I read and we posted the letter for the Queens Chapter Leaders Friday and found it persuasive as a call to arms for a UFT job action. Arthur Goldstein and Mike Schirtzer have subsequently posted strong strike endorsements this weekend. Mike's headline: "Strike or Die- It's Your Choice," is not overly dramatic; it's accurate. 75 DOE school-based employees and 12 School Safety Agents lost their lives in the spring from COVID-19 complications. Michael Mulgrew stated that it is logical to conclude some were infected at work and no other school system that I know of suffered such terrible losses from COVID-19. It could happen again if we return to the buildings, no matter how the DOE tries to appease us that it is safe.
We are in a labor union and the Union leadership has asked us to stand together in a militant call to action to protect UFT member health as well as the health and safety of the students and their families. I 100% support them in that call for militancy. I've been asking for Michael Mulgrew and before him Randi Weingarten to do this for 20 years. That said, except for the fact that this is a labor-management dispute, there is almost nothing about this potential job action to ensure safety that is like a traditional strike and we have to think about it in a non-traditional way.
We would be rather hypocritical to argue that we have to go on strike because it's not safe to go into the subways and buses where our crowding them could spread coronavirus to go to work but we could use the same subways and buses to set up our socially distant picket lines outside of schools. I don't believe calling for a traditional picket line is the best way forward. I would advocate for only the UFTer who lives closest to the school to go near the actual school building to take a photo of any scab who enters the building and post it everywhere if we were to engage in some kind of strike. Since CSA seems to be with us in the current dispute, maybe the principals can help call out the scabs too. However, I am not really advocating here for a strike, just for following DOE rules.
A job action in September would be like none other in our history. Before there was a UFT, the Evening High School Teachers went on a wildcat strike in 1959 that doubled their wages. The UFT went on strikes in 1960, 1962, 1967, 1968, and 1975. All of the strikes were illegal and they mostly were successful. The closest to our current situation is 1960 when the UFT action was so daring that most people found it hard to believe they did it. Today, many active UFTers have no conception of union activism and many fear the risks that are truly being exaggerated beyond belief in the comments here and in other places.
Most UFTers who have expressed reservations about a job action are worried about the Taylor Law fining them two days pay for every day they are out on strike. I have said since March and I will say it again for the hundredth time, it is not a strike in the meaning of the term when you refuse to go into the subways or school buildings in a global pandemic where you entering either one could spread a very dangerous virus. This is a safety strike as sanctioned by the AFT. Please read Section 210 of the Taylor Law closely to understand why this would not be a prohibited strike.
Let us take the definition of a strike from Merriam Webster: to stop work in order to force an employer to comply with demands. UFTers would not be stopping work by demanding to work remotely. UFTers would be ready, willing, and able to work remotely at home as thousands of colleagues have already been approved to do.
Now, please scroll down to (b) of Section 210 of the Taylor Law which states:
(b) Presumption. For purposes of this subdivision an employee who is absent from work without permission, or who abstains wholly or in part from the full performance of his duties in his normal manner without permission, on the date or dates when a strike occurs, shall be presumed to have engaged in such strike on such date or dates.
By logging onto your computer after following the DOE guidance on when you are not supposed to report to work during the pandemic, you have the permission of your employer to stay home.
Read the DOE's own School Reopening Plan to understand your responsibilities as an employee. This is on page 26:
Monitoring
Screening
Daily health screenings for students and school-based staff, including temperature checks, must be completed at home by families and by school-based staff. NYCDOE will launch a robust education campaign that makes clear to parents and school-based staff how important these daily health checks are to keeping school communities healthy and safe. NYCDOE is committed to the purchasing of thermometers for at home use for families who may need them.
School-based staff and students cannot report to school if they have:
• Experienced any symptoms of COVID-19 (chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea), including a temperature of greater than 100.0°F, in the past 14 days;
• Been knowingly in close or proximate contact in the past 14 days with anyone who has tested positive through a diagnostic test for COVID-19 or who has or had symptoms of COVID-19 (fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea);
• Tested positive through a diagnostic test for COVID-19 in the past 10 days; AND/OR
• Traveled internationally or from a state with widespread community transmission of COVID-19 per the New York State Travel Advisory in the past 14 days.
Spare me the Taylor Law hysteria. Those of you too squeamish to strike are almost being encouraged to stay home by your employer.
The DOE-City will try to say this amounts to a sickout but if you turn on your computer and say you are prepared to work even though you have a headache or stomach ache, they will have a very difficult time making the case that tens of thousands of teachers and other UFTers who are ready to work remotely are not in compliance with the law. UFT Solidarity calls it a Remote Out. Just imagine the absurdity of the City-DOE going to court to get an injunction to stop us from abiding by their own rules on when to stay home!
We can fight it all out in court but the school buildings will be shut down without adequate staffing. If you are still worried, there is an appeal procedure in the Taylor Law if you are accused of engaging in a strike. Any decision against you can then be appealed in court. It will take years for it to wind its way through the courts. This could be an election issue for next year's mayoral campaign. Candidates could be asked to promise to drop any case against UFTers for insisting to work from home in exchange for union support. At the state level, we could fight to finally get rid of the part of the Taylor Law prohibiting strikes by NYS government employees which the International Labor Organization of the United Nations has already ruled is a human rights violation.
In short, nobody is going to be fined, lose their tenure for a year, if ever, or be disciplined any time soon for working to DOE rules. This would not be a strike in the traditional sense of the word. You never know what will happen in court and I am not saying we can't lose but we have a very strong case.
As stated above and now 101 times, UFTers are entitled by Contract to a safe work environment and the DOE-City are violating the UFT Contract by sending UFTers into unsafe buildings during a pandemic. The grievance process does not offer appropriate remedies as your health and the health of the students are at risk if UFTers work in school buildings. A source informed me that at the Bronx meeting for Chapter Leaders last Friday the safe environment argument was actually made by a UFT official. Stop the fear-mongering in the comments section. We have a right to be safe.
I will deal with some of the other conspiracy theories that have been laid out in the comments and in other places in a future post.
