“Reckless Reform:” 700 Teachers and Staff Face “Excessing” in Region 79

Press Release

 

G.E. D. Students at Risk

 

Some seven hundred teachers, para-professionals and school secretaries are facing "excessing" from our G.E.D. programs on June 28, the last day of school. We are educators who teach in District 79 (the "Alternative Superintency"). "No Child Left Behind"? Our students are all kids who were left behind. We teach the students who have dropped-out and are now motivated to return to get their G.E.D. They are ESL students, students looking for a "second chance", newly arrived students who never had the chance to learn to read and write in their native countries. We are dedicated professionals and we are worried about the effect on hundreds and thousands of young black, Latino and Asian students who may likely get "lost" in the chaotic reorganization process.

 

On May 24, Schools Chancellor Joel Klein called a press conference and announced the closing of four GED programs, which would be "reorganized" under a new name.. He also stated the multi-site Program for Pregnant Teens would be closed and another program for at-risk students. He stated all changes would be in place by September. Seven hundred staff members will be effected. Only four hundred will be able to be placed in the reorganization process.

 

Under the "reorganization" and the creation of a new school, all current teachers in the program will be "excessed" (dismissed from their schools), and need to "reapply" to jobs they have held for many years. One-half of the jobs are to be eliminated, and of those, only those teachers "approved" by the new principal would be allowed back.

The press conference, held in our school, was done without prior knowledge of the teachers. Our union, the United Federation of Teachers, was given one day's notice of this plan.

 

The four closed G.E.D. programs are the Auxiliary Services for High School (ASHS), Off-Site Educational Services, Vocational Educational Services, and Career Educational Services. The New Beginnings program will also be closed. The new "reorganized" program is to be called "GED-Plus" and a literacy Restart Program is to be opened.

 

The DOE also announced the closing of the Program for Pregnant Teens, a multi-site program that is dedicated to helping these young women stay in school despite their difficult situation. The UFT is seeking to keep these crucial services and programs open.

 

It is outrageous that the Department of Education is excessing GED teachers when the need for them is more urgent that ever. Every year an estimated 20,000 students drop out of NYC schools (reported in Newsday, February 21, 2007). The drop out rate for black and Hispanic students is the highest of any city in the country. As of June 2005, the schools estimated that 138,000 NYC youth, ages 16-21, have dropped out or were significantly off track (Education Week, 15 November 2006). Over 40 percent of English Language Learners drop out of high school before finishing their education. The stress of continual "high stakes testing," mandatory regents, and new small schools which use a two-year option and refuse to enroll ELLs and Special Education students, are only some of the factors pushing kids out of school.

 

We welcome change and any real measures which help kids, teachers and the community. But this is the third "reorganization" in three years and can only be described as "reckless reform." ASHS has already been drastically cut back from 50+ sites to 5, even though the demand for G.E.D. is bigger than ever. Each time these closings came in July or later in the year, resulting in loss of many teachers and with terrible disruption to students. In September last year, students were told to transfer to a new site, and several hundred students were lost in the abrupt chaotic transfer process.

 

Now, thousands of students who participate in these programs do not know where they will go in September. Teachers do not know whether they will have positions in September. What centers will provide ESL services, which centers will provide Special Education? Where will Basic Education students go? What about Pre-GED students? What about students transitioning back from incarceration and desperately needing the training and support our schools provide? When will we be allowed to "reapply" for jobs we have held for years? These "unanswered" questions are part of the state of chaos now evident in our schools.

 

--Teachers, Paraprofessionals and Staff at Auxiliary Services for High Schools

June 15, 2007

More information: 917-545-5671

Memo to Unity Caucus:

THE UFT ELECTION ENDED

By James Eterno UFT Chapter Leader Jamaica High School

For the last two months, we have arrived at Delegate Assembly meetings and received Unity Caucus literature attacking ICE. What's going on here? The election results were counted in March. Why the non stop smear campaign?

Yesterday's Unity attack on ICE was totally unnecessary. Unity is so obsessed with ICE that they feel the need to react to everything we say to anyone. In Monday's NY Sun there was an article entitled: "End of the UFT is Talk, After A Parley in L.A." The piece was about Green Dot Charter Schools. According to the Sun, Green Dot School teachers lack "privileges for senior teachers." Randi visited Green Dot in California last month because apparently they have empowered teachers in some ways.

In NYC we already gave up many of our seniority rights. All that senior teachers have when their schools are closed is the right to be an absent teacher reserve somewhere. Everything else such as seniority transfers, preferred placement if a school closes, and guaranteed placement if excessed were given away in the 2005 Contract. Yesterday's Unity leaflet quotes ICE's Jeff Kaufman in the Sun article saying, "This is the end of the Union." Unity neglected to mention Jeff's next line where he says referring to Randi: "She's going to leave in her wake now a real change in terms of what teachers unions are." Jeff has a point and for proof just refer to the 2005 Contract which ceded so many of our professional rights to management and certainly did change the nature of teacher unions. However, my point in writing is not to keep re-fighting the Contract or 2007 election battles again and again. We want to turn this around.

Instead of continuing in full 24/7 election campaign mode bragging about themselves, Randi, Jeff Zahler and their Unity Caucus should do what Randi said she would do on April 10, the first Executive Board meeting after the election. At that meeting Randi stated that she would work together with other groups and that she was reaching out to people. These sounded like positive steps. However, yesterday's Unity piece reverts to boasts about Randi's election victory saying how Unity's election victory was a "tremendous vote of support from all our UFT members." All of them? What about the almost 78% of teachers who didn't bother to vote? In Chicago recently, close to 2/3 of their teachers voted in their union election. I brought this fact up at the last Executive Board meeting. The UFT is a weak irrelevancy in numerous schools in NYC . The Contract doesn't matter in too many places. Countless teachers who I know feel tremendous burn out as this interminable school year finally winds down. We need to work to build a strong union if we are to have any chance of restoring our professional dignity.

Since the UFT leadership is so fascinated with reading blogs and obsessing over what we say, I have some free advice:

The UFT election is over; you won; now Get Over it!

Move on & fight to rebuild our union!

Staff Shake-Up at UFT Gives Strong Signal of Randi’s Departure

Executive Board Report….

Randi Weingarten, President of the UFT, in a "surprise" announcement at the May 21^st Executive Board meeting, appointed Michael Mendel, the current Secretary of the Union and Staff Director, as Executive Assistant to the President. The new title recognized, as Weingarten put it, the fact the "I am not bionic."

According to Weingarten, Mendel will learn the ropes of negotiation and "all of the things I have not delegated in the past."

Weingarten did not say whether she was appointing Mendel to his duties because of any plan to leave her post but there has been wide spread speculation that she would abandon her day to day UFT responsibilities for Washington, D.C.

In related development Jeff Zahler, former Special Assistant to Randi and head of Unity caucus was appointed as Staff Director to permit Mendel more time in his new position.

We wish Michael well in his new position and can only hope he is able to win back all of the concessions we lost in the last contracts.

While salary enhancements were not announced the smiles on both Mendel and Zahler's faces after the announcement spoke thousands.

Randi decided to use her time reporting to the Executive Board to answer the "blog activity" about her recent trip to Los Angeles to visit Green Dot Charter Schools. She defended her attempts to partner with this company and tried to quell questions about the reported Green Dot's position against teacher tenure.

"Green Dot is a pro-union Charter School," she proclaimed. She argued that the loss of tenure was actually good for the teachers in this Charter School as the standard for teacher dismissal, "just cause" was "actually better."

We can only hope this does not signal a softening of the Union's position on tenure.

The Top 10 Reasons to Hold a Rally to Oppose the DOE Reorganization

Number Ten: Privatization –

The reorganization moves us towards the privatization of public education by allowing outside companies to increasingly manage and provide resources to our schools.

Number Nine: Schools continue to be measured by high stakes tests instead of a wide range of criteria and there will be more testing than ever –

Interim assessments (more tests) every 6-8 weeks will take away teachers' ability to assess their students' needs, instead allowing private companies to decide what each student should be working on. Design Your Own (DYO) schools will not receive additional funding giving little incentive for schools to design their own assessments. Testing every 6 weeks that will take up even more instructional time and cost enormous sums while teachers will be bogged down in accumulating data that will be 95% useless in terms of really assisting children.

