Healthcare Changes Now Decided by DA! -UFT DA Minutes 12/11/2024

Summary/Analysis

• Mulgrew went over the various political issues we face with the Trump administration coming in and various signals to go after education and unions. This was a similar report to last DA, but we need to stay engaged on it – and frankly, start pre-organizing.
• A few resolutions were presented, all of which had to do with working conditions, a nice change from previous years. One critique – some resolutions had to do with things that were contractual. But those things were not successfully negotiated in contractual negotiations—when we actually had the chance to fix them. I wrote a bit about this with respect to one of the very things debated tonight – special education. See here for that article. By the way, it was good to see some actual questions/debate around the resolutions, even if some did appear to happen out of confusion about how one was presented by the District Rep. who presented it, but nevertheless, it was good to see. When we discuss our working conditions, it’s amazing how much we actually learn from members.
• The most interesting part of the night was at the end, when Bennett Fisher put forward the resolution to stop healthcare decisions without a membership vote. What surprised many was, despite this resolution only being made because of actions Unity-led UFT had taken making major negative changes to healthcare without a vote, Unity embraced the resolution, adding amendments that appeared to only strengthen the resolution (though, I’m wondering if Barr’s amendment to not force members onto MAP could be gotten around through an unaffordable pay-up plan…and how ‘multi caucus’ the new committee would really be, but now I’m getting in the weeds). Either way, while Unity effectively stole the moment from RTC, RA effectively won – Unity has been forced to embrace a major union policy change that RA, NAC, and really the whole opposition has been demanding for years.

Mulgrew – President’s Report: Wonderful display of Christmas sweaters here.

Moment of silence for Ellen Fox.

National, state, city politics are in an unsettled situation to say the least.

National: Biggest difference between first and second administration of Trump is that this time there is a new group of industry-based rich folks around him, who know how to get things to get for their industries. All there and they donated hundreds of millions of dollars to influence the campaign. We’ll see where all of that goes. Our main concern is public education and unionized workers. Hysteria is…gotta take a deep breath. Teachers in NYC face crises every single day and handle whatever comes. Some very big attacks will be upon us. In terms of education, I don’t know if…they want to block grant everything. Sounds like race to the top, right? Except race to the top still did title 1 and others separately. Right now, funded by actual student head counts, not based on whether decided to participate in a grant program. Whether there are injunctions or not, we’ll see. This is basically what they’ve said that they want to do. Will be legal actions, and that’s about public education. Main issue is want to get rid of US DOE and rules and policies hamstringing what they want. Ok, a lot of regs have become redundant, always add on, don’t remove. But there is purpose for these issues – civil rights issues. If you leave states to do whatever they want, traditionally that hasn’t worked out in public education. Students with IEPs are protected also. Serious things.

Attacks on unions itself. Many states have lost right to collective bargaining, have tried to go after teacher unions and right to political speech, specifically written about. Need to be smart, but doesn’t mean we don’t fight. If the things that are happening is the worst case scenario, we will need to fight in a vicious way – like we’ve never fought before. They will try to divide and conquer.

State: Our job is to try to prepare our union for these issues, because may literally be in a fight for our life. At state level, governor’s race is already starting, even though not til next year. Everyone jockeying. Are we susceptible to a republican winning? All real questions. Union doesn’t have permanent friends, have permanent issues – will move where we need to move. I think governor has been a phenomenal support, know she’s enacting a congestion pricing law that she doesn’t believe in, but it’s her job to enact lows passed.

City: our mayor is back. You’ve read everything…currying favor with Trump, etc, etc. Primary will take place in June. Will be a large field. Speculation has been for some time, will mayor run or not. Irrelevant, we need to watch, see where it goes. We have ranked choice voting, which means if you don’t get 50%, run off. And we have our own election in the middle of this. So we’re walking into a challenging time for the union. Need to be united to protect our union. I will continue, if I see things that will hamper from doing that, I will call it out, because if they come after collective bargaining, e.g. by tying money to our union, we’ll have to fight viciously against those trying to hurt us.

