The UFT members in the schools will be voting yes or no for the proposed contract. By voting no you will be telling the UFT leadership that we refuse to throw the "ATRs under the bus", allowing for a DOE imposed "caste system", a miniscule raise that is less than the inflation rate, deferred payments as far away as 2020, and a new "City pattern" that has made the other unions angry at us.
Did the DOE commit to reduce class size? No! Did they eliminate the "fair student funding" ? No! Has the DOE agreed to reduce the amount of observations? No! Has there really been a change of tone at the DOE? No! The answer to all these questions is no! Please read the following blogs and see why this contract is dangerous for our members to approve.
37 comments:
Another teacher chaz wants to defend lol
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/teacher-emt-busted-drug-dealing-cops-article-1.1794632
Just saw memorandum
23 pages? Did they get rid of sabaticals
Hey Chaz not for nothing, but you got some pair man. Vote no on the contract? Why? Those reasons you list are not that convincing. You want me and the majority of teachers to vote no on this contract, to receive no contract at all? What is the alternative Chaz? Wait a few more years? You think we're going back to the negotiating table if this us voted down? You think the city will say, oh yeah sorry bout that, here's your full retro up front. Man you are really something else. There are No givebacks. There are No rises in healthcare. There's a full retro for staff, yes over a ridiculous time frame but who cares! We are getting it. Top pay to hit 120K. Everyone gets raises no matter what as opposed to plenty of other states where they are freezing salaries at certain points. Even Michelle Rhee couldn't believe that all teachers across the board no matter what are getting raises with no scrutiny. The ATR thing? You can get written up now by just 1 principal. This contract gives an added protection if an additional principal (2) that have to lodge a complaint. You are really reaching here Chaz. Yeah, in this economy where privatization is rampid across the USA, we're going to hit 120K. You're telling people to turn this down? The 200 schools they want to create? It already exists. They're called Empowerment schools, big deal. You are whining and the posters on here are predominantly ATR's who are so angry (maybe rightfully so) and miserable. I'm going to get around 50K in retro + a 20K raise and a small $1000 bonus. Yes, it will take a few years but I'm in no rush and it's VERY FANTASTIC to look forward to. You want me to vote no to this? Are you serious? Why, because some ATR's are unhappy? This us so ridiculous in your part. Look at the overall picture Chaz. You're an ATR, stop dwelling on it and go get a freakin job already man. I'm voting YES. My co-workers and friends in other schools are voting YES. Exactly, we want the freakin money like most people. Yes, the money and security until 2018 and beyond is more important that whining about getting full retro now. You are making no sense. Your arguement is weak but very attractive to the miserable reader. I really wish the teachers who wanted this contract could get it and the teachers that didn't, could keep the old contract and wait on the sidelines. You and these readers on here are never happy, will never be happy, and wouldn't be happy with a newly worked out contract. There'd still be plenty wrong. Thank God this mentality is so minute and will barely graze the election. 70% will go YES buddy. Hang it up and retire so you can finally TRY to enjoy your life.
Here's a little known fact the union doesn't want known-- all you need is 25 percent of our union members signatures to nullify the union. If this contract passes MORE and ICE can easily get it. Its better to have no union than one that will willingly sacrifice its members for their leadership's gain.
to Anonymous 5:50
Do you read? The person in question in that article is NOT an ATR. The person is or was a substitute teacher for all of 2 days. It is evident from your comment that you are a bully and perhaps of a client of the person mentioned in the article. Have a great day!
Just came back from the "UFT Contract 2014" meeting in Brooklyn. When Howie Schoor was asked "Why does this contract allow ATRs get expedited 3020A proceedings?", he said, specifically that he "wasn't going to answer that question".
When I tried to ask another question, he shut me down. At least I now have something in common with James Eterno.
WTF?
Is that true? Do we really need just 25% of the union to get rid of Unity?
How many people are in our union?
If you get 2 ineffectives you lose all that $$ you care so much about. That's why it's important to have the raises up front. Who cares about the retro?
To anon 6:37
I'm aware of your strong conviction to vote yes on the contract and you seem very angry at Chaz because of his strong belief that the contract is unfair and will hurt many members.
So I've copied and saved your comment and I hope to post it down the road. If the contract is ratified and I hear that the members who voted yes are unhappy and the contract does not protect them the way they thought it would, the expedited special 3020a has been used to terminate friends and colleagues of yours, and the waiting for the retro-pay is taking to long, I can repost your comment and use it as a reminder of those members who voted because of the money (2005 Contract) and did not have the foresight to understand the consequences that were tied to the contract (once again 2005 contract).