115 comments:
I've been arguing with the fools on the DOE FB page since Mulgrew said he would consider a strike. The amount of false information, straight up lies, and people talking out of their arses is mind boggling. If people aren't willing to stand up for their health and safety, for that of their families, and for the kids, then we, as a union, are doomed. My real concern is that the UFT isn't giving the chapter leaders the proper talking points, so they can explain to the membership why the law is on our side because we are not refusing to work; we are more than ready, willing and able to work remotely.
I agree 100%. This is not a strike for higher pay or better working conditions, it's about safety and not wanting to get sick. You could use one of those many excuses as long as you have the sick time banked.
I would rather not strike. I can't afford a strike. But I will vote for a strike and support the strike. In fact, I would travel as far as possible to catch and photograph those who cross the picket line. But, how do we monitor those crossing the virtual picket line? There are going to be many of those at home who were to be teaching remotely. Another difficult cohort to keep from crossing the picket line are the young teachers who have no history of in their families or of growing up in a time of strong unions and/or workers rights. These teachers, many the TFA type come to NYC from all over the country to live in hip and overpriced areas. Mommy and Daddy won't support them. They'll cross the lines in a minute.
I'm also concerned that some who have "internet muscles" have no problem being vocal having called for radicalism from Mulgrew as well as a strike under the safety of anonymity yet have no done a complete 180 degree turn. And we need to be wary of the outside angry former UFT members who like to agitate but are basically chicken shit (He knows who he is) along with their opportunistic puppet master.
That's right! It's in our contract - the right to work in a safe environment.
This is the time to challenge the Taylor Law.
Any news what the admin union is up to?
Stop the crap people.
Remote 100%. Safety First.
I will only support a strike if the UFT demands that the instructional lunch be removed. This puts everyone, and in turn, every family who sends their kids into a building, at risk, and is completely unworkable. There's no way that having 12 (or more) people eating with their masks off for 40 minutes is safe, and students WILL take that long to eat as an excuse not to wear the mask. All this other safety stuff is going to be moot if eating in the classroom is allowed to go on; the particles are going to circulate around the room, and since students aren't leaving their classes, especially in elementary school, it will surely end up spreading. Grab and go lunch for all and let them out a little early, how productive is a working lunch going to be anyway? Anyone who works in a school knows the answer to that, but again the geniuses who make these decisions act like they've never been in a school.
I think I agree with what you're saying, James. The action that we need to take is technically not a "strike." That's why I have no idea why Mulgrew went talking out of his ass and threatened to do that, instead of speaking to US - the UFT members - about the action. Maybe you should be the UFT president, since you are here explaining things to UFT members in a logical manner.
This is not a strike. It's a job action for safety.
"(b) Presumption. For purposes of this subdivision an employee who is absent from work without permission, or who abstains wholly or in part from the full performance of his duties in his normal manner without permission, on the date or dates when a strike occurs, shall be presumed to have engaged in such strike on such date or dates."
This is an iffy interpretation at best. To make that argument you could then justify any day you didn't show up to work because you feel there was a danger. The chaos that would ensue at all work places if that was considered law for an employee of any company to do that on their own would be unsustainable. Who would go to work when the crime rate rises? When the roads are bad from snow?
Second, if it is basically a "sick out" or "remote out" by simply following those rules and not a traditional strike then you don't have scabs if those people aren't "sick" or need to work "remotely." You can't say you are sick and then get retribution on the healthy people.
Yes we had deaths and illnesses and that is tragic, no question about that. But that was also in March, in the epicenter of the US Covid outbreak at a time when we had no idea what we were dealing with, how to treat it or how to stop it from spreading. This was before many have received immunity and speaking to a doctor this evening who is monitoring anti-body testing for the city there are estimates that 70% of the children already have immunity. NY was hit hard first and it stands to reason higher levels of immunity are present. For August 22 there were 572 new cases and 5 deaths. that is .8% less than 1%. And we will be returning with PPEs, smaller classes, social distancing, and better preparedness. We are more prepared now for this than we are for the normal flu season which also kills 60K+ a year.
We go to stores, malls, and parks, we pick up food and talk to our neighbors more now. We probably face more of a risk doing that then what we will do at school and most kids adjust far easier than adults to wearing masks and being safe. They want to be safe too.
Some of us who are against striking are worried about money and the answers above are simply a belief and should not be taken as fact or a direct interpretation of the law and shame on the writer for making it seem that way. But many of us are simply against the strike because we don't believe a strike is the best course of action. We don't jump because Mulgrew told us to, many of us are not afraid to return because we have the science to back us up as well and the militant people do not speak for us.
This is why the accommodatiom rule is unfair. They are home anyway, why strike?
@9:29 - Well said.
A strike would be for the following:
grade fraud
administration abuse and discrimination
Danielson
bogus PDs
salary
age discrimination
the creation of the ATR status
to bring back seniority
strengthen tenure
better healthcare benefits
increase in fixed interest TDA
getting paid for working during Spring break
no givebacks
...... you get the point.
This is a job action for safety.
People in other industries should be demanding better work conditions and benefits.
This is such a wealthy country. Nobody should be envious of what other professions provide. That's what the politicians want - divide and conquer.
I do agree with part of what you are saying. However, I believe you are overlooking some of the arguments that the other side would make. I used to be a lawyer and know that one must always anticipate what the other side is going to argue and not minimize it. One does that at one's peril.
I agree with the part where we place the emphasis on the fact that we are all ready, willing and able to work remote. If we all stay remote and we announce it in advance and have lesson plans ready to go, we can argue that this is no strike; we are not missing from work.
I agree that this is the most aggriegious violation of teachers' health and safety that I can ever conceive of.
"But we cannot ignore the Taylor Law and the arguments that the other side will use against us. There is case law that says that the Triborough amendments have no loophole for extreme provocation: A union’s allegation that the employer engaged in “extreme provocation,” leading to the employees’ strike, is not an exception to the statute’s strike prohibition and does not protect a union from a strike charge. It is merely a mitigating factor to be considered
when imposing a strike penalty." https://nysba.org/NYSBA/Coursebooks/Spring%202018%20LPM%20Coursebooks/Taylor%20Law%20at%2050/11._Outline%20-%20Concurrent%202%20-%20300%20pm%20UPDATED%205.8.18.pdf (p. 16). Perhaps we can argue that this goes even beyond the extreme provocation. But we cannot deny this precedent. That is why I think we need to focus on a remote out.