Education:  Curriculum. Literacy curriculum memo last week. We support as a union – the science of reading. Do not support previous reading methodologies that were being imposed. And we don’t support ‘everyone does their own thing.’ I would fight against the DOE if they tried to mandate that we have to write curriculum – shouldn’t be our job. I did not receive a lot of curriculum in my dozen years in the classroom, know what it’s like to have to go out and find all those things, burden. Supposed to get a curriculum, but not supposed to be told you have to follow it with the new dirty word, fidelity, yes it begins with F, fill in the blank. We should have a list of the words they’ve ruined over the years. Do you want us to implement it with fidelity or with integrity? Integrity means I’m doing what I need to do as a professional to meet the needs of our students. So when we asked all of you to do what we had to do to…I mean the complete disrespect of telling teachers to download from a digital system, put it on a paper, put on a spreadsheet, to answer a principal, to send to a superintendent, where no one was reading it. Fact is that you can just go into that digital spreadsheet and see it digitally and don’t have to even print out. Pacing where gifted class could be doing a ‘module,’ but 12:1 class at same rate? This is the stupidity of the system. Fidelity means I can’t modify the lessons to make them work for all my kids. When we brought all of this to the new chancellor, the dept of ed is a large bureaucracy, different people saying different things. New memo says: no spreadsheets. You’re a chapter leader, this should be in consultation about this right now – don’t need our time wasted. Kids have figured out that the class that first students to take would share the answers with the other students – because same. That is gonna look good – all the kids are passing! Working on IA, same issues, not spreadsheets so much. Every school should be having this discussion. If not happening, should be happening in consultation.

On IA, we’ve been working on that, agreement at this time that prerequisites were not taught.  Massive holes that are covered in the regents but not in curriculum, which is why most high schools have decided not to let regents scores drop because curriculum doesn’t work. Some do like it, but we’re gonna to continue. We need to get that rectified.

State education dept – phase 2, much more serious, what to do about the new graduation requirements for state of new York. Couple of teachers up there, Hinds. Right now, got that they want to keep the regents but also keep a menu to choose in lieu of regents. Will adhere to standards.

Class sizes: 350 schools applied. Remember that funding would be recurring add to fsf. Goal is to get as many schools as we can. Don’t want money unused. Next Friday deadline. Formed a coalition to make this work. Elementary parents and others very clear. Provisions in school to be flexible. Yes, waiver for overcrowded schools, but city needs to find a way to deal with crowding. Agreed to not cap schools, because parents want children going to school closest to them, especially elementary. It is not a good idea to form a coalition with parents and go against that. Moms for Liberty started to use fear amongst parents that class size law would force to send students on bus to another district. So yes, some districts might get annexes or extra schools. As soon as we start issuing waivers, that starts the clock.

Paraprofessionals: Most ever schools who have partaken in a survey, used that, piece on paras, had 1600, now DOE says can count…quickly said it was really around 2000, so now they can count. Need to get the paras in the schools. Met with para exec board last night, great group, running campaign. Paraprofessionals in schools serve a vital role, but most of the time, don’t feel like a part of the school community, don’t voice to this to you. They’re there, doing the work. If they have problems, I need you to automatically be there to support the paras rights. Thank them. They’re running a campaign called respect for paraprofessionals. More para reps than ever before. Want them to be an active member in every school union consultation committee. Right now, paras saying they need more pay. I agree, but we are stuck with two things, but have this thing called pattern bargaining. I don’t like pattern bargaining, don’t like it. First contract I negotiated, Bloomberg was trying to show that he could break pattern bargaining when didn’t have the money, which was one time pattern worked in our favor, because we were able to get the pattern we were supposed to get (retro payments). Never have liked pattern bargaining yet. One reason because raises must be done in percentages, so if you’re on low end of pay scale, value of your dollar is less than it is at top. I am of absolute belief that paras should be paid more. 2 negotiations ago, UFT wanted to pay paras more out of base package. OLR wouldn’t agree to it, because it would cause them problems with other equivalent titles of payscales in other unions.

Point of order attempted – inaudible on the phone.

Mulgrew: ok fine, I’ll take your point of order. Wait a minute, stop it. If you keep up behavior, I’ll call you out of order.

Lois Weiner: According to UFT constitution, the agenda for the DA is set by adcom with approval of the executive board. Roberts rules of order, which UFT constitution says we follow, –MULGREW: no, not true – you can answer me when I’m not done – MULGREW: mam, you’re out of order, turn the mic off– appeal decision of chair -MULGREW: no, not if you aren’t asking a question – I assume you’re asking about my report – No – CROWD: shouts of UFT – MULGREW: if you’re going to ask question, fine, but if you will state things that aren’t true – Weiner: whether last article that says that this constitution overrules anything that may pass applies to the agenda being set by members of the DA at the start of meeting, because adcom and exec board propose agenda that DA than accepts. MULGREW: issue here is that the purpose of this is the purpose of the president’s report is to inform those by those who they elected. Second, how are we supposed to prepare – exec board is multi caucus body, then I have to base report on those things, and things affecting others. Reason people drop off dramatically after president’s report, because majority of people join DA to get report. No no no no, I’m finishing report, and that’s what majority of people online want.

Election: what we’re worried about as federal government to go after us, stop silliness.

Someone: wants to appeal ruling of the chair.

Mulgrew: not relevant here, wasn’t a ruling, was a clarification about a procedure. President’s report is my report of what is germane to this body. But I do appreciate you guys trying to stop a majority of the membership from trying to get information.

