The email below was sent to UFT President Michael Mulgrew on Friday. No reply as of now from the President. The positivity rate is now over 30% as of Sunday.
When the pandemic began you used to talk about your three Pillars, and safety was one of them. Last week I was telling friends and colleagues that I felt like my school was swimming in covid. I tested positive on the 29th. Look I hope omicron isn’t so bad, data from South Africa shows that. The only thing is, in South Africa kids are on summer vacation, and here school is in session. We have more cases than ever before, and no baseline testing after break. You would say safety is important, we have our own medical experts. So do they really say that the plan is safe with 28,000 new cases in NYC yesterday?
I mean I get it, I’m not a fool. Keep kids in school no matter what. But if parents don’t feel safe doing it, teachers don’t feel safe, don’t you and the union lose all credibility?
We used to close schools for 3% positivity. Now we have 25% positivity, you can have covid and you still go in. Safety is not a part of the plan anymore.
I know it’s tough. Eric Adams is the new mayor. And the last thing you want to do is come out and close school. But, and here’s the thing, the current plan is insane.
Everyone gets covid is the current plan. And maybe that works for most people, and maybe it’ll be just a cold for most, but when everyone in the city gets it that’s a bad thing.
Okay that’s what I wanted to say. Maybe this will change some minds, though probably not. Unions should fight for safe working conditions. Right? Isn’t that the main reason we have one?
Thanks,
Mike Muntner
Covid Positive Chapter leader at Nest +m
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Any union member with a scintilla of common sense should call in sick. Fuck the DOE and that craven liar Mildew. I would wager that the union will appear on video from their Covid free homes to exhort us to risk our lives and that of our families to go in to Petri dishes to provide baby sitting services for the kids. At some point uncommon sense should prevail. Go remote or go home.
ReplyDeleteNewark, closed. Yonkers, closed. New York City, teachers can now work with COVID!
ReplyDeleteNot a chance I'm waiting on line for 3 hours on a non work day to get a test.
FACT: Parents WANT a remote option. Why would Adams refuse that?
ReplyDeleteAgree with anon 2:13. There were hundreds of sanitation workers that didn’t report to work as trash accumulated back in early November —as they tried to blackmail the entire city in refusing to take mandatory vaccines.
ReplyDeleteBottom line, nothing happened to them. So to any teacher or other adults in school buildings—and even students —what have to got to lose-besides your health—by going in on January 3–because no one is going to do anything about it—especially Mulgrew—as the surge continues to grow.
I am an ATR and I work in a High School transfer school. Our regular attendance, normally is very low. Last year during the lockdown from October until June, we had 24% attendance overall. My classes had 12% attendance on average.
ReplyDeleteI am double vaxed and boosted. I will go into my building tomorrow, although I'm wary.
I assume that this time around, despite the availability of vaccines, most of our population remains UNVAXED. I suspect MANY students will not attend in person, so while I'm fearful of contracting Omicron because I have co-morbidity issues, I know I've survived thus far prior to the availability of vaccines. So now I will try to maintain red-alert caution and self-protection, while the DoE, the UFT and our new Mayor err on the side of insanity.
Mulgrew is now pimping for Eric Adams.
ReplyDeleteOpening the schools tomorrow is a demonstration of bad judgment.
ReplyDeleteThe Omicron virus will exploit the foolishness of Eric Adams and play Eric Adams for the fool that he is making of himself.
An incompetent mayor has left. A new incompetent mayor has replaced de Blasio.
Mass sick out. Please do not lie on the health screening even if it is a cough or runny nose. Parents that send their kids to school buildings are stupid. Many kids will not show up for classes and may end up failing because there is no Remote Option. Also, don't lie to students and parents and tell them it is safe. Schools are not safe as we can see that when kids are tested they are positive. We all get 10 self treated days.
ReplyDelete3:54 - why would you say that. He's calling for schools to be closed but Adams has the final say. What part of that don't you people understand?
ReplyDeleteYes, I will no longer lie and say I am 100% well on the health screening. Emailed my students to be honest as well. Adams and Mulgrew will not do anything because they do not care.
ReplyDeleteMulgrew sent another letter this afternoon about the new Covid protocols. It is very confusing. I hope we get some more clarification.
ReplyDeleteI am triple vaxxed. My wife is triple vaxxed, my son has is scheduled for his booster next week. Yesterday, both have tested positive for COVID. I tested negative yesterday and will take the rapid test tomorrow morning. Thus far I am nit showing any symptoms.
ReplyDeleteBut according to the DOE and the UFT I am to go in tomorrow morning. I am in close proximity to two infected people and can become positive any time. Walking around the school, being in classrooms, doesn't make any sense.
The UFT gave up.
@5:22
ReplyDeleteThe part I don't understand is why you are still paying dues to a union that does not demand
workplace safety. what part of workplace safety do you not understand? It is time for the UFT
to have a walk out because of safety issues. What part of safety issues do you not understand?
In an email that just dropped this evening, Mulgrew states:
ReplyDelete"We advised the new mayor that it would be safest to allow our school system to go remote temporarily until we could get a handle on the staffing challenges that each school is about to face as we return."
When did he tell the mayor this? The night before back to school day?
Such incompetence!
6:00 - what safety issue? By all accounts the most serious cases are for those who are unvaccinated, and ALL teachers are vaccinated. So if you want to say the students are at risk, then try that argument, but the teachers by and large are not experiencing some wild "safety issue". Those are just hysterics.
ReplyDelete6:00 - nothing is stopping you from walking out if you are so terrified of workplace safety. Frankly, the week before Christmas was nice and quiet when all the students were quarantining.
ReplyDeleteYes, but you could bring the virus home to people who are elderly or immuno-compromised. My mother is in rehab. and I got to see her.
ReplyDelete