I said it isn't a slam dunk in court. It never is. My words: "You never know what will happen in court and I am not saying we can't lose but we have a very strong case."
Principals are being told they must report to work next Monday, their union is done fighting it. Principals are also emailing staff that they can come in and start setting up rooms. I've heard many staff are going to go in. It's going to be very hard to get people to stand together.. We are in divisive time .
@9:34 Why is accommodation rule unfair?
James I don’t disagree with a lot of what you said. That being said, why wasn’t the strike idea brought to the del assembly before Mulgrew said it in public? For,that matter why isn’t it being brought to the delegate assembly right now? Or why aren’t the members being polled? And lastly and most importantly, why isn’t there a lawsuit already filed? In the past I was told it was because we don’t want to “look bad” to the public. How is not going to work gonna make us look?
Hi Susan,
Nice to get a legal opinion. I am no lawyer for sure, just a former chapter leader. I stated that it isn't a strike. We are ready, willing and able to work remotely. So that precedent shouldn't apply on extreme provocation. Nonetheless, it would take forever to fight this out in court. Last time I looked we were innocent until proven guilty in the USA. While this drags through the courts, we use our political skills to elect a mayor who pledges to drop the case and lobby the state legislature to repeal the part of the Taylor Law that prohibits strikes by public employees which is a human rights violation according to a UN agency.
9:29, You don't go to work when the roads are clogged with snow. It is too dangerous except when Carmen Farina declares Macys open in a snowstorm. A pandemic may be worse because we can't see the danger but it is there.
This is 9:29
I don't go to work on snow days when school is closed. When Carmen Farina declared it was a "beautiful day," I was at work. I left an hour early to make sure I get there safely. I prepare like I will for September.
yay I turned 40 today, new decade same shit. When will this go away, think long term not everyone will take the vaccine, we going to live scared forever? I.f a kid has a fever or sick and it flu and not assume everything is covid.
Bottom line we should start either after MP1 or October and allow indoor dining and gyms to happen to see if there are any spikes or issues.
Connecticut city facing ‘serious’ COVID-19 outbreak, residents urged to stay home
By Kenneth GargerAugust 23, 2020 | 8:26pm | Updated
So staff is going in to get rooms ready? Well, thats it then...
If 9:29 and the rest of the group that's says it's safe are right but the remote only side wins out, we spend a few more months doing remote and we go back when there is a real consensus amongst the scientific community that it's safe to return. Nobody loses. But if 9:29 is wrong and there is a second wave when we return to schools, more will die needlessly. Do we really want to take that chance? The blood will no longer be on DeBlasio-Mulgrew-Carranza's hands. It will be on our hands.
Autumn is a May Day baby. She was born in NYC on the down slope of the last COVID spike, when we could still hear a seemingly endless procession of ambulance sirens from our bedroom window every night. The insurance the UFT won through sustained collective action paid for her entry into the world with a negligable co-pay. Does anyone seriously think her daddy, a proud union member for the better part of two decades, WOULDN’T go out on #safetystrike to protect my family, my students, my union sisters and brothers and their families? We can prevent another predictable and avoidable spike and save countless lives if we have the courage to stand together. ✊🏻
#OnlyWhenItsSafe #solidarityforever #wontdiefordoe
I’m scared
I’m confused
I stand with my union.
If Teachers authorize a strike on COVID when there is a less than 1% infection rate in the city, teachers will look like fools. The Media will have a field day with it. Teachers will be making a huge mistake for a number of reasons:
1 - You will save the DOE and Diblasio from hanging themselves. Let their plan fail. Don't do their work for them by striking, stupid!
2- You will become the laughing stock of the other unions who go to work every day and face worse safety conditions: Corrections Offices, 1199 workers, NYPD, EMS, FDNY, Sanitation,
3 - You will become the laughing stock of all the other essential workers: retail, grocery store/ uber, drivers, Amazon, Fed Ex, Postal, UPS
4 - You will loose the support of the majority of parents.
5 - You will give the media an even better scapegoat than DEblasio - those lazy, good for nothing TEACHERS - who make an average salary of 80,000 per year for 9 months worth of work.
6- You will look like you don't care about the students academically, socially or emotionally which may be true - but this would be stupid to reveal.
7. You might become hated by the public - Millions have no job or food, and face eviction. Poor teacher, doesn't want to go to school... we're done.
7. You might get fired. You might get fined. And for what? THe city's plan is horrible and flawed. Let CityHall, the DOE and the other politician be the idiots... just for once stop yourself and think before authorizing a strike. How long will it last? Who knows? Will the court side with us? Who knows?
Demand Mulgrew talk to members about this job action.
Demand Mulgrew sue the city if they don't meet protocols.
Demand Mulgrew defend every member for documenting the lapse of any or all safety protocols Demand that he goes to the press about these lapses.
Every chapter should Take a job action at the end of the school day and call the press to report any violation of protocols.
Other things to consider:
Where is the picket line? we don't know since fearless leader hasn't told anything about a strike - but what if he decides it should be in Downtown Manhattan or DOwntown Brooklyn
HOw many would vote for a strike if you had to take the train to the picket line?
How many would be OK paying parking/ Train fares to get to Picket line?
Where is the bathroom on the Picket line?
HOw many hours do you have to stand on the Picket Line?
How many will catch COVID on the way to the picket line?
You want to virtually strike? How will that work... Better ask Mike, at the next Townhall, lol.
Can anyone state with certainty how many students are showing up for in person?
How many teachers are getting an accommodation?
Are there enough teachers to teach? You don't know, do you.
But Mulgrew went on TV and said that we might Strike.
If infection rate goes over 3% and we are still open we should vote on a strike. JUST WAIT. THE PLAN WILL FAIL and THE IN PERSON ED SERVICES WILL SUCK!
Meantime, think very hard about being used as a pawn in a political fight. You are winning now cause EVERYONE hates Diblasio. Be stupid enough to strike and you will give Diblasio the best gift he has gotten since the 2014 contract.
How many have to get sick again before we stage a job action? It ain't safe.
