THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS FROM MULGREW: NO PROMISES BUT THERY'RE WORKING ON ACCOMMODATIONS FOR MEMBERS LIVING WITH RELATIVES WITH UNDERLYING CONDITIONS

I know I shouldn't even bother getting agitated when I see another email from UFT President Michael Mulgrew but I still do. 

On the same day as the AFT is talking strike, the UFT puts out this:

●Accommodations: We are in talks with the DOE about what can be done for UFT members who do not have underlying medical conditions themselves, but who live with and care for those who do. We can’t promise anything, but we clearly understand this concern and are working on it.

This is the degree to which the UFT has fallen. We no longer make demands. We work on things. Am I being too harsh here? 

In my humble opinion if we were seriously and credibly  planning for a possible walkout from unsafe school buildings, we could have a great deal more leverage with City Hall and the Department of Ed. 

The full email:

The latest developments

Dear UFT Member,

I want to thank the thousands of you who participated in our telephone town hall last Tuesday. When we come together as a union to support each other and to fight for what we know is necessary, we are unstoppable, even during this unprecedented crisis.

City Hall and the Department of Education owe us a comprehensive plan for reopening school buildings. We will carefully analyze that plan to determine if it is safe for our members and our students to return to their buildings in September.

Because there's so much going on, I will be regularly communicating with all of you about what we are working on and any new developments.

Here's what we have to report:

●Accommodations: The DOE’s reasonable accommodation process is up and running. There is no deadline — you can apply at any time. But we are asking members to apply by July 31 to keep things moving. We worked with the DOE to streamline and speed up the process.

●Ventilation: The DOE now has a budget and a plan for checking building ventilation plans, upgrading air filters, and checking airflow. We have identified school buildings with ventilation systems that may not be adequate and will be inspecting them.

●Other safety measures: The DOE has ordered disinfectants, masks and other supplies and has begun implementing other safety measures, such as new entry protocols and plexiglass partitions for main office and school safety agent desks in common areas. Each school will have a building response team tasked with making sure that schools have the necessary materials and that the agreed-upon protocols and policies are not only in place but being followed.

Here’s what we are still pressing the DOE to answer for us:

●Accommodations: We are in talks with the DOE about what can be done for UFT members who do not have underlying medical conditions themselves, but who live with and care for those who do. We can’t promise anything, but we clearly understand this concern and are working on it.

●Remote instruction: We are in talks with the DOE about what the remote instructional day looks like and how it will be staffed. Whether we are fully remote or adopt a blended learning model in the fall, remote instruction will account for the majority of most students' educational time. One group of children will work with the same cadre of remote instructors, but whether those instructors are from the child’s home school or from a more centralized pool of educators is still unclear.

●Testing and tracing: We are working with the DOE, the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators and city agencies including NYC Health + Hospitals to establish clear protocols for what happens at a school if a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19. Any school building that re-opens will need an isolation room; a school nurse who can trigger the testing and tracking response in the event a child or adult is ill; a communication plan for alerting families and staff; and a clear closure plan. The medical experts we work with are also recommending everyone do two things, regardless of whether we go back into school buildings or not. First, get a flu shot this season. Second, get a COVID antibody test as a baseline.

As I said at the town hall, whether or not the DOE gets it together enough for school buildings to reopen, a large part of our teaching and support services for the foreseeable future will be delivered remotely. So while we work to make school building safe, we have to simultaneously work to make sure our remote capabilities are the best they can be.

We want to get back to our school buildings, but we want to return safely. We need assurances that our school system is using the same level of precaution as every other government agency or corporation in New York City that is bringing people back to work.

There's broken trust between City Hall and the UFT because of how things played out in March. So we are rightfully cautious - there is too much at stake.

Together, we will fight to keep each other and our students safe. We have each other's backs.

Sincerely,

Michael Mulgrew

UFT President