We all know that the UFT negotiated a bad contract with the City that included inadequate raises, a "caste system" for ATRs, and no retroactive pay for members who resign, are terminated, or die, making the contract more like an annuity. However, as other unions are now settling with the City, their terms appear to be more favorable than the UFT negotiated. Just compare our contract with DC37's contract.
In September, our union inexplicably agreed to a meager raise of 2%, plus an equally miniscule .14% of retroactive pay, for a total raise of 2.14% until May 2015. By contrast DC37 will get three 1% raises starting from 2011 and a 1.5% raise in September 2014 for a total of 4.5% and since the 1% raises go back to 2011, the compounded raises will be 0.5% for an effective increase of of 5%. That's right the DC37 pact will more than double the UFT negotiated raise for the fall checks! Furthermore, they also will receive a $1,000 bonus and that is significant since the average DC37 members makes half what a UFT member makes in salary.
Another thing, the DC37 pact does not have eighteen months of "zeros" as the UFT pact does and while the UFT agreed to sacrifice some of its members (ATRs) the DC37 pact does no such thing. In fact, the contract throws open the chance of the DC37 members to get more money if they can come up with cost savings, similar to what the Sanitation union received when they went from a three man to a two man truck.
Finally, the DC37 pact will allow the union to receive all their retroactive pay quickly and not have it deferred as far back as 2020 as the UFT pact does. In addition, the DC 37 raise occur eighteen months ahead of the UFT raises and the City gave DC37 an extra 0.52% from March to July of 2017. No annuity for DC37 as it is for the UFT. Everybody gets the raises!
Pay Raise............................UFT.........................DC37
2011................................... 0%..........................1%
2012....................................0%..........................1%
2013....................................1%..........................1%
2014....................................1%.........................1.5%
2015....................................1%.........................2.5%
2016...................................1.5%.........................3%
2017...................................2.5%.......................0.52%
2018....................................3%...........................?
Total...................................10% ....................10.52% +
Decide for yourself what you think of the wonderful UFT contract now?
Wow! I thought they had the same terms. You clearly show that our contract raises are inferior.
ReplyDeleteI am disappointed after reading this blog. A shame the UFT could not do better for its members.
ReplyDeleteSide note, my friends who are private-sector employees HATE the fact that teachers now max out at 123K for half a years work.
They constantly remind me that "nowhere in this country can someone make as much money while only working HALF a year (185ish days total).
"You guys have ELEVEN WEEKS of vacation! ELEVEN, and making 123K and you teachers STILL complain"?
No one. And I mean, NO ONE understands the work involved serving as a classroom teacher. Even if it is "half a year".
When DC37 does better than us, there is nothing else to say except we vote for Unity every time so we deserve this.
ReplyDeleteNot to mention the backloaded 4% and 4% that most of the other unions received in 2008 and 2009. Does anyone know how the nurses and principal's union fared with the 4% and 4%? Are these unions getting the 4% and 4% the same way we did?
ReplyDeleteOur contract was done out of spite toward Bloomberg. Your article on May 4th says it all. This is a contract Bloomberg would have agreed with. Mulgrew gave away our leverage to DeBlasio out of animosity towrd the former mayor. The ATR's have been used as pawns. A sad episode in the labor movement in NYC.
ReplyDeleteI've always been incredibly leery of the Mulgrew vs. Bloomberg dynamics.
ReplyDeleteWe didn't endorse another candidate vs. Bloomberg in 2009, many of Bloomberg policies continue today with nary a peep from Mulgrew, and we seem to be seeing better contracts coming along without the givebacks we offered.
Mulgrew plays the anti-Bloomberg line very well, but I wonder...
DC 37 members are not paid all that well to begin with and they still will barely be making a living wage. Still, no excuse for UFT sucky contract.
ReplyDeleteAnother example of our incompetent union. Too bad we couldn't drag Mulgrew and friends into a 3020a hearing. I really don't give a f-ck about the money. I love teaching and the union has allowed my profession to be stolen from me. I have never aspired to be a babysitter, even one making over 100k. This whole ATR bullshit is unbelievable.
ReplyDeleteWow Nice one! it has good terms. But some facts also disappointing about the condition of members.
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Chaz...
ReplyDeleteI thought that the first union to settle (the UFT) would "set the pattern" for raises with the remaining unions. Was this not accurate?
Not a surprise. The Beatles got their record contract before the Stones. The Stones used the Beatles deal as a template to get a better deal.
ReplyDeleteGo back in time to another field. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster sold Superman in 1938, they didn't get such a great deal (sold all rights to the character for $130 split two ways!) The following year Bob Kane sells Batman, saw the deal Jerry and Joe got and negotiated a better deal.
It's never a good idea to go first!
To 1022,
DeleteExactly right! But the Mulgrew the Moron doesn't know how to negotiate. Maybe he should go to a couple of garage sales to hone his skills and get a better fitting wardrobe. (Hey, Mulgrew, I didn't take an oath of allegiance to you!)
This post is ridiculous. First off most of dc37 employees make peanuts for what they do. Most of the employees live paycheck to paycheck. I say kudos for every penny they can get. To compare the uft and dc37 contract is unfair. The amount of increase from the uft far outweighs the actual increase dc37 gets.
ReplyDeleteI personally rather a 1 percent increase on my 80k than a 2 percent increase on a 30k salary.
Excellent post.
ReplyDeleteTwo health care unions, 1199 and NYSNA now have give-back postponed payment schedules, just like the UFT contract:
http://nyceye.blogspot.com/2014/07/nurses-unions-agree-to-weak-contract.html
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ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteThis is not a troll statement or anything so please do not take it as such. I am NOT a UFT member so I may be missing out on some of the intricacies of the UFT contract, but, when you say that ATRs have been sacrificed, what do you mean by that? Were they fired? Or are they not getting the raises?