Monday, September 06, 2021

ANTI-VAX MANDATE LEADER GETS UFT ATTENTION BY PROMOTING LEAVING THE UNION; WHAT DOES PRO-VAX MAJORITY HAVE TO DO TO GET UFT TO PUSH FOR SAFE IN-PERSON SCHOOLS AND A REAL REMOTE OPTION?

UFT President Michael Mulgrew is working to get religious and medical exemptions from the city's COVID vaccine mandate. He should be working on getting at least as many safety precautions in the schools as there were last year when COVID was at a lower rate in NYC than it is now but instead, Mulgrew is doing his best to placate an intractable loud minority of anti-vax mandate UFTers, many of whom are anti-union. Mulgrew is part of the bipartisan consensus among Democrats and Republicans to open full in-person learning no matter what is happening with the Delta variant.

How many UFT members are we talking about who aren't vaccinated?

This is how Selim Algar described their numbers in the NY Post:

The United Federation of Teachers is gearing up for a war with the city over the fate of more than 15,000 educators who have yet to receive the COVID-19 vaccination — with classes set to begin in days.

I would not call this a war but the Union is taking up resources to advocate for the anti-vaxxers who call themselves pro-vaccine choice but let's face it, many are just anti-vax radical right-wingers. 

If we accept Selim's number, let's try to estimate how many UFTers we are referring to. According to the Chief Leader, there are 148,000 Department of Education employees.  A Hart survey of AFT members found that only 10% said they would definitely not get vaccinated. We are roughly talking about between 10 and 20% of education workers who do not want the vaccine and some of them have legitimate medical needs for an exemption that should be respected. As for religious exemptions, obtaining one when every major religion supports vaccines (I linked to an Idaho publication so as not to be accused of citing some left-wing media outlet) will certainly boost fringe churches but I very much doubt they will have much sway with the DOE and they should not.

The UFT is working on getting limited religious and medical exemptions from the vaccine mandate for Department of Education employees. The Municipal Labor Committee's (umbrella group of all municipal unions) lawsuit and the UFT impasse will likely be resolved in arbitration. These are basically about procedures and who is eligible for exemptions and as such, the unions should be successful. However, in the end, there is most probably going to be a vaccine mandate for city workers. 

Why is the UFT spending all of this time and energy worrying about a vocal minority of members while leaving the vast majority to pretty much fend for themselves in what oftentimes could be crowded schools that could easily become virus super-spreaders?

What really bothers me is the anti-vax mandate crowd is often anti-union too. Breaking teacher unions is a big part of the right-wing agenda. Look at some of their relentless negative comments about the UFT, not the leadership, but the actual Union, on this blog. 

The leader of the anti-vax teachers put out something on Saturday where he mentioned his phone call last week with Michael Mulgrew. (I will not link to them; they are easy to find.) Here is part of what Mr. Anti-Vax mandate said:

When Mulgrew called me the night before his town hall he said that the movement to have rank-&-file members leave their unions was funded by two billionaires. This has much truth to it...

More from Mr. Anti Vax:

[We do] not believe UFT President Michael Mulgrew’s announcement that he is moving to arbitration over medical and religious exemptions to vaccination supported our constituency enough to stop recommending NYC educators to leave the union. We stand by our call for UFT members to leave the union right now.

This is all you need to know about these anti-vaxxers. They are by and large anti-union and admit they are helping people who want to break ours. I say this as someone who truly respects minority rights. I worked for ten years as one of 7 dissidents out of almost 100 UFT Executive Board members. It is not a pleasant place to be. However, I will not consider destroying the UFT unless you have a plan to replace it with something better. The anti-vaxxers do not have that plan on their site. They appear to be just another right-wing, anti-union front group.

The goal of the anti-vax movement now is to get as many people as possible to quit the UFT. If you didn't have enough reasons to be wary of them because they are anti-science and could be considered anti-life, they are also proudly anti-union.

I know that no amount of blog posts will convince them that they should listen to the other side. This is from Politico on a poll showing a healthy majority of Americans support vaccine mandates:

Curt Anderson, a Republican strategist who advises a host of Republican senators and elected officials across the nation, agrees that the government can only do so much and recalls an argument he had with a reporter who criticized one of his clients for not doing more to call for vaccinations.

“What planet are you from?” Anderson recalled saying. “Do you think people are sitting around and listening to politicians and celebrities? So people are thinking, ‘J-Lo says it, and now I’m going to take the vaccine?' What the hell? The people who haven’t taken it so far are not gonna see a PSA and suddenly go out and get it.”

