Jeff Kaufman Amendments for MORE Platform Approved at Meeting, Goes to Membership Vote

When the MORE platform committee shared what they came up with

MORE stands on its platform

Our 2016 Platform

and made it clear that it was an open platform open to amendments and modifications. Some people chose to criticize while offering no suggestions for changes to the platform committee.

The always reliable Jeff Kaufman came up with these suggestions and we reviewed them and gave people an opportunity to object or offer modifications at the Jan. 16 general meeting. They were approved and are expected to be ratified by the membership. As far as I know the process of suggestions is still open though time is running out as the election season gets closer.

There are more extensive suggestions that would not fit in a platform - like democracy:

Union Democracy: A Life-or-Death question for the UFT

Here are the amendments Jeff offered. (Jeff will be running on the MORE slate in the 2016 elections.)

AMENDMENT 1: ADD "End the per session pay formula and restore real time and a half for work beyond the school day based on salary.”

AMENDMENT 2: ADD ""Strengthen the grievance procedure by removing the cap that has been placed on the number of arbitration cases permitted annually;  providing a UFT investigative team for each case; and restoring rights that have been bargained away such as the right to grieve any material in our file."

AMENDMENT 3: ADD "Eliminate the designation “ATR” and assign teachers to a school of their choice in their District. Until the ATR designation is abolished, the UFT shall have an ATR chapter with elected representatives"

AMENDMENT 4: ADD "and end involvement in UFT Charter Schools except as a representative of union members.”

AMENDMENT 5: ADD "Create a sliding scale for union dues based on salary and require dues increases to be voted on at the Delegate's Assembly."