The Daily News editorial board interviewed Governor Andrew Cuomo and claimed that he said the 2011 contract the State imposed upon its unions "set a pattern" for the City in its negotiation with the municipal unions. Whether he actually said that or the Daily News editorial board interpreted his response that way is questionable. However, readers to my blog know that I did compare the New York State economic problems when they negotiated the 2011 union contract with the vastly improved economic condition of New York City in 2014 Here. Since that time, the City's economic condition has improved even more than expected, with an increase of jobs (94,000) and a dropping unemployment rate (8.1%) for December. The New York State Labor Department report can be found Here. Additionally, the Governor's Secretary on ABC stated that the State has added 400,000 jobs since 2011
The only pattern that the Municipal employees are subject to is the "City pattern". The 2011 State contract could never be a pattern and was negotiated under different economic conditions. Just recently the National Mediation Board handed down a decision on the MTA's Long Island Railroad contract calling for "retroactive raises" averaging 2.83% for six years. The National Mediation Board determined that the MTA has the" ability to pay for the raises" . In December another Arbitration panel gave an 11% retroactive raise for the last three years to a small MTA union as well. In fact, while the MTA claims they cannot afford raises to their union employees, they secretly approved raises for many of their management staffs and have just agreed to "retroactive raises" with their police union.. Just like the MTA the City has the ability to pay for raises, including "retroactive pay".
To compare the State's 2011 contract to the City in 2014 is comparing "Apples and Oranges" and cannot be used as a pattern nor should it be since the economic conditions have improved drastically in the last three years. I can't see an Arbitrator using the State contract as a basis for determining the municipal contract for City unions.
One last point, the United Federation of Teachers and the New York State Nurses Association are waiting for the Arbitrators to determine if they are to get the "City pattern" for the 2009-10 budget years that everybody else received (two 4% raises). Since the City has the ability to pay, its highly likely that the arbitrators will rule that both unions should receive the "City pattern". The new "City pattern" still needs to be negotiated and I believe the City will probably try to make a five year deal with the teachers union, giving them the "retroactive raises", spread out over the five year contract and establishing a new "City pattern" for the final three years (between 1-2.5% yearly).
26 comments:
We (and the nurses) deserve our four and four, and I also think, mostly because of the pressure from other unions, we will get that. Oh, and Mr. Mulgrew that better come with full retro pay.
But Chaz, you know as well as I do that WeinGrew and company go to bed every night to see if they can figure a way out of this. Would be surprised if they are not asking arbitrators to wait as long as possible before making decisions public.
Dear Chaz,
I urge you to do a little research on the #1 consultant group as far as $$$ goes in NYC. This group is called AUSSIE and is a complete and total waste. They have Australians come into your school and "work with teachers". It's a total joke and we all laugh at them. It's absurd that they earn a substantial amount of $$$. In 2012, the AUSSIE consultant group pulled in 15 million with the help of Bloomberg. It is widely known that this was a little gift to Murdoch (who is Australian) and his friends run the AUSSIE consultant group. Can you believe they've been getting 10 - 15 million per years for about a decade? For what? Did they improve anything? Did the kids scores go up because of their great help? Oh wait, no that would be impossible because they don't work with kids.
What a freakin joke!!!!! 15 million???? They are switching their name from AUSSIE to Generation something or whatever. They all live in an upscale complex in Manhattan on 42nd on the West side where they live rent free. The city pays the bill. It's millions upon millions for ABSOLUTELY nothing. It's so upsetting because everyone cannot believe how much money is going into such a waste. They account for ZERO.
I'm more concerned with some sentiments relayed to me.
At a recent chapter meeting in a school (mostly staffed by young,untenured,inexperienced "teachers") the ATR situation was brought up. The CL voiced her opinion that she would like to see ATRs placed back in classroom, even if that meant no retro or raise. She said there was a large uproar in which most of staff relayed their opinion that the ATRs should be sacrificed for the retro and raise. Much to her credit she explained that ATRs are experienced professionals who were thrown into the pool through no fault of their own, and that it could happen to any of them. She said many didn't understand what an ATR is or care. I don't think many stop to think of the sacrifices and hard earned rights that we as a profession have earned. I don't want to see all that sold, as it was when our seniority transfer rights were eliminated. I think our union has to start openly talking to everyone before serious mistakes are made.
