Fuck Salesforce -- UFT Staffer
This explains a lot about how the UFT leadership decision-making has been running the UFT into the ground. Like we love call centers. I get someone in India to come fix my plumbing.
From a staffer:
The face of the UFT is Salesforce. They have an entire floor at 52. Calling the UFT means calling a call center. It's concierge service with an exclamation point. Just like Med Advantage. Circles upon circles of misdirection and "customer service." Unless you have someone's personal cell # all you get is a scripted intake interview and hope for the best. You are not a member; you are a customer. Calling the UFT is like calling Amazon (except the UFT is not as responsive as Amazon). It's a shameless adaptation of the corporate American model. Questions are not asked; tickets are opened. Questions are not answered; tickets are closed. Well, sometimes. Rarely. Maybe. Usually they languish, and languish, and... Where have you been bro? Get with the program! We are not members; we are customers. Soylent Green is people!!!
I was not aware of the Salesforce issue until the other day.
My friend's daughter and a cousin used to work for the same startup that was bought by Salesforce who turned it into a shit show. They left as soon as they could. Nice work Mulgrew.
The key point is the corporatization and privatization of services. Having clueless people in control in so many areas of the union. This is actually parallel to what Bloomberg did to the DOE. Bringing in corporate people instead of educators. The old system had many issues but it was still run by people who originally started out as teachers. Every principal and Supt had some teaching.
Same with the UFT. It might be an old boy and girl network but still they had been or were still teachers.
I called the Manhattan UFT office yesterday. I asked if they are taking walk ins. The woman who answered the phone said yes. Does anybody know if this is true? Are all borough UFT offices taking walk ins?
ReplyDeleteI have no answer. Just make sure you're not speaking to a robot.
DeleteThis is bs. The uft needed a way to be more responsive. No system is perfect, but the response rate now is vastly better than it was. UFT is basically understaffed. Getting a rep on phone b4 Salesforce was very hard. Often, nobody answered. Now, you get through and get a callback.
ReplyDeleteSo you admit you guys are Bloomberg light in terms of farming out services? How nice you don't have to pay per session or hire people who know what to do. They may call back but often with wrong info. A much better system using clueless people.
DeleteIf the UFT needs a way to be more responsive, it could hire more workers, at union wages and with benefits. The corollary of ¨An injury to one is an injury to all¨ is ¨If they come for me in the morning, they will come for you at night.¨ Specifically, a union needs to be socially responsible in all that it does, or the bad effects will redound to the members.
Delete@ 10:49 So how is it any different who answers the phones?
Delete"but the response rate now is vastly better than it was. " I have been on hold on the, "UFT’s safety hotline" since 5 and now it 5:45 and they close at 6!!!
ReplyDeleteI am glad it's better because it must have really sucked before this.
Thank goodness we had no idea how to handle an ineffective mayor or doe during a pandemic...oh wait, we are in year 2 of this!!!
I don't know if you knew already but fired all the UFT retirees who were answering phones and providing help before.
ReplyDeleteFirst they had them work under new bosses who had them raise their hands to go the bathroom.
Then they fired them.
Of course, we didn't have much sympathy for them since they were all Unity robots who marched to the beat.
I think this goes beyond Unity - much bigger issue of replacement and a form of privatization practice -- like Bloomberg replacing some services handled by unionized teachers with salesforce types.
DeleteI don't think they are understaffed at all. It has to do with incompetence. They have more than enough staff to serve the membership. The UFT is a poorly run corporation.
ReplyDeleteI wish we had added this to the United for Change platform - it IS privatization, and I used to get better response - and I could get straight to the people I needed.
ReplyDeleteFor a while I was saying "this is as bad as calling the cable company" but I'm told that cable companies have improved their customer service.
Add it now. I’m getting more info. Some are suing. Put a box in ny teacher ad.
Delete