UFT: Are you ready to lose GHI-CBP?
On Wednesday, October 11th, following an audio leak of internal talks about the Request For Proposal (RFP) to select new healthcare insurance providers, UFT President Michael Mulgrew told us more about the pending healthcare switch than he has in a long time. Don’t get me wrong—that is
UFT Healthcare Changes, Teachers Choice, and the Conflict in Israel/Gaza – UFT Delegate Assembly Notes, 10-11-2023
Summary/Highlights: At today’s DA, we learned a few things: Informal minutes follow. Mulgrew: Welcome to first DA of the school year. A lot of stuff to do today. There was a big press conference here today. In 2011 when there was a really algorithm and started messing with children and making a de
What should the UFT do in the midst of climate/weather emergency?
New Action / UFT has been busy lately, with Marianne Pizzitola and Kate Connors joining us last week to discuss healthcare, and with three subcommittees meeting later this week to discuss organizing (Oct. 3 at 5:30 PM), abusive administrators (Oct. 4 at 5:30 PM), and Tier 6 reform (Oct. 5 at 5:30 PM
Back to School Heat Wave: How Should UFT Respond?
Heat surged to record levels yesterday, just as New York City’s students reported for the first day of public school. In a functioning City, schools would effectively also be cooling centers. Students could escape the heat, learning new content under the comfort of reasonable temperatures. But, fo
Is UFT’s New Virtual Instruction Program a Strike-Break Risk?
Teacher unionists everywhere need to be aware of what is going on right now in Youngstown, Ohio. Teachers there are readying to strike, following a breakdown in contract negotiations. They had been offered an offensively low wage increase (2%), to name one of several reasons for the job action. In r
UFT: Why weren’t we remote today?
Today, I’m writing with a bit of a headache, having breathed in exorbitant amounts of smoke and toxins both at work and on my commute. Due to an injury that makes standing/walking risky, I don’t have much of a choice but to bike twenty miles round trip. Teachers, after all, can’t afford to liv
The Contract Looms: UFT Delegate Assembly, 5-17-2023
Summary/Analysis: There was a packed agenda at the May DA. I can only offer a few words of summary and analysis, as my own schedule is equally packed. Here that goes. Outside the DA, volunteers from United for Change handed out flyers with our five big demands before we concede a yes vote for any [&
UFT Contract Update: Countdown for ‘Chump Change?’
It seems like everywhere we’re getting signals that UFT leadership is readying for contract ratification. To get a ‘yes vote’ though, they’ll need membership to agree – whether it’s a good deal or not. And that work needs to start now – before we see the details and have second thought
The UFT Endorsement Process: A Recollection and Critique
Last night, the UFT Executive Board approved the second and last round of City Council endorsements (full list at bottom of this article). While I did not agree with every name on the list, this time I can at least say that I was a part of the process. On Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023, I […]