Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Message from MORE: Nearly 90% of Your Retro Money Is Being Withheld

We were told in 2014 that it was necessary to delay retro payments to avoid a city financial crisis, a budget shortfall that has since evaporated.... When your own union has to sell you on the deal, you know it's not good. Our friends in other city unions look at us and shake their heads.... MORE, http://morecaucusnyc.org/

I posted on this yesterday - Retro About Retro Pay  - with a link to Kevin Prosen's Jacobin piece from May 2014 about why we should have voted NO on the contract. MORE and others pointed out that the entire retro fiasco was - well, a fiasco. People who worked for the money but are not teaching at this moment don't get money. Then we hear about bumps in union dues - not clear what is going on there -- but Unity made sure to remove voting for dues increases many years ago and automated the process -- before a Frierich decision comes down from the Court Unity might want to think about how this will play out.

I think there may be a delegate assembly today where Mulgrew will probably give some responses to the retro issue. Check Arthur Goldstein's NYC Educator blog later today or tomorrow for a report.

Here is today's MORE Post - and note about our State of the Union all-day conference on Oct. 24 - I and Michael Fiorillo are doing a workshop on union democracy - or lack thereof - and will present some ideas on how to change that.


Nearly 90% of Your Retro Money Is Being Withheld





UFT members will be receiving only 12.5% of what is owed to us from 2009. We will not receive our full retro until 2020. Our fellow UFT members who are on maternity leave, family leave, or medical leave will be getting zero. This is nothing to celebrate, yet Mulgrew and his unity caucus leadership sent out a happy message with the piggy bank image you see above. We were told in 2014 that it was necessary to delay retro payments to avoid a city financial crisis, a budget shortfall that has since evaporated. We deserve what every other union received, we deserve the full back pay that is owed to us.

When your own union has to sell you on the deal, you know it's not good. Our friends in other city unions look at us and shake their heads. Look at our brothers and sisters who are Firefighters, they received 8% raises from 2008-2010 that we did not and will be receiving their full retroactive upon ratifying their contract. They don’t have to wait for 5 installments of money that is rightfully ours.  We constantly settle for less than others and then are told by Mulgrew to be thankful for what we have. New York City will have a 6 billion dollar surplus. but we were told they were broke. It was a lie. Our members are educated professionals and deserve to be treated as such. It is time to tell the truth.

Just to add one more layer of complexity: The numbers 12.5%, 12.5%, 25%, 25%, 25% are also not accurate because in reality they don't add up to 100%. Consider the fact that we are still accruing arrears from the city and will continue to do so until 2018 because the 8% raises will not be fully phased in until then. That means that the total lump sum owed to us will be higher in 2017 than it is in 2015 (especially considering that teachers will continue to go up steps, accrue longevities, and earn differentials). That means that the 2017 12.5% payment will not be equal to the 12.5% we get in 2015. The final, 2020, payment will not actually be 25% of all the arrears. It will be whatever we are still owed. For most of us that will be somewhat more than 25%.

Let’s be clear this money is ours, we worked for it, including those who are on leave to raise a child or because of health issues. Mulgrew should not have sent out celebratory letters, instead they should be using the full force of our union to demand that ALL members who are owed money get that money now. If you believe like we do that it is time for new union leadership, one that negotiates on behalf of all members, and ensures that we get treated with the respect we deserve, please join MORE now 

The UFT officer elections are in Spring 2016 and we want to hear from you. Please join us at our State of The Union, State of Our Schools Conference.
Register Here


MORE-UFT
http://more.nationbuilder.com/
Posted by Norm @ at No comments:

Monday, October 12, 2015

Retro About Retro Pay and UFT Election Implications Plus Kevin Prossen on UFT 2014 Contract - Why VOTE NO?

.... our union president has said “the cupboard was bare” — that retroactive pay is not a “God-given right,” and that we should be satisfied with this money being further delayed. If workers have not won the right to be paid for the labor they have already done, then the labor movement has fallen very far indeed...
Kevin Prossen, Jacobin magazine on May 12, 2014. 
Jia Lee: A must read for NYC Educators! Kevin Prosen published this piece before the contract was voted in, and at this time, it gives us cause for reflection. 

I agree with Jia. Kevin, one of our most dynamic organizers and chapter leaders, wrote the piece for Jacobin magazine on May 12, 2014.