They aren't going to be convinced by me, a phone call from Michael Mulgrew, an arbitration, or a frivolous lawsuit either. This isn't about choice; it's about an ideology that is very dangerous and does not respect the rights of the majority who would prefer to follow the best current scientific thinking.

Dr. Paul Offit from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is quoted in this Business Insider piece explaining the formula to get us to a high level of protection from COVID-19. He says:

Any way you do this math with Delta, around nine out of ten of us need to get vaccinated in order to achieve a level of widespread disease protection. 

Other experts agree. But what about the anti-vaxxers and people who have already been infected? More from Dr. Offit:

Even though some Americans who aren't vaccinated have had prior infections, which confers some immunity, "you really still need to have at least another 25% to 30% of people who have not been naturally infected or immunized to be immunized. You need that," Offit said. 

Plus, "there is just a certain group of people who are not going to get vaccinated," he added. "What do you do then? I think the answer is what we're doing, which is mandate vaccines."

What concerns me here is that in an effort to placate people who are in their own alternate universe on vaccines, the UFT is ignoring the majority who are communicating with me. They want much more robust protections to open up schools. It looks like the radical right and Mulgrew are really not that far apart on the back-to-school issue. They both want schools open for full in-person learning no matter the potential carnage that I pray does not occur. We have Florida Governor Ron DeSantis leading the so-called freedom movement in schools.

"If you're coming after the rights of parents in Florida? I'm standing in your way," DeSantis said. "If you're trying to deny kids a proper in-person education, I'm gonna stand in your way and stand up for the kids in Florida. If you're trying to restrict people and impose mandates and ruin their jobs and livelihood, if you are trying to lock people down, I am standing in your way. I am standing for the people of Florida."

What part of that apart from mask and vaccine mandates would Mulgrew disagree with?

On keeping schools open in-person no matter what, it seems Mulgrew, Mayor Bill de Blasio, and Governor Ron DeSantis are in full accord. The UFT has agreed to full in-person schooling with a very limited medical remote option available to only a few as Delta spreads. Mulgrew also agrees with lots of new mandatory standardized testing (they call it diagnostic testing) but very little COVID-19 testing in schools, useless 3-feet social distancing protocols, and questionable ventilation. Mulgrew isn't that far off from DeSantis and the national consensus to open the school doors wide open. COVID policy in the United States is a bipartisan failure that has plagued this country since the pandemic began, resulting in 40 million COVID cases and now around a tragic 650,000 deaths and counting.

Back to that majority of UFT members. Most are vaccinated. The majority I believe want vaccine mandates for their colleagues and students who are eligible too. They are more than likely for a remote option open to every family (compulsory for students who won't get tested for COVID regularly or who refuse to wear a proper mask or get vaccinated if eligible). I don't believe the majority want iReady, MAP, or other ridiculous diagnostic testing for students either. The majority who contact me would agree with Leonie Haimson who lays out the shortcomings of the city's reopening plan in Gotham Gazette. Her criticisms include the city not significantly lowering class sizes in this emergency to permit effective social distancing and to help with learning.

I'd like to hear from the majority who are vaccinated and are in favor of vaccine mandates. 

Anti-vax mandate people and/or anti-union folks please stay out of this discussion. You have your chance enough here. I want to know how the masses feel.

  • If you are part of the pro-vaccine majority, do you think it will be safe in NYC schools or are we likely heading for large COVID-19 outbreaks this fall? 
  • Is the UFT doing its job to protect UFT members and the kids in the schools? 

Please note the seven-day average in NYC for COVID cases last year at this time was 290. Yesterday, it was 1,991.

89 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm in favor of the mandate and believe we must resume in person teaching. The long term cost of remote on the psychological and educational health of our kids is just too high. We're looking at a lost generation. We have to risk it. With high rates of Vax and high rates of exposure/recovery, I believe we will not see a surge. As for anti mandate crowd, let the door hit them in the behind on the way out.

Dr_Dru said...

James,

I think there will be quite a few large outbreaks very quickly in our schools.

No, our Union is not protecting us. We need constant rigorous testing of staff and students not this random 10% garbage.

It's also sad/funny that if you are the "right" minority, then Mulgrew is very concerned. Unless you are the medicare, contract, democratic union minority, then you are told to, "pound salt" and are shouted down.

Anonymous said...

Remote option? Parents want it. Majority of City council wants it. Mandate it for anyone who doesn't want to wear a mask or get a vaccine if at least 12 years old or get tested. It stops spread of COVID and keeps discipline in the schools. Schools have real authority.

Anonymous said...

Remote option for kids who don't listen makes perfect sense. It is why it will never happen. They rather more people get sick and die.

Anonymous said...