The people who are willing to go back into those buildings for 7 HOURS, with hundreds and and maybe a thousand or more people in them for 7 hours EACH day, are naive if they think there is not a very high risk of spreading infection.
NYC at best, has 25% of the people with antibodies (and remember those numbers are skewed by a few zip codes in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens where there were very high rates of infection. Most neighborhoods are still well below 20% of residents with antibodies.(The NY Times had a good article last week.) That is nowhere near "herd immunity," if it even exists. If the politicians really thought it was safe (and remember they have the counsel of the medical experts) They would have allowed indoor dining, gyms, movie theaters, museums and other indoor activities to open a lot earlier. They would not allow people with underlying conditions to receive accommodations to work remotely (That alone tells you they expect it to spread). The fact that the infection rate is so low is only because basically everything indoors has been prohibited. Outdoor gatherings have been greatly restricted as well. Governor Cuomo has had the state liquor authority suspend over 100 liquor licenses because the establishments have "allowed" people to congregate too closely on the sidewalks even though they were outdoors.
I went for an annual physical last month and had an antibody test done. I don't have them. I wasn't exposed even though I work in a crowded school and didn't miss any days of work up until the schools were closed this past Spring. I asked my doctor if he has seen a lot of people with antibodies. He said almost nobody has them from the patients he had seen through July. However, he has had "a" patient that got sick a SECOND time with Covid, months after the original infection. He doesn't believe any vaccine will offer permanent immunity. It would be more like a "flu shot" which everyone knows, does not offer total protection. This is a doctor with more than 30 years practicing internal medicine.
I'm not a big fan of striking. However, this is not a monetary issue. It literally is an issue of life and death. I feel if the UFT believes the buildings are not safe to the degree that they would be willing to initiate a job action (and remember this is the same UFT that sells us out on everything) then the buildings really are not safe!
Those that are trying to rationalize every possible reason not to strike. Ask yourself this question.... "Are you willing to seriously injure or kill yourself or somebody close to you??? If the answer is "NO" then you shouldn't walk into any of the schools if the Union calls a strike.
I see no hypocrisy in traditional strike during a pandemic. Of course we will need to coordinate to protect our health.
Our detractors will ask: How can we protest when there is a virus we claim to fear so much we refuse to go to work and, at the same time, protest in the streets? How did we get to the protests? On the trains? "Look, there is a teacher protesting and she is not wearing a mask or social distancing!"
But we can't be intimidated by our detractors.
They have said much worse and will smash us as hypocrites and communists and radical anarchists and so on.
Who cares!
How James, did our so-called militant action get reduced to sending out spies and catching scabs?
James says, "except for the fact that this is a labor-management dispute, there is almost nothing about this potential job action to ensure safety that is like a traditional strike and we have to think about it in a non-traditional way."
I can't even think about it anymore because it claims to be militant and it is not. It claims to be a strike and not a strike. Nothing like one in any traditional way, anyway.
Please. Are we such fools to believe this?
Accusations of hypocrisy from detractors are always part of strike. If we can't handle that we are not militant, we are not, in any way striking.
What we have now from the opposition to Unity is contradiction: it is and it is not a strike.
From this contradiction, logic argues that the rank and file will not support the action, whatever we call it.
929,
If one person dies from opening schools, that is too many. We didn’t signup for this. Even going in on snow storm days, it is dangerous. We are not essential workers and remote learning is not the worst thing in the world. How many kids go to school and sit and do nothing in a classroom? A lot!
I hope I am wrong, but are you the guy who stays until 6 pm each day and goes to lunch and learns?
Safety is paramount. I am not saying we live in fear, but exercise caution. Make the doe five more than vague answers.
The original sin is allowing mayoral control of schools. Someone who’s never taught should not have final say over whether we live or die. We have no clue what our chancellor would do were he truly in charge. Get rid of mayoral control. Now.
Didn't Mulgrew say he would go to court before authorizing a strike? I thought he's only going for a strike if we lose in court. And let's not use the words strike and job action interchangeably. There are different types of job actions. A strike is one of them.
Also, if one already received an accommodation, and not going to work is a job action for safety, then those already home on accommodations have no business slowing down their work. They should be working as they normally would because there is no danger to them/their families.
12:53, Loose? You are a coward.
My two cents...Has Deblasio fulfilled his safety promises or not? Not as far as I can see. Focus on that and the fact that NYC has no testing in place for students and teachers. Random testing for asymptomatic people entering schools should be a given. These are simple things the public can understand and most would agree with us.
This is 9:29.
I don't know this person but 12:53 has summed up the view point of those not wanting to strike are perfectly as could be done. We have consistently said we don't have the leverage that those who want to strike think. And what others have to realize is that we are not as beloved in the public as you want to think.
-We are seen as entitled and complainers.
-We have been paid this entire time and many of us also received stimulus checks.
-Our union said we didn't have to have live classes...if you are a teacher why wouldn't you?
-Other unions did their job during the worst of times
-If we strike only education unions will stand with us...Police? Fire? We lose that support forever.
And if we strike and very few will show up so now we are the untitled union who will strike and won't show up to picket. Even though the infection rate is below 1%.
I completely agree that if there was a spike and the city didn't follow their own protocols we have a different story but we don't agree with a strike under the current circumstances. We also agree we should be going remote but not with this strategy.
We are winning by preparing to do our jobs. The moment we don't we lose.
What meets our definition of a 'safe' school short of absolutely no cases in the US and every kid/staffer with a vaccine?
@12:53, is 100% correct. Don’t trust Mulgrew - he’d fuck up a wet dream. It’s less than 1%, the kids in Mickey D’s are even working. And the DOE gave accommodations. And you pussies are afraid of your own shadows, as usual. The teenage scholars will greet you with a suck my dick and a thrown water bottle to the back of the head. Same as they have been doing during the entire deB administration with no consequences. No discipline code, with nary a word of foul from the UFT. This ‘strike’ is about trying to get out of going back into the sewers with the rats. You’ll get your wish, but not the way you want. There will be massive layoffs and it’ll be the one thing deBlasio does that the public supports. Cuomo is hitting two dummies with one stick. DeBlasio and Mulgrew while facilitating lay-offs. Remember Mulgrew will always snatch defeat out of the mouth of victory - every fucking time. And when, not if, he fucks this up - he will decimate the UFT when June rolls around again. Do not allow Mulgrew to make any decisions that matter. He’s not a leader in any way except for his highly inflated salary and title. Do not vote to strike. Just slink back into the ratholes and wait for the implosion. You’ll be out before Thanksgiving Day. As for listening to advice from some of the bloggers mentioned, (not James) - don’t, one in particular has technicolor delusions of grandeur and was an EXTREMELY arrogant supporter of deBlasio and Carranza, and is now merely another Unity sycophant with a position inside the UFT.
