UFT COVID-19 DEATH TOLL RISES; NORM SCOTT SEES RETURN OF 1975 FISCAL CRISIS CONDITIONS; RETIRED CHAPTER LEADER COMMENTS ON UFT NOT TELLING US TO STAY OUT OF UNSAFE SCHOOLS

From Chalkbeat NY:

Rosario Gonzalez, a 91-year-old paraprofessional who cared tenderly for children in an East Harlem special education program, rarely missed a day of work in more than three decades. 

Claudia Shirley continued to teach in Bushwick even after retiring, and loved her job so much that she inspired her two daughters to become educators themselves.

Carol King-Grant, a special education teacher in the South Bronx, was known for her love of sudoku and beautiful singing voice. 

All died in recent weeks from suspected cases of the coronavirus, according to the United Federation of Teachers. The union announced that, as of Friday, it knew of more than 40 of its members presumed to have been claimed by the pandemic, including both active educators and retirees.

The union is naming names, and releasing a tally of the lives lost at a time that the education department has refused to do so. The department’s silence has sparked an uproar among teachers, who feel the lack of recognition is a smack in the face, particularly as they continued to report for work even after the danger of COVID-19 was well known.    

Thoughts and prayers to all of those who have passed, are sick or are working to stop the pandemic.

Norm over at EdNotes sees very gloomy days ahead during the state of emergency. He is predicting a return to a 1975 style fiscal crisis situation with massive layoffs not based on seniority when schools reopen.

When I see complaints from teachers about the DOE, the UFT, the loss of spring break, etc. I find them almost funny due to how shortsighted they are given the potential likelihood of a massive financial crisis to come that will affect and infect the school system, the most likely place to take the biggest hit because it has the biggest budget and therefore the most places to cut - except for the administrators and bureaucracy, of course.

The current home-learning situation will result in a learning experience for all - but especially the politicians who see a solution to the budget by continuing versions of stay at home schooling where feasible. Of course the role the schools play in babysitting and feeding cannot be ignored, but I believe the idea will be there for use. Imagine closed schools and how many people can be laid off? But let's say all schools remain open.

No taxes coming in and enormous expenses for city and state government: deep cuts are inevitable 
So how can they cut deeply and still maintain a system? Just tax the rich I hear some people say -- that will solve the problem. Here's what we know - that will never happen -- look 

And what about UFT contracts? Someone commented recently - don't we have a contract preventing layoffs - a LOL moment.

Once they declare an emergency, contracts don't count.


So let's talk about what happened in 1975 when our contract was shredded when the financial crisis was declared and the finances taken over by some consortium -- Felix Rohatyn (who died not long ago and was proclaimed a hero - not to us - became the czar.)

Norm then reviews the events of 75. I don't necessarily agree with Norm's forecast but it is worth looking at in detail as he then describes the history of the UFT's last strike that year which failed. I believe had the unions come together in a general strike, it would have been successful and that a general strike could succeed today to prevent the elites from robbing us blind. The little points matter so when we concede spring break so easily while businesses and local governments are getting bailed out left and right by the Federal Reserve's printing press, it matters. We can't just sit around and wait to be pounced on.

Something I cannot comprehend is why there isn't more anger directed at the UFT and Michael Mulgrewfor not telling us to stay out of schools in mid March. Had we all stayed home it might have helped to slow the spread of COVID-19. Mulgrew threatened a useless lawsuit, discouraged teachers from calling out sick and then when the kids finally didn't have to go to school any longer, he did nothing to stop staff from reporting for three days from March 17-19. Today I saw a very enlightening comment from M. Haber, who commented on our UFT Knew Buildings were Unsafe the Week Before Schools Closed. Haber was a Chapter Leader in Brooklyn after a hurricane. Read what he says because it offers lessons that need to be learned quickly.

Martin H. said...
What you exposed about Mulgrew and the UFT is damning, James. Its what Eugene V. Debs called "Profit Over People". But the fact that it is our union doing it makes it even more horrible to me. 

I remember when the last Hurricane came through NYC, & my principal- taking her marching orders from DOE HQ- wanted us inside the Coney Island building way before it was deemed safe to return- there was a gaseous smell that was nauseating, and for me obviously dangerous. I was the UFT Chapter Chair at that moment (not for long after!), and I stood outside that morning trying to stop my colleagues from entering. Some did, but most brushed me aside. That is what fear of authority does.
I was proven correct when the "investigators" checked out the building's levels, it was toxic in parts of the building. We did eventually gather in neighboring sites! 

I offer this anecdote as an analogy to what the Union is doing with Coronavirus knowledge- they only care about the dues, and the status quo. And being a retiree myself now, I am disgusted by the power that this "captive audience" gives to Unity. Why retirees have the vote at all in our union has always been beyond me except that Unity "buys" the retirees off with the so-called pensions/extras/attention- its pure propaganda.

I totally agree with the comment. I see it as a cautionary tale as well as a political statement. A decision in the next few days is coming from the Mayor on shutting NYC school down for the rest of the school year or maybe reopening schools before the end of the school year. Distance learning has not exactly been a success.

If schools resume sometime later this spring or even if schools are not reopened until the fall, UFT members need to know buildings are safe before they go back in. There has to be a policy in place so UFT members can be confident before entering schools. What if there is a second wave of COVID-19? How can anyone in their right mind trust Mulgrew and company to make snap decisions on whether a school is safe or unsafe and whether UFT members should enter? They proved to be ineffective in March with the best they could do is to bluster about a lawsuit if schools remained open. How many people would have come down sick before that lawsuit was decided? How many were sickened because they went to work?