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OMG! This has got to be one of the funniest, yet pathetic things I have ever read. I know in negotiations that both sides start out asking for the moon. But what is worrisome is with the current UFT leadership it might actually be accepted.

Thanks Mulgrew for failing to endorse Thompson because you didn’t want to get Reichfürher Bloomberg “mad at us.” Guess what? He seems pretty sore now.

7 words come to my mind after reading the city contract demands: “You have got to be kidding me”. These demands completely rip apart any and all previous work benefits secured by the UFT. Thank God negotioations are going to arbitration. What teacher would ever agree to the majority of these items is beyond me.

The “career ladder” bit sounds interesting and I’d like to learn more about it.  But other than that…

Let me get this straight: THIS is what the city wants…in exchange for NO raises?  HAR HAR HAR. 

I predict the highest commentary to this piece in the history of Gotham Schools. What is the record now Anna?

The ATR and tenure situations are the two “biggies” that should never be compromised. Hypothetical situation: A satisfactory rated teacher works 17 years in the same school, and now the school is slated for closure. This teacher now has 4 months to “find a job in the system” or will be fired. This is utter nonsesnse. This hypothetical teacher was rated satisfactory and the closing of the school should have no effect on his or her job security. Placing teachers is the job of the DOE. (I should say that placing teachers used to be the job of the DOE, before the whole ATR debacle) Compare this situation with a veteran firefighther who has an outstanding record with 17 years on the job. Now suppose his fire station is set to close. Does the firefighter now have “4 months to find a job in the system or loose his job?” Complete nonsense. As for the tenure situation, this is and always will be a state labor law issue. The city has some pretty big cojones to even think tenure is something that can be negotiated at the local level. This is exactly why the UFT is bringing the DOE to court over this topic. New teachers better be informed of what is at stake in this contract otherwise all of us will suffer.

I am shocked that one of the demands did not include having teachers sing Die Fahne Hoch every morning was not included.

The similarities between the DOE and Nazi Germany are blurred.

I missed something in reading this.. Was this part of NEGOTIATIONS? This reads more like Hitler’s Final Solution then a labor negotiation.. Do I have to sew a golden apple on my chest or something so everyone in the city knows I steal tax dollars? So for all these demands what were we getting in return? I swear this must be the only profession were the biggest negotiation to take place centers around how one can eliminate the other.

The Nazi allusions are unhelpful.  As teachers, we need to be circumspect and reasonable in our arguments.  Yes, these “demands” are unreasonable and unworkable for a number of reasons; they do not, however, rise (sink?) to that level.

RBE, I noticed that too.  That would make it hard to save up for a maternity leave.  I know the UFT is working on that (or so they say).  But I guard my sick days pretty closely precisely because I’m planning on having kids in the next 2-3 years and I’d like to have some paid time if possible.

Wrong no difference between the Nazi’s and the DOE. The Nazi’s set themselves up via a via the Jews in a series of self fulfilling prophecies. Bloomberg used the financial crisis to consolidate power much the way Hitler used the Reichstag fire to do the same.

As a Jews I find it abhorrant to see a profession that was at one time predominantly Jewish and still has a large contigent of Jews being brought down by two self loathing Jews. Much in the tradition of Chaim Rumokowski.

Somewhere in the Pentagon War Files the U.S. has plans for the invasion of Canada. I believe they are more likely to happen than the UFT giving in to these WISH LIST BARGAINING proposals by the DOE..

Rick and Peter. You both truly believe that Mulgrew will do the right thing?

The fact finders will give the Mayor something. They always do and do you expect the UFT to not give in? Please see 2005 for precedent.

Well said Invictus.

When you think about the UFT tactic of endorsing mayoral control but not Bloomberg’s opponent, and you examine the rationale that it might break down contract negotiations, it’s absurd.

And when you look at the possibility of putting this on the table with PERB, it’s hard to forget the UFT voices crying, “What wil the tabloids say if we don’t take the PERB offer?” I believe one Edwize piece called the non-binding agreement in fact, binding.

The lack of vision in all these thoughts, from supposed professional negotiators, is astounding. The papers praised the UFT for knuckling under and accepting the awful contract for about five minutes. Then they went back to the time honored practice of trashing teachers, as all good and thoughtful editors do.

Allowing us to accumulate five days instead of ten means that more teachers will take days- if I can’t bank them, why not use them? I’m trying to pay back days I borrowed from maternity leave- does this mean it would take longer? And *6* unpaid coverages? Again, we have teachers in my school who are willing to do coverages but that too will end when they have to do so many before getting paid. Getting out of this profession is looking better and better.

You ever notice how the teachers union critics always point to how corporations treat their employees as justification for taking away rights from public school teachers?