Number Eight: Continues one-way accountability –

No accountability at the top for massive errors at Tweed as everyone is assessed but themselves.

Grading system of accountability dumps the buck on principals. The accountability will likely force many principals to make decisions based on not getting a D or F rather than what is best for children's education. Principals' jobs will be based on test scores (85%) and only a little on graduation rates (and fake ones at that). This will give even more incentive to principals to punish teachers who they feel are not testing to the max and suspend, discharge, transfer, and get rid of low-performing students any way they can to bring up their grades and save their jobs (and get a nice bonus too boot.) None of those outcomes – and none of the missing students – will be measured anywhere on the school report cards.

Number Seven: Reorganization without evaluating effects of previous reorganizations –

The 3^rd reorganization since Bloomberg/Klein took over the schools with no assessment of previous reforms will lead to another round of disruption. Instead of lowering class size and instituting programs that will improve conditions in the classroom, money will continue to be diverted into the hands of privateers lining up to feed at the public trough. From districts to regions and back to districts – U-turns – but this time with the twist that each school is an island that will be judged (harshly) based on a narrow range of data accumulated in a heartless and inhumane way by an $80 million boondoggle contract given to IBM for the Aramis system that even computer experts denigrate. As parent leader Tim Johnson and historian Diane Ravitch have said recently, when you make constant U-turns you end up going around in circles.

Number Six: Small schools push at expense of large schools –

Small schools will still not be equipped to handle the most at-risk students – causing overcrowding in the large schools and their subsequent closings. While creating small schools is not a bad thing, no matter how many small schools are opened there can never be enough to make a dent on the massive numbers of students in NYC. Solutions to problems in large schools must be found, which involves making an investment in hiring enough teachers, guidance counselors, social workers, etc to create a small school atmosphere in the context of a large school.

Number Five: Special education needs continue to be ignored –

Who will be responsible for making sure students are provided with services? Where do parents go to get assistance?

Number Four: The reorganization actually expands the bureaucracy –

Does anyone believe bureaucracy is being cut to put money into classrooms? Check the number of superintendents and deputies and other bureaucrats under this reorganization and it is clear that when added to the enormous cost of their multiple experiments and unproven schemes, these claims are no more than outright lies. As are the claims that schools will not be micromanaged.

Number Three: Parent/teacher surveys distributed without mention of class size, high stakes testing, and other crucial issues – and will be minimally taken into account.

Number Two: Funding formula even as modified harms higher salaried teachers –

There is no advantage for schools to hire teachers other than those at the low end of the salary scale. Full impact of Fair Funding Plan is only postponed. Even the modification of the fair student funding formula is a big loss for teachers with mid-high salaries as well as teachers at the top salary levels. A 6th year teacher contacted us with the following question: He doesn't want to leave his school just yet, but might one day. He has all his credits and is making around 60K. Beginning to understand the implications of the revisions in the budget and the UFT basic agreement to accept the Tweed plan (the school keeps the money if a senior teacher leaves but the principal can hire a new teacher and can use the difference to buy a 50 inch plasma TV for his office) he realizes that as his salary goes much higher, he is in danger of being stuck at his school for eternity. Or until a new administration comes in and decides to harass high salaried teachers no matter how good they are. Or if his school closes. With the UFT-touted Open Market System and all its flaws, the teacher is in a quandary. "Do you think I should make my move now even though I don't want to?" he asks. "What worries me is when I am in the salary range where they can get 2 new teachers to replace me." Answer: He should be worried. Very worried.

And the Number ONE reason to hold a rally to oppose the DOE reorganization –

MAYORAL CONTROL MUST BE FOUGHT AND HOLDING A RALLY AT THIS TIME WILL SEND A POWERFUL MESSAGE TO THE 3 P'S – PUBLIC, PRESS, AND POLITICIANS.

What do we gain from holding a rally?

The Mayor got what he wanted: to kill the momentum building toward the May 9^th rally – a rally that would have exposed the Bloomberg/Klein "reforms" as a sham to the entire nation with little support among parents and teachers just as Bloomberg is gearing up to run for president on the backs of the educational community. For the first time we could have wrung real concessions and killed or severely maimed most of the schemes to turn the public schools into a playground for privateers. The Mayor put some crumbs on the table and unfortunately, they were snapped up.

Educators, Parents, Community Activists, and Concerned Friends of Public Education will have a chance to demonstrate the deep-seated opposition to the Bloomberg/Klein destructive overhaul of the system. It will build momentum towards an end of mayoral control. An opportunity was lost when May 9^th was cancelled. Can we still reverse the reorganization? We have nothing to lose.

Reorganization + Co-optation DOES NOT EQUAL

Education

ICE SUPPORTS MANHATTAN HIGH SCHOOLS’ CHAPTER LEADERS

On Wednesday, May 9 a demonstration is planned in front of 52 Broadway to protest the UFT's decision to abandon its fight to stop the reorganization. The Manhattan High Schools' Chapter Leaders voted 18-1 to support a resolution to reverse our Union's appeasement with the Mayor and hold a rally in the near the future.

We need to demonstrate that the deal Randi Weingarten struck with Klein is not in our members' interest.

See you at the rally.

A unique opportunity has been missed

by Norman Scott



The May 9th demo scared the hell out of Bloomberg and would have made a national splash and focused attention on so many of the awful policies as a result of his control of the school system.

In addition, it looks like the back of the coalition forming to stand up to him may have been broken. Divide and conquer, used to perfection. With the cooperation of the UFT.



But the major parties involved are only interested in short-term solutions. Bloomberg hopes he's heading for Washington and so does Weingarten. Probably Klein too.



Andy Wolfe's analysis makes some good points:

"The mayor is intent on neutralizing his opposition and may now have succeeded. Political aides to the mayor fear that the education issue could undermine his nascent presidential bid.

The turmoil over the mayor's education initiatives also has led to serious questions being raised by key leaders in the city's business and philanthropic communities, up to now the mayor's strongest supporters..... In trying to sell the agreement to the uncomfortable parent groups, speaking on a conference call, Ms. Weingarten termed officials of the Department of Education as "absolute and complete assholes" who "can't be trusted."



Just the usual Weingarten rhetoric, words without substance. In the last 10 years I've had the occasion to use this expression so many times: Et tu, Randi?



Wolfe's point is right on:

"many parent leaders believed "we've got them where we want them," wanting no concessions, and preferred holding out for the state Legislature to modify — or eliminate — mayoral control. To them the mission was not to protect the interests of senior teachers looking to retain their ability to move about the system, but to "put the public back in the public schools."



One can't say this enough times. A unique opportunity has been missed.



The NYTimes today says this on the funding plan "compromise":

"The change means that when a veteran teacher paid nearly $100,000 a year retires, a principal can hire a similar teacher or hire a rookie for about $50,000 and use the remaining $50,000 for other expenses."



If this is true, will a principal chose a senior teacher or take the 50 grand? This seems like little change in reality.



The agreement still affects teachers who want to transfer, as that issue is still in grievance, and if you look at the rate of grievance victories (low single digits) that has little chance. With so many teachers already forced into retirement, the transfer issue is just as important. To have left this to the grievance process is a capitulation. People will say, "well in negotiations, there is give and take."



There has never been any give from Tweed, only take. That they sat down at all is a sign of weakness. Instead of negotiations, there should have been take it or leave it demands. The May 9 demo was long overdue.



The basic idiocy of the reorganiztion  plan is still in place (ok, gang, everyone compete, total power in the hands of principals (all too many power hungry and pathological) - except they need permission of the district Superintendents).



The fact that the continued idiocies that will result from mayoral control seem guaranteed to continue in perpetuity. Nothing has changed for the people in the school community who have suffered over the past  the past 5 years.



On class size, I don't care what they say or what committees they form. They do not believe that reducing class size will have the same impact spending money on professional development will. That is their mantra, inherited from Anthony Alvarado. They will say one thing and do another. To put any trust in Tweed given their record is a mistake.



It is funny that Tweed can say they are going to do A,B,C,D horrible things and when they modify D, everyone cheers like it's a victory.