Here is the DOE's wishy washy guidance for non-compliant students. Is Mulgrew aware of this?

Parent or student disagreement with the face covering requirement is not an acceptable basis for relaxation of the face covering requirement. Students who do not comply with the face covering requirement for reasons not based on a documented medical impairment should be supported by the school community to meet compliance.

School staff can use the following strategies to support students in meeting face covering compliance:

1.Have an adult in the school building whom the student trusts hold informal restorative conversations to address the importance of wearing a face covering during the school day.
2.Provide age-appropriate supports including education materials on complying with health and safety protocols.
3. Offer the student more frequent face covering breaks.
4. Develop a face covering contract with the student.
5. Implement Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports incentives for face covering compliance.
6. Direct the student to a school counselor and/or social worker to discuss concerns.
7. Hold a remote conference with the student’s guardian.

Anonymous said...

James, as you requested, as an anti mandater, i won't weigh in to your question.
However, your post is so convoluted and inaccurate.i would like to give u the benefit of the doubt of being misinformed.However, with so much being posted, that doesnt seem likely.how many people did you interview for you to declare that people who are vaccine hesitant for different reasons are anti union and anti vaccine?it was loudly stated to the contrary at the rally(on youtube)that people respected the rights of those who choose the shot.they are not anti union.they are anti paying dues to a union that not only doesnt represent them, but sells them out.mulgrew's salary is from our dues, not city money.he and randi should be working for members, not betraying their members.btw, no vote by members was taken to decide on a position.i am pro union, but anti to a union that would allow people to lose their livelihood and/or retire early to save their health because their doctor believes the vaccine is unsuitable for them- until the dues threat. He did nothing prior to the lawsuit.a colleage decided to take a leave, a second one will as well, and another is leaving.do you think they are trying to break the union?? I think it is fair to assume that we all want a functional union.threatening to leave is a way to hold those high up responsible to their posts, which we pay them for. Although it would be a very sad day, sometimes phoenix rises from the ashes, ie something better will begin...a union that backs its members instead of selling them out.they need a wake up call that WE pay them, not anyone else.their loyalty is to us, not anywhere else.nobody wants staff or kids harmed regardless of vaccine opinions.i think we all agree that mulgrew caved in on the testing and distance.(on the other hand, then they can accuse all of us of not wanting to work in person, as they have already done.)
I never threatened to pull dues despite the imperfections.but now if i am forced to leave before time(and have a reduced pendion for life), that hits below the belt and i will pull dues if the union supports junk science.as stated in other posts, maybe therebis an agenda to break the union...but not from within. I have an autoimmune illness and cancer is heavy in my family.while i might not croak from the shot right away, it is a ticking time bomb, perhaps the match to accelerate more autoimmunity, to which i am already loaded.ie gun loaded, the set pulls the trigger to set it in motion.that does not make me an antivaxxer or union buster.every person should have a choice.do not misrepresent us unfairly and inaccurately.more to say, but for another time.i was extremely disappointed with you for totally villainizing us.

Anonymous said...

Not sure about a remote option. It would be nice but it was such a mess last year and some people just can't stop complaining. If they had 3 kids in-person, and 1 kid on-line (who didn't show up anyway) they complained about teaching both when they could have just put the in-person kids in front of the computer but no. They wanted to whine and complain about it being against the contract so now we've got nothing.

On mandates, it's funny because the unvaccinated folks on this board are quick to point out the vaccinated folks who are hospitalized. I don't believe the post about the "whistleblower nurse". I looked it up and it's embarrassing to give that random, nameless interview any credibility. But even if one is to believe that the vaccinated are being hospitalized in droves, that only adds to the argument that more people should be vaccinated to stop the spread, not less.

Then you have those who are just adamant that they are not going to wear a mask and you know they're so reckless when no one is around, so I support the mandate. I don't want to be one of the unlucky vaccinated who is hospitalized because an unvaccinated colleague wants to play Russian Roulette with their own life.

Anonymous said...

When will you all learn that if it makes sense the doe does the opposite. They have proven that time and time again. Ending the ATR pool was the only smart thing they did in years.

James Eterno said...

On those with legitimate medical issues"...some of them have legitimate medical needs for an exemption that should be respected."

I thought I made it clear.

Anonymous said...

According to video "US epidemiologist explains why vaccines alone won't stop Delta | Coronavirus" | A Current Affair

the delta virus is the most contagious virus we will see in our lifetime.

Anonymous said...

I am a parent and a teacher. I am definitely worried to go back. And the UFT is not testing enough. I want everyone tested. From principals to truants. We know anyone can spread this deadly disease. That’s why we need to mandate boosters in the fall. The currently vaccinated will need more protection. Hopefully, these boosters work better than the initial vaccines and every 8 months, we can get a new one to stay safe from a new deadly variant.