Hospitalizations Drop to 472—New Low Since March 16
16th Straight Day with Positivity Rate Below 1 Percent
0.77 Percent of Yesterday's COVID-19 Tests were Positive
No Deaths Reported in New York City
https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-new-record-low-covid-19-hospitalizations-icu-patients-and-intubations
How are you going to justify a strike with these numbers? You can't.
DEMAND THE CITY REVEAL WHEN A PERSON IS POSITIVE IN EVERY BUILDING.
DEMAND CHAPTER LEADERS WALK OUT OF A BUILDING THAT HAS ANY POSITIVE CASES.
BUT STRIKING BEFORE THE 1st DAY Of SCHOOL IS STUPID!
As stated, it is unfair that some can stay home and don't have to worry about anything.
Agreed. 100%. Will be voting No.
Figures like graduation rates mean nothing. There could be many more infected but haven't gotten the test. He knows that if he tests all the students, he'll find many more infected.w Also, don't we want to keep it low? Also, if it's so low why won't he open gyms and allow indoor dining. Sounds hypocritical to me.
With a job action due to safety—all the UFT is on good legal grounds here as all they have to do with is reference the 1993 NYC asbestos health crisis risk—when the opening of schools were delayed several days and even some schools weeks longer—due to city wide school by school inspections and removal of asbestos The city finally gave into the fears of parents—along with pressure from the UFT and politicians —as the city and the school construction authority were not adhering to federal asbestos guidelines for years.
I know many of the young teachers (untenured, <3 yrs in the system) in my building, are not willing to strike. They will be the first ones to be laid off. Strike and be laid off? I can understand why they feel that way. What do they win? Their lives? They're already are going out and about this summer. How do we convince these members? I am all for striking, but what if half of your school are scabs?
Stay home and don't worry? I have a friend who got an accommodation because she has cancer and is immune compromised. You think she has nothing to worry about?
NYC has ONLY had a low infection rate because almost every indoor venue for anything has been closed or had its in-person capacity severely limited. That will change as everything starts to open especially the schools and mass transit system which will serve as the epicenter for the spread as they were in February and March.
To those that say we don't have public support, we have a lot more than you know! All the parents that signed their children up for remote only support us going all remote. The MTA employees who for 6 months had a much less stressful time without the teenagers on the trains and buses.... don't want in-person schools. The cops are busy enough, they don't want to have to break up crowds of teenagers bothering store owners after school.
I know this because I personally know cops and MTA bus drivers who have told me that they are not looking forward to the schools being open.
Firm 53, I have previously mentioned the asbestos crisis and no water at Jamaica HS which got our building closed. Great point. It probably should have been in the original post.
10:09
This may help..You can tell them this...I spoke to a principal friend of mine....He says he's counting on the scabs because they are are going to have to cover the classes for the absent and striking teachers. His plan is to just double and triple the size of the classes for the teachers that report with the students from the absent teachers. He and his cabinet have "no intentions of watching the students."
I guess the scabs can "complain" to the UFT that their classes are "too big and unsafe," but after crossing a picket line, I wonder where that is going to get them???
The mayor approved "outdoor learning". He is opening the schools as playgrounds, happy with the doors open, not caring about students actually learn anything, or coming to schools at all.
I too am very concerned about the safety and health of our school communities and their families. As an itinerant provider that usually visits about 4 different buildings a day, I feel very uncomfortable returning and sending my young children to the school buildings.
There is something I am a bit unclear about. The DOE has submitted their reopening plan to the state. Doesn't the DOE plan have to be approved by the state? Has it been approved yet? Cuomo has voiced his concerns about returning to the classroom especially in NYC. Can't he still say the plan DOE has submitted is not adequate? Just because he said schools can open, will he ultimately allow them to open?
Despite my whining in other posts about the WH designation of us as "essential workers" (which is not for any authority to decide, AFAIC) I personally didn't have a problem going back to the work in buildings, because
A) I work in the Bronx, in an area where COVID rates were very high, so the likelihood of me already having been exposed is quite high.
B) I was out sick 2 days with a cold one week before everything shut down back in March, so were many of my colleagues. A lot of those colleagues of mine tested positive for the antibodies, so my hunch is that the cold I had might have been COVID. I got over it pretty quick though, whatever it was.
I also think a strike would be a massive strategic blunder, and I think 12:53 is right on target.
For those who are concerned about their safety, it's simple: apply for an accomodation or use your sick days.
This hybrid plan is going to be a disaster. We all know it. I mean, come on, besides the ineptitude of the plan itself, this is Bill de Blasio we're talking about here.
I give it ONE WEEK before there is a spike, IF THAT. And then the shitstorm will begin.
Carranza is already waiting in the wings with a remote plan + layoffs. Let these idiots hang themselves. Let us be the heroes, NOT THEM.
The last thing we need is to shoot ourselves in the foot by giving our enemies ammunition.
And for the record, I'm Tier VI, untenured, previously discontinued in another license by corrupt admin, 6 years in the system, and opted out of the UFT (since in all of my issues dealing with the insane admin in my old school, the UFT was utterly useless).
When I got discontinued, you know what some UFT honcho on Broadway told me? "Go get a job at a charter school".
Needless to say, I ended up representing myself when my discontinuance hearing came along.
I already have the battle scars of a veteran fighting the DOE system, so if there is a strike, I'm on my own. I know that admins are not our friends - they never have been, they never will be, but if I think the union is taking an action that will hurt all teachers in the long run, I will not take part.
Here is my question-with 18 years in, how are you 100% sure I will not be fired for striking?
They announced we can have classes outside...In public...With all the gun violence.
1040, the uft never does anything, scabs or not.
