UFT Solidarity is a caucus (political party) within the UFT. They finished second to Michael Mulgrew's Unity Caucus in the most recent UFT election.
Last week, Solidarity with five teachers filed an Article 78 lawsuit in state court looking for an injunction to allow teachers to work remotely. The latest from Solidarity leader Lydia Howrilka on Facebook:
Updates from Article 78 lawsuit:
1. Judge has been assigned.
2. Court called lawyer.
3. Oral arguments are tomorrow at 4pm.
Its happening!
Lydia also told me that News12 and Politico have contacted her.
I work in one of the two schools who already have a confirmed COVID test on day 1. We received an email this morning saying that tracing has been done, and everyone who was in contact with the infected person have been asked to quarantine for 14 days.
ReplyDeleteI feel the moral obligation to share with you all that that is not true. The infected teacher came forward in our union meeting, so we know who it is. Everyone who was in close contact with this person (shared office space, ate in the same classroom, etc.) have shared that they were never contacted by anyone doing tracing.
Our building was cleared to return back to work today despite no one being contacted by tracing.
I’m not sure what’s going on, but if this is what is going to happen every time a teacher or student gets COVID in a building, I am deeply concerned.
3:45 pm
DeletePLEASE SEE THE 4:27 pm POST BELOW.
THANK YOU FOR BEING A STAND-UP PERSON. STAY SAFE.
Started tearing up when I realized they took everything off the walls of our classrooms (& threw a lot away) due to COVID.
ReplyDeleteTeachers work so hard to decorate & make their rooms feel like a safe home for kids. To have that completely overlooked & disregarded feels so demoralizing.
I understand that’s annoying but seriously you’re that upset over it in the middle of all this shit that is going on?
DeleteThis MUST be sent to the news.
ReplyDelete163 heads of major corps from Mastercard to Macy's write to
ReplyDelete@NYCMayor
asking him to do more to keep city safe and clean: "We urge you to take immediate action to restore essential services as a necessary precursor for solving the city’s longer term, complex, economic challenges."
Some really heavy hitters here from across the biz spectrum: Blackstone, Loews, Lyft, Revlon, WNBA, NBA, JetBlue, Bank of America, Warby Parker, Citigroup, Nasdaq, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, MetLife, WeWork, Con Edison, Hearst, etc etc etc
UFT members say this reminds them of the chaos of March w/o info. If you or anyone you know works in a NYC school where staff have tested positive for #COVID19, please message us w/ the school name & evidence to verify (email, screenshots, etc) by DM or media@morecaucusnyc.org
ReplyDelete3:45 I am so sorry for you, your fellow teachers. Kudos to the person who announced it, they cared enough to get it out there and best wishes for recovery and health of family members.
ReplyDeleteThis is sad and unfortunate but those of us that have been around for awhile know how things operate and we expect it, why we don't trust, we know what happens.
You and your fellow teachers should try and band together, speak up because there is strength in numbers.
Wish you well.
Another example of what could have, should have been done by Mulgrew. Why are teachers forced to circumvent the UFT for protection? Because Mulgrew is OWNED by deBlasio.
ReplyDeleteA reminder that all the teacher COVID cases today were discovered by voluntary teacher testing on their free time, at a scale that won’t be repeated ever again. Next week, no teachers tested.
ReplyDeleteMentally we are not doing well right now (the conditions in schools are bad). It’s going to be worse when kids come in (especially in D75 where masks will hardly be worn). And if/when cases go up our mental health will be really bad. This is unfair and horrible to do for us
.
BREAKING:
ReplyDeleteNEW:
@UFT
President Michael Mulgrew tells me he is aware of 16 positive test results in schools, which opened to staff on Tuesday.
16 that we know of...in 3 days, with no students
Is anyone else just sitting around aimlessly in a school building the last two days? No trainings or guidance on COVID-related protocols, new learning platform, the so-called SEL initiatives, or even HOW we are expected to teach the remote and in-person kids simultaneously. Also no schedules or programs either. So many unanswered questions and time-wasting.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I enjoy the free time to bitch with other colleagues there just seems to be no sense of urgency and this time could have been spent so much better (and safer) at home!
at this point in the story we should ALL assume that Mulgrew and Diblahsio are not going to do right by you. This is your wake up call for the next election. Someone mentioned a vote of no confidence as another option. Im sure there is someone on here that knows how to get a petition on line.
ReplyDeleteStaff at 16 NYC schools test positive for COVID-19 as teachers get ready for students: Union
ReplyDeleteNEW YORK CITY — Staff at 16 New York City schools have tested positive for coronavirus, according to the union representing teachers.
Teachers returned to classrooms Tuesday week to prepare for students. Classes are set to resume Sept. 21.
Two coronavirus cases had been confirmed Wednesday.
“School staff have access to free, expedited testing and we’ve encouraged all staff to get tested before they return to buildings while we continue to navigate the realities of a pandemic," a spokeswoman for the Department of Education said Wednesday. "Our protocol is to immediately notify staff and Test and Trace will begin an investigation to determine any close contacts." New York City's reopening protocols do not require schools to shut down when a single case is identified.
