UFT EXECUTIVE BOARD REPORT SEPTEMBER 12, 2022

 Secretary Leroy Barr welcomed the Executive Board. Leroy Barr opened with tributes to two UFT activists who passed away. Tributes were given and there was a moment of silence.

Welcome for three year term. Leroy describes what Executive Board does. Says Executive Board makes recommendations to Delegate Assembly. Open mic after someone goes through Chapter Leaders, District Reps, and Borough Reps as well as officers. Someone can come to the Exec Bd. Ten minutes total open mic period.

Several people wanted to speak at open mic. Three agreed.

1- Instructional Coordinator from early childhood program reassigned. Excessed to superintendent's office on September 6. Couldn't get on Excess Staff Selection System. Letter to Mulgrew, no response. We should be reinstated. Expect and demand that our union should rescind excessing and include them in decision making.

2-Other two people agreed with what first person said. Leroy said someone would respond in the Reports from Districts. Rest of the meeting is for Executive Board members only. Others are exclusively observers.

Leroy then brings up minutes.

Lydia Howrilka questions who is invited to conferences that cost a great deal of money. Are they open to rank and file members or just people who work for UFT? Leroy answers that members from schools do attend meetings. Ask her to get to someone if they want to go. Minute are all approved.

President Michael Mulgrew is stuck on tarmac and won't be there. Two parts of report Mulgrew wanted to give. First is on Medicare:

Vince Gaglione reported. Lawsuit by some retirees against Medicare Advantage Plus based on Administrative Law Code. The judge ruled for the plaintiffs because there is no choice of health plans. Very high costs for healthcare. The ciity doesn't have to provide multiple health plans. City and MLC want to go to City Council to provide a choice of health plans and have them negotiated with MLC

Cassie Prugh reports on Governor Hochul signing class size reduction bill. Reduce class size 20% a year for five years from September 2023 through 2028. There is a FAQ. Search UFT class size and the FAQ will come up. Class sizes are 20 K-3, 23 4-8, and academic high school classes 25. 40 for phys ed and performance classes. Negotiations if they want to go over for overenrolled special classes. We can't thank the governor for signing the bill and thank Senator John Liu for his work. 

Minute are fine, no recording of meetings.

Question Period:

Alex Jallot-Will there be money to hire more teachers? 

Leroy Barr Answer: There is money that's been funded the last year going back to Senator Robert Jackson and the  Campaign for Fiscal Equity suit. It is our duty to see to it that the money the DOE gets goes into the classroom.

Cassie Prugh adds that the UFT is involved in all of the phases and there are negotiations.

Question on MOSLs

Mary Vaccaro answers that 51 schools couldn't get an MOTP rating. Anyone who had an S who had an Effective the year before gets a minimum of two informal observations this year. We will share something in writing. If you want us to come to your school, we will

Mulgrew calls in from the tarmac on a plane:

Thanks all for Labor day parade. We are involved in negotiations on class size. On healthcare, we are moving from what the judge said as he took away some of our negotiating powers. Bumps at the start of the school year; members handling it. Contract expires tomorrow. We are going to ask to start negotiations. Negotiating Committee coming in.

Ibeth Mejia: School DOE radios no longer compatible with police radios. An incident last week. Hard to react and two groups in the same building not being on the same system could slow response times and create a danger. What is the UFT's position?

Answer: Jeff Povolitus says there is only one agent per school on DOE frequency; the remainder are on NYPD frequency. Agents can still communicate with one another. One agent per school on DOE frequency. Fight in lunchroom, principal can communicate with Level 3 and then move with it. I am not in agreement to a certain extent. All agents have been given cell phones. Chief not budging on his stance. Lincoln HS had a student shot outside. We are having further conversations on this.

Nick Bacon: Question on healthcare. DA resolution last November asking that we vote on MLC decisions. We were supposed to have a committee on this. Will it be set up?

