I read with amusement the reporting of the UFT Executive Board hearing on the various blogs (ICEUFT, nyc educator, Ed notes online) on how our disconnected union leadership tried to justify the new ATR Agreement. However, they failed to convince the many skeptics at the Executive Board that the new ATR Agreement was what ATRs wanted. In fact, the "Unity"caucus got their loyal troops together and spoke nonsense and outright lies to defend the undefendable ATR Agreement.
The union leadership claims that they negotiated with their DOE counterparts in "good faith" and came up with an agreement that gives ATRs a choice of either taking a buyout or remain an active member in the ATR pool. Moreover, the union leadership stated that the ATRs are excited about the new ATR Agreement. Finally, the union claimed that no vote was necessary since they were appointed to represent the members when negotiating changes. Let's break down each of the union's claims and see why they don't hold water.
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First, the union leadership kept the negotiations secret and failed to include the affected members, the ATRs, This, to me, shows "bad faith" and the omission of any ATRs in the negotiations was proof positive of how badly they treat ATRs. Remember, the UFT was a willing participant in the creation of the ATR pool back in 2005 and their treatment of ATRs has been as if they would like the ATR headache to go away and if that means stabbing ATRs in the back, so be it..
Second, I have personally spoke to over two dozen ATRs and not one found the new contract to their liking. In fact the Elementary and Middle school ATRs are quite upset with the possibility of being "forced placed" outside their District and finding themselves in strange neighborhoods and schools across the Borough.
Third, the union's failure to allow a vote is not only undemocratic but is not in the American tradition of good unionism where every member has a voice and affected members get to vote their approval or not.
Finally, the new ATR agreement allows the DOE to continue to discriminate against ATRs by not allowing for "Mutual Consent" and making ATRs who won their 3020-a termination hearing second class citizens by giving the DOE the right to refuse them vacancies,
The bottom line is that the ATRs continue to be unrepresented by our union and abused by the DOE.
40 comments:
It would be nice to evaluate Mulgrew, and its team on job performance. United we failed together (U.F.T.). There should be checks and balances on supervisors, and Principals that do not act in good faith. Our Union should not turn their backs on experienced teachers abused by the system.
Unfortunately the observation process can be manipulated in a way nowadays, that good teachers can end up with an unsatisfactory rating. There are no checks on supervisors that are not acting in good faith. That is another failure of our Union. I have seen bad teachers get good ratings, and good ones get bad ratings. If a supervisor or a principal wants to target you they will ruin your life, and you cannot do anything about it.
Once the "I'm never wrong" DOE puts their target on your back they can be relentless and it is not fun. It is downright insulting, harassing, and dangerous to your health. They obviously want newbies who cost less and are much easier to get rid of than tenured teachers/ATRs. But as you know, tenure has little value in NYC right now. If you are re-assigned, and/or charged with 3020-a, you have been placed on the "no-hire" problem code, and your fingerprints are flagged. The system assumes you are guilty over being innocent.
Stuff like the problem code must be reviewed and considered. We have very good teachers that were labeled incompetent, and that is a waste of talent. A bad principal who wants you out can ruin your career for life, even if you are considered a good teacher by everyone else.
Next year the new teachers will get the best positions in the best schools because they are cheaper. Then the ATRs who were excessed will be hired. Then the last group which are the survivors, and the ones rated unsatisfactory will get the schools with the worse principals and reputations. We should thank the UFT for all this. Maybe you are so lucky that you will get a Poor Leadership Principal to target you, and that way they would get rid of you. Using the Danielson Rubrics the burden of proof is not on the DOE it is on you, so it is much easier to get rid of you. So we can conclude that a lot of you are not going to make it too far. A lot of you will have a chance to work in W,C, Bryant High School since they are predicting a lot of openings. It is much easier now for them to get rid of senior teachers, expect more termination hearings thanks to this new agreement.
The mayor wants to get elected again. The mayor that promised change to the teachers. It was a good time to get a better deal for ATRs, and it was a good time to get rid of the frivolous observations by field supervisors. They could have done a temporary hiring freeze until all the ATRs would be placed. Again we were sold out like always. They created the mess, and now they want to get rid of us.
We did not get none of the above. Another shameful agreement achieved.
There is only one comment systemic age discrimination on behalf of the UFT and the DOE. They created a mess and they do not know how to fix it. A lot of bad Principals destroying schools by going after good experienced teachers. They should get rid of the field supervisors also because many lawsuits are going to be filed.
This new ATR agreement will make it easier to terminate you, since the Danielson Rubrics it is easier to manipulate. Remember Danielson herself admitted that she will never use the Rubrics to evaluate teachers. In a difficult class it is very easy to get ineffective. Or any little false complaint from a student can get you out also. And some of you may never get a chance to regain your reputation because nobody will hire you permanently.
This agreement is a sham.
Mulgrew and Fariña should be held responsible for the purge on experienced teachers everywhere.
In a bit more than a year, I will retire with my 20 yr. Masters+30 pension, and move to Bali on a retirement visa. I will sleep well in my teak wood joglo, surrounded by mature palms and hibiscus that are home to chirping geckos and pre-historic cicadas, just a short trek from the sea.
Everyone is invited to visit!
Bill P.
