Would NYC teachers be willing to take a two for one hit on Taylor Law penalties with a view to the long term benefits? We know the leadership will fight to stop a strike because the penalties on them are more severe - the brilliance of the Taylor Law that enlists union leaderships in opposing strikes. The Unity crowd went nuts at a recent DA when an oppo person made an amendment calling for us to lobby to change the Taylor Law. Today is a DA and I hope it comes back again but we know Mulgrew will try to avoid calling on oppo.
I will be outside getting signatures on our petition and handing out copies for people to take back to their schools. The usual Unity slugs will refuse to look at it.
Breaking news in the NYT:
The Los Angeles Unified School District has agreed to increase pay for teachers by more than 21 percent over three years. The tentative agreement came after teachers joined support staff on the picket lines in March.
Nick has a piece on the story at New Action:
UTLA has announced a tentative deal with the City of Los Angeles that includes 21% in raises over just three years. The signatures are still pending, but I don’t expect a no-vote on this one.
Not only do the raises put our dismal pattern to shame; they aren’t even the only economic gains. There are also special additional pay increases for hard-to-staff titles like nurses ($20,000) and special education teachers ($2,500), among others. Contractual class size reductions, which UFC supports outright but Unity Caucus usually rejects for financial reasons, are also part of the LA deal. So we’re talking about what would be a dream deal in New York. Oh yeah, and did I mention there aren’t any healthcare givebacks either?
The best part? Los Angeles teachers didn’t even have to strike. The City knew they were strike ready, as they had already ‘pre-struck‘ for three days earlier this year in solidarity with SEIU-99. This goes to show that it’s not necessarily striking itself, but even merely showing a willingness and capability to do so, that shocks municipalities into signing good contracts with labor unions.
None of this is a surprise. All the data suggests that it’s the strike threat, and almost entirely the strike threat, which is helping labor make gains right now. It’s why many of us in the left-opposition were so shocked to see LeRoy Barr and other UFT leaders speak out against lobbying to reform the Taylor Law so that we would have the right to strike ourselves.
All this is critical, because the right to strike is in jeopardy right now. The Supreme Court is primed to make a decision that could allow companies to sue labor unions for strike-related losses to their bottom line. It goes without saying, that this would have a massive chilling effect for labor. In this terrifying moment for workers, some members of the opposition are planning to put forward a resolution for today’s DA to join the national fight for the right to strike. Now, whether Mulgrew calls on anyone to actually raise that resolution is another story. But, I hope Unity reverses course and does the right thing. We deserve the right to strike. And we aren’t getting the contract we need without showing the City that UFT leadership plans to seek it out.
As does James at ICE:
LA TEACHERS GET 21% RAISES OVER THREE YEARS
The United Teachers of Los Angeles union has a tentative contract agreement after they boycotted faculty conferences and went on strike for three days in solidarity with other education workers in the district.
The salary increases in this new 3 year contract in LA will be coming every six months.
By my elementary math, that comes to 7% per year. Go UTLA! They won lower class sizes too.
There is full retro and I don't think they will have to wait 11 years to get all of it like here in NYC. We recently did our income taxes and 2022 is the first year in many where lump sum payments from the 2014 contract that go back to 2009 were not part of it. Our accountant wondered why we made less money in 2022.
UTLA achieved this contract agreement in open bargaining. There was no cone of silence, confidentiality agreement someone had to sign be on the negotiating committee in L.A. like we have at the UFT.
UFT leadership will probably say those Los Angeles, California teachers made less money than us so they are just catching up but their union changed its leadership a few years back to take a much more militant approach to bargaining. The last two LA contracts after they went on strike in 2019 and their COVID agreement have included solid victories.
Look at the subheading of the NBC4 story on the agreement showing how just the thought of another strike moved the district:
The agreement with UTLA eliminates the possibility of another potential work stoppage after the service workers union staged a three-day strike last month.
UFT leadership is so completely out of touch and the LA salary increases are more proof on why we need a new way of bargaining here in NYC.
Our petition campaign for a vote on healthcare, now hitting 7,000, has driven Unity Caucus and their legal eagles over the edge as they threaten to sue people over parodies. We are about to hit 7k, one third of the way to the constitution 10% figure. Last night's organizing call had 450 people registered which shows the interest. Over 200 showed up and stayed for most of the meeting.
5 comments:
What would be the penalties for striking?
For us two for one penalties. I think in 75 they also said I lost tenure for one year but that is not in the Taylor Law I hear.
I guess technically they can fire everyone.
The real hard penalties are on the union -loss of dues check off which means they have to go around schools collecting dues. Possible death of the union plus fines and jail for them.
"The real hard penalties are on the union -loss of dues check off which means they have to go around schools collecting dues."
Welp, then I doubt this leadership will ever strike.
They won't lead a strike and if the members want to they will undermine it like they did in 1975.
No need to strike OPT OUT same effect Push them out of business by cutting their funding source, dues Force major change or your better off without the whole cabal
Post a Comment