From the very beginning, the focus on the reorganization rather than the entire package of control of the schools by big city mayors and its impact on the schools has made a deal like this likely. And when the leader, the UFT, is always looking to make a deal, the entire movement seemed doomed from the beginning. The groups left out of the process were used and will be very reluctant to get involved in the future. An historic opportunity to bring forces together to become an educational force has been lost. But long-time observers of how the UFT operates are not surprised.



From day one of BloomKlein, the UFT wanted a seat at the table and seems to have gotten it. They also are and will continue to support mayoral control. Their candidate Spitzer confirmed it today.



The strength of any coalition is in the numbers they can bring to the table.



As pointed out, "CEJ is one of the many Community Involvement organizations financed by the Annenberg Institute of Social Reform at Brown University,  headed up by Norm Fruchter, formerly of NYU."



How do they get to be considered representative of local parent groups while groups actually elected (and which had passed resolutions against the reorganizations, no small reason why they weren't at the table) are left out? Who does Fruchter, who has supported much of what Tweed has done, represent?



Where was the "transparency" in these negotiations so many people on this list have been calling on the DOE to show?



The proper way to go about the process would have been to get reps together of all groups to decide on a strategy. But the UFT is always looking to make a deal even at the expense of some of its allies.



A unique opportunity has been missed.



Or has it?



There still is a need to hold a demo at Tweed. People opposed to this agreement should go to Tweed on the afternoon of May 9th and hold a silent vigil.



For more, check my blog: http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/

Comments on UFT High Stakes Testing Task Force

 

 

The members of the Task Force have done an excellent job of explaining the problems caused by high stakes tests. Speak-outs were held in each borough so that teachers, parents, and community members could voice their opinions on this issue. This was a great way for UFT members to be heard. ICE supports most of the recommendations, in particular the concept that the major purpose of standardized tests is that teachers should use them as a guide to make educational judgments about individual children. However, we do have a few reservations.

 

Unfortunately, the report does not call for an end to sanctions for schools that are deemed in need of improvement. This should be a priority. Schools don't improve by punishment; they improve with support and resources. The only legitimate function of NCLB is to identify areas of need and provide help.

 

The UFT must emphasize the role high stakes tests have in lowering rather than raising standards. By eliminating curriculum that doesn't appear on tests, "dumbing down" the actual exams, emphasizing tricks to get the right answer instead of mastering skills and knowledge, stifling creativity, fostering a cynical attitude toward learning, high stakes tests have the effect of providing an inferior education in both the short and the long run.

 

Expanding the role of the nationally based NAEP (the proficiency levels are set very high for the political purposes of bashing schools) as a random assessment can be mis-used by those calling for a nationally based high stakes test.

 

UFT members must know they will be supported by the UFT for speaking out against the over-use and, at times, abuse of testing in our schools. Teachers need whistle blower protection.

 

NOW we need a call to action. If NCLB is not changed, our schools will face more sanctions and will increasingly be turned into test prep factories. The Task Force report calls for forums for educators and meetings with the DOE, State Education Department, and the AFT. That is excellent. But now is also the time to activate UFT, AFT, and NEA members around the country to organize and let the politicians know that teachers do NOT support the reauthorization of NCLB in its present form. Ted Kennedy is Chair of the Committee that will reauthorize NCLB. At this time he does not support changing the high staking testing provisions in the Act. Senator Kennedy says he is a friend of our union and he spoke at last year's national AFT convention. Let's make sure he hears from us.

 

Issues to ponder: Will administrators continue getting bonuses for test scores? Will whistle blowers continue to be harassed and persecuted? Will the UFT refrain from political uses of the numbers game (i.e. trumpeting gains on tests to validate salary increases)? Will teachers who refuse to teach to the test face insubordination charges?

 

If you want to read and become more involved locally and nationally on these issues, here are a few resources.

ICE has set up a blog for the posting of articles and comments of interest at: http://highstakesonice.blogspot.com/

 

Time Out From Testing: NYC group against high stakes testing: http://www.timeoutfromtesting.org/

Fair Test, the national center for fair and open testing: http://www.fairtest.org/FEA_Home.html

Rethinking Schools: http://www.rethinkingschools.org/

Susan Ohanian
http://www.susanohanian.org/. Susan is organizing a national teacher protest at the Educator Roundtable: http://www.educatorroundtable.org/. Join almost 30,000 teachers who have already signed the petition.

 

While Global Warming Is True, ICE is Not Melting

With about 700 ballots received yesterday and a number not yet counted the preliminary votes from the latest UFT election eliminated the opposition from any leadership or Executive Board position leaving the Union to be run by a cadre of yes-men and rubber stamps.

While Unity may claim that ICE has melted the sad fact is that we will all suffer from Global Warming as a significant number of our members will have no voice on the Executive Board and will undoubtedly be shut out of all decision making in developing union policy.

This election will be remembered not only for the end of the opposition at the Executive Board but by one of lowest turnout of ballots in recent memory.

High Schools

Our strength has been in the high schools and there were about 20,000 ballots sent out. Of these 4,228 were returned or a little more than 20%. That means that only 1 in 5 high school teachers returned a counted ballot. We received 1,524 votes or more than 36% of the ballots counted. Unity may claim victory but there are still a large number of high school teachers who want Randi and her crew out.

ICE-TJC: 1,524

Unity: 2,183

New Action: 521

Middle Schools/Junior High Schools

ICE received 444 votes or almost 20% of the votes counted. With 13,000 votes mailed only 2,216 were counted.

ICE/TJC: 444

Unity: 1,499

New Action: 273

Elementary

ICE received 1,337 votes or about 15% of the 8,151 votes counted.

ICE/TJC: 1337

Unity: 6252

New Action: 562



Functional

Out of the 42,000 ballots mailed 8044 were counted. ICE received 1032 votes or 13% of the ballots counted.

ICE/TJC: 1032

Unity: 6464

New Action: 548

Have You Voted Today?

There are people in your schools who have not yet voted or are not even aware an election is taking place.

In the last election 70,000 active UFT members DID NOT VOTE. We need you to remind them to vote.

People say the 2006 contract was a holding action till the next one with more givebacks. They also agree that if not for the 40% teacher NO vote on the 2005 contract, Unity would have been emboldened to give back more in 2006.Thus the case: The higher the vote for ICE-TJC, the better the chance to fight givebacks on the next contract.

Without a potent opposition/alternative to Unity, the dictatorship leading to bad decision-making will continue. HELP BUILD THAT ALTERNATIVE!Help get out the Vote for ICE-TJC!The only opposition to Randi Weingarten, ICE-TJC, is under attack. Randi Weingarten’s political party (Unity Caucus) is using their bloated campaign contributions to slander ICE-TJC.

Unity is able to raise vast sums of money because of the patronage jobs they reward their members with. Unity has mailed people a letter distorting the positions of ICE-TJC and our presidential candidate: Kit Wainer. Kit is a decent guy who is the long time chapter leader from Leon Goldstein High School in Brooklyn. He is not advocating an unprepared strike as the answer for every UFT problem. He knows that we would lose an ill-advised strike and all of us would not support one. That does not stop Randi/Unity from making stuff up.

The most ironic charge Randi-Unity made is that Kit is a socialist. We thought “Red Baiting” went out of style when Senator Joseph McCarthy was denounced publicly in the US Senate. The irony is that Randi Weingarten is running on both on the Unity ticket and on former opposition party New Action’s slate.

As Teachers for a Just Contract says in their latest literature: “The New Action members Unity has cross endorsed include longtime open members of the Communist Party USA.” TJC adds, “Weingarten and her predecessors Feldman and Shanker were all socialists, card-carrying members of the Social Democrats USA, an offshoot of the American Socialist Party.”

People’s politics or personal lifestyles are not at issue. We care what their record of achievement is for the members of this union. As students of history, we would rather have socialist Eugene Debs backing us up than Randi Weingarten any day of the week. The real issue is how far Unity and New Action will go to hold onto power. That’s what this misinformation campaign is all about.

Unity certainly can’t run on their record, which is a total failure. They gave away so many of our rights in the 2005 Contract:We lost the right to grieve material in our files.We lost the right to grieve observation reports.We lost the right to say no to hall patrols and cafeteria duty.

We lost the right to start school after Labor Day; we now start in August.

We lost the right to transfer based on seniority.