More from Kevin:
This is money that we are owed, and that those of us who are those mid-career teachers that will have to leave the system in the next few years — who can’t continue working for these wages — will never see. The proposed pay increases fall below the rate of inflation, our rents continue to spiral upward, and every year the conditions of life for working New Yorkers gets worse. We’ve been told by our union that if we vote this down we will go “to the back of the line” — that we could be waiting for years for a contract. We were told that if we could just wait out Bloomberg, we would be richly rewarded. Yet here we are, still waiting.
Before we get back to Kevin's must read piece, a few points.

MORE took a strong stand against the contract. Unity has been ridiculing MORE for its stance in the puny little handout they give out at DAs.

The current retro pay snafu, as reported by James Eterno at the ICE blog, is, you'll excuse the expression, a tip of the iceberg. James emailed:
...please check out the ICEUFT blog where a simple post about the 12.5% retro pay stub being online is getting a significant number of comments.  We haven't seen comments in these numbers since the contract came out in 2014.
There has been lots of internal buzz inside MORE about this issue. I've been out of town and can't follow that closely but there is talk of the UFT dues increase in the midst to a retro snafu and other stuff - so go check it out at ICE.

James continues to point out that Unity battered people to vote YES on the contract in order to keep the city from going broke when there is in fact billions of surplus - after we signed the contract. Our union leaders are not stupid - they know where the money is but sold us a lie.

Yes, when I was leafleting at the contract vote DA I actually had Unity people tell me I was crazy to push the city into bankruptcy.

Mike Schirtzer left this rant:
This week 80,000 are going to be looking at some BS money- while the city withholds about 90% of what's due us. This week my friend who worked the last 9 years like I did, is sitting home taking care of her sick child, without a paycheck and without retro payment to help her-pay her free healthcare (copay after copay).
Roseanne McCosh informed us that "BX UFT is taking our grievances over Oct first retro delay.  Taking them and stuffing them in a drawer is my guess but who knows maybe they'll surprise us."

I replied that I think they will take this grievance for show and PR. Watch Mulgrew announce this at the DA to demonstrate they are "fighting" - I would call it whimpering. You know, they negotiated and signed and shilled for the contract. If it is grieveable then make a big deal about that. But that they would have to grieve it makes them look oh so stupid.

Wait until the health care shit kicks in - but that won't happen until after this year's UFT election - intentionally on the part of the DOE/UFT alliance - which I believe I pointed out at the time (just too lazy to find a link). You all will find out the REAL BAD NEWS sometime after Mulgrew gets re-elected.

The contract was voted on by about 92% of the 108,000 UFT members eligible to vote. (Retirees and non-DOE employees do not vote). I was at the vote count to observe. About 25% of the classroom teachers - roughly 16,000 - voted NO. 47,000 voted Yes. About 20% of the non-teaching staff voted no.

These are interesting numbers vis a vis the upcoming UFT elections. Can these 16,000 classroom NO Votes translate into general election votes for MORE/New Action?

James broke the numbers down after the vote: THOUGHTS ON NEW CONTRACT AND THE RATIFICATION VOTE...

Look at the difference in NO vote numbers between the teaching staff (25%) and the other divisions which mostly topped 80% and indicates the significant control Unity exercises over these divisions. The battle inside the UFT can only be won in the schools, not the general election. I believe the contract vote totals for classroom teachers and non-teachers justifies my theories of concentrating resources on this biggest branch of the UFT and not on retirees or the other divisions - sorry if you are a secretary or para - you guys have to get into your UFT chapter and break Unity total control.

More on election implications of the contract vote in the future.

