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Why can’t the UFT do this? What is wrong with out Union? You really think we’re going to get a better offer in 2014 once Bloomberg is out than going to impasse?

We’re in fact finding and the union has been very quiet about talks since Mulgrew came into office (so don’t blame your chapter leader), but the general sense is that the union is in no rush because the teachers will have to agree to less protections and retirement give backs while the city has money to give large raises in exchange.
If you ask me, the union asked for fact finding hoping that the economy would turn around and that the city would have money for raises by now. Since everyone is now almost certain that the economy won’t be roaring back anytime soon, I think both sides will just throw up their hands and settle for something small and short (my guess, need in what they did in 1977, is sometime before March).

Of course, it’s easy to make silly guesses like that when NO ONE from my union is informing the membership of any news on the progress.

Because the UFT and any sort of “Unions” in general are vilified by a public that has been decimated and brainwashed into believing that all teachers are fat, public union employees deserving of nothing because we work in set up to ‘fail’ schools and this propaganda is flamed left and right. 

Because with the 2005 contract, Randi in her infinite, clumsy calculation pushed for raises in lieu of a defacto creation of the ATR pools and opened a back door way to undermining seniority and tenure right.

Because back in 2008-2009 when the DoE was looking into running a pilot program in value added measures that were NEVER to be counted on evaluation, the UFT believed liars who did otherwise and now, the UFT is attempting to block its release to the dismay of 10,000 primary and middle school teachers whose career might be on the line. 

We should NEVER trust an organization with such poor political and tactical skills to fight against a DoE and a Reformer movement that will surely bury a professional suicide pill in ANY contract we get. 

This is not an issue of getting ‘something’ especially if this ‘something’ might mean, wholesale giving up of work protection rights that has taken decades to get. 

We need to become more informed of the Union’s position before we demand something that we might later regret. 

I completely agree. And the union needs to communicate with its members about what those positions really are. 

While I would like a raise, I’m in no hurry to sign a new contract.  It will probably mean a longer day or year and I don’t want to work anymore than I am now.  Like many of you,  I am up to my ears in work between planning, grading, C6 duties, etc.