We lost the right to a job if excessed; we now get in Absent Teacher Reserve positions (subs).

We lost the right to preferred placement if our schools are closed; we now have to hustle for jobs or be placed in ATR positions.

We lost the right to be innocent until proven guilty etc…Unity has the money to mail smear stuff to the members.

All we have to counter it is our mouths, our computers, our telephones, our votes and most importantly the truth.

We need everyone to work for the only real opposition, ICE-TJC.

To vote for all ICE TJC candidates, simply put an X in the ICE-TJC box and then place the envelope inside the secret ballot envelope, seal it, then place it in the outer envelope and put it in the mail. With your support, ICE-TJC will continue to have one agenda: doing what’s right for the members.

Fraternally,

The Independent Community of Educators (ICE)

ICE-TJC EXEC BOARD CANDIDATE JAMES ETERNO PUTS UNITY MOUTHPIECE TO SHAME IN BROADCAST DEBATE

Unity Rep Zahler and Eterno at WBAI

Demonstrating that the UFT opposition has a clear plan to take our Union back from its current giveback leadership James Eterno debated Unity spokesperson Jeffrey Zahler on WBAI this evening. While it is clear to us who the winner is we encourage our readers to listen to the debate. It can be downloaded here.



The debate demonstrated the difference between the caucuses vying for union office. The Unity rep attempted to extoll the virtues of losing our rights and watching our Union become more like an insurance company than a Union.



Thanks to all that participated especially Mimi Rosenberg and Ken Nash, the debate moderators.

ICE BEATS NEW ACTION HANDS DOWN

There's No Comparison; I've been with Both Groups!

By James Eterno Jamaica HS Chapter Leader and Ten Year UFT HS Executive Board Member

We have been reading literature attacking ICE-TJC as people who just complain. Yes, there is a great deal to complain about if you work in the NYC schools but that's not what we are about. We are not a "knee-jerk" opposition group. We support the UFT leadership when they are right and criticize them when they are wrong.

ICE-TJC representatives have a solid three year record of advocating for our members at the Executive Board. I personally have been there for a decade: seven years with New Action and the last three with ICE-TJC.

There is no comparison.

The ICE-TJC opposition to Unity over the last three years has been more active and effective as compared to the prior three when NAC was on the Executive Board, cementing their "bipartisan" relationship with Randi. We have a solid record of raising issues and actually getting some stuff accomplished at the UFT Executive Board.

Chapter leaders and people in the temporary reassignment centers are getting more support because of our advocacy. We also proposed doing our own investigations when people are reassigned by hiring our own investigaators to counter the Board of Ed Office of Special Investigations reports. Randi said no. However, because of ICE pressure, Randi has finally come out against closing schools and displacing staff. Back in 2003 and 2006, Unity refused to support resolutions opposing the closing of schools. I know; I brought them both up. We have come out for the rights of all caucuses to distribute material in mailboxes and being able to email campaign literature to members. Our position on mailing campaign literature is now union policy. When we originally raised the issue, Randi told us we didn’t know labor law. We were right; she was wrong.

We have called for the election of district representatives. NAC abandoned that cause after 2003. In 2004 when the resolution to have the president appoint DR’s was up for renewal, only NAC's Ed Beller and I voted no. New Action's other representatives had changed their view or didn't vote. In addition, you will not find stronger advocates for people who have received U ratings than ICE representatives. We have also spoken up strongly on behalf of members who have been charged under the new expedited time and attendance procedures or members who are being harassed by supervisors.

We also got an executive board resolution amended to include high school students for ESL testing exemptions. We have continued a formerly cherished New Action policy of demanding a VSF for UFT members to include all retirees. (Variable Supplement Funds are supplemental pension checks that can be much greater than a cost of living adjustment. Police and fire retirees are receiving over $11,000 in VSF money this year.) Randi pledged in 1999 that she would push for a VSF for us when corrections got one. I am fighting year after year for our VSF bill to include all retirees, not just those who retire after the bill is passed. We have done a great deal more but I don’t want to go on all night.

On the Contract, we pleaded with Randi not to go to fact finding in 2004 because we knew we would lose based on the 2002 and 1993 precedents. When it was released in 2005, we asked her to reject the horrible fact finding report with all the givebacks (longer day, longer year, loss of right to grieve letters in the file, return to hall patrol, etc...) as it was non binding. I raised the possibility of working with the transit union and other unions. (That summer when my wife and I were in California walking a picket line with Northwest airlines workers, we watched their eyes light up at the thought of a general strike.) We told Randi that the threat of working with other unions would give us more leverage. We hoped at the very least that they would reject the report and start over. Randi got angry and her people ridiculed us. I believe New Action’s members on the negotiating committee voted for every one of those disastrous policies having to do with fact finding that led to the awful 2005 contract. Also, even after every idea we had was rejected and we knew there was no UFT plan to wage a real fight against Bloomberg, ICE still supported every UFT action, no matter how small, that the union came up with to try to engage the members.

It's also a fallacy to say we don't work on UFT Committees. I was the co-chair of a UFT committee in 2004-05. Barbara Kaplan-Halper and Ellen Fox of ICE sat with me on that committee and yes we voted with the Unity leadership. We support and compliment them when they're right and criticize them when they're wrong.

Let us now examine the prior term: the last three years New Action was on the Executive Board from 2001-2004. NAC representatives, with the exception of Ed Beller and me, raised very few issues back in those days. When the Ed Evaluators chapter was eliminated, New Action’s representatives voted for the watered down version known as the IEP teacher. Ed Beller and I did our best to question the leadership but we didn’t get much backing.

In fact, one of New Action’s representatives during the 2001-2004 term was so dedicated to the UFT that she resigned to become an assistant principal in the middle of her three year term. That’s the NAC commitment to the cause of trade unionism for you. I’m not making this up. Doug Haynes is a holdover from that group who is running now. Doug is a really good guy who I will not say a negative word about, but Doug didn’t exactly speak up on a bunch of resolutions back then so NAC should not knock what ICE-TJC are doing now when New Action and Unity for that matter have very little in terms of the facts to support their case.

Unity people under their Caucus obligations must support whatever Randi comes up with. New Action's last stint on the executive board proved that some of their people didn't oppose or question Randi too often either. Why run as an opposition group if you don't oppose much of anything the leadership does? Maybe you want to eliminate the real opposition: ICE-TJC. A truly independent opposition to Unity will strengthen the UFT. I urge everyone to vote for ICE-TJC.

Thanks Randi?

We have assembled a sampling of fan mail thanking our fearless leader for all of the wonderful things she has done for us. Names have been deleted to protect the writers from retaliation.

…from an Elementary School teacher in the Bronx..

Thanks Randi for all of the job opportunities our open market transfer system has given me. After 15 years teaching here in the Bronx my principal retired. The new principal has made my life hell. She says I’m too old and rigid in my ways. Now using the open market I thought I could get out of this place but no one will hire me. I have been told I cost too much now.

…from a Junior High School teacher in Brooklyn…

Thanks Randi for giving away our ability to grieve observations and letters in the file. My AP does not like me. He says I am not a team player so he writes vicious lies about me in letters to the file. I am certain they will result in a “U” rating. My Chapter Leaders says not to worry I can review all of the letters at the “U” rating hearing. Then I read that only 41 were reversed out of the hundreds of appeals brought. I can’t take this pressure.

…from a High School teacher in Queens…

Thanks Randi for giving away C-6 and making me work what is effectively a 6 period day. My Chapter Leader says I can prep at home but when I get home I barely have enough energy to eat and I go right to bed. We have no per session after school. I am really tired.

…from a High School teacher in Brooklyn…

Thanks Randi for watching my school close so we are now all ATRs with no rights to teach.

…from a Para in Manhattan…

Thanks Randi for giving us raises that don’t even keep pace with inflation.

…from an Elementary School teacher in Staten Island…

Thanks Randi for cutting down our summer vacation. I’d much rather be listening to boring professional development than vacationing. Oh, by the way, where was the time we were promised to set up our rooms?

…from a UFT District Rep in Queens…

Thanks Randi for the raise. It’s nice to collect two salaries and two pensions. Thank God you selected me. I would never win in an election.

