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MOBILIZE TO FIGHT FOR A FAIR CONTRACT!

Published April 1, 2014 Contract , New Action , New York CIty Department of Education 1 Comment
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(from the New Action leaflet distributed at the January 2014 Delegate Assembly).
For a printable version click: January 2014 Leaflet

MOBILIZE TO FIGHT FOR A FAIR CONTRACT!

The UFT is waiting for a fact-finding report that is due in two weeks. The question is what kind of contract will the fact-finders come up with? and what can we expect from Mayor Bill de Blasio?

We believe that the new contract must include fair pay, no givebacks, and serious changes to this abysmal evaluation system. New Action calls for a 4%, 4% raise from 2009-1011, as all other unions already received, without givebacks. Retroactive pay must cover all members who worked during the years covered.

The actual package will be shaped by the fact-finders’ report. But what is the union’s strategy to bring a decent contract back to UFT members?

New Action believes that a mobilized and informed membership has an important role to play in securing a decent contract. Monday, January 13, 2014 the UFT Executive Board debated the best way to involve the members.  The Unity leadership claims the UFT will win a fair contract because of the determination of its members. They state that there will be many ways for members to participate, including coming to rallies, signing up to receive the union’s text and e-mail updates about negotiations and reaching out to fellow UFT members.

New Action agrees that members should commit to strong participation in the fight for a contract. HOWEVER, New Action believes that this falls far short of what is needed. Our basic unit of organization, chapters, should be directing this effort at the school level.

On Monday, New Action called for chapter meetings in every school to discuss and plan actions. We called for actions at each school, such as informational picketing before the school day. We called for involvement of parents in the fight for a fair contract. This was rejected by the Unity Caucus-dominated Executive Board. One member derided our proposals by saying that many members are not part of chapters.

Who are tests bad for?

Published December 18, 2013 New Action , New York CIty Department of Education , testing Closed
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(from the New Action leaflet distributed at the December 2013 Delegate Assembly).
For a printable version click: December 2013 Leaflet

WHO ARE TESTS BAD FOR?

New Action opposes the Teacher Evaluation System, largely due to rating teachers based on student test scores. But we should object to tests for reasons beyond the bad APPR.

Every extra day of testing squeezes out another day of teaching. Every high stakes test, especially in this era of punitive accountability, leads many schools to increase the number of days of test prep. Each prep day squeezes out another day of real teaching. The test burden on principals has led many to eliminate foreign language and art. Recess is getting short-changed. In many schools, Science and Social Studies get repurposed to ELA and Mathematics prep in non-testing years. This is horrible for kids and schools.

Teachers are more and more forced to teach not “to the test” but “to the tests” in a dizzying flurry of diagnostics, pre-tests, and State tests. Trained professionals are being asked, nay, forced to teach what accountability requires, not what the children need.

And let’s not forget, tests make kids sick. In October of this year, the Delegate Assembly approved the following language as part of a resolution on standardized testing:

“the current intensity of the standardized test taking and test prep affects children emotionally and physically leading to anxiety, frustration, low self-esteem, headaches and other physical ailments.”

Report from UFT 12/16/13 Executive Board – Calling the Question too fast

Published December 17, 2013 New Action , UFT , UFT Executive Board , United Federation of Teachers 3 Comments
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No President’s report. Mulgrew was absent.

Staff Director’s Report (?)

I was late and missed the staff director’s report. LeRoy Barr appeared not to be there. Perhaps Ellie Engler (who was present) gave the report

Questions

I missed the questions

Reports from Districts

There were many reports from districts

Legislative Report –

Paul Egan was absent, and called in to Emil Pietromonaco that there was no legislative report.

Special Orders of Business

1. There were resolutions recommended to the NYSUT Representative Assembly. These were non-controversial (). Mike Shulman added the Mandela resolution from the previous week.

2. New Action brought forth a resolution, calling for a change in the rules of order for the DA. If a question is called before there has been a speaker against, the proposed rule would require the chair to ask for a speaker against before allowing the question to be called. Jonathan Halabi (me) motivated. John Soldini, former HS VP, spoke against, saying that calling a point of order would accomplish the same thing, Kate Martin-Bridge countered, saying that in the last two years at the DA, calling a point of order has not gotten the chair to ask for a speaker opposed, Sterling Roberson rose to warn the body not to be “fooled” by the resolution, Mike Shulman rose to underline that the resolution was clear and that there was no attempt to “fool” anyone, and Richie Mantell finally rose to table the motion, due to unclarity about Roberts Rules, etc. The motion to table passed, unanimously.

New Action Caucus has ten seats on the UFT Executive Board – the only ten seats that do not belong to Unity Caucus.

Ten is not enough to win anything – but it allows our voice to be heard, it allows us to put forward resolutions, and when there is agreement, to put forward resolutions the leadership signs onto. It allows us to offer amendments. It allows us to bring issues to the leadership.

At Exec after Exec, Unity members sit and listen. Some never speak. Most rarely speak. But New Action usually has questions, comments, resolutions, or amendments.

This year we will publish reports – sometimes on the entire Exec Board, sometimes just on New Action’s contribution.

Learn more about

our UFT Caucus

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Content of signed articles and comments represents the opinions of their authors. The views expressed in signed articles are not necessarily the views of New Action/UFT.
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