So for the paraprofessionals, what do you have to give up to pay them, and we say nothing. When we had class size, was a group that said this needed to be number one thing in negotiations, even if at cost. Should we pay NYC to lower class size? No, but some people thought we should. Now, same situation, should all of the other titles give up part of raises – which they have done, did 2 contracts – should all other titles have to give up that part of their raise to go to the paras. We have to figure out another way, because we’re not a union that is stupid. This is a City problem. We are losing thousands of paraprofessionals every year. Can’t retain because pay is so low. Should workers have to pay for what should be management. Not going to continue this precedent. Everyone needs a base pay, and we’re not going to pay for it.

Healthcare: Federal government coming in wants to diminish Medicare and social security. We gotta figure that out. Have already stated. Never thought any government would have gone after trying to go after people who had worked their whole lives for benefits. Done with explaining healthcare, will keep doing it because it’s my duty to inform members of what is important. Going to ask to form a permanent healthcare task force for this union, talking about a group of folks that have to be trained, sit with healthcare consultants, understand everything that goes into it, because they’re trying to hurt us all, and we have the biggest targets on our backs, because we still have high quality premium free healthcare, big deal. Need experts, because if it keeps coming from me, people will say it’s just me. We’re smart, and in this day and age, you need to have the facts. So when people say things about copays, I get it, no one wants to do it. There are two types: (1) lower costs; (2) inhibit behavior. We raised copays for ERs because people were going to hospital to get a doctors note – absolutely true, we have the data. $1200 doctors note. People stopped going to emergency rooms, started going to City MD, first off – run by a hedge fund, second – they charge way more per visit, tablets designed to push revenue. If someone is paying $35 I know that a doctor prescribed a name brand drug, often could do generic. So we need a permanent healthcare task force. We’re constantly fighting. NY presbyterian was about to go out of network, way before MSK, we told them to get into a room and get a deal, now done. MSK doesn’t go out of network til March, gonna do same thing with them. So, on the healthcare themselves. Until we have other sorts of change, that’s gonna happen.

I know people like the NYHA, was at Sen. Rivera’s presentation. Love idea of it – think it should be this way, but we fought too hard to turn over to system with a lot of holes. Gonna be rough, perfect example in here. How do we as a union have debates without burning the house down. Know that’s the state of politics – means justify the ends, even if have to mislead. I still have faith that this union is better than that.

Jan. 20^th, we’ll see where the world goes. In the constitution, whether we like it or not, I’ll continue to do that. Enough people on the outside trying to divide us, shouldn’t be doing their work for them.

(5:12) – end of report, which would have ended 10 minutes earlier if not for the silliness.

LeRoy Barr – Secretary’s Report – Asian American committee has an origami workshop tomorrow. Collecting toys for children by this Friday, dec. 13. Kwanza celebration also this Friday, 4-7 at Queens UFT – 35 dollars. Women’s committee Dec 19^th. Jan 8^th climate committee. Prescreening, preschool to prison. 2025 academic high school awards, nomination forms out. Will be a raffle. Next DA is Jan. 15. Happy holidays to everyone here.

Question Period

Delegate 1: care about children in schools but also children in world. . . . When will we as UFT call for arms embargo to stop the ‘genocide’ in Gaza?

Mulgrew: vigorously debated many times last year. Main issue for the body was everyone understands the passions of what’s going on there that we support this has to stop immediately, two state solution needed, and don’t want anything to be used to divide us. What’s going on over there is over disgusting and inhumane and hope people are held accountable for what they’ve done, personal belief, but already debated this numerous times and that’s position comfortable with at this point. We’ll bring resolution to the next DA.

Delegate 2: when crisis in classroom, teachers sent to PDs, great, but seems like that’s the only answer every single time, when teacher says they need support, but then once para absent, child is without that para, incident, so what can we do to train principals?

Mulgrew: You’re part of the consultation committee, should also be part of safety committee. Student removal process, not up to principals to decide whether you can remove. They’re supposed to remove the student, if not, automatically reviewed, and reviewers do not like when students are not removed if interfering with the education of students. Email Jeff Povalitis.

Delegate 3: What can principals mandate for OPW.

Mulgrew: C6 is theirs, not that. Very popular sbo is to add/remove things. Can go through Sally Ann, who does sbos. Clearly need to educate principal.

Delegate 4: also new AIS implementation, using C6 for that, district coming in, walk throughs, meetings. Can they use C6 period for something that has basically come instruction?

Mulgrew: if teachers have to pre-read lessons, do other paperwork (e.g. attendance), etc – we’re good. Go to DR. Also, have you been trained? (as it’s happening). On consultation, also should put on about being trained ahead of time – also about not using C6 properly.

Delegate 5: school principal has divided staff through communications, creating parallel chapter, what are doing to protect in this situation?