…from a School Social Worker in Manhattan…

Thanks Randi for the dues increase. I didn’t want to vote on it anyway.

…from a Mayor in New York City…

Thanks Randi for allowing me to control the schools. I couldn’t have done it without your help!

ICE-TJC High School Executive Board Candidates

Peter Lamphere is a union activist and teacher at the Bronx High School of Science. Previously, Peter was a UFT Delegate from Columbus High School where he led a rare UFT victory to stop his school from being closed completely. The fact that there is a Columbus High School at all that is still in existence is due in no small part to Peter’s organizing ability.

Sam Lazarus has over twenty years experience as a teacher. He currently works at Bryant High School where he is in year four as chapter leader. Sam organized his school and region in leading a Region 4 protest rally that successfully put a stop to Region 4 micromanagement. Teachers in Region 4 are no longer required to use the “workshop model” in all of their lessons thanks to Sam’s organizing and his ability to organize the UFT to join the fight. It was Sam’s idea that the UFT should combine with other unions rather than accept the horrible giveback laden 2005 Contract.

Marian Swerdlow was educated in NYC public schools, and has a Ph.D. in sociology from Columbia University. She is the author of "Underground Woman: My Four Years as a NY Subway Conductor." She has taught at FDR H.S., Brooklyn since 1990, and has been a UFT Delegate for twelve years. She has presented many resolutions at the UFT Delegate Assembly including many attempts to persuade the Union leadership to actively engage the rank and file.

Nick Licari is the longtime chapter leader from Norman Thomas High School in Manhattan where he teaches. Nick helped to elect the only two independent, non Unity District Representatives back when there were elections for that position. Nick is a strong advocate for his members at Norman Thomas and he has led several demonstrations to protest conditions at his school. Nick was the Teachers for a Just Contract candidate for President in the 2004 UFT election.James Eterno is a twenty year veteran social studies teacher at Jamaica High School who has been chapter leader for 11years. He has been elected to the UFT Executive Board for ten years, seven in New Action and the last three as an ICE-TJC representative. Eterno left NAC when they decided not to run against Randi in 2004. He has authored numerous resolutions that have become Union policy including a recent proposal to demand that the UFT oppose the closing of schools. He argued against Mayoral Control of the schools as early as 2001 when Randi first argued in favor of it.

Jeff Kaufman is the Chapter Leader of Rikers Island Academy. Even though the Department of Corrections along with the Principal at Rikers conspired in 2005 to have Jeff removed from the school because he was helping a student, his chapter still overwhelmingly reelected him as their chapter leader. Kaufman was completely exonerated by the DOE and has taken his case to return to Rikers to the State Public Employees Relations Board. Jeff has questioned Randi on numerous occasions at the Executive Board where he has served for the last three years. Jeff made a demand that the UFT hire staff to do our own investigations when teachers are removed from schools. Why should we rely on special investigations people to make the only record of any incident?James Eterno (left center) and Jeff Kaufman (right) at Oct. 2005 rally at UFT HQ calling for a NO VOTE on the 2005 contract.

Jeff and James also led a vociferous opposition to the Fact Finding report that led to the Draconian givebacks of the 2005 Contract. First, they warned Randi in 2004 not to go to fact finding because they knew we would lose based on precedent of 1993 and 2002. Randi ignored them. Then, they told Randi to reject the Fact Finding Report when it was released and to start all over. She again reacted with anger. Finally, when the final Contract was agreed to, they pointed out all of its flaws and made the case the Contract would be a disaster for UFT members. Randi’s reaction has been to attend fewer Executive Board meetings and when she does show up, she usually is only there for part of the meetings. If she can’t face tough questions from UFT Executive Board members, then how can she stand up to the Mayor?

Can Randi Bite the Board of Ed Hand that Improperly Granted Her State Certification?

Tenure is now under attack from Bloom-Klein. As the excerpt below from a 2003 Village Voice piece by respected investigative journalist Wayne Barrett illustrates, Board of Ed officials finagled the rules back in the nineties so that Randi Weingarten could obtain the permanent state certification that is needed for tenure. How can UFT President Randi Weingarten stand up for our tenure rights when she never legitimately earned state certification or tenure herself? She is at the mercy of Bloom-Klein in order to obtain a city pension on top of her UFT pension.

(The following was taken from the May 14, 2003 Village Voice in an article called "Weingarten's War." The topic was Randi Weingarten's speech at the 2003 UFT Spring Conference.)

The grandiose conclusion of the speech-a challenge to Chancellor Joel Klein and his deputies to teach a weekly class-was designed to portray them as out of touch with school realities, culminating with her snickering offer to allow UFT officers" to mentor" Klein et al. "during their internships."

Ironically, Weingarten is an attorney like Klein and represented the union until 1998, when UFT president Sandra Feldman moved up to the national presidency and installed Weingarten as her successor, handpicking her over a cadre of elected union leaders who were also career teachers.

In urging Klein "to walk in the shoes of teachers" on Saturday, she described how she'd done it, claiming that she "taught, sometimes full time, sometimes part time, at Clara Barton High School for six years." Actually, records reviewed by the Voice indicate that she taught 122 days as a per diem teacher from September 1991 through June 1994, roughly one in four days. She then did what she told the Voice was her only full-time term in the fall semester of 1994, followed by 33 days as a per diem teacher in the spring of 1995.

Strangely, while she told the Voice she was a per diem for the 1995-96 and 1996-97 school years, her records list her as a full-time teacher. Because she was credited with the required two years of full-time service she doesn't even claim she performed, she was given a permanent certificate in September 1996. She has been on union leave since 1997, accumulating a total of nine years of pensionable city time though she only did one semester of full-time teaching.

ICE is putting this piece out now not as a personal attack on President Weingarten, who we acknowledge is a hard working person. Our purpose is professional. Tenure is currently under fire from Bloom-Klein. We need to know that the teachers' union president is not beholden to our employer for his/her pedagogical position so he/she will be able to fight for us and not have to worry about his/her own status being exposed by Bloom-Klein.

Randi is building two pensions: one from the UFT and one from the city. Her city pension is based on her accruing time as a teacher on leave, working for the UFT. Since Randi never gained the necessary teaching experience to be a permanently certified teacher, she is indebted to the city to keep accumulating city time for her city pension. Don't you think the Chancellor is aware that Randi lacks proper teaching credentials? Since Randi is beholden to the city, who clearly broke the rules for her, how hard can she fight for us, particularly on the tenure issue?

To put it another way, Randi has been living in a glass house for a long time; can she throw stones at the people who are allowing her to stay in that glass house who have been trying to destroy us?

CAMERAS BARRED AT UFT PRES "DEBATE"

At their regularly scheduled Chapter meeting, Friday, UFT members who teach in worker education programs for several unions in the City and organized as a UFT Chapter called the Consortium for Worker Education (CWE) asked candidates for UFT President to square off and present their differing views of the way in which the leadership should run our union.

Originally set up as a debate, Chapter members sought to have the event video taped so that all of our members could see the opposing views. Unfortunately, at the last minute, Randi, uncharacteristically became camera shy and refused to address the chapter if cameras were present.

Randi, camera shy?

Obviously she is concerned that what she said might reach a large number of our members who will be able to be more informed about whether our Union is going in the proper direction.

Kit Wainer, ICE-TJC presidential candidate, laid out his vision for the Union which works to build our Union through its strong, well organized Chapters. Leaders must reflect the needs of their members and not themselves and help in this organization effort.

Randi, on the other hand, made it clear that the Chapter had to help itself. When asked by one of the Chapter members whether the Union could help raise awareness of adult education issues among the public so that they could gain salaries and benefits equal to public school teachers Randi responded that they had to find "other organizations who were willing to help like immigrant groups."

On behalf of this chapter of private sector employees, thanks. Thanks for nothing.

Finally Randi offered to provide a few minutes at a Delegate Assembly to "inform our members" about adult ed. That will really change public opinion.

We see now why Randi barred the cameras.

ICE-TJC Photog Norm Scott videotaping UFT Presidential Candidate Kit Wainer in front of UFT headquarters. He was barred from taping the "debate."

Camille Johnson, ICE Candidate for UFT Secretary,Talks About the Breakup of High Schools and Teacher Profesionalism

UFT election ballots will be mailed to members' homes on March 9th. In order for the membership to understand why ICE-TJC candidates deserve your vote we have produced a series of videos.