1051, what if you are the one who dies in the shitstorm?
Instead of a full strike, what about a remote-out as suggested by Solidarity?
Here we are not refusing to work; but we're only going to work safely (from our homes) - both for our students and ourselves.
After all, working remotely until the buildings are "safe" is what the UFT is demanding, or am I misunderstanding the situation?
-James, I honestly want to have your (and others) input on this concept.
Thanks.
10:51 breaking news.
https://nypost.com/2020/08/24/covid-19-researchers-record-first-case-of-reinfection/
A 33-year-old man has contracted COVID-19 after recovering from the illness earlier this year in what’s believed to be the world’s first case of reinfection, researchers announced Monday.
University of Hong Kong researchers said the man tested positive for the virus again at the airport after returning this month from a trip to Spain, the Japan Times reported.
“An apparently young and healthy patient had a second case of COVID-19 infection which was diagnosed 4.5 months after the first episode,” researchers said, according to the New York Times.
Using sequence analysis, researchers determined that his strain of the virus appeared to be the same one spreading around Europe this summer.
“Our results prove that his second infection is caused by a new virus that he acquired recently rather than prolonged viral shedding,” said Dr. Kelvin Kai-Wang To, a clinical microbiologist at the university.
Doctors have previously reported cases of presumed reinfection, but this case is the first to be confirmed through scientific testing.
The evidence could have important implications for how experts understand coronavirus antibodies, researchers said.
“Before this report, many believe that recovered COVID-19 patients have immunity against re-infection, however, there is evidence that some patients have a waning antibody level after few months,” the researchers wrote in a statement, according to the Japan Times.
FILED UNDER CORONAVIRUS , HONG KONG , 8/24/20
THIS IS 6:02 FROM THIS MORNING...MY DOCTOR WASN'T LYING!
@12:53 I agree with him. I can't stand diblasio- and i cant wait to go inside my building and watch the chaos that he deamanded unfold. We are at less then 1% infection rate. what are we waiting for --0% not gonna happen-ever. if we dont go in now- then when? october? jan 2021? whats the difference in a few months? a vacine that may/ may not work? this coming from a teacher who hasnt been on a subway since march. and has been ultra careful-always with a face mask etc... and i still want to go in. i would feel more comfortable striking about an unfair contract where i could argue and justify the unfairness then striking over this. I will go in and do my job, and maintain a distance from the other teachers who i know have been partying.if people can work at stop and shop/ target etc and not have customers temperature checked upon entrance or open windows- i am sure that i can come up with a semi reasonable plan to keep myself and my students as safe as possible.
Success and Kipp charters began classes remotely.
They seem to know that public school buildings are unsafe for re-opening.
Also with classes outside, how do you keep out intruders? Will there be guards stationed on each side of the closed street?
LOL Principals - you are "EMPOWERED" by the mayor to do whatever the F you want! All desks in the street stat!
11:23 - That's just disingenuous fear mongering on your part. Stop being a crybaby victim. Life comes with risks, and sometimes, you just gotta take the bull by the horns.
It's in part because of your attitude that this profession has become the laughing stock of the country.
11:44 - We all know a second wave is inevitable, and in some cases, reinfection can happen. But have there been any documented cases where a person who got COVID a second time and had worse symptoms than the first?
From what I understand about this virus, it has mutated to spread even more quickly while becoming less deadly.
11:42 - I think Solidarity's suggestion of a remote-out is far more sensible and preferable than a strike. I'm down for that.
One good thing that I hope comes out of this entire mess is the end of mayoral control of the schools. Bring back the old Board of Ed.
How can we really say we aren't absent and are willing to work remotely?They can say that if you were at risk, you had an opportunity to go remote and if not, you are agreeing to go in.
2. Why are they allowing d75 kids who can't mask up or shield up to attend?3. Paras I know were granted to work remotely.they did NOTHING duri g the past months at home.what a sham.i dont want to scan, but others had salient points about mulgrew's tactics and the low level of virus, and that others went to work during the pandemic.4.I feel like the mask police.People just refuse to wear it properly, if at all.the rule is a joke to many.
This is 9:29
"12:53" may be the new rallying cry for the non-strikers
10:08 you have a valid argument regarding the asbestos but the argument will be this crisis and not what it was in March. 8:45's statistics are current and would be difficult for the union to justify it being unsafe when we have already been given accommodations for our most at risk. If it went to court that should be a point brought up for sure. There has to be a threshold where the risk is considered acceptably low, currently the city feels that below 3% and a current death rate of 1%(without knowing untested asymptomatic people who probably lowers that number significantly) is that threshold.
10:16 First, I am sure we all keep your friend in our thoughts and prayers but I say this with no disrespect to what she is going through. If this was a normal school year a compromised immune system in a public school is always risky. School will never be 100% risk free for the spreading of viruses and disease.
Please remember that many of us non strikers want full remote, we are against striking to get there and want to keep the pressure on Di Blasio and Carranza.
10:51 We may have different viewpoints on the strike but when it comes to your fellow teachers you never stand alone.
"12:53"
Monday, August 24, 2020 11:42:00 AM: UFT did not suggest a remoteout. They said it would still be considered a strike. I am not sure on what basis. I think legally it can be argued otherwise.
Those of you that believe that we should just go back into work, and that any kind of work action would do us more harm than good, you have no basis for that. Many people are on our side. When you compare this so called hybrid plan to regular education, this is not education. This is not babysitting.
I heard John Bowne High School is going full remote due to ventilation issues.
Listening to mayor’s press conference is maddening. Now he says the PTA in schools should raise money to buy tents to teach outside. Carranza cannot give data about school air quality because they have over 18,000 schools. And yet still they will open on time. This is madness. Parents must know this is madness right?
Stay out of the schools whatever you do. The people opposing the strike have to know they are weakening the UFT's position. If we threaten a strike and don't follow through and get what we want, we are toast.
There are the 57% of Republicans that say the death toll from COVID-19 is acceptable according to thee CBS poll. About 1/4 of the UFT are these MAGAs. They are some of those commenting the rest of the commenters here are engaged in idiotic rationalizing.
"Parents will love us if we go into unorganized schools. Let the DOE mess it up on their own." DOE will mess it up and hide it and lie about it.