Back to Kevin's piece in Jacobin where he closes with:
If we vote “no” on this proposed deal, we will, of course, be attacked in the press as greedy labor aristocrats. But this isn’t only about the UFT, and we can’t talk as though it is. We must challenge the idea that we are somehow not deserving of a professional wage. But we also need to point out that this deal will set the pattern for hundreds of thousands of other city workers.
Saying no to this deal is about drawing a line for the entire working class of New York City — about saying there is a limit to what we will suffer and how little we will accept. Many of our students’ parents are city workers: they drop their kids off before making their way to operate buses and subways, to pick up our trash, to direct our traffic and clean the offices of City Hall. This is not only about us, it’s about solidarity with the rest of working New York. It is about making our city a more humane place for the people who love it enough to keep it running. That is the language we need to speak in.
A contract is a negotiated settlement on the conditions of exploitation under which you will spend most of your waking life. Don’t accept arguments that this offer is “the best we can get” from anybody who won’t have to work under its terms. Not from liberal mayors, not from union leaders making generous salaries on your dues money, not from newspaper editors; it’s your life under discussion, not theirs.
I hope you will join me and the majority of teachers in my school in voting no on this contract. By all means, do it for the money. But also, do it for love.
Kevin goes into the details of how the contract supports ed deform, as the UFT has all along. Read it all at:

A Letter to New York City’s School Teachers

New York teachers should vote no on the proposed union contract — for love and for money.

by
May 12, 2014

Posted by Norm @ at 2 comments:
Labels: ,

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Jeff Bryant: The ugly charter school scandal Arne Duncan is leaving behind

How long before Arne takes a job with the charter industry? These people - and include Chris Cerf and Joel Klein among cast of thousands - are scum.

I love the work Jeff Bryant does. I had the pleasure of hanging at the press table with him at the AFT2014 LA convention.

Thanks to old UFT/school wars pal Julie Woodward for sending this along.


Sunday, Oct 11, 2015 07:00 AM EDT

The ugly charter school scandal Arne Duncan is leaving behind

Officials are raising questions about a $249 million grant to charter schools announced the day of his resignation

, Education Opportunity Network

US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s surprise announcement to leave his position in December is making headlines and driving lots of commentary, but an important story lost in the media clutter happened three days before he gave notice.
On that day, Duncan rattled the education policy world with news of a controversial grant of $249 million ($157 the first year) to the charter school industry. This announcement was controversial because, as The Washington Post reports, an audit by his department’s own inspector general found “that the agency has done a poor job of overseeing federal dollars sent to charter schools.”
Post reporter Lynsey Layton notes, “The agency’s inspector general issued a scathing report in 2012 that found deficiencies in how the department handled federal grants to charter schools between 2008 and 2011″ – in other words, during Duncan’s watch.

 View full article at Salon.com
Posted by Norm @ at 1 comment:
Labels:

Teachers Rate Eva Moskowitz/ Success Academy Charters as "Toxic" and "Miserable Place to Work"


Don't even both applying. You might as well quit teaching...

They could barely get enough trolls...

http://www.indeed.com/cmp/Success-Academy-Charter-Schools/reviews


Success Academy Charter Schools

21 reviews

Success Academy Charter Schools Employee Reviews

  • Job Work/Life Balance
  • Compensation/Benefits
  • Job Security/Advancement
  • Management
  • Job Culture











Miserable place to work
Teaching Assistant (Former Employee), Harlem – August 1, 2015
Pros: None
Cons: Bad hours, absurd discipline policies, awful culture
The modus operandi of Success Academy is to hire college kids right out of school. Hardly any of the "teachers" have any real experience or have any idea what they are getting into. The majority wash out within a year or two -- or get fired.

The atmosphere can best be described as Kafka-esque. The hours are long, and the kids are held to quasi-abusive standard of discipline. My 5th graders, for instance, were only allowed to go to the bathroom twice a day at predetermined times and are accompanied into the bathroom by a teacher. The students must remain silent during lunch. Special Ed students are quietly purged. Teachers are constantly being fired or quitting midway through the year, so expect co-workers to be mysteriously disappear, never to be heard from again.

Most of the year, the children do nothing but practice taking standardized tests. Unsurprisingly, when at the end of the year the kids score well on standardized exams, Moskowitz points to this as evidence that the kids are being given fantastic educations. Unfortunately, the truth is that most of these kids can't do anything outside of a state test.
–










Horrible Place To Work
Teacher (Former Employee), West Harlem – July 17, 2015
Pros: intellegent staff
Cons: Culture of fear as someone put it so perfectly
I would NEVER recommend anyone to work for this school! It has turned me off to all charters, which is a shame because many of them are great academies.