It’s as if the guys running AIG, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Toyota, Citigroup, Countrywide, GlaxoSmithKline weren’t evil crooked people who have literally killed people (see GlaxoSmithKline and Toyota for that) or just pillaged billions from them (see AIG, Goldman, JP Morgan, Citigroup, et al.)

Well, it’s refusing to recognize the sense of something so screamingly obvious as “give notice if you’re going to require a long-term absence” that gives unions and unionism a bad name.  I stand by my comment 100%.  I’m happy to support many, if not most, of the protections our contract quite fortunately offers and would be loathe to give many of them back.  But that’s one that can, and ought to, go.

I agree with Miss Eyre. It is absurd that someone who is supposed to be a professional can get away with not showing up for 20 days with no notice. There are plenty of other concerns here that we should really give our energy to, not this one.

“never let anyone outside the family know what you are thinking.”

This is our biggest problem! Gosh, no wonder we are dumped on.

Miss Malakey, I was a witness to someone who had a break down. At first there was communication and later, it just got cut off. The Union rep and everyone else was kept wondering what had happened to this individual. It was not until months after that news arrived. He had been interned and was given a clean bill of health.

The break down he had experienced was the incredible pressure given to him by his immediate supervisor, at the orders of the principal. Asides from this, even though he was in a license shortage age, he told me about his challenges everyday, where students did very little, not a bit of study and with that work ethic, they took the Regents, with obvious results.

Unless one experiences this sort of thing, it is difficult to understand why people would be incommunicado for 20 days or more. As of late, I have been hearing directly from people of more panic attacks and break downs.

If someone runs out of the building, feeling dizzy, wanting desperately to go home while being heckled by students who do not feel pity at that person…and disappears for more than 5 days in order to return to their senses, then, according to this provision, you would be terminated.

It is quite interesting what some private attorneys would do with such case scenario…where the DoE would be responsible of discrimination against the mentally unstable? With the source of the psychological stress coming from one’s work setting?

Miss Eyre:

I’ve defended too many teachers whose rights were abused by the bureaucracy. Who did call their school, who did send a letter, but, did not send a return receipted registered letter, could not “prove” that they informed the school.

The member is wrong until they prove themselves right, oftentimes months, sometimes a year or more later.

Any administration that would “create” a rubber room that houses 660 members for political purposes, to use the rubber room issue as an attack on tenure without any regard for the impact on kids and teachers is untrustworthy.

Until you find yourself the victim of an abusive system it is easy to assume that reasonable people will do “the right thing,” not in this climate. It’s all about the next article in the Post or the News, the impact on the lives of those victimized be damned.

John:

Two “real life” arbitration cases that I argued:

Teacher is on a sabbatical leave for resotoration of health, at the conclusion of the leave they are still medically unable to return and applied for a leave without pay. The leave is denied and 20 days into the term the Board terminates the teacher for abandonment.

Another teacher is on a leave without pay for restoration of health, prior to the expiration date they apply for another leave. They continue to receive regular correspondance from the school, job postings, etc. Prior to the beginning of the next term they ask for a grade preference sheet and are told, we terminated you, your leave was denied, and, maybe we didn’t inform you but we have no obligation to inform you.

In both cases the teachers thought they were “following the rules,” in both cases the principals wanted to get rid them and used their interpretation of Board rules to, in essence, fire them.

John:

Twenty school days, a month, allows a reasonable amount of time to address and hopefully resolve the issue while the teacher is an active employee, reducing the time to a week will mean the teacher is terminated.

Why diminish a right that is not abused, why make it easier to drive out teachers?

If the DOE can point to how this clause is abused, etc., let them make the argument to the factfinding panel.

In our last contract we were sold out. By keeping silent, the UFT supported Bloomberg and Klein. When are we going to learn to stand up and fight. I’ve been teaching for over 10 years, have always received a satisfactory rating, and now if my school closes, I will have 4 months to find a new job ? If the UFT allows this to happen, and caves in on the other issues – then what else is there left to protect ? What would be the purpose of the UFT ? Our membership would never vote in favor of this contract and our union leadership would never have a chance to continue as our leaders.

You might win your grievence eventually but how do you pay the bills during ? What I have also noticed are principals doing everything possible to receive a passing grade so their school will not be in danger of receiving a “failing” grade and closw down . It sounds great but the grading process ( ie how the school receives a grade) much of the time has nothing to do with sound educational policies. For instance having an up to date bathroom and late logs is part of that process. Plus ,many other administrative time- consuming “policies” that teachers much accomphlish in order for the school to receive a passing grade. The problem is no time is allowed for teachers to finish them and they have no effect on the educational process. It reminds of the time I served in the miltary and we all got ready for the big yearly inspection – the difference being that we were given the necessay time and support to pass and the inspection was “real” for the most part and not some paperwork shuffle that doesn’t really count for much.