By the way, attacking Chaz and telling him to retire does not bode well with people, like myself, who think very highly of him and the concerted effort he makes to inform the rank and file.
Howie Schoor, Brooklyn Borough Rep, is the mother of all Unity stooges. He has such contempt for ATRs that he ordered one of his reps--John Capuano--to rip up a contact list that I was passing around the ATR borough meeting in 2012. And when I confronted him, he lied, saying he knew nothing about it. So no surprise that he shrank before an embarrassing question.
I had a similar experience with Mike Sill on Wednesday at an all-ATR PD in Brooklyn. Sill is the useful idiot who oversees ATRs with Amy ("I'm Gestaspo for ATR rights") Arundell. I asked him if he were an ATR, how he would feel about the double standard inherent in expedited 3020-a hearings. Schoor-like, he dodged, saying that he couldn't imagine what it's like to be an ATR.
And when I inquired whether he would call a meeting to address the contract concerns of ATRs, he couldn't give a straight answer either.
Chaz, this is a very solid contract with no give-backs and a 19.5% compounded raise! PLUS, full retro, worth thousands of dollars to each member. Take that Bloomberg! Vote yes and celebrate!
Anon 6:37
Retire???? Not on your life. I will happily go from school to school and get paid my full salary to babysit and they call this punishment?
If the DOE wants to waste my talent and principals continue to hire the "cheapest" and not the "best teachers" for their students, so be it.
Retire??? I don't think so.
Anon 637
Well said brother. Time to get these phonies out of the system.
Chaz you should be ashamed for the agenda you are pushing and glad to "paid......to babysit".
And we wonder why the public looks down on us teachers when we used to be respected by the general public.
It is now a society to make the most by doing the least
At least Chaz posts my comments. I will give him that. As far as my retiring comment, it was generated due to the miserable same ol tone that is evident. You shouldn't retire. Why retire when you can make your $110,000.00 pay soon, then creep up quick to the $120,000.00 mark while accumulating your retro? Maybe you'd like to stay at your $100,049.00 salary with no retro or signing bonus? That a better idea for you? Stop with the boring ATR crap. Let them all get jobs and teach their 5 classes every single day, every single week, for the duration of however long they (and you) want to stay. And to Anon 8:21, I'm going to copy your piece and post it with Chaz' when the ATR's are crying because they're back in a classroom (well probably 3 or 4 different classrooms since no one really stays in 1 room) after floating from school to school reading books in the lounge and covering someone's class and passing an attendance sheet around. Start telling these ATR's to comprehend the Danielson framework and it's 4 domains. Tell them to prepare for a rotating schedule of multiple classes that meet on diffent days in different rooms. Then right before Halloween, or maybe I will extend it to Thanksgiving, post up an "open thread" on which is preferred and you will see the ATR's begging to go back into the pool realizing that the gift of being an ATR was incredible. Someone posted up the best way to get rid of ATR's is to actually put them back in the classroom. Chaz, that's actually a true statement. Vote YES, take the $$$ and the retro, and the security till 2018. Vote DeBladio back in at the 2017 election and extend a new contract till 2023. Keep it moving, nice nice. Enough with the anger. You and your wonderful readers will never, ever be happy with any contract. Mine as well take this one as it's not as bad as your saying it is. Imagine a teacher who babysits and is off 12 days for X-mas, 11 days for Spring break, 9 days forcwintercrecess, has 10 sick days to use per year, summers off, regents weeks with no classes in January and June, and nonsense days throughout the year while getting 120K, AND YOURE STILL UPSET!!!! You just don't "get it".
Anon 9:23
The union should be ashamed to sell the ATRs undser the bus. Yet you seem blind to that fact. Its not my choice to travel weekly but the DOE's. I am just making lemonade out of a lemon.
You should be ashamed of yourself for supporting the DOE "caste system" for a few shekels that you might see at some future date.
anon 10:00 : Just a few points to make:
1. You're not a math teacher, are you. If you were, you'd know 100,000 that top salary was back in 2007 should be worth 124,000 by 2017. That's called inflation. The $119,000 that this calls top salary to make means I'll actually be making $5,000 LESS by the time this contract is done.
