Saturday, March 26, 2011

It Is Official, Bloomberg Loses On LIFO As The State Budget Will Not Include Any Changes In Seniority-Based Layoffs For Teachers.











Well, it is now official Mayor4Life Bloomberg's bill to end seniority-based layoffs known as "last in, first out" (LIFO) is now dead as it pertains to the new State budget. Republican John Flanagan of Northport admitted that the new State budget will not include any change to LIFO and was quoted as saying this:

"There was no substantive discussions," said Senate Education Committee Chairman John Flanagan (R-LI). "The governor and the Assembly were not engaged on the LIFO issue."

This puts an end to this phase of Bloomberg's plan to get rid of teachers the DOE does not want and like and save money as a result. The question is what's next? It has been reported in the New York Post that Bloomberg is in discussion with the UFT dealing with the financial crises and I must admit that is a concern considering the union's past history of negotiating behind the back of its' members and are shocked when the City reneges on these agreements at the expense of the teachers affected. However, I do believe Michael Mulgrew is different from Randi Wiengarten and is more loyal in protecting the members than giving in to the City and the DOE.

I need not remind the union that the ATR crises was caused by the DOE who encouraged principals not to hire ATRs and to hire "newbie teachers" instead and then use the ATRs for their own political purposes. Therefore, the only negotiated item should be the requirement that Tweed require principals to fill their vacancies with the ATRs. No ATR time limit, no hiring of outside people when ATRs are available in the subject area. No changes in the contract that would endanger the ATRs.

The union should also take the offensive and run a new commercial showing that Bloomberg has proposed an increase of 10% for the DOE Administrative Budget along with increases in computer and consultant services while proposing 4,666 teacher layoffs and increasing class sizes. This is opposite of what the Governor has stated. Why the union has not done this yet is puzzling? To me this is a no-brainier, Bloomberg wants to increase Administrative bloated and consultant handouts while hurting the New York City Public School students by increasing class size and laying off teachers. Included in this commercial should include the sound bite that shows Bloomberg saying that teaching experience is irrelevant. We need to be more pro-active and not reactive and let the Bloomberg Administration and his Ed Deformer allies dictate the education agenda.

We also need to be vigilant and see what other tricks the Emperor has under his royal sleeve as he looks for more underhanded ways to gut the teachers union. I don't think for a moment that Bloomberg has given up. I am sure he has other devious methods to try before the end of the school year.

P.S. Michael Mulgrew should be given the credit he deserves in his lobbying effort with the Assembly and Governor in making sure LIFO stays the law of the State this year and that is no small accomplishment when unions and their collective bargaining rights are under attack nationwide.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

OK now El Duce Bloomberg...let's see you now lay off 5,000 of your "teacher pets"...(hehe)...I dare you...

PS...You "ain't" gonna do it, nor were you ever going to do that, UNLESS layoffs were all the "grey hairs"...and you know it...you little (fill in the blank)

Anonymous said...

Now let's see how many teacher's are laid off. I'm sure no way near what Bloomberg perdicted (lied about)

Anonymous said...

Let's take odds now....how many days before El Duce announces that there will be no teacher layoffs...or something like 500 or less...? MY guess, to save face...he'll wait until the beginning of June...you know how these dumb commoners forget what the issues are from one week to another...he'll divert attention to some other contrived "disaster"...Remember that David Bowie tune about how Americans "don't remember what happened yesterday?" Teachers and employees remember, since we're directly involved...but the general public goes on...and will forget that he even threatened layoffs by July...he'll paint himself a saviour of public education...

harvey said...

Chaz, I really think you are spot on with your union commercial. What do you say Mr. Mulgrew? Your members need this to be your finest hour. Protect the ATR's or none of us have any job protection (note 'protection' not a job for life). Level the playing field against the Bloomturd teacher cleansing via closing schools.

ASTRAKA said...