Our candidates stand for a stronger union that will not sell-out to the DOE. Watch all of our videos and see how the current leadership of our union is totally out of touch with our members.

As you watch this video ask yourself, "What has Randi done to truly protect our jobs and promote our professionalism?"

Fasten your Seat Belts: Unity Attacks Getting Ugly and Will Probably Get Still Uglier

The Unity Caucus (Randi Weingarten's political party) is so unbelievably scared of having any opposition within the United Federation of Teachers that they will say anything to discredit any opposition group in order to maintain Unity's forty-seven year grip on power within the Union.

Unity's latest piece of literature reaches another new low as they refer to ICE and Teachers for a Just Contract as the "axis." The obvious implication is that we are like the World War II axis powers that consisted of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and imperial Japan or George Bush's "Axis of Evil" of North Korea, Iraq and Iran from 2002. Since World War II, the word "axis" has obviously taken on a very negative connotation and no alliance would refer to themselves as an axis.

Because we oppose Randi-Unity and their New Action partners, we are compared to some of the worst regimes of the 20th and 21st centuries. Unity's attacks on our positions on the issues and their defense of the 2005 givebacks are unsustainable so they have to resort to calling us names instead. We will not be shy nor will we make apologies about aggressively responding by pointing out the facts about Unity and New Action.

Unity's position now that TJC and ICE are the "axis" and their 2005 Nazi baiting of the Unified Teachers Party are quite hypocritical because last year when a teacher who had been reassigned out of the classroom came to an Executive Board and compared treatment in the temporary reassignment center (nicknamed the rubber room by many) to the way Nazis treated people, Unity's Mel Aaronson told the person to stop trivializing what the Nazis did. Unity obviously does not practice what it preaches.

In addition to calling us the axis, since we announced our coalition with TJC, Unity has called us "zero plus zero"; they have compared us to Richard Nixon; they have created their own insulting acronyms for ICE and TJC and Unity visitors to this blog have made vicious personal comments against us regularly. We have no problem with their free speech right to say whatever they want to say but don't expect us to meekly sit back and take it. We know how to fight back and we will set the record straight.

As our friends at UTP say, "Brace yourself." This is going to be one bumpy ride.

Randi’s Committee Changes Election Rules After Admitting Ignorance of the Law

In a sharp turnaround Randi’s Election Committee did an about face and “allowed” union election campaign literature to be mailed out by the union to members’ home addresses.

At the Executive Board meeting January 9th both Randi and her Unity Party supporters vehemently claimed that the United States Labor Law known as Landrum-Griffin did not provide that campaign literature could be mailed to members’ home addresses by either the U.S. Postal Service or via email. This claim was made in the face of statements made by ICE Executive Board reps James Eterno and Jeff Kaufman. ICE Reps were also accused of not knowing Labor Law.

At the next Executive Board meeting on January 29th Randi’s Election Committee submitted an “amendment” which provides for our right to send this literature but only by US mail. No apologies were offered.

We will pursue our right to use the Union’s email list but it is encouraging to know that at least someone in Randi’s group knows the law.

UNION DUES UP FOR 2006

If you are wondering how much you paid in union dues in 2006, here is the answer. Teachers who worked continuously throughout the year paid $1,012.74, paras $506.44, Secretaries $757.98 and Guidance Counselors $1,033.48. The UFT did not provide us with data for other titles.

This is the first time union dues have gone over $1,000 for teachers and guidance counselors while at the same time the union no longer provides services such a Superintendent’s level grievances or Letter in the File Grievances as these were eliminated in the last Contract. People might be interested to know that back in the eighties the UFT made dues increases automatic. If the average salary goes up, then dues increase automatically. Are the services getting better? Please let ICE know.

NEW ACTION BOUGHT AND PAID FOR BY RANDI

The latest piece of literature from New Action (NAC) is laughable. New Action was the oldest opposition caucus (political party) in the UFT. Randi Weingarten's party, Unity, has run the UFT since the union was founded in 1960. New Action claims that President Randi Weingarten "changed a forty year policy of excluding opposition caucuses from having a voice in the UFT." When did she exactly change that policy? The answer is never. What was the actual change? The answer to this one is unfortunately quite simple: Weingarten promised and delivered paid jobs to New Action's leaders and they now support her.

There were members of New Action and other people opposed to Unity on UFT Committees making UFT policy throughout the 1990's, well before Randi was President. Even the supposedly important negotiating committee was opened up to NAC's Bob Dehler in 1999. Many of NAC's people were on all kinds of committees but they remained critical of Weingarten/Unity.

Weingarten's first collective bargaining negotiation as president fell apart at the last minute in 1999. At that time, she was willing to agree to merit pay for summer school teachers in the form of free airline tickets for staff if student test scores improved. New Action correctly predicted that based on Weingarten's first negotiating experience as president, she would be willing to give away our rights. New Action as recently as 2001 criticized Randi in its literature saying, "Randi Never Met a Giveback She Didn't Like." They were right to be critical of Randi/Unity at that time so they ran a candidate against her that year and won the high schools.

By the next election in 2004, however, New Action was not running against Randi. What did Randi do for them? She promised to put their leadership on the union payroll. In the past, New Action members served on UFT committees as unpaid volunteers, but the newly created organizing committee was a paid committee. As most of New Action's core leaders have been retiring the last few years, they have been able to move from the classroom into paid union jobs. What was the price to pay for their jobs? Support Randi as they are doing this year.

NAC's reluctant opposition to the 2005 Contract only happened because their few remaining active teachers were appalled by the givebacks. New Action certainly didn't oppose that contract with much fervor. Subsequently, NAC quickly returned to the Unity fold and their co-chairs who are now retired are running a pseudo slate that endorses Randi for president. For anyone who says that you should vote for NAC because of changes they are making from the "inside", ask one question: Since they stopped opposing Randi, what policy did New Action come up with that has improved our contractual working conditions or made the UFT a more democratic union? The correct answer: none.

You see ladies and gentlemen, singer Cyndi Lauper was right, "Money changes everything."

ICE Platform - Countering the Attacks on Teachers and Schools

We demand:

1. A return to more manageable workloads for teachers and other school staff.

Two rounds of time-for-money swaps have severely compromised the conditions for learning in the city schools. We must fight the false notion that “productivity” can be increased simply by extending the time of instruction. The teacher's school day must include time for planning, student conferences and consultation among faculty.

2. Ending attacks and discrimination against senior teachers.

Experienced teachers are crucial for any school. Only the most short-sighted and irresponsible management would be so hostile to them. Teachers who have successfully taught for years in a school should be secure in their jobs.

3. Enhancing the rights of new teachers.

Klein and Bloomberg have worked to greatly increase the number of new teachers which has changed the makeup of the teaching force. We call for a shorter probationary period to increase the proportion of teachers with tenure. New teachers must be protected against abuse by administrators and supported with meaningful professional development, mentoring and support.

4. Small classes with enforceable limits.

Equity with other districts in the state should only be the immediate target. Ultimately class-size reduction should meet children's needs which are greater in high-poverty, urban areas than in the suburbs. The lack of funding for the upgrading and building of new schools is the main cause of oversized classes which is a violation of our students' civil rights and should be treated as such.

5. Ending high-stakes testing and all other inappropriate testing of students.

Testing should be primarily used for diagnostic purposes and support educational goals, not distort them. Examples of inappropriate testing are

· forcing all English Language Learners (ELL) to take the English Language Arts exams

· inflicting standardized reading tests on children before they reach the third grade

· making all high school students take the PSAT

Evaluation of students and decisions about their progress should be made locally by those most familiar with them. Students should be able to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.

6. A broadening of school curricula to address long-term educational goals.

Civic participation in a democratic society must be reincorporated into the education of New York City schools. We demand the restoration of subjects that have been shortchanged because of the craze for short-term results on math and reading tests, including music, art, vocational training, health, foreign language, sports and technology. This must also include an end to mandated methods of teaching practices and strong guarantees of academic freedom for teachers and students.