How is it I'm still on probation (26 years) rule 3 in my lic area. What do I do to get off probation?
ReplyDeleteYou might be tenured by estoppel. Look it up or speak to Bryan Glass about writing to DOE. Or ask union.
Delete26 years and not tenured?
You know what would be awesome? I'll tell you what would be awesome: It would be awesome if Solidarity wins this case. Their caucus would be considered heroes by the rank and file here in NYC. They would then have a very real chance of taking down the Unity machine in the next election.
ReplyDelete3:45, can you please contact Solidarity and their lawyers? This is evidence that DOE is not following their own protocols and putting everyone at risk!
ReplyDeleteCuomo added 4 more states to Travel Advisary
ReplyDeleteOne is Ohio, a cowoker was just in Ohio and came in to work on Tuesday, he was not at work today or yesterday.
What happens? He was all around our building Tuesday
Any idea, when did Cuomo announce Tuesday the addition? Put my coworker in a weird spot.
This is an ele in the BX, D8
So what is
ReplyDelete@UFT
President Mulgrew doing about this? Fully remote until it's safe!
Jillian Jorgensen
@Jill_Jorgensen
NEW: @UFT President Michael Mulgrew tells me he is aware of 16 positive test results in schools, which opened to staff on Tuesday.
@6:41pm...
DeleteWhat is Mulgrew doing? Oh he's just walking around holding the hem of your mayor's coat. You know the mayor is doing so well being mayorly so a hem holder is very needed. So yeah, Mulgrew is biz-e.
NYCMayor
ReplyDeleteBill de Blasio said Thursday that there is no real plan to disclose positive tests because students are not back in school yet." Really? What about the rest of us?
Teachers in the Covid-positive buildings: Call Eyewitness News & CBS 2’s news desk to report that contact tracing actually didn’t occur and that buildings still reopened. Only way to be heard.
ReplyDelete(800) 242-6397 (CBS)
(800) 242-6397 (Eyewitness News)
Mom who chronicled COVID-19 battle says virus may have given her glaucoma
ReplyDeletehttps://nypost.com/2020/09/10/mom-who-chronicled-covid-19-ordeal-says-virus-gave-her-glaucoma/
Didn't the @uft want to strike over testing? Why is testing not mandatory?
ReplyDelete5:22 pm: Yep, that pretty much sums it up. We've had some training and we are trying to make the best of an impossible situation, but it sure seems futile.
ReplyDelete”PS 11 with confirmed coronavirus case, parents are pulling out left and right and enrolling their children in catholic and private schools.” Police cars revolving light - Face with cold sweat is this what destroys public education in NY ...
ReplyDeleteJust a thought, Conspiracy ?
ReplyDeleteWith these positive cases already and lack of following protocol.... I smell a rat.
Could it be a case of "Safe for me, but not for thee"
Is DOE propping themselves up to blame teachers for spreading the virus when students return and positive cases appear?
Is DOE and Mulgrew conspiring to protect themselves in the event of parent accusation charging unsafe schools, violations to relieve themselves of any health and safety responsibility against legal charges should illness spread among children and staff?
Something is not right with the teacher story about her school in the first post.. not one staff member was contacted by Test and Trace and the principal lied and said all those in contact were informed. Everyone who was with this person when she informed them at the UFT meeting and not one was contacted by Test and Trace. Think about that....WHY???
@5:22 - we have not been sitting around aimlessly. Our training has been well thought out, done remotely and everyday there is a full-day agenda going over the details. Still, there are glitches, and I anticipate a mess on opening day, but it's not for lack of trying. We don't have our district remote teachers yet, or wherever they're coming from. I doubt it's sustainable and we will all be remote before we know it.
ReplyDeleteThis has already started at NYCDOE, with no students yet.
ReplyDeleteBig spike in COVID cases at
@ualbany
40 cases, 31 of which reported in the last 24 hours, per email to campus community.
It must be comedy hour.
ReplyDeleteUFT
We are concerned about the city’s response to the handful of positive cases from the 15,000 Department of Education employees who got tested in the days before school buildings reopened on Sept. 8 as well as the lack of rapid test results.
We are in contact with the UFT chapters in these schools where positive cases were reported and are scrutinizing the Department of Education’s handling of the situation to make sure it is acting appropriately and taking all promised precautions to keep our members safe.
This issue and others are the reason that the UFT made sure to negotiate a comprehensive health and safety agreement with the city and the DOE. We will not accept City Hall's failure to uphold their end of the agreement when it comes to the safety of our members.
Whether you agree with returning or not the city did provide us with free, expedited tests. I received mine. Shame on those who didnt and came back positive after returning to school and never got checked or didnt wait for results. Yes there is danger but this was educated adults who were lazy and incompetent who put many others at risk. We all look bad when that happens especially after we say kids would put us at risk.
ReplyDeleteAll of this stems from the continued SUBPAR leadership of Mulgrew. All of it. There needs to be an expedited removal of that which ails us and there needs to be term limits on the office of UFT president. Our petty dictator has grown bolder and bolder, and has now usurped more power.