Bill
email your Bali address when you get there when I retire I intend to vacation you there.
Extremely simple to end the ATR debacle - a hiring freeze until all ATRs are placed. Either force place all ATRs and force all principals to accept them or use the better scenario of giving each ATR and principal the choice. If someone has been found innocent of charges they should be allowed to teach. How is it ethical to do otherwise? There should be centralized funding of teachers, and checks and balances, which means a Board of Education again. This would go along way towards helping all constituancies and would also ultimately help the mayor as well. This buyout is a joke. Mulgrew is like a dictator of a third world nation and we're the peasants. An extra bag of rice isn't going to get us jump off the cliff.
I wish you many years of excellent health and wealth...enjoy your retirement Mr. Bill P.
To MR. Bill P.
Just make sure you get a consultation before moving to Bali!
It's amazing how the uft just wants ATRs gone.
They don't care how we go as long as we go.
Amy just copy and pasted the same severance email that the doe sent us
I'm 40 years old. Do Amy and mulgrew really think I'm a moron?
I get Amy is following orders and her job is to keep mulgrew happy but beware mulgrew lackeys bc dictator mikey only cares about
How could their legal department ok an agreement that discriminates ?
They will send more field supervisors to target us.
There is a catch with the severage package which is you give up the right to sue them.
Mulgrew should work as an ATR, and be harassed by a field supervisor.
There is a catch with the severance package which is you give up the right to sue them. That is why they are in a hurry to have you sign it. This was all done in a hurry. Noticed that the UFT does not mention of this in its original email.
Our union has sold us out years ago. I walked into my principal's office and saw him buying my UFT rep with a snickers bar and a cup of coffee. Months later he refused to give my UFT rep any more snickers but continued with the coffee.
On a different note? Has this ever happened to anyone? I called the union and they said not a big deal. For the 4th time this year my principal takes the worst 25 students and makes me and two other teachers take them out on a school trip. I am talking the worst of the worst. One of the kids is Pete the pyro. He was almost arrested (but students can't get arrested any more) for lighting up a trash can on fire during January Regents. Although he claimed the ass. principal told him to do it to give students more time on the Regents exam and to be able to discuss the regents when they exited the building. Long story.
Back to these trips. Whenever a superintendent, quality review or someone from Tweed visits our school - I have to take these 25 kids out of the building for a school trip. I approached the principal and he told me "this is what's best for me and the school." He also gave me 50 dollars for lunch (which was nice).
UFT tells me there is nothing I can do but to call out sick. However, one of the APes told me "as long as I am not in the building when visitors come - it is okay to be out sick." I feel like I am being treated as an equal to the worst 25.
Any thoughts?
Is it true that Carmen Farina was an OATR (Original ATR)? My principal swears in 2004/2005 Carmen was excessed as a deputy chancellor and that's why she retired. She also only came back for 2 reasons: 1. cash and 2. to show Klein that she will undo whatever he created.
Any truth?
Never give up the right to sue the DOE.
Do you want to get married?
I am sick of Amy emailing me, should I just direct her messages to the trash? Yeesh, this is my 10th year teaching, and I'm an ATR why would I want a 50,000 buyout when I am making more than that? Ridiculous. Seriously. Add a "0" to that 50 and you will have my attention. Add two "0's" and I will take it. But seriously, the answers seem quite obvious. I totally agree with Bronx ATR. Hire freeze newbies, say, 2 year window, place ATRs and let happen what happens. It's not perfect but it's better than what they proposed.
They justify always the irrational thing to do.
Amy gets 5 percent of whatever the DOE saves but she has to split it with Mike. However, this is not public information so let's keep it quiet.
@7:35 to whom are you directing your marriage proposal?
@1248...sounds like your administrators don't trust/respect you and the students
To 4:49...
7:35 says......
I'm directing my proposal to that "bill" guy. Who is he?
Sounds totally enlightened.
He sure does sound enlightened...is there a Love Connection? Maybe something good will come out of ATRville
Our opinions do not count. Mulgrew and Fariña are the experts destroying our schools.
They are just playing with us, and they negotiate behind our backs. Most ARE are more experienced, and qualified than younger teachers who are getting hire. I see a systemic discrimination case.
Carmen Fariña still not removing Principals that are destroying schools. She just praised a bad Principal that is bringing a school to the ground.
They really want to create a shortage of teachers. They still have not learned that going after older teachers and making them incompetent does not work.
Was Mulgrew ever observed and harassed when he was a substitute because a lot of ATRs are being harassed by field supervisors.
The system is out of control.
Just another disgrace of the Union for not treating its experienced teachers with respect, and differently from the younger teachers. ATRs, the silent victims of closing and opening schools, the fair student act, and of abusive principals who are trying to push out experienced teachers. Many victims of field supervisors and their harassing techniques. A sad picture of our schools that are going in the wrong direction.
Can a complaint be filed with the National Labor Relations Board, NYS or US Department of Labor, or PERB? Where are the lawyers?
It would be nice to evaluate Mulgrew, and its team on job performance. United we failed together (U.F.T.). There should be checks and balances on supervisors, and Principals that do not act in good faith. Our Union should not turn their backs on experienced teachers abused by the system.
They are very well connected but to the DOE.
They want the ATR pool to be a dumping ground so they can hire new teachers.
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