UFT President Michael Mulgrew loudly proclaimed victory in negotiating with the City on parental leave. At first glance, it does not seem to contain "givebacks" but on further analysis there is a "giveback". The union agreed to extend the existing contract 73 days, from November 30, 1918 to February 11th, 2019. That means when you add the 16 days delayed for the final 3% raise we gave up to fund the massive retirements in 2014, that means our existing contract was actually 10% for 7.25 years or annual raises of only 1.38%!
The union leadership and their acolytes will claim that there are no "givebacks" but to me, raises delayed and the extension of an existing contract is a "giveback". Moreover, it only pertains to parental leave (affecting 1.2% of the teachers) not the more expansive family leave that allows members to take for caring of a sick relative, a plan that would allow all members to benefit, not just a select segment of the membership.
Compare our union leadership's negotiation with the one public worker union, the United University Professionals (UUP) who negotiated a family leave plan in their new contract. Here.
If you read the article you will find that the UUP negotiated up to 10 weeks of family leave and that will increase to twelve weeks by 2021. More importantly, there were no "givebacks" and in fact, thee were enhancements. So let the UFT declare victory but now you know the truth.
Read David Irons' analysis on the ICE blog. Moreover, the New York Post Editorial Board praised the plan, enough said.
20 comments:
DO THE MATH! WE ARE ALL (paying for) PARENTAL LEAVE!
Chaz -- the original delay was not 16 days, it was 46 days. The original 3% raise was scheduled for May 1, but moved to June 16.
To me, this move is so obviously about Janus, it's tacky. Mulgrew does a deal with The Big Gavone' to reduce the bleeding after the Janus loss? 65 to 75 % of staff is female in the schools would you estimate? So, child care is preeminent in their minds, causing many to continue paying dues out of guilt?
Chaz,
I never got to thank you for your endorsement last UFT election. I was and am very grateful. I hope I make the grade again sometime soon.
Just wanted to come and say I disagree. I think this is the best deal since the 25/55 retirement plan and since Randi negotiated "starting after labor day" BACK into our contract.
1. The same thing you're calling a giveback is what Bloomberg did to us for years and what that sleezebag Giuliani did. They simply didn't negotiate. We were left for years without a contract and the settlements came with MAJOR givebacks (I don't recall earning inflation rate interest on any of our retro). What we have in this instance is 73 days. 73 lousy days of waiting -with the respect of actually calling it an extension. That's the only giveback. That's insane! That's an insanely small giveback!! We, in the city, now have a benefit that the suburban districts don't have FOREVER. And it only cost us 73 days.
2. The better alternative you spelled out would require working intimately with the extreme left. They are the only people who are organizing and advocating around Family Leave right now. I have read here on Chaz's School Daze -several times- how too much eft is not a good thing. (I recently reached the same conclusion). Are you advocating now that we join .. arm in arm .. with these folks? To organize with them? To attend the sign making parties and phone-banking sessions and invasive "shame on you" rallies that they have become known for? If you are, I would have to be out. And that's not because they're not smart and not because I have any discomfort with folks from the extreme left (I don't. Most are very, very cool people). I would have to be out because, if Mike S's and Peter Z's and my own recent experience with them has taught anything it's that those people in those organizations are completely unreasonable. As in zero reason to them. The few sane ones in the groups provide no counterbalance to the crazy in any way. But if you want to work with them in order to organize for paid family leave, and if you want to help them get 1000 people to a rally in support of paid family leave, and if you want to build a movement with them, go right ahead. I'll give you all my contact numbers and will be there to support you anytime. Many of them are now in the UUP so I'm sure they have a plan somewhere.
Just to add, things like this may (may) lead me to someday allow my daughter to explore teaching in the city as a profession when she grows up. There was once a time I said I would never allow my her to experience a whole career with complete indignities that NYC teachers suffer. Benefits like this (benefits which will be around long after you and I exit the stage) will help make this a good job. I'm ok with this lousy 73 day giveback. I hope someday you are soon.
John:
Don't forget the other 16 days from the 2014 contract. The result was an effective 1.38% annual raises.
We disagree and that's fine.
I have to give the devil his due(s) - Mulgrew did something good. It actually helps many teachers. This doesn't mean the UFT isn't one huge disfunctional bureaucracy that needs a total makeover, but it's a start. Far from perfect, but a start.
I agree with John's first point: we're giving up 73 days of raises for a benefit that stays in the contract forever. That's a good deal.
(It's the opposite reason as why the signing bonus in 2014 was a bad idea; we should've never traded anything in negotiations for a one-time-only benefit.)
Bronx ATR said it perfectly
Chaz is right. Our union cannot negotiate with the City without givebacks.
I'm actually fine with this deal. But this is different Tha the times we didn't get a contract on time. Those times we received retro back to the end of the previous contract. What we are really losing out in is 73 days worth of retro. Probably oy a few hundred dollars do who really cares. It will help out many in the future for a small price. But did we really secretly negotiate smaller future raises in exchange for this, probably. We'll just never know.
Also thinking the city is saving by not giving us a raise, right? But the UFT is paying the parental leave? So I'm assuming the city will give the UFT the money we would have received between November and February. So did Mulgrew just figure out how to get a free loan to keep the UFT afloat if Janus turns out bad and we lose people? Uft would get tens of millions up front, but would only pay out a little each year.
Very modest giveback, very big gain: kudos to the UFT high school reps on the Executive Board, the rank-and-file teacher who got the ball rolling, and the UFT leadership for doing the right thing.
I find it hard to believe that some of you think this is a win. One "giveback" is one too many.
How do you know it's only 73 days? Maybe the UFT secretly agreed to minuscule raises or a bonus rather than a raise in the next cotract? The answer is you don't and I would not put it past our leaders to do just that.
Chaz is right! We have no idea how much of a potential raise we lost due to this deal. For the love of me I can't seem to grasp how everybody thinks this is permanent. Where does it say that in writing? You think the City is going to fund this after February? I will bet my bottom dollar that the next contract is going to be a 1% raise instead of 2% just so the UFT members can keep funding this scheme. And make no mistake, WE are paying for this. Not the City, not the UFT, and not God himself. I really do not know why teachers in NYC could not have come up with some type of a savings plan on their own by making small deductions from their own paychecks to fund maternity and paternity leave. If all these teachers funded their own plan, there would be no complaints from everybody else who is not planning on having kids but are loosing money over this.
For John G........we paid dearly for those 2 days back after Labor Day...the giveback was the interest rate for the TDA fixed went from 8.25% to 7%.....you're sure to agree after you do the math on hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Is it true that time spent on parental leave will not be pensionable because the money is coming from UFT not the city?
just finished my 1st year of retirement from the nyshitty board of assholes. took the buyout my benefits the givebacks and a job as a TA with a suburban school. after 6 miserable years as an ATR I was able to breath again. reading all the post this year made me sick knowing my former brothers and sisters in education still must face the hounds of hell and deal with bullshit just to maintain a standard of living that you earned and deserve. please enjoy your summer and hope for a better outcome for the future. if you can retire do it I promise you you will never look back.
8:30:
First, the money is coming from the UFT Welfare Fund NOT the UFT. It is a separate entity.
Second, Of course it would not be pensionable you are not working and not getting paid for work. That would be unfair to all the complainers out there.
Third, it is 6 weeks. 6 weeks at the early part of a career (most takers will be young) is almost negligible on a pension. In a 30 year career that amounts to nothing.
With anything in life we have trade offs.
Ever heard of a sabbatical 10:51? Pensionable and you accrue seniority time.
10:51 is drinking the kook aid. Pensionable employment means a lot at the end of your miserable career at the DoE!
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