I have been hearing some very disturbing reports that our union may be considering some "givebacks". Not directly but through a marketing research group asking about what we would willing to giveback for a contract. I have not received such a phone call nor have any of my teacher friends., However, according to education notes online that some teachers have. If true, this appears to be a typical sleazy, backhanded way that our union works. Talk a good game and keep the rhetoric strong, while secretly preparing to sacrifice teachers. Be it ATRs, "rubber room teachers" and seniority rules. Very disturbing indeed. If true, Michael Mulgrew is just another Randi Weingarten union hack who continues to follow the failed and destructive policies of appeasement to the Bloomberg and Klein Administration that have resulted in an increasingly hostile classroom environment, an ATR crises, and overcrowded "rubber rooms". In addition, the rubber room reporter posted the NY1 interview with Chancellor Klein that parroted what Bloomberg said previously about eliminating the ATRs and overcrowded "rubber rooms" on their terms. Do I need to remind the union that the "City pattern" requires no "givebacks"?
I will say this loud and clear to the union. We will not accept any "givebacks" in the next contract and if that means waiting out the two clowns, so be it. Have we not learned from the 2005 contract fiasco that led to all these problems in the first place? As for giving the ATRs a one year time limit? In Chicago where the ATRs have an eighteen month time limit, over 6,000 of them have been eliminated in a school system of 35,000 teachers! It is time for Michael Mulgrew to show he is a Mench and not a Wuss to his members.
I do not ridicule your skepticism but I feel it is being recklessly thrown around and your gullibility is being exploited. You give no evidence to back up your so far groundless suspicions. You lose credibility by accepting rumor from doubtful sources and then arguing your point as though the rumors had been somehow validated.
ReplyDeleteAnon:
ReplyDeleteI must remind you that our current leadership has not inspired any confidence. Just look at the 2005 contract that was hailed as a win by Randi, Mike , and of course spinmister Leo. Furthermore, our union leadership has looked the other way as the school environment has deteriorated. Not to mention the ATR crises, the overcrowded rubber rooms, and the reduction of our due process rights.
You could be correct and this is only a malicious rumor. However, I only see the same old failed union leadership in place and must give credence to this.
I hope you are right and I am wrong...for all our sakes.
Past practice indicates this union abandons those who need them the most: the falsely accused (Rubber Room inmates),the displaced (ATRs), and the outspoken (both). How about a focused efort during contract negotiations to make up for past practice?
ReplyDeleteYou will live to look on the failure called the 2005 contract with fond memories.
ReplyDeleteThere has been an eight year campaign against teachers in the press.
The Race to the bottom lottery will force the dysfunctional legislature to erase all gains such as tenure and data based assessment.
You can bank on further privatization and the elimination of all traditional high schools.
You can be certain that ATR's and Rubber Roomers will be gotten rid of.
They are already blackballed, so it will not be hard to give them the boot.
The treacherous cretins who comprise the voting teachers will vote in any lousy incremental, less than the rate of inflation "raise".
They themselves will become ATR's and inmates of the Teacher Relocation Centers.
The union gets itself an automatic raise while harvesting our dues for whatever sellout deal they ink.
The ugly details of the contract will be concealed and it will be presented by these thieving salesmen as the best possible deal during an economic downturn.
Where was the benefit offered us when the economic situation was good?
Expect the worst, and expect your fellow teachers to work longer hours and more days for fewer dollars as they have in the past.
One more thing, Teachers are now a minority in their own union. What do administrative Judges and home care attendants give a shit about our contract?
STRIKE Now!
Cheers and Happy New Year!
Angry Nog
I can't wait for the next group of union charlatens to come in and try to con us into accepting the new contract as "the best we are going to get with this mayor
ReplyDeleteI didn't fall for it the last time, and I'm not going to fall for it again. Givebacks? I'll give back my middle finger to the union and the Dept. of Ed.
ReplyDeleteI received that "rumor" from a credible source - a chapter leader who did not say outright it was the UFT doing the survey but made a guess. If could also be coming from Bloomberg to check for soft spots. But as Chaz points out, the record of the union has not been good and many of the "guesses" we've made have turned out to be true. ATRs are getting chopped all over the nation and who leads the AFT which should be leading the fight? Also - there is no guessing whether Mulgrew is just another union hack. Who hand picked him? It is not the person but Unity Caucus that is the constant, as undemocratic an institution as there is and one that makes Puttin droole with jealousy.
ReplyDelete