Answer: Committee is going to be set up. Members will be there. Difference in interpretation on what judge ruled. We will keep you informed on when that is up and running.

Question: Lost her DOE access. Need to get it back. Can UFT escalate this?

Answer from Janella Hinds: There have been quite a few issues with new system being rolled out by DOE. DOE asked to get them issues. Things not yet worked out. We told them that they told us this would be ready before the the year started. We are working on it.

Mike Schirtzer: Commented on new DOE tech not working and DOE falling apart. Are we getting new safety systems like buzzers installed? Should we get that information that only one School Safety Agent is on the DOE system and the rest are on NYPD which is a different frequency to chapter leaders?

Answer from Jeff P: DOE has narrowed it down to one or two vendors as they would have to drill into walls would lead to asbestos. This is a large job. We want to train all teachers on active shooters but we want it to be meaningful training. He doesn't agree fully with chief on new radio frequencies.

Question: Another person complains they were knocked off of DOE email and have to use personal email or cellphone. Nobody is paying for their personal cell phone or to have an email account. Why do people have to use their own phones to get back on?

Answer: Janella Hinds says two-step authentication is necessary. Can use cell phone or email. Conversations ongoing on the rollout. Two-step authentication may continue because of security concerns.

Question from Ronnie Almonte high schools: Ronnie questions the mayor's approach versus UFT approach. Defacto pay cut in last contract with inflation. Adams saying according to a press report that the city will lowball with a 1.25% raise that only will be done after Medicare Advantage is in place. Is this true? Should we publicly dismiss what Adams' approach is?

Leroy Barr answer: We don't know what Adams approach is. Other unions have expired contracts. Adams is likely to go to other unions before us and they may set a pattern. We will deal with this in the 500-person negotiating committee. No pay cut in the last contract.

Ilona Nana Question on how people could be excessed after June 15. That is not contractual. What is the plan to reinstate them? What is the long term strategy to deal with a mayor who is trying to play divide and conquer and use austerity?

Leroy Barr: Excessing doesn't happen until the beginning of the school year. Power of union stopped DOE from laying off secretaries. We said no layoffs of anyone. 

Mike Sill adds we have dealt before with many mayors who have used austerity. Division of Early Childhood, conversations going on. Some information not true or miscommunicated. DOE came to us to downsize Division of Early Childhood. We said they can't do it but they can excess people. People can apply to a new position with a different role. We make sure people excessed have first chance to get new positions including social workers. We want to know what plan is. This is incompetence not evil but result is the same. Meeting with DOE Friday. Job sounded an awful lot like job that already exists. We are looking at workload but Sill will stick around and talk to anyone who came here tonight. A larger meeting is coming. 

Reports from Districts:

Staten Island Borough Rep reports on backpack giveaway. Supplies and food went fast. New Staten Island office is open.

Another rep reports on student debt being reduced thanks to UFT and AFT.

David Kazinsky: Pension rep reports on credit card companies will flag when excessive gun and ammo purchases are made and it will be flagged and these things will hopefully stop mass shootings. 

Karen Alford: DOE hiring as many 3,000 new educators. We have to make them feel welcome. Thanks to volunteers who made sure they are UFT members, not just DOE employees. 1,700 members signed at one event. Shout out to Leo Gordon for getting CTE people to sign up for UFT. Go back to schools to help new people.

Janella Hinds: Labor Day parade was great. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh was the Grand Marshall.

Two more reports were given. 

Legislative Report: 

Cassie Prugh reports on primaries in June and August and thanks those who worked so hard on primaries.

1-Special Orders of Business
Smallheiser Awards: Leroy says people have to nominate for award.

2-Election complaint.

75 pages of election complaints. UFT responded to repeat challenges. The process is to bring them to the AFT. There was no vote and Leroy added that he would report at the next meeting on the rest of the 75 pages worth of protests. There was no vote on the challenges and the meeting was adjourned.