ReplyDeleteWhy doesn’t the UFT take this whole matter to a vote? Not a vote from Mulgrew’s sycophants, a general vote from the rank and file. It’s obvious that Mulgrew is going against what the rank and file want in regard to their safety and has lied considerably and often concerning that safety. It is also obvious he has colluded extensively with deBlasio to the detriment of those who actually work for their salaries. Mulgrew is why democracy is at such odds in the UFT. Throw him out.
After confirming 2 coronavirus cases yesterday, the DOE went radio silent today — even as rumors swirled and union officials said there were other cases.
ReplyDelete“Almost certainly the rumors on Twitter are going to make the problem look worse than what it actually is,” one expert said.
Poor communication could needlessly endanger in-person learning,
@uche_blackstock
told me:
“What’s scaring people is the lack of transparency by the mayor’s office and DOE, which is really unfortunate because I think we have an opportunity here to reopen safely”
It will only get worse...Fauci: 'We need to hunker down' for the rest of the year
ReplyDeleteDr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious diseases expert, offered a word of warning to Americans as summer's end approaches.
Speaking at a virtual panel with doctors from Harvard Medical School, per NBC News, Fauci said that the fight against the coronavirus pandemic will only get more strenuous as the year reaches its close. He also cautioned against downplaying the severity of the virus, knowing "what's ahead" if preventative measures are not met.
He is awake
ReplyDeleteMulgrew: “Right now we have no confidence that we’re going to get the results … this is one week with 15,000 people that, supposedly, the city was prepared to do. What’s going to happen when we’re testing each school on a monthly basis?” https://ny.chalkbeat.org/2020/9/10/21431673/test-trace-nyc-schools-coronavirus via
@ChalkbeatNY
Yeah, he’s awake now. Self preservation is a strong cup of coffee. He smells all out rebellion and he’s shitting his pants. It’s not because he’s worried about your safety or concerned that the DOE is completely indifferent. He’ll have his spies out at the More meetings this weekend and is plotting with his toadies how to thwart this threat to his throne. He’s changing gears fast and will be lambasting deBlasio again soon. Don’t fall for his nonsense again - he thinks teachers are beyond stupid, prove him wrong.
ReplyDeleteNever Mulgrew's fault
ReplyDeleteUFT
@UFT
· 8h
“They [the Education Department] claimed yesterday that they checked every school,” said United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew. "Well, this is one of their school sites. This wasn’t checked.
Mulgrew has a plan. Both City Hall and the UFT have said that they expect sporadic coronavirus cases among school staffers but insist that they have appropriate response protocols in place.
ReplyDeleteMulgrew warned that shoddy testing procedures could threaten Mayor Bill de Blasio’s targeted school reopening date of September 21.
“If the city can’t live up to its side of this agreement then we’re going to say you can’t open,” Mulgrew told NBC.
Did you notice Pinocchio next to him. She’s worried if her boy messes this one up she’ll never be able to retire.
ReplyDelete5:42 PM could it be that you have spent all this time not teaching in your license area?
ReplyDeleteIn principle, I respond to a post shaming those that didnt teat.why should we, if they are not testing g the kids?at 10% test rate, that means each kid gets one test per year.stupidity.city must do their part.fuck mulgrew for selling us out.
ReplyDeleteAnd, if parents get wind of the lack of adherence to tracing, hopefully, more will go remote.still no plan for massless d75 kids.why doesnt mayor pay for their childcare so we can be safe?
ReplyDelete@ 8:47
ReplyDeleteMany principals lie without a care; especially if it is something people want to hear. Some just lie because they have mental disorders.
I think that being a pathological liar may be a requirement for an administrative position with the NYC DOE.
Especially in D75 schools, I am wondering how it works when you are told you may have only one mask every two weeks when your are assigned one of 3 classes in the gym averaging 84 degrees for an entire day with no fan, exhaust fan not accessible during ventilation check and your mask is drenched in perspiration.
ReplyDeleteThis is what staff is being told after requesting a new dry mask on day 2 of entry into the building.
Are these appropriate conditions for students or teachers to teach kids who cannot wear masks all day?
Does anyone know the effectiveness of N95 masks when wet and soiled?
Good point. Unless you are told you are having probation extended once you step foot in the building on the first day of your 4th year you have tenure. For people hired after July 2015 it’s stepping foot in the building first day of 5th year. Why do you think you are still on probation, where did you look to check your status?
ReplyDeleteWhen schools shifted to fully remote last year, that same week I contracted Covid and passed it to my family members. I live with my 87 year old grandmother who ended up critical at the hospital. We all thought she wasn't going to make it, but she did. It was a miracle.
ReplyDeleteMost recently my grandmother and I got the antibodies test, and it came out NEGATIVE, so rumor has it that we can contract the virus again. I'm afraid to catch covid again because I don't want to put my grandma's life at risk again.
Got my results in less than 24 hours at a DOE testing site...
ReplyDelete