It won't be a raise for the teacher's union if the contract requires me to work another 45 minute period. That's time for moiney.
It's no raise if it requires extending the schoolday by 45 minutes or the school year by weeks or a month
a raise is a raise, not to be confused with compensation
@ anon 2:45, everyone knows how to solve the ATR issue. It's no secret. All you have to do is put all the ATR's back into the classroom. As soon as they're notified, they will surely QUIT that day. This goes for about 80% of ATR's. I've had so many talks with rotating ATR's at my school. They all say the sane thing which is, "The day I'm placed is the day I retire". Just put them back in the classroom and watch 80% leave.
Anon 4:10
You must be a leadership academy Principal and you obviously don't know what your talking about. A good 95% of the ATRs would gladly take a classroom position if offered one that's a real vacancy.
True there are a few ATRs that don't want the classroom responsibility but they are teachers and they should be in the classroom, that's what they are paid for, to teach.
Please stop disparaging ATRs when it's principals like you that hire the "cheapest" and not the "best teachers" for your students.
To Anom 4:10,
I'm Anom 2:45, an ATR and would love to go back to teaching classes Monday morning if I could. I know many ATRs and only a handful who say they don't want to go back. After questioning them, it's all about fear-- they've had no professional development on anything. No smartboard training, common core, Danielson, ELL strategies, etc.. Some have been out of the classroom for years and have never been trained to do what is now second nature for most teachers. None of them deserve your disdain. All of us earned our positions, something very few Bloomberg administrators can say.
4% +4% is for the last contract. The state pattern with three zeros is for the next one. Please don't confuse the two.
I am an ATR currently due to school closure and if I had the time in I would definitely retire if force placed into a school. I have endured enough indignities and I know many ATRs feel the same abandoned feeling. I don't know about 80% quitting or 95% want to be back in the classroom permanently, but this one ATR and long time Chaz fan has had enough and will throw in the towel. At least I escaped the Danielson crap this year.
Chaz please don't confuse getting atrs back in the classroom with giving us a CHOICE of where we end up. You know as well as I do that we don't want to be placed if we are placed with Cruz in math and science, at any place in Far Rock, Beach Channel or Springfield Gardens or with Ben Sherman at east west! Those places are terrible and I would rather be an Atr than be placed there and ot at many other places and I know you agree. We need a choice. How do we ensure that ???
Most of the ATRs circulating in and out of my school are displaced teachers due to their school closing or positions being cut. Hopefully, our new chancellor will have the sense to place these teachers back where they belong and there will be no other unfortunate people entering the ATR pool. In any case, there is no way ATRs will be sacrificed for retro pay.
Anon 5:59
If you read the last paragraph, I did say it was the 2009-10 time period. Not the new contract. However, it might result in the UFT having a five year contract by combining the two contracts and making it one.
And three of those last five years will have either zeros or close to zero. You can count on Mulgrew.
Atrs have been offered no training in common core or danielson . So true and so important and many d
Of us don't know how to use a smart board. We should be getting training every week instead of babysitting and yes most want to quit under these circumstances but all used to love teaching.
I just received a call this weekend from a long-time colleague. She's handing in her papers because she can't take it anymore as an ACR traveling from school to school, not feeling welcomed by the young, apathetic, inexperienced teachers and the young inexperienced counselors who do not want her advice even though she has 20+ years experience of counseling. She told me that the UFT left the ATR/ACRs to wander out there aimlessly and to become unwelcomed visitors at the many small schools. She feels heartbroken because she wants to give of her all and she wants to belong to a school where she can hang her hat and feel like a second "home". Unfortunately, she feels that the UFT set it up for those who are up in age and in the system for many years to be forced out through retirement. She told me that she's so sick of it and how many schools have chapter leaders in NAME ONLY, but do not attend the meetings nor do their understand the contract and the members' rights.
