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Brief Reports from UFT Executive Boards

Published October 6, 2013 New Action 1 Comment
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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.

Welcome Back, Chapter Leaders

Published September 16, 2013 Abusive Administrators , Chapter Leaders , Contract , New Action , New York , New York CIty Department of Education , Teachers Contract Closed

(from the New Action leaflet distributed at the September 2013 Citywide Chapter Leaders Meeting).
For a printable version click: NA/UFT Leaflet 2013 September

Welcome! New Action welcomes you to the Citywide Chapter Leader meeting.

New Action/UFT is one of several caucuses (political parties) in the United Federation of Teachers. There are differences between the caucuses. But we believe that whatever differences there are, that the external enemies of our union and the threat to the members outweighs our differences.  Today we see that, as our entire union faces the challenge of the new teacher evaluation system.

We work with our leadership, yet remain independent and critical of the leadership when warranted. To that end, we have worked with Michael Mulgrew and Unity Caucus in a bipartisan relationship that we believe benefits the membership. New Action chairs Michael Shulman and Jonathan Halabi, and eight additional New Action supporters, give voice to members’ concerns on the UFT Executive Board.

ABUSIVE ADMINISTRATORS

We sincerely hope you are in one of the many schools with collaborative principals. That relationship makes for a healthy work environment and benefits staff and students. Too many principals, however, are not collaborative, and many are downright abusive. We need to modify the behavior of all abusive and troublesome administrators.

Particularly troubling are principals who target UFT chapter leaders. We need to prioritize standing up for Chapter Leaders – they are our members’ first line of defense!

Organizing a response requires a strong chapter. Chapters that regularly meet and discuss issues of importance are chapters that are in a better position to mobilize.

CONTRACT

We have been working without a contract, or rather, under an expired contract, for 47 months. On Halloween it will be a full four years. The settlement of our contract is long overdue. The hold up? Bloomberg and his demands for unreasonable concessions, or for breaking the pattern and trying to pay us less.

But there will be a change in City Hall come January 1. We look forward to a contract, before this year is out:

  • with RETROACTIVE PAY – for EVERYONE – including recent retirees.
  • with NO GIVE BACKS
  • with 4% and 4% for the first two years (2009-10 and 2010-11)
  • and that allows us to work under a CURRENT, UNEXPIRED CONTRACT

Resolution on UFT Elections

Published July 2, 2013 New Action , UFT , UFT elections , UFT Executive Board Closed

(from the New Action leaflet distributed at the May 2013 UFT Delegate Assembly).
For a printable version click: Leaflet 2013 June

Resolution on UFT Elections

Only 18% of our in-service members voted this Spring. We should all be concerned. At the June 3, 2013 exec board meeting New Action introduced a resolution to form a committee to study this and make recommendations. It was amended, and passed, and is before you today:

WHEREAS, in the recently concluded UFT citywide election the total in-service vote dropped by a total vote of 11,434 which represents a decrease of 12% from the 2004 election; and

WHEREAS, the UFT made several efforts to increase membership involvement in the election, including Robo calls and emails to members for the first time, District Representatives working with CL’s to increase the vote; be it

RESOLVED, that the Election Committee conduct a study of the reasons affecting low voter participation and issue a report to the President, Executive Board and Delegate Assembly with recommendations.

… and an amendment

The original resolution called for a new committee with equal representation for the three caucuses that participated in the election. The amended resolution calls instead for the election committee to do the work, since that body already exists. But the election committee only has one member from New Action, and one from MORE. Issues of fairness and representation should lead us to amend the resolved to read:

Election Committee, expanded to include at least 2 members of each caucus, conduct….

 

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