Don't even both applying. You might as well quit teaching
–










All Work and No Life, So Run Teacher, Run!!!!!
Teacher (Former Employee), Harlem West Middle School – April 8, 2015
Pros: Free snacks and good medical benefits
Cons: Lil to no prep time, no lunch time
A typical day at success was 7 to 6.
The building opens between 6:30-6:45
7:00 -7:20 was a whole school meeting
7:30-8:05 Homeroom (which the teacher covers)
8:05-55 Electives (which you as a teacher have to teach)
8:55-9:50 Snack time, library time, vocabulary time, (which you the teacher had to teach and cover)
9:55-10-45 was my only prep or break of the day and sometimes they would take that away for a meeting or training

10:45-11:35 taught a class
11:35-12:25 taught a class
12:25-12:55 Advisory time which you the teacher lead and teach as well
1:00 -2:00 Lunch time (which you the teacher cover as well)

2:05-2:55 taught another class
2:55-3:45 taught another class
3:45-4:35 taught another class

4:35-4:50 dismissal (which you the teacher lead)
4:50-5:00 you must stand outside until all students are dismissed then you go back up stairs
5:00-5:30 All teachers were required to report to detention and sit with and talk to students
5:40-6:00 All staff team meeting

At 6 :00 you were free to do what you wanted
At 6:30 our building permit was up so half the time they would kick you out the building

WARNING STAY ANYWAY FROM HARLEM WEST MIDDLE SCHOOL AND POSSIBLY EVEN SUCCESS Academy in general!

The Ceo made a recent statement in the New York Times about former employees stating,
"As for the teachers who said they did not like the environment, Ms. Moskowitz said: “Most of the people who leave are a little angry, like they don’t like their work and they don’t seem happy teaching, and we really can’t have people who don’t love it.”"

Translation meaning that those who left success were not cut out for teaching even though you had success teaching prior to teaching there.

Really!
–
April 16, 2015
I had the above schedule two times a week on Monday and Friday with one prep. Wednesday I had one prep as well. On Tuesday and Thursday I had the same schedule as above except I had two preps and four classes to teach. But these preps were taking away sometimes for meetings or to cover a class when people quit, went to a training, or they were absent. Mind you before Christmas we lost 8 staff members, then after we lost 7 staff members. This is the norm here because the first year in this school building we lost 13 staff members before Christmas, and the second year in this building we lost 12 staff members before Christmas.










Productive and extremely fun and friendly work environment
Human Resources Intern (Former Employee), New York, NY – February 23, 2015
Success Academy Charter School has one of the best attitudes towards improving education. Everyone works their hardest to improve the Academy, and the culture they have created is full of energy and diverse. Have been there only one summer, but I felt like a part of the team.
–










Great professional development
Operations Department, Operations Manager (Former Employee), New York, NY – October 30, 2014
We worked over 55 Hours a week. My co-workers were great. Hardest part of the Job was dealing with the time and physical lifting. The greatest part is communicating with staff and children.
I learned more in managing projects in business and the science of a collaborative enterprise, frequently involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim.
–










Avoid working here if you really care for kids
Middle School Math Teacher (Former Employee), Bronx, NY – October 18, 2014
Pros: salary and benefits are very cheap
Cons: idiot supervisors, no work life balance, barely any prep times, must teach electives
Success Academy prides itself with test scores and such but the kids don't know as much as they say they do. You can clearly tell the main concern is high test scores and not foundational learning. At the end of the day principals just care for the test scores so network isn't up theirs. They also say they love feedback but truthfully this is one directional. The principal I worked with was very u professional, lacked the ability to spell or proofread anything she sent to the staff members and had the nerve to tell kids they needed to do it. She never practiced what she preached and many of the school's you will find this. If you know your subject we'll find another place to work.
–










Education
Operations (Former Employee), New York, NY – September 25, 2014
Associates are great to work with. Each day is different but does require a lot of paperwork.
–










Not the best place to work
Operational Role (Former Employee), New York, NY – September 15, 2014
Pros: healthcare is amazing, free beverages and snacks once a week
Success achieves amazing results with educating inner city children. However, working there is miserable. There is incredibly high turnover for a reason.
–










Fast pace house of learning
Office Coordinator (Current Employee), New York, NY – May 15, 2014
Pros: long hours
Cons: not compensation for overtime
Excellent for college graduates. Have been here for 5 plus years want to go back to my first love the Medical Community.
–