7. An end to the over-reliance on standardized testing for qualifying teachers.

One of the results of relying exclusively on standardized tests and the labyrinth of requirements for new teachers has been a relative decrease in the number of black, Latino and non-native English speakers among the teaching staff. Alternative paths to qualify as teachers should be reinstated. School workers, including paras and school aides should have an opportunity to turn their school experience into better school jobs.

8. School improvement planning that provides a significant role for teachers.

Teachers must have a meaningful voice in the running of their school. Our union must take a clear stand against privatization of school services and management. We must resist the national crusade to punish and condemn schools on the basis of test scores. Let's push instead for transparency in school governance, oversight by elected boards and councils and broader community input into how schools function.

UFT Elections Are Coming:

Why We Must Say NO to Weingarten/Unity Caucus-New Action

The UFT has not stood up against the closing of schools

The Department of Education can no longer be allowed to mismanage and inadequately fund schools and then close them, displacing students and staff, even when consultants hired by the DOE give schools like Tilden HS in Brooklyn proficient ratings in quality reviews. Randi Weingarten’s Unity Caucus (her political party) has put up no real opposition and has in fact cooperated with the DOE. ICE calls for a moratorium on closing schools were watered down by Unity. The giveback-laden 2005 contract gave away preferred placement rights for UFT members, eliminating Article 18G5 that gave members “the broadest possible placement choices available within the authority of the Board.” Hundreds of experienced teachers were forced to become day-to-day subs. UFT leaders actually branded this as an “improvement” along with the Open Market Plan (which leaves all choice in the hands of principals).

Weingarten/Unity still refuse to oppose mayoral control of NYC schools

ICE has called for the end of Mayoral Control when the law (giving the mayor full unchecked authority over the schools) sunsets in 2009. Weingarten backed the law change that allowed the Mayor to assume control of the schools and the UFT passively sat by as a system without checks and balances, ran amuck, ignoring views of both parents and educators. When Bloomberg needed a waiver to get a lawyer appointed as Chancellor, Weingarten was silent. When privateer Christopher Cerf was recently brought in to continue the attack on public education, again silence. We need to get politicians out of education and set up a new system that truly gives power to teachers at the school level. Weingarten/Unity rejected our position, instead, creating a committee that will examine all forms of school governance, including the possible renewal of Mayoral Control. An honest poll of members would show an overwhelming rejection of mayoral control.

Lower class size must be priority contract demand

Teachers list class size as a number one working condition priority. NYC has the highest class sizes in the state, if not the nation. The only protection teachers have had for 40 years has been the contracts negotiated in the early 1970’s, before the UFT changed its policy. Yet, Weingarten-Unity-New Action refuse to make this a contract negotiating demand, using the bogus excuse that money would be taken from salary increases (note how prep periods and other basics like health care are never tied to salary). Weingarten throws up smoke screens with petition drives (twice so far and more to come) for referendums to lower class sizes, knowing full well this tactic is subject to the mayor’s veto, with virtually no chance of reaching voters.

New Action is a phony opposition group in bed with Unity

New Action had been the oldest “opposition” group in the UFT until they began to give uncritical support for Weingarten, even endorsing her in this election. New Action is claiming their alliance with Weingarten allows them to influence UFT policies but they can’t cite a single gain other than for themselves in getting New Action’s entire leadership on the union payroll. Their latest leaflet proclaims, “President Weingarten changed a forty year policy of excluding opposition caucuses from having a voice in the UFT. She opened the door and New Action opted to enter.” How can New Action call itself an opposition when it no longer opposes Unity policy? And if they support Unity, why not just run on the Unity slate instead of as a separate entity? Weingarten cannot tolerate even a few critics on the Executive Board and is using New Action in an attempt to replace the only legitimate opposition voices from ICE-TJC. No party should be allowed to monopolize power for half a century. Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely and the Unity/New Action alliance epitomizes a corrupt system.

Contract givebacks extended through 2009 while salary does not keep up with inflation

Weingarten gave away many hard-fought rights (seniority, hall patrol, grievance procedures, etc.) in the 2005 contract for salary increases (much of which were time for money swaps) that didn’t even keep up with NY area inflation. In addition, NYC’s 190-day school year is the longest of any district in the Metropolitan area. A raise is when you get more money for doing the same job instead of accepting whatever DC 37 negotiates with the city and saying “me too.” We need to organize a strong militant membership aligned with other unions so we are the ones to set the pattern on our terms.

Democratic reforms are needed to repair the UFT

Unity Caucus has controlled our union since 1960. Absolute power breeds an unhealthy climate for the kinds of decisions needed by a dynamic union to fight the attacks on public education and unions. Unity’s major interest is in holding onto power so that they may augment their own salaries and privileges at the expense of the working conditions and salaries of working teachers. ICE supports: election of divisional vice presidents (academic high schools, vocational high schools, middle schools, elementary schools) by the teachers in that division instead of by all the members, including retirees (who make up over 1/3 of the members) and reinstitution of elections for District Representatives. Dues increases should be subject to vote by members.

Weingarten/Unity Caucus/New Action have:

given away seniority rights and weakened tenure protections

not been able to stop the wave of micromanagement

allowed massive erosion of the contract

stood by while the ability of UFT members to fight harassment withers

allowed an emasculated grievance procedure

allowed a longer day/year (37.5 minute small group periods in most schools/2 days in August)

still not delivered on promised 55/25 retirement plan


Vote the ICE-TJC Slate in the Upcoming UFT Elections

ICE-TJC Officers (AdCom) (CL: Chapter Leader, D: Delegate)

President Kit Wainer - Goldstein HS, (CL)
VP Elem. Lisa North – PS 3K, (CL)
Secretary Camille Johnson - Humanity & Arts (D)
VP Middle Josh Kahn – MS 443 K
Ass’t Secty Ellen Schweitzer - Stuyvesant (CL)
VP HS Arthur Colen - FDR HS (CL)
Ass’t Treas. Yelena Siwinski - PS 193K (CL)
VP Spec. Ed Joseph Wisniewski - PS 163 (D)
Treasurer Marilyn Beckford - Hillcrest HS (CL)
Voc. HS Gerard Frohnhoefer - Aviation HS (CL)
VP At-Large Ellen Fox – Ret.
[Schweitzer and Colen are current Ex. Bd members and Fox served for yrs.]

ICE Platform: Union Democracy

We need a union that is structured to insure that no matter who is elected to leadership they will be accountable to those of us who are working in the schools. An active, well-informed and honestly represented membership is the necessary backbone of a union that is capable of standing up to the attacks on teachers, children and the public schools.

Instead, what we have is a union that has gotten progressively weaker, a teaching staff that is defenseless, demoralized, disengaged from unionism and resigned to tolerate all manner of abuse, and now fears that any change will be for the worse. A large part of the problem is the fact that our union is led by people who are removed from the reality of our schools.

Since its inception in the early 1960s our union has been dominated by one group, Unity Caucus which constantly adjusts its methods to insure that it monopolizes decision-making. President Randi Weingarten knows how to portray herself as a concerned and responsible leader at union meetings and in the pages of the NY Teacher, but her number one concern is to manage the membership rather than advocate for us and represent our interests.

The three levels of decision-making in our union are the ADCOM (citywide officers), the executive board, and the delegate assembly. All three are tightly controlled by the overwhelming presence of Unity Caucus members, who rubber-stamp all of President Weingarten’s policies, even when they themselves disagree.

In order to make each one of these bodies more representative and democratic we propose the following:

1. Divisional vice-presidents (high school, middle school, etc.) should be elected by those they serve, members in their respective divisions.

2. The number of at-large members of the executive board should be reduced and a method of proportional representation should be used to elect them, with seats awarded to caucuses on the basis of their proportion of the vote.

3. The number of retiree members of the delegate assembly should be reduced and their election should also be on the basis of proportional representation.

4. District representatives (a full time UFT position to support the chapter leaders and members in a district) should be elected.

5. Every issue of the NY Teacher should be opened to opposing viewpoints, with space available for the printing of statements both for and against ratification of proposed contracts.

6. All caucuses (political parties) who have met requirements to run in an election should be able to mail at least one piece of literature to all the members at union expense during election time. All caucuses should have access to teacher mailboxes for distribution of union-related literature and each caucus should be able to email campaign literature during the election. (Rejected by Weingarten at the Jan. 9, 2007 Ex. Bd. meeting, ICE will continue the fight for this right throughout the elections and beyond.)