I try to find positive news to relieve my anxiety. This makes me feel better about the children going back to school.

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/kids-are-half-as-likely-get-covid-19-as-adults-heres-what-we-know

After monitoring the [COVID-19] pandemic for over a year, the data are clear,” said Dr. Robert Hamilton, a pediatrician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, “children have been spared the ravages of this illness.”

“Around the world, study after study has shown that children and adolescents account for only 1 to 3 percent of all cases, and that even fewer ultimately required hospitalization,” Hamilton said.


Anonymous said...

Last October, I got covid and brought it home. I had a mildish case. My husband got it bad. They wanted to put him in a rehab (nursing home) but I am semi-retired and brought him home. My husband is stronger, but may never get to where he was before. I'm glad we survived, but this is a terrible disease.
School staff have to be so vigilant. What if a kid gets it and takes it home to a custodial grandparent? I had to take my husband to the ER 2 times before he was admitted. I hope that schools are really aware and can anticipate all types of scenarios. Maybe every student should be given instructions on what to do if someone gets sick at home.
Good luck to all.

As to the question- medical exemptions absolutely need to happen with remote work. I sympathize with sincere religious beliefs- maybe they can work at central office away from students who are unvaccinated. Anti vaxxers should find other work. They may sue and may win, but right now it is too dangerous.

Anonymous said...

If you are part of the pro-vaccine majority, do you think it will be safe in NYC schools or are we likely heading for large COVID-19 outbreaks this fall?

It’s hard to tell. I’m vaccinated but don’t feel too worried. I have Guillan-Barre that I contracted shortly after my second shot. So I’m much more concerned about that. Deaths from COVID are much more of a concern than cases. Thankfully, COVID death rates have been very low.
Especially low for kids.

Is the UFT doing its job to protect UFT members and the kids in the schools?

definitely not enough. There is not enough testing. And where is the remote option? Some of my students thrived with it.

Anonymous said...

So, 18 months+ into covid pandemic, USA back to 1500+ deaths a day - a 9/11 death toll every two days - and murderous motherfuckers like
Bill de Blasio want to pretend that all is swell, offices/schools/restaurants should be full b/c that's what makes his donors happy. Mulgrew silent, as always. But pay dues, james says, as he continues to say the unon does nothing. Confused? Me too.

Anonymous said...

I am 6:58 james, the current scope on what constitutes a legitimate exemption is very narrow.eg my conditiin is autoimmune thyroid.there is Graves and there is Hashimotos.They are very common, esp Hashis.Americans have many comorbidities. Diabetes also has an autoimmune component.i am borderline, as are many people.yet, i am quite sure that these conditions would not receive consideration.Autoimmunity is very common.i might be wrong, but maybe even asthma can be autoimmune(not sure).Autoimmunity is not rare at all.I attended a conference about gluten sensitivity, which i have, which is autoimmunity...(btw, that too is extremely common, though people are in huge denial if they dont have a stomachache)gluten is a common link in autoimmunity.i folliw Peter Osborne, for reference, btw).but the doe would not consider these common conditions for exemption.they do not consider pregnancy.this shot was not tested on pregnant women nor on those with autoimmunity.As stated previouslt, we mught look good and function well(i know people with lupus and MS who look amazing).Much disease is inflammatory.Obesiry is inflammatory, btw.MANY PEOPLE HAVE SUCH COMMON CONDITIONS and will not be granted exemptions.Their granting of exceptiins is stated to be extremely narrow.doe needs to respect people's private physicians.Again, we can look great,but the shot is the match for a serious downward cascade.
I do concede that many took advantage, ie falsely stating they had asthma or simply that they were smokers.people also took advantage.they were supposedly risky and they partied and travelled, didnt teach, etc.Perhaps these people shot us in the foot.In my opinion, if people can submit proof of a condition,they should be granted an exemption. This is a lot of people.
Btw, doesnt israel remind you of Goundhog Day?jyst keep doing what fails.oh, uh isnt that what the doe does ad nauseum?

Anonymous said...

Btw, it will be interesting how the atr issue works out!will they be filling in for those taking leaves who choose not to vax?will atrs be respected in full time positiins? Etc...

Anonymous said...

Dumb motherfuckers. Just keep repeating the same thing on a blog then go in like sheep while paying dues like sheep. James, you are a great faker too. How quickly you forgot March 2020.

James Eterno said...

This is pre Delta, 8:11.

Erica said...