Avoid phone interviews at all cost
Grants and Contracts Manager (Former Employee), Brooklyn – March 5, 2014
Cons: inappropriate phone interviews
Please be advised that phone interviews may be conducted with excessive noise in the background which crates a very tough atmosphere for you the applicant when delivering key points about your experience.
–










Dedicated colleagues, supportive work environment with room to grow
Marketing (Current Employee), Network – January 25, 2014
Cons: transitioning from start-up mode
As a mission-driven organization Success Academy attracts dedicated, intelligent employees and fosters a supportive team environment. The organization is growth-oriented, and supports the professional development of all staff. Employees are recognized for hard work and achievements - if you care about ed reform and are eager for new professional opportunities, Success Academy is a great fit.
–










Great workplace. Staff feels like a family away from home.
Lead Teacher (Current Employee), New York, NY – January 21, 2014
Pros: career development, understanding leadership, healthy snacks, tons of resources, great benefits
Success Academy is a great place to work whether you're fresh out of college or have years of experience under your belt. There are many career paths and opportunities for growth within the organization. Leadership as supports your career development. Many workshops and professional development days are offered. You can even request to take place in out of Network workshops that relate to your area of teaching. For example dance teachers can request Alvin Ailey workshops. The scholars are creative, and passionate. Most desire to learn which makes teaching there fun.
–










The interview told me all I needed to know.
Interviewee (Former Employee), South Bronx, NY – December 28, 2013
Pros: helping kids maybe?
Cons: disorganized and rude administration, no work-life balance, horrible interview, low salary
I interviewed at this place several months ago for an administrative position and ten minutes after the interview I emailed to tell them I no longer wished to be considered for the position. It was that awful. When I arrived, no one seemed to have a clue why I was there and the three people who needed to interview me had other meetings and event scheduled at the same time, so my interview took place in bursts of about 2 minutes with each person rotating between obligations. No one had read my resume, which clearly indicated I was currently employed full-time and had graduated college two years ago. All of them asked me when I was going to graduate and if I'd ever worked full-time. I was asked my astrological sign during the interview process, and the woman said she was glad I wasn't a pisces because her two children were pisces and they were morons. Uh...great? At one point I sat alone in a room for 45 minutes because my interviewers were all busy. I should have just left because the disrespect they'd shown to that point had been enough to convince me I would hate working there. The work environment seemed horrendously scattered and stressful, and the people I spoke with were rude and frankly a bit loopy. When I mentioned that I mystery shop as an unpaid, purely voluntary side gig, my interviewer said, "If you work for us, you have to quit that. This job is 24/7 and we discourage any outside activities since you should be on call at all times for us. This is a career, not a silly job." This was a 180 from the job posting, which said it was a 9-5 that encouraged the separation of work and life and wanted people who held outside interests. The salary was appallingly low for a "24/7" job in the South Bronx. There were several other huge red flags. Like I said, I withdrew my application immediately after the 2.5 hour interview from hell. It didn't seem like I would have gotten the job anyway, and I'm really okay with that.
–










Great place to work!
Recruitment Intern (Former Employee), New York – October 1, 2013
As a Recruitment Intern at Success Academy Charter Schools, I had the opportunity to play an integral part in the recruitment and development of incoming teachers and administrators. I felt challenged, supported, and valued as a team member. I worked alongside passionate and committed individuals. My responsibilities included reviewing candidates, research projects, outreach efforts, and administrative tasks. I was able to work hands on with the recruitment and teacher development departments, which taught me about problem solving as well as how to successfully work with a team to achieve long-term goals. This work has instilled in me a belief that all children deserve an equal opportunity to a quality education.
–










Not good role models
Teacher (Former Employee), New york – May 10, 2013
Pros: high pay
Cons: fear of termination
If yelling and calling parents, snapping fingers and degrading students is your thing, HSA is for you.
–










Fulfilling Work Environment with tons of Learning Opportunities
Network Employee (Current Employee), New York, NY – April 4, 2013
Pros: fun work environment, colleagues are mission driven, tons of learning opportunities, great professional development
Cons: long work days
I started working at Success Academy about a year after graduating college. In my time at the organization, I have been entrusted with key projects and allowed to reach my full potential. I feel confident in making recommendations and have had exposure to varying levels of management across the organization.