Mulgrew: Gonna be a lot of people there, because that crosses a line.

Delegate 6: creating IEps for hundreds of students, cse social worker, is there a way to fight for hours social workers are doing in terms of case management?

Mulgrew: as a group, what I’d like you to do, call this the sesis ruling arbitration, doe recognizes no one should be working outside of workday. That gives us a whole bunch of leverage to open up cases and collective bargaining on related issues. Record number of students coming in for evaluations. A lot of challenges coming. Had teacher who helped me. Autism on the rise. Dealing with. We will do our work, but not going to stay and do all this extra work. Employer needs to do the right thing. May make this part of my next consultation.

Motion period

Delegate 7: next month’s agenda. Support for additional time for sped teachers to work on IEPs. Timely given call just now. One resolved had to do with C6 being assessments and being honored, tried this during contract but didn’t get perfect language. How do we do that?

Point of information, Ben Morgenroth: wanted to know if individual members are recorded and if it’s anonymous.

Mulgrew: no, untracked.

Delegate 8: speaks in favor of resolution. SPED teachers have even more work this year, with all the new curriculum needing to be modified. That 45 minute period isn’t enough.

886-27; 297-6 – 97%, passed to be put on the agenda.

Mulgrew: just got message from the governor, she wants to wish happy holidays to DA. Thank you all for the work you do for children of the state of NY, specifically shouting out to OT/PTs and other titles, signed TRS for All bill. Congratulations to all involved, 6 year journey. Now we have to get the rest of tier 6 fixed.

Delegate 9: observations for tenured teachers returning from leave. When you are tenured and are about to sign APPR, it is stated on last year’s observations, your results. If a teacher, who is tenured, goes on a leave and miss window observation, at the end of the year they get no rating, so have to go back to 3 informal and 1 formal. Happened at my school, so there was a motivation.

Delegate 10: does this include sabbatical teachers?

Mulgrew: yes, they’re on a leave.

Passed for next month’s agenda.

Resolutions

Adam Shapiro: resolution for contractual workday. admin would never come in on their remote days. Same principals prioritize hiring multiple assistant principals, budgeting for many of them, who literally assist the principal. However, expectation for UFT members to prop up this broken system with unpaid labors. Opportunity to organize in our chapter – that we no longer accept wage theft.

Questioner: Is he asking for teachers to have one day a month or for principals not to have that day?

Mulgrew: he’s asking about writing ieps during our workday, prove the point that all these ieps can not be done during the contractual workday.

Delegate 11: would love to support this resolution, but there is no possible way for me to work on IEPs without working outside of contractual day, or students won’t get enough. In theory, resolution fantastic, but in practice, can’t support.

Mulgrew: understand sentiment, they use this against us, we’re here to take care of our kids and they use it against us.

Delegate 12: Does this resolution provide for getting per session if work at home?

Mulgrew: what it says is we shouldn’t be doing work outside of contractual workday…have to fight some of the demands.

Delegate 13: point of clarity, agree with resolution, but teachers are threatened and penalized if the IEP is not done in a certain time frame, so how does UFT support those teachers.

Mulgrew: If can’t get done in work day and is documented, can win those cases.

Leo Gordon: calls question. Passes

RTC member Motion to extend meeting by 15 minutes. Doesn’t reach 2/3.

Mulgrew: 2 minutes, go.

Bennett Fisher: overwhelming vote at RTC and by this body last night to put on agenda, highest decision making body but doesn’t approve healthcare decisions. At times, told that done deal healthcare negotiations, but I believe the smartest people are here. It is we who should be setting policy and those other smart people should be using their smarts to put forward results of this body. Retirees are currently dealing with ramifications of negotiations that we only found out by accident, so this resolution does place a burden on our negotiators. This resolution has teeth and requires something of those of us in this assembly. Confident that we’re up to it. Accept no substitution.

LeRoy Barr: amendment – be it further resolved, that the uft will never agree to force any retired member into a MAP plan.

I was at the RTC meeting where this passed, so it’s about MAP. Let’s call it out. What we’re really saying is that we want to bring it to you. Actually in support of resolution. Objective has always been to maintain premium free, high quality healthcare. Still have people who want to take away our premium free healthcare. Should not be fighting against each other, let’s support this amendment 100%.

Mike Sill: further amendment, be it further resolved, support legislation to prevent changes to medicare, and form multi-caucus committee to make recommendations to DA.

Know that admin is going to fight against us, other significant changes that we need to be expert on, need informed recognition.

Question called.

S. Shapiro: LeRoy mentioned amendment, want it there that we won’t get medigap plan.

Mulgrew: out of order.

Delegate: all of us are out of order.

Vote on all before house.

(second amendment – 88%; first amendment, 97%, whole resolution as amended, 97%).