This is the first time in a generation that the UFT has tried to be a union.
Don't give Mulgrew the chance to blame the membership if he fucks it up. Stand with the UFT maximize the UFT's hand.
University of Minnesota pushing back student move-in, will keep classes online for first 2 weeks.
If ALL schools do not have proper, fully functioning ventilation systems, that is reason enough to stay remote. Ventilation, mask usage, and distance seem to be the most important factors in preventing spread.
@9:57pm...well said!!
@8:41am: Which blogger is a "unity sycophant"?
@9:47am: How does someone having a medical accommodation affect your life? What's your issue?
@10:43 am... Helloooo Diblasio knows real learning doesn't take place in many schools. Educators are essential workers. Babysitters. He just needs Educators to babysit so the city can make money.
@TeachNY...There are no guarantees. This decision is personal. Who are you going to look out for yourself (Individual) vs yourself/colleagues/students (Group). There will be risks for both decisions. 100% guarantee: we are born and we will die.
@11:20am ...another example of how they don't give a s%$t. Stray bullets flying all around and this is an option? Disrespectful
@waitingforsupport /3:07
Arthur Goldstein, the blogger mentioned in the preamble. That’s his business of course, but I don’t like reading him referenced as anything less than a legend in his own mind and an excellent executive Unity Party scribe.
Can someone please clarify for me if possible as I have been getting conflicting reports. My UFT Rep told us that if we went on strike it would just be pay days lost (2 for 1), No sick days lost and we would keep our benefits. However my fiancee's getting it from her para friends that were told that we would lose benefits as well for the duration of the strike.
Thanks,
Vin
Im sorry, this feels like a mulgrew scam to get the city to save money. He has never done anything important for us, all of a sudden, in the same moment, he calls for a strike and says dont give the city a dime, unless you want to. Well, we choose to strike, the city gets out of paying us.
so let the dept of health and the uft and doe and custodians union inspect the school bldings- those deemed unsafe stay remote- or go along with the plan of two or more sick - go remote. we are putting the cart before the horse here
And now they found a person who had covid, and months later got it again. Sounds safe.
If it is deemed safe today, what happens when hundreds of students and staff members walk in? Then, it would be unsafe.
Maybe de Blasio would listen to me if I burn down a building.
De Blasio and Carranza announced outdoor learning.
Principals will need to submit their plans by Friday.
The mayor continues to wing it with his sudden school announcement today on using outdoor space. Principals I’ve spoken with have received no info/$ for this and still don’t know how to assign staff. Relying on PTA fundraising to fund this effort only exacerbates inequity as well
Thank goodness Treyger callin' out
@DOEChancellor's stupid suggestion of having rich PTAs subsidize the DOE's utter failings!
If incompetent Carranza had done his job right, instead of $1bil spent on ipads, coulda spent half that on chromebooks, used rest to fund this.
SHAMEFUL
BREAKING: Judge rules in favor of the Florida Education Association’s legal challenge of Florida's requirement to reopen schools, concluding state has “essentially ignored the requirement of school safety.”
My school has no field
The streets of NYC are totally unsafe
It is very hot in September to be outside all day
My school is having open houses...Virtually...But let everyone in on September 10.
Still not understand what PE teachers are doing if we go back into buildings.
I certainly wouldn't want to teach kids in the parks around my school without bullet proof vests for all the staff and students. I am very serious. I live in the Bronx and I wear a bulletproof vest under my extra-large T-shirt every day. Unnoticeable and more important than a silly Covid mask. Mulgrew cannot be trusted, same as every other leader in New York State . Get yourself a gun, if your doing a long transit commute. A .22 will do. The trains have been taken over by groups of masturbating hobos. Get a car and pay for parking. Don’t take the MTA.
Good question about PE. I have no idea.
It's not uncommon for different strains of the virus to infect someone who would then have the virus for a second time. The virus would have a lower impact the second time as it did here but could still be infectious to others. There is no evidence that it spread to someone else he was in contact with at this time. He was simply tested because he took a trip to Europe. The European strain would be a different strain due to mutation like the flu strain is different. Unless our students and staff are all returning from Europe this doesn't impact us.
Out of 23.4M cases we have now documented 1 reinfection. that would be...ready for this? .00000004% of all documented cases with a second reinfection.
This is news but not "let's shut the city down" news.
cant bring a gun into a school.
Carranza said teachers are already setting up classrooms. Is that true? How stupid are those teachers?
Maybee the mayor and his experts can buy each some rvs so we conduct outside learning.
@5:58 Get a wallet .22. Exact same size as a man’s wallet and the barrel folds in. Holds two .22 bullets. If you don’t feel comfortable learn self defense and how to use a knife. Especially if you’re a woman.
Wow. Another great idea from DiBlahsio: The PTA should fundraise because people have so much discretionary income. Maybe students can go door to door and sell girl scout cookies? I must say, mayor Diblahsio is always on his "A" game. First class in playground. Fingers crossed that there will be no gunplay. Now, PTA fundraising during a pandemic. Are we on The Truman show? Is Deblahsio our Christof? You can't make this stuff up.
This is 9:29
DiBlasio is obviously not frightened by the threat of a strike by setting up outdoor classrooms or he wants us to strike.
We are walking right into this. Pro-strike people can you not see this?
Us non-strikers are pro-union just not pro-strike, we can see the mistake in all of this as we have far more to lose if we strike. Pro-strikers can you definitively say what we are saying does not make sense? We see your side; understand your side. In a different time, place or situation we would probably stand by your side. Tell us what we are missing and not that we just have to stand as a union. We feel the health threat is low so tell us what we actually gain because from our perspective we lose money, retro, tenure and we truly believe in this climate of potential layoffs some will lose their jobs because LIFO will be obsolete if we are fired.
And now we must bankrupt ourselves to avoid covid and gunshots.
I really hope no one listens to the idiot telling us to bring a gun to work. Not because I'm anti gun but because it's illegal. James, this post and Mr. Firestarter need to be deleted. I've never thought any comment on your blog should be deleted before but come on. Do you disagree?
It is shameful what is happening in NYC. With that said, if you watch De Blasio in his news conferences he is very calm even though things are not right in NYC. Now, let's consider schools. UFT is stating schools are not safe and yet De Blasio (again) is very calm as if all is under control.