Dumb questions...Where are teachers supposed ti eait their lunch if the only place is a tiny "lounge" which isn;t really a lounge. In my school, it is a tiny room which also has computer and a copy machine. This seems unsafe. The chancellor never addressed this because she doesn't have to deal with it.

Also, if one is forced to do cafe duty with students? Obviously, students must take maks off to eat? What am I to do?

Anonymous said...

As per your request:

I'm vaccinated
I believe in mandates and masks
(I am also a conservative and Trump supporter but disagree with him on the mask issue)

Anonymous said...

811 here. It’s ok. I checked too for Delta. This is from NPR.


https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/08/10/1026375608/nearly-94-000-kids-got-covid-19-last-week-they-were-15-of-all-new-infections

In states where data was available, less than 2% of all child COVID-19 cases required hospitalization and 0.00% to 0.03% were fatal.

"I'm not seeing any patterns that suggest the virus is more virulent or more serious or more severe in children than it was before this variant appeared," Maldonado added.

I’m learning to worry less too but it’s so hard. Some days are better than others. It’s definitely a struggle. My kids give me hope. They say to me “ Ma, turn the tv off. You are getting shakey again”. I’ll feel a better when I get my boosters this month.

Anonymous said...

Probably a big outbreak of cases is to be expected. The UFT needs to do more to push for mandates for students too. It would be wise for them to heed the advice of actual health experts like Dr. Kerry Chant, New South Wales Chief Health Officer: — As a public health doctor we always want to have diseases go, to be totally eliminated, but that is not on the horizon in the near future,” she continued. “Booster doses and repeat doses will be part of it.”

“I can assure you that the commonwealth government has purchased large quantities of vaccine into 2022 and this will be a regular cycle of vaccination and revaccination as we learn more about when immunity wanes.”

In a separate answer to a reporter, Chant again asserted that people “will be getting vaccinated regularly” against COVID.

Most teachers received their shots in February or March. Immunity has waned for them. We need to mandate boosters too for revaccination purposes. You can never be too safe.

Anonymous said...

They are discussing third and fourth “booster” vaccine shots.
Israel in one the most vaccinated countries in the world and yet suffers from one of the highest infection rates.

Are we still banned from having an honest discussion about the efficacy of these vaccines?

Perhaps we should focus on why this all happened.

Anonymous said...

UFT needs to fight for a remote option for teachers and families who need it. Many families are not comfortable sending their children into our school buildings for various reasons. All fears are valid and they deserve the option keep their children home.

Anonymous said...

1) I don't think we will be safe in the schools because though the vaccination rate is high, it is not as high amongst young people, and nevermind the under 12 group. You can't socially distance by 3 ft and keep the class sizes the same so that's a farce. Trying to enforce masks, is going to be as bad, if not worse, than enforcing the wearing of hats. When it's lunchtime all bets are off anyway so I think we will see outbreaks in the fall and the winter.

2) Is the UFT doing its job to protect the members and the kids? 100% absolutely not. I think right now the UFT focus should be on protecting the jobs of those with medical exemptions but that's just something that came as a last minute surprise, so what were they doing all the time before that? Were they demanding smaller classes? Mulgrew kept saying that the Mayor finally understood the need for a remote option so what happened to that? As usual they all dropped the ball and it will be the rest of us left to pick up the pieces.

As for protecting the rights of anti-union and/or anti-mandate anti-vaxxers, no. Let them take their dues and get on their way. They like to wear their unvaccinated status as a badge of honor so have at it. Just not around the rest of us.

Anonymous said...

@1037pm You sound like an antivaxxer. James said you had your turn on this blog. Now, let the adults here have a safe space to share their concerns and anxieties about the school year. Israel just needs to get everyone vaccinated and then revaccinated with boosters. The US will do the same by any means necessary. And what do you mean focus on why this all happened? Talk about being incoherent.

Anonymous said...

I am soooooo tired of hearing about the rights of anti-vaxxers. Yes you have all the rights in the world not to have something put in your body that you don’t want. Please resign and find another job. Maybe you can find a job on the Trump 2024 campaign. Trump is the person that has politicize mask and vaccines. You guys are so fucking stupid. God help us.

Anonymous said...

The parents and kids won’t get vaxed or wear masks. The dem controlled nyc doe won’t do shit about them. You’re going to get COVID from the kids, not your colleagues. If the vaccines work, you’ll be fine. If they don’t work, you heard Mulgrew… Get your wills in order.

Anonymous said...

"Anchor Jim Sciutto clarified DeSantis’ point that it’s “a personal choice about yourself” that “doesn’t impact anybody else.”

