NO-ING YOUR RIGHTS: A BRIEF BREAKDOWN OF OUR VAGUE CONTRACT – Ginsberg
Ironclad. Indisputable. Irrefutable. Three words that should never be uttered when describing our albatross of a contract – or, what we think is our contract. The most recent complete version available online is from 2014, along with Memorandums of Agreement (MOAs) from 2018 and 2023. One woul
THE BELL TOLLS FOR WE: COULD THE VIRTUAL LEARNING CLAUSE IN OUR NEW CONTRACT BE A DEATH KNELL FOR OUR STUDENTS AND OUR PROFESSION? – By David Ginsberg
The odds of virtual learning destroying the teaching profession are not nearly as remote as you may think, thanks to a provision in our new contract. Buried in pages 14-18 of the Memorandum of Agreement (link: https://files.uft.org/contract2023/DOE-MOA.pdf), a legitimate threat to our profession and
Remote Parent Engagement: Analyzing the Fine Print
During the 2023 contract campaign, UFT leadership opted not to fight for better pay. They did, however, push hard on reducing micromanagement. And, when—out of the blue—a final contract draft was dropped on us for a rushed ratification vote, many of us were happy that at least we’d get out of
A Farewell to Collective Bargaining?
Over the last several years, UFT leadership has claimed repeatedly to be in an existential fight for our very right to collectively bargain. Infamously, they’ve made the absurd claim—over and over again—that pushing retirees onto Medicare Advantage isn’t about saving money at the expense of
“The City Said No:” or How UFT Leadership ‘Negotiates’
Earlier this summer, our union membership ratified most of the contracts that we’d been negotiating with the City. As we all know, one bargaining unit voted no on theirs, and the response from UFT leadership was nothing short of disappointing. Put briefly, UFT/Unity delivered the ‘news’ that t
Mulgrew Overturns OT/PT ‘No’ Vote – Revote Scheduled This Month
This afternoon, UFT leadership decided that the OT/PT bargaining unit would be split up between those who voted no (OT/PTs) and those who voted yes (nurses, supervisors of OT/PTs, nurse supervisors, and audiologists). The subunits who already voted ‘yes’ will not get a revote. They will automati
A Union Finally Beats the Pattern.
This week, we learned that a municipal union finally beat the DC37 pattern – indeed, they beat it by a substantial margin – roughly double. Nurses working in NYC’s municipal hospitals have negotiated a contract that, with 37% pay increases over 5.5 years, puts the UFT’s unpensionable
The ‘Dis-Unity’ Tactic: How UFT Leadership Took a No-Vote and Used it to tear apart a Chapter for Political Gain
Ratification votes have consequences. Yet, in the UFT, those consequences aren’t what serious unionists might expect. In most unions–unions with functioning democracies–a decisive 2:1 no-vote by membership would send a clear mandate for union leaders to go back to the bargaining table. T
Mulgrew, respect the OT/PTs ‘NO’ vote and go back to the table!
Ratification votes have consequences. Yes means ‘contract approved’, and no means ‘back to the table’ – unless you’re Unity Caucus that is. Since the birth of collective bargaining in the UFT, contracts with the City have always been decided through a voting proce
UFT Contract Update: The Numbers are Finally Here – and They’re Interesting.
Finally, after over a week of waiting, the data is out on how each title voted on the UFT contract (see also here for the 2018 comparison). Yes, we already knew that just under 75% voted yes in general, and that one division (OT/PTs) voted no. Now we know the specifics of how teachers, paras, [&hell