Let ATR Teachers Teach - Petition

More voices from ATR's. First, a petition from Marjorie Stamberg which hopefully people will reproduce and pass around their schools.

Then 2 anonymous ICE blog comments (these comments do more than anything to expose the true state of affairs, so keep 'em coming.) One from Tilden HS, which is slated to close, which exposes the total uselessness of the UFT, which it is increasingly obvious is looking for ways to make this problem go away. Are they or the DOE to be trusted on anything?

This is what Klein wanted from day one and the UFT helped hand it to him. His comment in Principal Weekly this week saying there are plenty of new teachers available (see my other post today) without saying that there is a body of experienced teachers, who through no fault of their own, are available, says it all.

Naturally we don't expect this of Klein, but the gullible, or complicit, press will follow the leader with the line that these people are not employable and look how much it is costing the DOE.

Hell, yes they are not employable when schools are charged for their salaries. But this is the bed Klein and Weingarten made and the press, if honest- ha, ha - should report it that way. Now with economic crisis upon us, watch the pressure build to get rid of ATR's. Remember the cataclysmic mid 70's when we lost 15,000 positions, but at least seniority made this process somewhat orderly. Now it will be a free for all.

Click on the image to enlarge. If you want a better copy, email me and I'll send you a pdf for your school at Normsco@gmail.com.

From Marjorie
The situation of teachers in the ATR pool is urgent. Obviously everyone is affected. With classrooms more overcrowded than ever, it is outrageous that some 1,400 teachers are being prevented from teaching. This is a direct result of the union's sellout of seniority transfers in the 2005 contract.

The union must act. Attached is a petition calling on the UFT to organize a mass citywide rally to demand that the ATRs be given positions before any new teachers are placed. I would like to ask colleagues to take this up in their schools and the various teacher groups that they participate in. Let's try to have a meeting of those interested in working on this, possibly next Friday, Sept. 26. Please get back to me with your feedback and information.

Marjorie


Anonymous on ICE blog
Grieve What! At Tilden they did the same thing last year. The Principal saved thousands and thousands of dollars by making many of us ATRs and then she gave us full schedules in our subject areas. We all went to our chapter leader at Tilden and told him what are you and the union doing about this, we would like to grieve. He told us the principal does not have the money to pay us in her budget. This is the only way she can keep the school running and us in the building. If we grieve it she will be forced to dismantle the classes and assign some of us to different subject areas. It other words she will give a Math teacher 2 math classes one English class one science class and one social studies class. That way there will not be 5 open math class were the teacher can grieve a right of return. Plus any other extra Ats will be moved from the building. So don't rock the boat. Not to mention that she could come in and give you a negative observation. Yea, then you can go grieve that like your going to win. You will lose at the first 2 steps and then when it is suppose to go to arbitration it will be turned by our union because they don't want to lose at that level. We asked him they file a class action grieve on behalf of all of us. He told us that he does not know if he can do this. He'll have to talk to Charles Turner and find out. The Chapter leader never got back to us on it. We are still waiting for an answer a year later. Now that they are going to ship us out after a year of teacher 5 classes in our subject area as Atrs, our chapter leader tells us we can't grieve anything, we are lowlife ATRs and have no rights. We most go where they send us and do what we are told if we want to get a pay check at the end of the week.


Anonymous on ICE blog
I have been an ATR for a year and last year I had a full program. Now everyday that I walk into the building I hear that we will be moved by Sept. 19th. School aides stop me in the hall and tell me that Sept. 19th will be our last day. I feel like I am living the movie "Dead Man Walking" and everyday that I go to work it's like I am walking my last mile. I called the union district office and got a special rep on the phone who makes $127,000 a year and he he couldn't answer any questions for me. Did you ever speak to a dope? He asked me why I didn't speak to my building UFT rep and I told him that I do not like sarcastic and demeaning remarks which he would only make in the building to me. He then said he would tell the district rep about this and he would call me. This was 3 days ago and I have still have not been called. Lets face it I think the union has written off ATR's.