“Well, that’s not true at all,” Fauci replied. “I mean, obviously it’s important for you as an individual for your own personal protection, safety and health. But when you have a virus that’s circulating in the community and you are not vaccinated, you are part of the problem because you are allowing yourself to be a vehicle for the virus to be spreading to someone else.”

“It isn’t as if it stops with you. If that were the case, then it would only be about you. But it doesn’t,” he added. “You can get infected even if you get no symptoms or minimally symptomatic and then pass it onto someone who in fact might be very vulnerable, an elderly person, a person with an underlying disease. So when dealing with an outbreak of infectious disease, it isn’t only about you. There is a societal responsibility that we all have.”

Anonymous said...

I suspect we will be ok. Will there be more cases ? Of course. Will hospitals be overrun? Well. They already run at near max capacity here in NYC. Other major cities have opened their schools and I think they are still open for now. Long Island is open and so far so good.

The UFT and the Mayor should really just put it to a vote. We can have a referendum. If Union members and NYC residents really want a mandate, they can vote on it. It’s the most democratic way to approach this.

Anonymous said...

It’s not safe and the UFT is delusional. It’s simple. Make a remote option. If students or staff are unvaccinated, then no in school for you !

Anonymous said...

Uft doesn't care. You all keep paying them to not care. You will get sick.

Erica said...

No answer about the eating lunch issue? Ok. How about almost nobody getting tested? How about...Um, where will the safe staff meeting be held on Thursday and Friday?

Jeff said...

You guys aren't too smart. You want the students who act inappropriately to have a remote option? Lol. So they get to stay home, do nothing and pass? Typical doe.

Anonymous said...

Liberal, Labour, Tory: all the same. They play the part of monopoly capitalist hacks
No matter if they call us 'brother', They want the price of the crisis to be laid on our backs
"Give up this, Give up that. Take the cuts and tighten your belts"
They say . . The Social contract is for the country's health
What they mean is healthy profits for ruling class wealth

Anonymous said...

I have a few concerns.
1- I just received a copy of preliminary fall schedule I do not see as to how they are still making the class sizes 34 students seated in a room. There is no way they are being seated 3 feet apart from each other.

2- I am also concerned that child may not have symptoms however they could be carring a high viral load and be contagious so there should be some consequences for those who refuse to wear masks

3 very concerned about the larger over crowded schools and ventilations issues as well as how they are handeling the distancing and hallway issues. We have yet to receive guidance from our high school.

Mulgrew said he would never forget those workers we lost last year from Covid. I do not feel they have given us enough security to know it is safe with the overcrowed schools. One life is too many to lose.

Anonymous said...

It’s going to be bad this fall. The UFT and DOE need to work together to implement more safety measures. I would like to see social credit scores based on vaccination status for staff and students. Anyone unvaccinated in NYC should be forced to lockdown in their homes. They can get an hour outside a day away from other people. I know some anti-vaxxers say this is like prison but it’s not. It’s what Australia is doing.

nerd said...

I wonder if there's a correlation between members claiming their anti-vaxxers or just refusing to get it and the likelihood of them wanting to continue the cushy life of teaching remotely on accommodation.

Anonymous said...

Nobody is proposing remote option for those not vaccinated unless there is a real medical issue.

Anonymous said...

All public employees should have been fully vaxed months ago. Not, thanks to BdB and certain business and labor leaders. On a public payroll? Get vaxed. Or get out. Do not let the door hit you on the way. There's a place for you in hell, aka as FL. Several old classmates wish they could afford to come back to NY. No BS religious exemptions of any kind.
Mulgrew get your head screwed on straight and start working for the people paying your salary, right now! If the crazies in SI are making your life hard, move. You can afford it.
If you cannot grow a backbone in the next 24 hours, and secure safe distance instruction for staff in NYC, resign and hit the road. You don't deserve a penny of our dues.

Anonymous said...

Yes they have proposed remote options for the unvaccinated. I asked one person who proposed it several times if he was vaccinated but he never responded.

Anonymous said...

The UFT cannot make a remote option. That's up to the mayor.

Anonymous said...

9:43 The parents don't have a say? Will never happen.

Anonymous said...

I agree 9:20. The thing about being brainwashed is you start believing they're your own beliefs and not that you have been saturated with propaganda.

Anonymous said...

@9:43 apologies, I misread your post, you did include parents

Anonymous said...

Don’t open schools until everyone gets boosters ! We need to do what Israel is doing. We need to catch up to them.

Anonymous said...

I’d feel safer with quarantine camps for the unvaccinated.

Anonymous said...

Um, if i got the shot in jan, wouldn't it already have almost no value?

waitingforsupport said...