Listen up, do not trust De Blasio.
I think about riding the LIRR and the MTA. Both experience less congestion when school personnel and students are not commuting to schools. People will freak out once they begin to experience congestion with schools reopening in NYC (if that happens).
The DOE is allowing for reasonable accommodations to work remote and providing parents to opt for remote during the Pandemic because it is not safe. Else, it would warrant a report to the central registry for nonattendance at school.
There needs to be at least two more town halls. We all need to know what is going on.
6:50 , you need to take a trip up to the Bronx on the 2 train and reassess your conclusion. Like I said , don’t carry if you’re uncomfortable. But that 24 old blonde newbie on the train needs to learn self-defense - unless you or deBlasio are going to save her ass? Worried about illegality and you’re a teacher? Do you really understand what this city has done to teachers and what the students are doing? It’s all illegal and it’s all ignored by everyone - the mayor, the chancellor and the UFT president. I’m certainly not waiting for a cop to protect me. Let me know how that works out for you.
@6:50 PM - The bringing a gun to work and the fire starter are just going on a rant.
Let's be realistic and address the situation in an intelligent manner. These are serious issues and you are right, those comments do not belong here.
@6:50pm...I agree with you. Also 4:12pm 's post.
FYI everyone - The UFT supported, unofficially but vocally - you know the clowns on the executive board, LaBarr, et al, the defunding of the NYPD. I’ll take the gun if I can carry legally. They pulled the metal detectors out of my school last year and there are definitely kids carrying guns daily. Teachers play by the rules, but no one else does. Cops are turned away from my school when staff calls for help. After the UFT jumped on the anti-police wagon, I think the gun sounds strangely appealing. Just sayin. Safety includes more that safety from the Kung Flu.
The Elementary setting is wayyyy different from the high school setting. HS students have to transition from room to room. Did anyone tell those young adults that they will have to eat lunch in the room? Ohhh boy.
This is 9:29
You think that we are walking into a strike because DeBlasio is not afraid to suggest this stupid outdoor teaching...the other interpretation is that this suggestion is the act of a desperate man. He knows schools are not ready so he is looking for a way out...
Sussanmcaulay
This is 9:29. First let me say I am for full remote but against striking to get there.
The prevailing theory not by just me but many is that Di Blasio wants us to strike or do something to get him off the hook for this.
If we refuse to work? He must close the schools and can blame us.
The other theory is financially. We know the city doesn't have money and no guarantee that we are getting federal funding. Layoffs are looming, retro 40 days away and a grievance for spring break pay(which we should forget).
If we strike di Blasio has multiple actions he could take:
-2 days for 1 fine (he could recoup all retro money in a 4 day strike and still get the 180 days of school in)
-firing all the teachers who strike and allowing principals to bring back who they want to meet their budgets. That's 2 new teachers for every 1 veteran. Instead of 9,000 layoffs 5,000 of the highest salaries gone as well as ATRs. A lifetime of educating would be null because LIFO wouldn't matter.
The other problem we have is the union can't deny the numbers in NYC are way down. We again hurts our argument to go full remote.
The focus has to be on proving these classrooms are unsafe not striking.
I appreciate your respectful response to my comment but I did ask a question about what us non-strikers are missing in our argument and it still hasn't been answered. The only answer has been "we stand with our union." Well we are the union as well and our view and explanation sounds incredibly more educated.
See Aug 24th, 12:53's post which sums everything up better than I could write it.
So now I ask another question. If we strike and the mayor says anyone striking will be fired how many will actually not cross the line at that point? It would be over. And for all those yelling "scab" never judge anyone for making the best decision for their family, you don't walk in their shoes.
For everyone who says they will stand with the union there are just as many who felt abandoned when the union didn't stand with them in their hour of need. When they got an undeserved letter in their file or were getting a raw deal during an observation. When we observed a rule being broken, reported it and had it brushed under the rug. When a rep goes against you and sides with administration when you were in fact correct the whole time. A union works both ways.
Physical Education should be remote, they have gonoodle and so man fun movement apps for younger kids. The high school kids won't give a shit especially since the 12 ft rules and basically everything is off the table (basketball badminton etc).
That is why if we have to go back high school should be 4 core classes and go home 12:15-12:30 with a to go lunch and teacher go home to. Otherwise delay school until MP1 is over and give the stupid morons 8 more weeks to work on ventilation and other areas of improvement and I teach in the south bronx, 2 train can be very problamatic.
Nobody has had more disagreements with the UFT leadership than me but I am not going to fight the first attempt at being militant the UFT has made in decades.
The mayor who was a Bernie Sanders supporter isn't going to fire any striker in NYC, a strong labor town. We will lose the NY Post editorial board and not much else. The press will love the spectacle.
On day 1, the city will run to a court on the internet to get an injunction (court buildings not open I believe) to stop any action we take. We will file an injunction to close schools like in Florida. We will have tons of evidence they are dangerous.
This action will be very quick. If 50,000 UFTers go into buildings that day, you will make our case much weaker.
You greatly underestimate our political support.
No James, with all due respect, you greatly overestimate our public support. I don’t know one non teacher in my family or friend circle that supports a teacher strike. They all say “everyone else went to work why can’t you?” I am not saying I agree with that argument, but that is what the general public thinks. If we all get fired then we aren’t in a union anymore. We have no job.
I question anything UFT is doing with cynicism. Why would UFT now be pushing for a strike? We lose health insurance and pay are you out of your mind. I have paid 20,000 in union dues for what? lose 1.25% in pension, shit contract, terrible retro pay that does not have interest, fair student funding list goes on and on like many have written about.
In UFT meeting for Bronx, all talked about was striking could not even answer retro money question which I am not very concerned we may lose.
When you have one of the worst mayors you may see in your lifetime and a governor who has a stupid book about his job with the pandemic which is one of the most egotistical and disingenuous shit I have seen then sprinkle in bullshit chancellor and a political hack UFT president its a recipe for disaster!
Please, can we hear what would be expected of nontenured teachers? Having just completed my first year in DOE, I have no idea what to do or what would be expected of me.
Agree with this 100%
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