Everyone here is mission driven which is a huge plus. It isn't an easy job but the work environment is fun and there is fulfillment gained in knowing that your work is changing the lives of children across New York City.

This is a great place to work if you are a learner and want to consistently develop as a professional.
–










Schools Policies and Practices Come At the Expense of the Kids
Teacher (Former Employee), New York , New York – March 12, 2013
Pros: clean environment
Cons: cold, not a diverse work environment, politics prioritized over principles
A work environment that is so rigid creates high turnover and frequent firing of teachers for no reason -- little room or respect for autonomy -- students suffer even more than teachers from this frigid revolving door of burntout well meaning adults. Special education students denied accommodations too.
–










Opportunities for Growth
Manager (Current Employee), Schools – February 5, 2013
Pros: free lunches if you work in the school! big budget!
Cons: little work/life balance
This company gives you so much experience in other areas, there is a lot of opportunities for growth and professional development. You don't get stuck in the red tape of decisions or promotions. There are also great benefits, such as healthcare at no cost to me, and great bonuses.
–










Fulfilling work environment with a great, growing team
Network employee (Current Employee), New York, NY – January 29, 2013
Pros: see efforts in action in real time. growth opportunities. every day is different.
Cons: long work day.
At SA, the team does wonderful, cause related work that really changes children's lives. You get to see your efforts in action in real time. It's a very fast paced work environment where the bar is set high. Working here you are required to be flexible and be the solution. Everyone pitches in and rolls up their sleeves. If you have a recommendation that would improve the organization, you're encouraged to speak up regardless of your role or level.

Constructive criticism is on going and in real time. You're constantly being encouraged to better yourself and given the feedback to do so. The hours are long, but the benefit of knowing you really are making a difference makes it worth it.
–










Toxic Work Environment & Ambivalent Senior Leadership
Manager (Current Employee), New York, NY – August 1, 2012
Pros: smart people, great benefits package, advancement opportunities
Cons: low morale, high turnover, culture of fear
Success Academy Charter Schools has exceptionally low morale and exceptionally high employee turnover due to the utter disregard and even disdain with which the senior management treat the majority of the employees.

Members of upper management have been known to throw work at employees, make culturally insensitive comments (a huge gaffe considering the diverse populations we serve), and to suggest that employees must have deep-seated personal issues if they seek encouragement or feedback from their managers.

It is a truly toxic environment that burns out many exceptionally bright and talented people. This does, of course, create a lot of opportunity for advancement because people are constantly leaving the organization. For those that can stick it out, there is good pay for a non-profit organization and very generous benefits.

It is unfortunate because Success has an important mission and offers a valuable service to the communities that it serves. Hearing success stories from families whose children are reaching their full academic potential in our schools is a rewarding part of the job, but it is a bittersweet one when you know that our incredibly dedicated teachers live in a culture of fear where the threat of dismissal hangs over their heads constantly if test scores are not constantly and dramatically improving.
Posted by Norm @ at No comments:
Labels: ,

Friday, October 9, 2015

Skewer the E4E Survey - let them know what you think about their ed deform agenda

--- do it often and show how you disagree with the pro-testing, pro-common fore, pro merit pay ed deform agenda of E4E. They call them selves a teacher driven organization without mentioning they are funded by ed deformers to create a 5th column to undermine the teaching profession under false pretenses. Screen shots below of sample questions below.

I'm betting they have a way of tracking people and the people who send the link will be wiped off their list.

Dear Member,
I am writing today on behalf of Educators 4 Excellence to ask your help with a confidential online survey about our organization. We want to better understand your reflections and thinking about how we present and communicate our work.
Your responses will be anonymous and confidential, which is why we are working with an independent market research company to conduct this study for us. Please feel free to be 100% honest.
As a special thank you for providing feedback, you may enter yourself in a drawing for one of three $100 Amazon gift cards. The deadline for the drawing is Wednesday, October 14 so the sooner the better. Please complete the survey at your earliest convenience.
Click on this link to begin the survey or copy and paste it into your Internet browser to begin:
http://www.amrsurvey.com/67008t
Thank you for taking the time to give us your opinion. We couldn’t do this without you.
Liz Utrup
National Director of Communications
Educators 4 Excellence
No place to write in anything to keep people to their message.








Posted by Norm @ at 7 comments:
Labels: , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)