Occupational Therapists/Physical Therapists Reject Contract

I have not been actively following the “No” side of the contract ratification vote – I thought this one was worth a yes.

But there are over a dozen actual contracts – I often focus solely on the teachers’ contract – but there are contracts for counselors, paraprofessionals, secretaries, and a bunch more.

Voting down a contract is pretty serious business, especially when the therapists knew that the other units were likely to vote Yes.

It is our obligation, all of us, to stand in solidarity with the OTs and PTs. They will need our support.

It is our obligation to understand the issues that led to such a different result than the other units (teachers voted yes over 80% – lower than I anticipated, but still a large margin. All of the units taken together voted Yes by 87%).

Essentially, OTs and PTs are not paid in line with school workers with comparable professional training. By a lot. They are massively underpaid. And at negotiations de Blasio’s people essentially said “we don’t care; we won’t negotiate a correction to this inequity.” The DoE’s position is utterly unacceptable. The OTs and PTs perform critical work in our schools, often under horrible conditions, often without adequate space. They need to be treated fairly.

We must find a way to engage all of the UFT, including those who just approved a contract for their unit, in solidarity with the OTs and PTs so that they can get a swift and fair settlement.