@906 pm lmao.
Calling folks "dumb motherfuckers who keep repeating the same thing". You are the HEAD dumb motherfucker and Mutton for returning to read the "same thing" on this blog. Is this the ONLY blog in town? So how did you get out of not having to return to the school building like the "sheep"? What have you done about March 2020? Oh don't tell me, you're waiting on James to fix it. Or maybe you're waiting for your hearder (the DOE) to fix it. Have a seat.

waitingforsupport said...

It's so heartwarming to hear teachers express concern for the well-being of families and children. Now if only we can figure out a way to tell these same families that the DOE and some teachers are pulling the old okey doke on them. Or should I say pulling the wool over their eyes. Wink wink sheep/wool. On a side note; "Omar comin" RIP MKW.

waitingforsupport said...

The baby is already here @10:37pm. The topic is posted above. Now if you want to delve into whatever you want to delve into, let us all know the name of your blog so we can go to it and talk about whatever random thoughts enter our brain.

waitingforsupport said...

@9:22 am says "you're going to get COVID from the kids, not your colleagues". Wtf? Never mind your will...learn how Covid is spread. I don't think it's as selective as you seem to think.

waitingforsupport said...

@1013am...you will get sick too.

waitingforsupport said...

@Nerd...
Say it one more time for the folks in the back.

Anonymous said...

I am way more concerned about teacher observations this year. I am concerned that Danislson is going to be back in full swing. The least the UFT could do is push for us to allow video lessons like last year. That would get rid of the "gotcha" mentality that we all hate.

Anonymous said...

And I'll bet you still pay dues.

Anonymous said...

Where is the union we pay?
Are we going to discuss that De Blasio just stated he won’t comply with NY State’s mandate for weekly school building Covid testing? LA and Chicago are testing 100% of people in schools weekly. NY Governor Hochul just signed an order with state DoH that says we must be testing weekly, as well, since we are designated an area with high COVID transmission.
De Blasio says we don’t have the “capacity” to comply. That sounds like BS. There is no way that we only have the capacity to do one-twentieth the rate of testing conducted by LA and Chicago. NYC just got a quarter billion to conduct Covid testing. Anyone bothered by this?

Anonymous said...

The safety plans are a joke, especially for my high school which is at 200% overcapacity. It’s as though the authorities have decided that we’re going to reach herd immunity by forcing students and staff back into overcrowded schools. It seems like a massive Sweden-style gamble with the health of unvaccinated children and family members (for the most part) at stake, all without any public discussion, debate, or even acknowledgement that this is the plan.

It seems to me that the massive remaining question mark is parents. I’m not sure anybody’s really asking them in any systematic or even anecdotal way because no one wants to know how much opposition and even outright refusal we may be about to see. A majority of parents, like a majority of the population in general, believes that the virus is very real and very deadly. Are they on board with this high-risk plan? How do we know? What happens if we find out this week and next that they’re not, perhaps in massive numbers? 

Parent refusal seems to be the only potential point of meaningful leverage in this process. It’s hard to imagine that parents will comply in anything like a wide majority, but if they do, it seems that we don’t have much hope given that it is really unvaccinated children and family members who are most at risk now that staff are vaccine-mandated. 

As a vaccinated teacher, I still expect my union to protect me and my family from excessive, unreasonable exposure to the Delta variant, especially as I move toward the possibility of declining efficacy prior to my booster shot. I see no indication that Mulgrew/Unity has any interest in advocating for basic measures of safety, including real and transparent testing, quality ventilation, much smaller class sizes, and — most importantly — a remote option for students and teachers (like last year; it’s not ideal, but better than hospitalization and/or death).
Sadly, given the complicity of our union in the open-at-all-costs agenda, I don’t expect anything more than lip service to be paid by UFT leadership to safety and I further expect continued kowtowing to the nutcase right-wing antivaxx crowd. If we’re going to get anything meaningful here, it’s going to be by way of parents putting their foot down about what they will or won’t tolerate for their children. 

Anonymous said...

5:32

If the UFT allows any negative Danielson observation this year while teachers are expected to maintain two instructional platforms, digital and the live classroom, any negatively evaluated teacher should pull their dues and hire an attorney to sue the UFT. The UFT should be "all over" the observations this year. This WILL NOT be a normal school year. The Danielson rubric will once again need to be modified.

Anonymous said...

You can stay away from colleagues for the most part. Not the kids. More likely you’ll catch it from kids than colleagues.

Anonymous said...

Observations. Lol.

Anonymous said...

A year ago we had no vaccines. The daily deaths now vs then...wanna guess?

9/7/20-800
9/7/21-1400

Almost double with the vaccines.