2. You don't sound concerned about winding up as an ATR. That's understandable, but ignorant. So i'd be willing to stipulate that Chaz and others have a cynical outlook of the system if you're willing to stipulate that you're ignorant. I can tell you don't like being ignorant (ergo you read Chaz' blog) and I commend you for that. Because of that I'd like to explain to you what solidarity is all about. It's about making sure the weakest worker in your clique is as protected as possible. This isn't because we care about that worker (although we do) but because we ourselves may someday wind up that way. I'm surprised that with over 10% of our schools about to vote away large swaths of the contract that you cannot connect those dots. So I guess I'll have to call yo willfully ignorant. My next question would be this: What kind of trouble is our union in that it's being spoken for by willfully ignorant people like you?
3. Last point: This retro package is the first time that the retro doesn't keep up with inflation by forwarding the interest the city is collecting on it over to us. BEcause of that, it's actually not retro. It's withheld wages. How could you be so dim witted as actually agree for your employer to withhold your wages for 10 full years.
No offense here, but you're a cow, anon ... happily walking over a steep cliff because the hunters don't know what else to do with you.
And you think Chaz doesn't get it!!??
Voting no will not advance anyone's cause or agenda. Voting no will not see a raise finally coming to you and yours after five years. You will not see any change in Danielson. You will not see a severance package for those ATR's who are of age and years. Voting no will not give you your deserved retro raises totally in the tens of thousands of dollars. Voting no will not help to ease the paperwork burden you and your fellow teachers face. Voting no will not make a positive"statement". The only statement that it will speak loudly of in the media is more talk (this time even louder) of how greedy teachers are. We are not! Voting no WILL damage our credibility and our standing in our community. Diane Ravitch a friend of teachers supports this contract. I am a ten year veteran in a District 75 school and I support this contract and will vote yes. Vote Yes!
Hey everyone, since it's likely the majority of membership will vote yes let's include comment
"we will remember in 2016; only 25% needed to change regime"
Anon 6:37 grow up!
None of us asked to be ATRs and most of us were happy teaching. Bloomberg decided he wanted to close my large school, so he inundated it with kids right out of Rikers. We had 20 year old rapists sitting next to 13 and 14 year olds. Imagine the worst thing that could happen and that happened. The school went impact and was closed. The 2005 contract ensured that Bloomy could hire inexperienced teachers at a 50 percent discount, and to make sure we wouldn't be hired, had an individual budget for every school.
The ATR pool was created to demoralize us to the point of quitting. When this didn't work, the yearly rotation was made weekly, (Bloomberg wanted it daily in all boroughs!), with full cooperation of our union.
The new contract changes nothing other than creating a fast tract to termination just for the ATRs. Those fortunate enough to survive will be left to languish as pariahs until retirement.
The union had an opportunity to fix the situation but chose to bite it's nose off to spite it's face. It will sincerly regret this contract, as it does the 2005, for it delegitimizes it's existance and accelerates it's demise.
Let me make this perfectly clear to everyone. I enjoy being in a classroom and making a difference for my students. However, the DOE, with the union leadership's approval, has decided otherwise.
Having me rotate is a waste of my talent and is not in the best interests of the students but then its not what's best for the students.
I can only hope that a principal is smart enough to do what's right for their students and hire me for their school.
Anon 6:27 olddoenuts: you're way to smart for me. I can't respond to your points/questions. Reading your piece was puzzling, guess I don't get it. I'm just a guy that persistently earns 6 figures. I'm just a guy who made 100K last year on top salary + had a 6th assignment which was .2 equalling 20K + 12K in per session and about 4K in the summer, thus bringing my little Ol teacher salary to about 136K, more than my principal. You're way to intelligent to argue with. I'm just a random guy who produces. But I am smart enough to know the power of the $$ for the ridiculous amount of nonsense I do. I'm retiring after I do 3 years at 120K top salary. I don't give a shit about this fake union or it's fake members. I'm here to make $$ and receive my 83K a year as a pension for the rest if my life when I get my 66% after 34 years. This is why I am here. You think I (and others) give a shit about these ATR's who come in and play chess in the lounge? Good for them. An ATR was at my school yesterday, barely spoke English, looked like he was going on a safari tour. You think he's getting picked up? This is the guy you're telling me to protect or fight for? I'm high man in my department with 6 below me. I CANNOT be excessed. I CANNOT become an ATR. I'm too freakin smart. Again, not as smart as you, but in my own way at 136K as a measly teacher, pretty damn good. Let the newbies fight for themselves 20 years from now. I don't care, I'll be long gone. Just give me my $$. Even someone as smart as you knows I have my own point.
Wrong, mulgcrap never regrets anything he does!
Chaz....i am sorry but i am new to the blog. Care to share how you became an atr
Anon 9:02
You can read "my story" on how to win your 3020-a on the right side of my blog.
