Tuesday, May 13, 2014

UFT Contract: Send these alleged negotiators back to the table to get a real contract without give-backs or illusory promises!

the example used by our anti-tenure president even if true would probably not lead to disciplinary action for teachers working and maintaining personal relationships with their supervisors. .. Jeff Kaufman

I love that Jeff pinned the anti-tenure label on our union leaders because that is exactly what they are. If they thought there wouldn't be a political price to pay they would agree to dump tenure in a minute -- oh, wait a minute -- they pretty much have agreed to dump a load of it.

Jeff blogged about the same issue I did earlier (UFT Contract: Mulgrew Says It's OK to Fire ATR for "Screaming in the Hallway") over at the ICE blog but in more depth. Jeff assumes when Mulgrew mentioned screaming he was talking about a mentally ill teacher - who of course Mulgrew seems to think should be fired even though ill. What next, you have a heart attack in school and are brought up on charges of disturbing the karma of the kids?

Mulgrew Admits He'll Leave Critical Issues to Others in Proposed Contract


In an amazing admission our UFT president was quoted in a Wall Street Journal article yesterday that a critical issue, the definition of "problematic behavior" will be left to arbitrators to discern. Illusory promises and predictions for our precious health benefits, the future of the proposed"no-contract" PROSE schools, merit pay for a new class of teachers and the impact of inflation on 9 years of earned pay all demonstrate that this proposal must be defeated.

Mulgrew told the Wall Street Journal, "[that] a panel of hearing officers would "solidify the definition" of problematic behavior. "If someone says a teacher is screaming in the hallway, that's a problem," he said. "If you do that once, you should be written up. If you do that again you should go through an expedited hearing process."

This quote clearly shows how disconnected the proposers are. 

First, the statement assumes the truth of the allegations. A fundamental part of due process and 3020-a hearings is that charged teachers have the absolute right to cross-examine witnesses against them and present a defense if they wish. Our due process system has, until now, withstood the test of time and while some ed deformers might argue it does not work the bottom line is that based on the number of teachers charged and teachers returned to teaching and the settlements entered into by all sides it is clear that this right is taken seriously and mere allegations must be clearly proven before they become the basis for disciplinary action.

Secondly, the example used by our anti-tenure president even if true would probably not lead to disciplinary action for teachers working and maintaining personal relationships with their supervisors. If the teacher displayed psychotic behavior (I assume Mulgrew did not mean the teacher was trying to stop a fight or call attention to serious problem) we would hope that the teacher would be referred for proper medical attention. Instead Mulgrew further maintains and supports the ed deformer myth that ATRs are mentally ill people who should be terminated.

Progressive discipline is the hallmark to good labor relations. With 80,000 teachers we would expect some problems (including whatever "problematic behavior" turns out to be) but to strip away some of our most basic protections it outrageous and must be stopped.

Send these alleged negotiators back to the table to get a real contract without give-backs or illusory promises!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mulgrew, you're such a tool. Leave the interpretation of "problematic behaviour" up to the arbitrator who will be judge and jury?. Fascism!!!! We are the USA, where legislative and judicial branches are meant to be separate.

Every day I hear you say something, I sincerely wonder if you are being paid off....but by whom?

Michael Fiorillo said...

This is typical of the contempt, routinely exhibited at the Delegates Assembly, that Mulgrew has for the membership.

What kind of union leader can't be bothered to define the terms used in a contract he has negotiated? A fraudulent one...

Anonymous said...

What if the teacher is screaming in the hallway because he/she is being beaten up by a student or because a student ran by and grabbed her breast? (Both actual examples from my building.)

ed notes online said...

Why is the kid beating the teacher? because he/she didn't differentiate instruction. Guilty.

Anonymous said...


Where is the contract document?

In this article:

http://www.uft.org/news/retiring-june-30-if-contract-ratified

"Pending ratification, the contract provides that members who retire on or before June 30, 2014, will receive payments in full for the retroactive raises in one lump sum. Members who retire on or after July 1, 2014, will be paid the retroactive money on the same schedule as that of in-service members: beginning Oct. 1, 2015, and ending Oct. 1, 2020. Your pension calculations will include all of your retroactive raises when you retire."

It is bizarre that the UFT has not released this document. It is also somewhat pathetic that no one has demanded to see it

Over and over....the contract, the contract, the contract?????

Anonymous said...

Are teachers allowed to put More's Vote no flyer in teacher mailboxes?

ed notes online said...

You have the right. Not that rights are every followed. You may face the bigger battle from a Unity CL slug who will try to deny you your rights.

Anonymous said...

I put tons of MORE literature in my teacher mailboxes at my school during the last UFT election. Not a problem at all. Go for it.