I think that the ATR/ACRs need to contact the MORE caucus. They need to express their frustrations and to detail the "unwelcomeness" shown in the many schools they are assigned to. Even if a school welcomes the ATR/ACRs, they are NOT hired because of their years in the system. Too much union knowledge and too many years in the system is a guaranteed rejection for a position in any school with a vacancy.
My heart goes out to my colleague, who feels that she was forced into retirement when she knew that it was not in her plans for another 2 1/2 years. In her sad sojourn from school to school, she tells me that many ATRs are going through this and desperately want to belong to school and to work with kids. Unfortunately, experience and knowledge have hurt their chances of getting a permanent position because of the open market which is for the young, inexperienced and non-union minded professional.
So I hope that all the members who are in that position and members who believe in fighting to protect everyone's rights to a permanent position should question the union leadership and to always remember all of this come May 2016 - the next UFT president election.
Tell her to hang in there, as many believe change is in the air come sept.
To anon 352,
I feel exactly as your friend feels, I've been teaching for 23 years and can't believe my career has ended up like this. Absolutely no respect from many of the students, administration, teachers and payroll secretaries. I was in an unruly class, getting cursed out for trying to keep the 9th graders in class ( a 2 hour class!) when a teacher brings an ap in screaming "the sub let them out of the room". I said I'm doing my best and I'm not a sub, I'm an ATR. She said what's the difference? Then the principal came in and said they would have to apologize to the teacher.
The absent teacher! Its like I'm a piece of s--t. They won't even give you a place to put your coat. I ask if I can use one of the empty student lockers they say no that's for students!
Why do "Campus" models with several schools inside 1 building have the same number of chapter leaders? At my campus there are 6 chapter leaders. They are all doing different things. One idiot allowed her principal to request a dress code which they are actually following. The chapter leader of this school is 23 and it's her first year. She said she took the position because she got a parking pass for the street. That was the main reason. No one else wanted it so she got it. There should be 1 chapter leader per building, representing all schools within it to avoid confusion and maintain a common order of rules from the contract. This is ridiculous.
Last week, I was in one of those small schools which was whittled out of a grand old high school. The principal insisted that I remain in the teachers lounge all day except I could go to the teachers cafeteria during lunch. I looked forward to lunch every day to regain my sanity! The infant teachers which made up the vast majority of their staff (most indistinguishable from students) were unspeakably RUDE to me when they weren't ignoring me outright. They also were driving me crazy with their insipid, vapid conversations about "I lost 3 lbs. this week", "Where did you find that brand of mascara", "We went out to Such&So club last weekend, it was great", etc., etc. When I got down to the teachers cafeteria and saw veteran teachers from other schools in the building, I told them how happy I was to at last be among some mature people instead of feeling like I was babysitting. It was awful.
I think anonymous at 8:07 discovered one of the real reasons Klein/Bloomberg wanted to break big schools into small schools. In addition to circumventing the reporting rules under NCLB (requires 30 kids in same subgroup on same grade level in order to be a reportable subgroup), breaking large chapters into smaller ones takes away their power and their teeth. Being CL of 100 people is one thing, being CL of 20 is another.
I was assigned to a New Vision school at the Hunts Point Campus. I was told to sit in the teachers' room all day. I am here all day by myself. Thank goodness for Apple!
I can think of three more productive uses of my time and tax payers money
1) sent to a grading center
2) to attend training on Danielson, CCLS
and the workshop model.
3) to be assigned anywhere where my 18+ years might be put to some use.
Enjoy Regents Week! I'll let you know if I survive soliditary confinement
To all the stupid colleagues out there who treat ATR with no respect remember who you are because fate if fickle. Bloomberg has left a pile of crap that needs to be exterminated.
Be happy, I have a high school 9-12 license and they had me covering 6th graders all day! These combined middle/high schools are the worst. They definitely don't want the lowly ATRs going anywhere near a Regents exam.
They can't tell you where to sit and stay all day - you are not a dog - if the teachers in the school are free to sit in other places so are you - if they need you let them find you- screw them
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