Good luck with Mulgrew and de blasio saving you from that.

Mario said...

Mulgrew, de blasio and Biden. Good luck. Glad I just retired.

Biden to unveil new six-pronged COVID plan amid Delta surge https://trib.al/ZB8nlLP

Anonymous said...

If it's not the virus it's Danielson.The boogeyman is all over

Anonymous said...

Still hard to do group work with 3 feet social distance.

Anonymous said...

Scan some of the comments here. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a wretched hive of fear and hysteria.

Pete Zucker said...

Fuck them. Let them leave. Scabs.

Anonymous said...

https://nypost.com/2021/09/07/doe-to-spend-350-million-covid-19-educational-damages/

Anonymous said...

Peter, so you are happy with what your dues have gotten?

great said...

This sort of plan is exactly what class collaborationist unionism gets us. If we want better we've got to demand better.

Anonymous said...

This mandating 3 feet in classrooms , is unattainable , since the city would need to hire thousands of more teachers, which they didn’t. So I expect to see the same class sizes we did before the pandemic

Anonymous said...

You cant simply have a remote option to accommodate vax medically excused teachers. You still need an adult in the classroom for those classes. Why hire 2 people when you can replace the unvaccinated.

While I agree with the vax mandate with no testing option I'd prefer the testing option for those medically exempt. However DiBlasios plan seems aimed at getting rid of anti vax conservatives. Why else would he not offer the testing option offered everywhere else.

Unknown said...

The big question is why is he only picking on teachers?

Anonymous said...

Why does every other union get the test option except us?is it cuz of randi volunteering us? I sent her a disgusting letter and also requested that the emails cease, but the bitch still sends them.

nerd said...

are a lot of high schools adding Another session to solve spacing?. We already have 3.

Anonymous said...

Because teachers are idiots. Simple.

James Eterno said...

I politely asked the anti-vax mandates to stay away from this post.

My words:

"Anti-vax mandate people and/or anti-union folks please stay out of this discussion. You have your chance enough here."

Besides clogging up my email, some of you by making disgusting personal and racist attacks against my family and me (or maybe it is the same individual coming back), what are you attempting to accomplish? You have plenty of posts to comment on; I wanted this one to be for the majority that nobody in power seems to be listening to. Please respect the majority.

Anonymous said...

You're asking someone who posts disgusting racist attacks on your family to be respectful? James, come on. Get tough, man. You obviously like the blog, so step up and supervise it without apology.

Anonymous said...

10:23 that would have been a good idea. Some people, teachers and students, might actually like starting in the afternoons.

James Eterno said...

Good point 10:47. I was also referring to the usual anti-vaxxers who were posting their usual positions here when I asked them politely to sit this one out. Plenty of other posts for them to comment on.

Anonymous said...

James, not sure what comments you expect at this point. It is the same topic follwoed by the same comments followed by absolutely no change. Are you waiting for a magic bullet?

Anonymous said...

Twitter

If it includes "pandemic of the unvaccinated," I don't want to hear it.

If it involves bending over backward to keep the loudest minority in the room from yelling loud, and still not doing what's right, I don't want to hear it.

Enforced mandates, bans, and rules... say that.

Pete Zucker said...

@10:57 PM Nope. I am not happy with ho my dies have been spent. But being part of a dysfunctional unioni better than no union.

Anonymous said...

That's what mulgrew hopes you say. And you are a sucker. Sorry.

Anonymous said...

So now all people who disagree with James are all guilty of hurling racist remarks against James’ family? Bullshit. Sorry James if some asshole sent you something like that. No excuse for it. But don’t lump us all in with them. I think you’re wrong about a lot. But agree you have a beautiful family to be proud of.

James Eterno said...

My words:"Besides clogging up my email, some of you by making disgusting personal and racist attacks against my family and me (or maybe it is the same individual coming back), what are you attempting to accomplish?"

I said some or maybe it was one commenter. I never said it was all. Disagree all you like but why make it personal?

waitingforsupport said...

Why make it personal? Well ignorant cowards are always hiding in the corner too afraid to come out. They love puffing out their chest with racist comments. They THINK they are somehow better than others--but we all know they are Not. They can't even stand up for themselves. Weak arce cartoon figures. Just laugh at those jokers who really are anonymous. Nobody gives AF about their jellyfish Arce.

waitingforsupport said...

There needs be a mandatory psychological exam to become an educator. Some of these commenters shouldn't be near other people. Just saying

waitingforsupport said...

The kids are with your colleagues and your colleagues are with the students. It's a mosh pit. Good luck discerning where or from whom you caught Covid-19 (hopefully not catch it)