Contract Comments this morning
May 5, 2014 am31 11:38 am
I’ve gotten fewer comments this morning (of course, people are working). Tone is a bit more negative. But of course, it’s just a few comments, and they are people who know me (or who know people who know me). No good for making any sort of projection.
- Pay – questions – 4
- Pay – annoyed – 3
- Health – concerned – 3
- Career Ladder – 1
- UFT Explained itself poorly – 1
Still about 2/3 pay, 1/3 health.
– – — — —– ——– ————- ——– —– — — – –
UFT Executive Board is tonight, at 6.
Delegate Assembly is Wednesday, at 4:15
JD2718 
John,
This contract is a complete disservice to our membership on so many levels. I will not vote for it under any circumstances unless there are major fixes to the finances. If you compare it to the other city employees who already received the 4 and 4 raises, they have it in their paychecks. There is simply NO excuse for this being paid out over time. I get the retro payment deal, but 2020 is way too long. We should not have to settle this based on the fact that other unions need to feed at the trough. And 0 and 1% raises? And schedule for RETRO raises? Really? Look at Transit. In fact look at any other union except ours.
The fact that they gave an expedited dismissal process for the ATR’s is reprehensible. Any one of us could have been placed there through no fault of their own(closed school, excessing). Many of them are high dollar people who principals wouldn’t hire simply because of salary and age. Some may have issues. Okay. But not most of them. We have one in our school(guidance) She is lovely. No reason to leave lambs to the slaughter. Sorry, where is the UFT love for its members? These ATR;s pay union dues too.
Ah….yes….the 200 schools. Does the UFT really want to shoot itself in the foot with the 65% vote to throw out major contractual rights? Has the city and the media really sold the UFT on the fact that the ONLY way to innovate is to get rid of work rules?….. After people have walked picket lines over the years? (I am one of those people who WALKED a picket line and was socked with Taylor Law fines.) I resent the fact that we would so easily give away our rights. (Randi did that just fine for us). This needs to be explained in GREAT detail before I can feel comfy.
I don’t care about a little giveback for extra parent conferences. No prob. Reconfiguring the day. No prob.
Merit pay? Geez. Come on now. That is setting up school staffs to have a great deal of animosity towards each other. How will teachers be selected? Well…..we all know how. Whoever the favorites are. A colossal failure before it begins.
The whole contract has me completely nonplussed. Actually saddened. I have 39 years in. Despite the fact that I can just go out and retire, I am still voting NO……… Unless they go back to the table and the city stops throwing us scraps.
I want to talk about abuse. It is an insidious thing. Teachers have been wholly bashed and abused over the past 12 years. We have been so demoralized and so beaten down that ANY shred of kindness or positive professional acknowledgement becomes larger than life. We grab for it, because it sustains us. But make no mistake about it. We are being shafted here, BECAUSE we have been abused.
This has to stop. They have to go back to the table on this.
Pam
PS:
If you look at Diane Ravitch’s blog, you will see discontent all the way down the line. If you go to the UFT facebook page, you will see discontent all the way down the line there. Alot of people are pretty angry.