7. There should be an open microphone at all union meetings.

8. Retirees should not vote for UFT officers, who are responsible for negotiating the contract for active members. But they should vote for the three teacher members of the Teachers Retirement System Board, something they presently cannot do.

Most important for democracy is an underpinning of active school chapters where meetings are held monthly and school issues are discussed openly. Chapter leaders are there to protect the interests of the members with respect to the administration and also to see that the flow of information between the chapters and the various levels of leadership of the union travels on a two-way street. This means that chapter leaders must do everything possible to encourage attendance at meetings and to carry out the wishes of the members, both within the school and as a representative to other union bodies. It is the concerns of chapter members, who are the best informed about the issues, that should be driving union policy.

Executive Board Report – Elections Are Coming…Unity Controlled Executive Board Moves to Silence Opposition

Spending more than an hour in acrimonious debate the Executive Board approved, over ICE-TJC opposition, rules for the conduct of the coming election for union officers and others that clearly demonstrate that our Unity leadership knows no limit when it comes to their attempt to stifle the voice of the opposition.

Amy Arundel, chairperson of the Election Committee, reported that a unanimous Election Committee approved rules that would prevent opposition caucuses from using union membership mailing and email lists to distribute campaign literature, provide assurances to members placing campaign literature in mailboxes without fear that they will be prevented access to the mailboxes by principals or others acting on their behalf, and providing space on the UFT website which would publish the rules for the election.

The message was clear…opposition caucuses must be silenced at all costs.

While it is true that space is provided on a limited basis in the New York Teacher to the caucuses this space is clearly not what Congress intended when it provided in Federal Law that "a union must comply with all reasonable requests by a candidate for distribution of campaign literature at the candidate's expense."

The UFT has, for past several years, collected email addresses of our members and controls the only available list of home addresses of union members. The New York Teacher is dripping with stories and pictures of Unity candidates that are prejudicial to opposition campaigns. When only one statement from the opposition is published in the NY Teacher, it is obvious how unfair that is.

Resolution after resolution calling for Weingarten to comply with Federal law were defeated by the Unity dominated Executive Board. Our interpretation of Federal law, according to Special Assistant to the President Jeffrey Zahler was "wrong." This was echoed by Weingarten, who claimed many years of labor law practice to "prove" that Calhoun v. Harvey and its progeny as well as Section 401(c) of the Landrum-Griffin Act did not provide for opposition candidates to have access to these lists, whether or not Unity decided to use them.

This is the first time in our Union's history that approval of the Election Committee's rules was not unanimously approved," commented Weingarten after the vote split the body along caucus lines.

And for good reason…Don't try to silence the opposition and don't try to violate our right to distribute campaign literature.

In other Executive Board business, James Eterno, ICE's High School Rep, submitted a resolution calling for the UFT to get off the fence and call for a moratorium on the closing of schools before an independent evaluation can be concluded.

While hundreds of our members face excessing Weingarten showed how she can fiddle while Rome burns and substituted a watered down resolution which called for the DOE to "refrain" from closing schools.

Thanks, Randi. Way to stand up to BloomKlein who close schools for political reasons and to create large pools of excessed teachers. But what could we really expect, especially when you completed a sweetheart deal to continue the decimation of seniority, loss of grievance rights and other basic rights of our members? You showed your true colors when you "agreed" with the closing of Lafayette. The teachers and staff at Lafayette thank you as well.

The resolution follows:

January 2007 Resolution Calling for a Moratorium on Closing Schools

WHEREAS, the Department of Education (DOE) chronically mismanages schools, refuses to provide schools with adequate funding and then blames staff for failing results; and

WHEREAS, there is no valid evidence that proves the educational benefits of the DOE’s policy of closing schools, not admitting new students, displacing staff, and then reopening the same building as a different school or group of schools; and

WHEREAS, there is no clear standard for what constitutes a failing school yet the DOE in December announced the closing of five more schools; and

WHEREAS, the resulting period of uncertainty can have a deleterious impact on students in the effected schools as well as in neighboring schools that become severely overcrowded by accepting incoming students who would have gone to the schools being phased out; and

WHEREAS, new/redesigned schools do not have to accept special education and Limited English Proficiency students in their first two years of existence, thus creating fewer educational options for some of our students most in need, and concentrating disproportionate numbers of these students in other facilities, straining the resources of those schools too; and

WHEREAS, the 2005 UFT Contract eliminated Article 18G5, which gave staff in closing or phased out schools the “broadest possible placement choices available within the authority of the Board;” and

WHEREAS, the current Contract throws staff (experienced and new) from closing/phasing out schools en masse onto the “open market” where they must look for their own jobs or become Absent Teacher Reserves (day-to-day substitutes) thus discouraging UFT members from wanting to work in difficult schools; and

WHEREAS, many of the schools that replaced previously redesigned schools are now themselves failing and in danger of closing; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the UFT call for an immediate moratorium on the closing down/ redesigning of schools by the Department of Education until independent studies are done to assess the effectiveness of the newly redesigned schools as well as the overall impact of closing/redesigning schools on students, staff and communities throughout the system; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the UFT use part of its “Teachers Make a Difference” campaign to publicize the need for full funding of all schools, with particular attention paid to calling for extra funding for troubled schools in order to: lower class sizes, provide modern up to date facilities as well as safe and stable environments as an alternative to closing schools, displacing students and staff resulting in overcrowding of neighboring schools.
It’s time for the UFT to use its resources to stop allowing the Department of Education to get away with holding teachers and students accountable for their mismanagement.

The DOE is successfully implementing the Grover Norquist “Starve the Beast” policy and it must be stopped. Norquist recommends tax cuts and more tax cuts so that government won’t be able to function and then his people complain that the government is doing a terrible job and needs to be cut some more.

The DOE chronically under-funds schools. The courts have declared that the city doesn’t even give adequate funding for a sound basic education. The DOE adds to the problem by chronically mismanaging schools and then blaming us when schools don’t get everyone to be proficient.

Instead of thanking the teachers and other UFT members for performing educational miracles with so many students in situations that are virtually impossible, our schools are deemed failing by some criteria that nobody knows about. The schools are then closed down, we are displaced and have to apply for our jobs back in our own schools. Kids who would have gone to the school closing are directed to other schools which become more overcrowded and then they are deemed as failing. The new schools don’t have to take special education students or ESL students for two years so they look like they are succeeding but the success and extra funding later dry up and certain new schools have already been deemed as failures. This has been going on for years. This cycle must cease as nobody has shown any concrete evidence that any of this works for students

The UFT’s position on all of this has been to wait. In 2003 the Manhattan High School Chapter leaders came up with a resolution calling for a moratorium on the breakup and redesign of large high schools. I cosponsored the introduction of that resolution in this body and it was tabled. The UFT put together a small schools task force that called for among other things a study to be done on the effectiveness of small schools but it didn’t call for the DOE to stop closing schools until we have the data.

In 2006 the Parents Citywide Council on High Schools called the Chancellor to substantially delay the implementation of small high schools in part because of the issue of special ed and ESL students not being accepted in new schools. I asked last year at this body if the UFT supported that resolution and I was sent a copy of the small schools task force and later the UFT sponsored a resolution reaffirming the value of large high schools but not calling for the DOE to stop closing schools.

Now we need to go further. When the DOE brings in an outside agency to review schools and they find Tilden High School is proficient and then soon thereafter it is announced that Tilden will be closing, there is something that doesn’t smell right. Small schools versus big schools is not the issue. The issue is what constitutes a failing school? It’s not only large high schools that are in danger. Schools that have already been redesigned are in trouble. Many of us are being threatened with being closed because we exercise our contractual rights. I have been told that I better tone it down or Klein will come in and shut us down.

What this resolution asks is for the DOE to stop shutting down schools until we can get some fair, independent studies done to assess the effectiveness of newly redesigned schools including examining the impact on neighboring schools. This resolution also asks for the UFT to publicize the need for fully funding all schools but particularly schools that are in trouble so we get what we need to succeed and stop the madness of closing schools, displacing students and staff and then overcrowding other schools where they then are deemed as failing. That cycle must end now.