So let me get this straight. If an ATR goes on interviews and is not hired by a school, the ATR will continue to rotate. So what has changed from what is happening now. The change really is that the ATRs have lost due process rights.
To Oldnycdoe at 6:27
Thank you for pointing out such salient points to Anon 10:10. I can see he's not into solidarity but into himself and the amount of money he can get at the sake of our union brothers and sisters.
To anon 8:54 a.m.
How were you able to make $20,000 on a 6th assignment (Article 7O) when teachers are paid $5660 per semester, totaling $11320 for the entire school year. So I assume you don't teach math.
At least you finally confessed your ulterior motive - getting as money as possible while driving the bus that runs over the members. Let's hope that one day you develop a moral conscience and realize that being selfish and money hungry are not solidarity qualities. Please stop driving that members-bashing bus and get off it.
Anon 8:54
What happens if they close your school? Your arrogance will hold you in good stead. Yeah, I got your point!
To 854,
Once you're targeted, (and you will be, based on your salary), you'll be terminated, because your 6th on the totem pole. Worse it'll happen when you least expect it and at the worse possible time. Better keep that gray hair dyed.
333To all....
Don't become complacent by thinking you're too good to become an ATR. The DOE has a history of changing school district boundaries and flooding schools with student's that need special services. The schools graduation rates drop, the school goes from a good grade to a poor grade, then it closes....producing ATRs.
Agreeing to a contract that will sell out ATRs might come back and get you in a few years.....if you are not an ATR today, you will be one in the future. This contract will sell them out.
Vote NO!
I am being targeted in NJ. I have been in four schools in three years and I am getting ready to ship out of this one. Please do not inquire about my hair color. Great line 3:40!
Dear anonymous at 6:37pm....
A long winded, poorly written argument. I really hope you're not teaching English.
Incidentally, this ATR thing is not going away...schools will continue to close due to the charter infection. You're next !!
I was at the Brooklyn borough meeting Friday afternoon when someone asked Howie Shore about the reason for expedited 3020A proceedings specifically/only for ATRs. Howie looked like he sh#t in his pants..then said he wasn't going to discuss it that day. Wish I had a picture, it was absolutely priceless.
More people need to ask Unity pointed questions!
In the tentative UFT contract, an ATR in the classroom with two letters documenting problematic behavior from two principals within two years and we are up before an expedited termination hearing.
Shouldn't we be granted a meeting with president Mulgrew? We'll be able to ask questions about situations that we might not have otherwise had the chance to ask.
Please sign the petition and ask president Mulgrew for a mass meeting of the membership to explain how the contract will affect ATRs.
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/petition-the-uft-for?source=c.em.cp&r_by=10556483
Hey "Anonymous." Yes, you who would selfishly sell out for "shekels." Greed drives many who will vote "yes." "Ooh. I'll be getting $50k retro..." There is no recognition on the part of the money hungry that there is no reduction of class size, changes to the "Fair Funding" formula, use of students' test scores to impact teachers' ratings, etc.
Thete is no "unity" when teachers don't sympathize with colleagues "under fire," and who are being unfairly targeted for termination. "targeted." But don't be complacent. You may end up in a similar situation. "He who is standing, beware he does not fall."
Are you even a teacher? I think you are an imposter. By the way Anonymous, the correct spelling is "argument! "
Evidently you don't know what sarcasm is. Of course Chaz wants to be in his own classroom but the system won't allow it so he'll just do what he has to do. Wouldn't you?
Hey Chaz....
I really admire the fact that you did not edit Mulgrews response which was posted at 6:37 PM (....though it may have been written by Bloomberg/Walcott/Klein/Black).
You speak the truth, but you let idiots have their say! That's why people read you blog.
To anonymous that posted at 9:05 pm and believes there are no givebacks in this contract.....have you read about the expedited 3020A proceedings targeting ATRs/ACRs for undefined "unprofessional bahavior"? Yes, from incident report to dismissal/loss of pension in just a couple of weeks, but that fantastic offer is only for the 2,000 senior teachers/guidance counselors in the ATR/ACR pool!
School closings are not going to stop. ...there's just too much federal / private cash driving it. The ATR/ACR pool will continue to grow. Your school might be OK now, but school district boarders are regularly changed, and schools get flooded with kids that need services....and don't graduate on time. That means CLOSURE!
If you're not an ATR/ACR today, Fair Student Funding will make sure you will become one.
Think about it.
WJ Pierro
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