 7,000 school employees in SEIU Local 73, which did not occur in 2012. These school workers also won large-scale victories in their contract, and by standing with us on the picket lines, they showed the power of true collective action.  

The victories in our strike built upon years-long efforts to bring Chicago charter school teachers into the CTU, aligning 11 charter school contracts. This strategic choice led to the first charter school strikes in the nation’s history, and won provisions on class-size and sanctuary schools that set the stage to win them throughout the district.

To win more, we teachers should consider partnering with private sector union struggles. Imagine if we had been able to join forces with the United Auto Workers in their labor struggle with GM, or coordinated with warehouse workers to shut down the region’s supply chains? Such an approach could help build the social power necessary to advance a set of regional worker demands to significantly alter the political and economic landscape for all workers. 

I have been calling for unions to combine our forces since 2005. It is the best way forward.

Potter's conclusion:
Throughout history, social movement struggles have always been protracted. It’s taken three contract cycles for the CTU to turn back nearly 40 years of attacks on our public schools. It’s a shift made possible through strike action coupled with a burgeoning national teachers movement—and taking risks to lift up working-class demands that go far beyond traditional collective bargaining.   

We won't turn things around in NYC in a flash either.  The UFT is still not even close to being part of the national militancy movement of teachers. However, the situation in NYC won't improve at all in NYC without a union or with an even smaller and weaker one. It's up to us to fix our union.

27 comments:

  1. The folks that are running/ruining the UFT have no incentive to change anything. It’s in their best interest to let the city keep creating ATRs, discontinue teachers and ignore Fair Student Funding and everything else that makes teaching in the DOE beyond repulsive. The other NYC unions think we’re all stupid, frightened morons for allowing this crap. They are correct. Nothing will ever change here until teachers start getting laid off. That will happen if we get a conservative mayor that teams up with Cuomo to cater to the charters. There are a lot of New Yorkers that are very turned off by deBlasio. Teachers are on a slippy precipice.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Every chapter leader in city should have a convention 1-2 times a year with an agenda, food, in a location thats central prob manhattan, where leaders can discuss the major issues and lay out plans to improve their schools in the DOE. Even if a few UFT reps attend couldn't hurt.

    There is less than a 10% chance any tier VI member makes it to 15 years. At least in Chicago the standard of living is less on top of descent raises. Its a shit show in NYC, westchester, and long island to handle the taxes and cost of living.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is incredible. A post here where there is an actual suggestion to do something positive. You have finally fended off the crazy freaky side show. That is positive. Maybe the big first step ahead.

    ReplyDelete
  4. After that convention, nothing would change. Arent there delegate assemblies and meetings at 52 Broadway? Often? With food?

    ReplyDelete
  5. I’m handing in my resignation letter on Monday and ending Jan 3. I spoke to someone at the UFT who advised me to stay on until end of January because that will get me my July pay checks. I haven’t seen this anywhere and not sure how valid that is since I won’t be on payroll. I don’t understand how I would get paid in the summer.

    Does anyone here have any insight into this? I want to make sure before I go ahead with it on Monday!

    ReplyDelete
  6. If you work through January, then you get paid for half of the summer pay since you worked half the school year. You earned the money.

    ReplyDelete
  7. @7:30, Curious if your leaving because of the joys of the job? I hope the UFT did more than just get you to stay until the end of January. I went to them (and Mike Sill specifically) for help and was told there’s nothing they could do - deal with it or leave. No big deal for them. I’m not telling anyone to stop paying dues, but I wouldn’t be able to look myself in the mirror if I continued to do so.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Another happy camper, cant even finish the term. I'm out right after the next and last retro payment. Not worth it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm with 7:30. I just emailed my resignation. Had enough. At some point, misery and self destruction just isn't worth the paycheck. Let the students ruin other lives. Uft is useless. There is a 0% chance things will get better.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Why resign in January? Why not finish out the year? What happened?

    Our schools do not offer enough support to new teachers!

    The UFT and DOE should work together to support new teachers.

    Common time with mentors, constructive observations, and PDs through the year that concentrate on new teacher concerns would help.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Another NY Post article about corruption, fraud, anti white, anti Jewish sentiment from mayor and chancellor... Wonder why people hate the job.

    ReplyDelete
  12. i just had a pension consultation and the adviser said that we get 10% toward summer checks per academic month we work. she said the claim that each semester = half summer pay just isnt true. so which is it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Both are true 10:40. One month = 1/10 summer pay so five months = 5/10 = 1/2.

      Delete
  13. -5:52, New teachers? There are many veteran teachers getting up and walking out - many more that are hanging on by a thread and laying in bed dreading the end of the weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I'm in year 18 now, been waiting for the retro to be completed. Since the 2014 deal was signed, 2020 was the plan. That would be 18.5 years, no pension till I turn 55, and then a tiny pension. I'm not even 40 yet. Job not worth the torture. And of course I didn't want to forfeit the retro. Thanks for that provision uft.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Agree with 9:54, not gonna get into the pay or dont pay dues argument. I couldn't keep paying and look myself in the mirror. Yes, it is that bad. 10:42 said many are hanging on by a thread. Why is that the case? Whose fault? Students? Mayor? Uft? Disgusting profession.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Ask yourself, are students in most schools learning anything? Are they learning subject matter? To conform to rules? To be civil? To be professional? To be part of the workforce? To speak and write proper English? To be respectful? To live up to standards and expectations? All of those, the answer is a resounding no.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Haha. They dont even have to show up.

    ReplyDelete
  18. You must be in an awful school. It would be something if you could get other teachers to work with you instead of making pointless, anonymous comments here.

    ReplyDelete
  19. At what school does all that stuff not happen?

    ReplyDelete
  20. Get other teachers to work with me? 30 years of evidence says that students are learning.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I agree with 1256. Students come in, hang out, do nothing, get credits. Just read all the grade fraud articles. How can you disagree with that?

    ReplyDelete
  22. I'm 404. I meant students arent learning. We all know there is a tremendous amount of grade fraud. Numbers, legit numbers are getting worse across the city. What is the argument? Students are kind and hardworking? Where?

    ReplyDelete
  23. Get other teachers to help! LOL! Its every man for himself. No one gives a shit, especially the UFT!

    ReplyDelete
  24. I guess students wont show up tomorrow, it is raining. Keep putting up that facade.

    ReplyDelete
  25. James, you don't care that the likes of Mike Sill get $165k to not teach, not get observed, not get cursed and threatened, not be in hot classrooms, not get blamed, then when asked for help, says he cant...

    ReplyDelete
  26. Ok asshole DiBLASIO many of your teachers won’t make it in tomorrow but let’s keep the babysitting service going

    ReplyDelete

●Comments are moderated.
●Kindly use your Google account. ●Anonymous comments only from Google accounts.
●Please stay on topic and use reputable sources.
●Irrelevant comments will not be posted.
●Try to be respectful; we are professionals.