A Tentative Agreement without an MOA- 6-13-2023 Executive Board Meeting

Immediately following the 500-member negotiating committee meeting, the Executive Board met at 3:38, with just over 30 minutes to spare before the DA, to go over a contract which had not been made available to us in advance and decide whether to bring it to a vote at the DA.

LeRoy Barr motivates resolution to allow executive board to endorse candidates for city offices during the summer.

Motion passes, with some no votes and abstentions.

Second resolution for DA to have a resolution to send the contract to the members for ratification, the endorsement for city offices, and the hybrid resolution.

Bacon: point of info to make sure this doesn’t mean we’re voting to send the contract to the members for ratification. Confirmed.

Motion passes, with some no votes.

Mulgrew:

•  Timeline, we have to do now – there are consequences if not, for September. Main pieces of this contract are clear: (1) is the money, basically Dc37 pattern, retention bonus forever that goes up ($400 first year, then over 1k by end of the contract). In the end, this is a thousand dollars to everyone to every title. Same for all titles. About equity. $3000 signing bonus. Structured the contract so that all members see money coming to them. Some specifics outlining the implications of above shown on a slide. By end, starting salary would be 72,349 for teachers Top salary for paras would be 56,761, including all bonuses.
• Time: new pilot work day.60 minutes PD (down from 80), 40 for OPW (up from 35), 55 for parent engagement (up by 35). This reverts to 37.5 without a calendar agreement. PE to be done remotely, with some regular paperwork to show what you’ve been doing remotely. Does not have to be one 55 minute block. IEP conferences can now be scheduled during OPW. Some pre approved SBOS. School day can end no later than 3:45 PM. Parent teacher conferences remote, which DOE didn’t want. Other school based titles make their own schedules, and get paperwork time in schedule. Did not have that before. Election Day/Chancellor’s Day now definitely remote, not just at DOE discretion. Some non-school based titles can work up to two days remote, assuming they’re rated developing or higher, among other considerations. Elementary schools no longer have to do the 3 in a row. Bereavement time now less strict. Two UFT members can take parental now.
• Remote Learning: expansion of remote classes after the traditional school day and on weekends. Can be extra work or only work. Can potentially teach some in person and remotely, on voluntary basis. Is for students who want to accelerate or make up credits. About equity. School-based, up to them.
• Agreement for clean air and water. (laughter).
• Labor committee RE too many assessments.
• This all comes out of the committees who did our work.
• Reasons must be given for extension of probation now. There can no longer be no reason given. Allows us to do other work around on that.
• DOE reimbursement of destruction of property up from 100 to 500.
• Special Education committee on compliance issues.
• PSAL improvements.

As soon as this is done, all of this will go up. We are stuck on time right now. We have a lot of stuff.

Debra Penny: Attendance teachers are being reorganized back to districts – 2 year phase in.

How much time we got? It’ s 4:10 – Jesus. This has to go online. Most of it doesn’t mean much to you, because it’s very title specific.

LeRoy Barr: recommends that we send contract to members.

Melody: of two minds really pleased with some things pay will help many people. I am curious what happened with personal time? Did we push this hard enough? Donation of days? Are we making gains in this area?

MM: They would not move on these issues. They don’t seem to have the heart. On personal time we have asked…the issue we are having is the fact that we are trying to get the data from the state…there was supposed to be a NYS audit…I am trying to get in contact with the comptroller…City brings up costing and would have us give up raises to get personal time…DOE didn’t even want to give the two parents.. …

Melody: More disabled people in the room would make them move

Alex: I have a question: before we send it ot our members on the chapter level, will we see the actual agreement?

MM: the people writing the MOA are still working…it is complete and waiting for signatures…OLR what happens now is that we have done our read we go line by line you can imagine how long this document is…we go line by line and when they sign we sign and send it out

Nick: I am disappointed. Several of us put out a reso to be able to see the MOA in advance. The powerpoint is good but in 2018 there was a powerpoint that left things out. There were things left out. I just want to make this obvious point. I don’t think any of us would sign a mortgage buy a car etc based on a ppt. I know what the argument is, we are not voting on the contract we are voting about whether to send it to the next step. Right now there is no MOA – only a contract at a glance. We have not actually seen an MOA. When we vote, when the DA votes I know this is framed as whether the members get to look at it, ,they will think we approved and read a full document. We don’t know if the contract is good until we see that.

Mulgrew: I’ve told you about misinformation. You know that everything that was in the MOA. So if you keep saying that it’s not there, you’re a big fibber. These are part of the contract – we can’t just say no. Sorry you’re uncomfortable. We don’t have the ability to do a ratification votes unless we do this right here and right now. They’ll have the info.

Ronnie Almonte: A lot of positive stuff that was put forward. My question is what were the concessions and givebacks.

Michael Mulgrew: none. No givebacks. Not one single demand from DOE they wanted that we didn’t was given. If we mutually agreed, that’s fine.

Ronnie Almonte: Second comment here. Glad to see bonuses, the sentiment, but overall there’s still not enough money in this contract. The teacher wage penalty in this state is 13%. Being the biggest teachers local in the state, we should be narrowing that gap. Had a question about MOU, but sounds like it will be coming out?

Mulgrew: Yes.

LeRoy Barr: calls question.

Passes, with UFC votes as no.