Chaz,
RE: "However, I do believe Michael Mulgrew is different from Randi Wiengarten and is more loyal in protecting the members than giving in to the City and the DOE."

I am not sure that I would trust Mulgrew.
I don't like his friends, lately;)

http://gothamschools.org/2011/03/25/a-union-skeptic-converted-by-steve-barr-befriends-the-uft/

Chaz said...

ASTRAKA:

I have complained that Mulgrew is surrounded by the same old leadership that Randi had. However, he does seem much different and not as compromising as Randi.

NYC Educator said...

You're right--Bloomberg is certainly not giving up. His current ads loudly proclaim so, unfortunately. This is going to be a long tough process, and I wouldn't be surprised if some form or other of that bill came up every three weeks until next September,

Anonymous said...

Oh...he'll definitely keep trying...relentlessly...

Anonymous said...

Bloomberg will spend another million or so on the recent TV spots but that is also because his poll numbers are the lowest he has ever received. LIFO is not dead but put on hold as he will try some other strategy to get his way. Fortunately for workers Andrew Cuomo will never allow seniority to be eliminated. The new law that the regents will propose will receive the approval of Cuomo, Silver and the democrats and the republicans if they vote it down will then be viewed as the impediment to reform. This is a good thing as not only teachers but all city and state workers have seniority protection, and by the way things look all over the country they need them. I ask you to propose that the city council convene to take up another important matter before the city. That the Gowanus Canal be renamed after Mayor Michael Bloomberg after all, no one has made a bigger stink or polluted the well more than mayor Mike!

Anonymous said...

Mulgrew...the guy who last year joined the protest against closing schools, then made a deal behind the teachers back with Bloomberg to turn them into "small schools".

Mulgrew..who made a deal with Green Dot to take over another NYC school. (read more about Barr in today's Times and how he used the expense account)

Mulgrew..the guy who approved the use of VAM for evaluation.

He will make deals without rank and file approval too.

Anonymous said...

Remember there is something called a collective bargaining agreement that is still not settled. Look for the UFT to negotiate for a type of LIFO, but it will not be called that and and it may not be straight LIFO, but Bloomberg will get what he wants and so will the UFT-money.
Bye Bye people like Chaz who have 3020-a convictions.

Anonymous said...

Anon 7:57

If I understand, Chaz is a high school science teacher and there is no layoffs of middle and high school science teachers, except for Living Environment. Therefore, Chaz does not have to worry about LIFO. However, I refuse to believe that Mulgrew will give up LIFO. The other unions will ostracize him.

ed notes online said...

Chaz,
The day will come when you will see the differences between Weingarten and Mulgrew is all style and no substance. You have to see that the AFT and UFT are one body. Unity Caucus controls the AFT so Randi being out there selling out teachers all over the nation cannot be separated. One day you ought to go to an AFT convention and see up close who is still controlling Unity as a thousand of your NYC colleagues get up and cheer everything Randi says and does - including Mulgrew who looks like the bit player he is at these events.

Anonymous said...

Chaz-Norman is correct about Mulgrew he is a puppet and rose from chapter leader at Grady HS to VP of Vocatioal HS with no experience as a rep or DR. He was chosen for one special quality, to look the part and follow orders. Randi still controls the strings. The UFT is as democratic as the old soviet politburo. Their interest is keeping power and promoting Randi's agenda, want to guess at that?

Chaz said...

I do not believe that Randi Weingarten has any control over Mulgrew. I do believe he is his own person. However, I must stay having Randi's cronies surrounding him is good reason to believe Randi still exerts control.

I guess time will tell if Michael Mulgrew is a fighter for the members or an appeaser like Randi Weningarten was.

Chaz said...

ANON: 7:57

I must assume you are not a teacher or maybe one of those fifth columnists from E4E. Why else would you hope for Bloomberg to win the LIFO battle?

Anon 10:47 is correct, I would not be a LIFO layoff (firing. It is a pity that you hold such malice against other teachers.