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Thanks for SESIS victory

Published May 9, 2013 UFT Executive Board , United Federation of Teachers 1 Comment
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At the May 6, 2013 Executive Board, Maria Ramos, Executive Board At-large, New Action Caucus, read the following letter. It was signed by Maria, but written collectively – all the authors were directly affected by the SESIS decision.

I would like to thank Carmen Alvarez, Michael Mulgrew, Vanessa Pressley, my chapter chairperson – Thank you for giving us the tools like Carmen’s article in the New York Teacher The Time Is Now, and the guidance to fight back and win the SESIS debacle. All my co-workers at my schools say the money is really really really great– $38 million Dollars in all – WOW and we didn’t even expect compensation – we just did not want to get U rated for the work we could not get done during the school day.

This win exposes what our jobs and our caseloads are really like and how much time it takes to stay in compliance. It also shows how dedicated our members are to our children with special needs, knowing that SESIS has put the skids on their services.

Thank you!!!

Maria Ramos

Executive Board @ Large

School Psychologist P198/P245 K D22

UFT Elections – New Action wins 10 seats – Disappointing Turnout

Published April 26, 2013 New Action , UFT , UFT elections 1 Comment
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Based on yesterday’s unofficial returns (and as expected), New Action will have 10 seats on the new UFT Executive Board. New Action returns Douglas Haynes, Francisco Peña, Maria Ramos, Michael Shulman (at large) and Bill Goldman and Jonathan Halabi (high schools), and adds Joel Garcia, Regina Gori and Kate Martin-Bridge (at large) and Keith Fessel (high schools).

New Action’s vote was 9.4%, a decline from 2010, but better than the previous two elections.

The big story, unfortunately, is the overall drop in turnout. Less than one in four UFTers returned ballots. Among in-service members, just 18% participated.

This is symptomatic of many members not feeling part of the union, not being involved. But that is where a union’s strength should lie, in an active membership. New Action will continue to prioritize rebuilding chapters and organizing at the school level, to involve members in the life of our union.

The drop in vote is also symptomatic of members being overwhelmed, angry, and confused: Overwhelmed by the unreasonable and unceasing demands of a system that seems designed to punish educators with paperwork and impossible requirements, not to allow us to educate children; Angry about colocations and school closings, about the threat of being forced into the ATR pool, about losing 20 or more days each year to testing and test prep, angry about maltreatment at the hands of abusive administrators; Confused that our union is not doing more, and is cooperating with Danielson and a new, potentially dangerous teacher evaluation system. Each of these is a challenge to our strength. New Action remains committed to addressing all of these issues – be it by supporting the leadership, by urging a more active approach, or by opposing the leadership where they have taken a wrong stance.

There is much work going forward.

New Action at the UFT Executive Board 2010 – 2011

Published March 31, 2013 New Action , UFT 1 Comment

 SOME ISSUES TAKEN UP BY OUR

NEW ACTION/UFT EXEC BOARD MEMBERS

Part I  2010 – 2011

September 2010

New Action receives reports of U-ratings for ATRs. Questions how many them.
New Action calls for a contract update
New Action asks for report on “rubber rooms”
New Action introduces resolution to Support President Obama’s Plan to End the Bush Tax Cuts for the Wealthiest 2%
New Action initiates support for March on Washington on October 2, 2010

October 2010

New Action calls for report on special education reorganization
New Action calls for support for ATRs when agreement expires November 2010
New Action calls for a report on UFT endorsed charter schools
Bipartisan Social and Economic Justice Committee passes rent control resolution
New Action mobilizes for demonstration against Principal Bost at the Theodore Roosevelt Campus in the Bronx

November 2010

New Action speaks in favor of Resolution Promoting Diversity in  Teaching Force

December 2010

New Action challenges Bloomberg dictate/guidelines on granting tenure
Bipartisan Social and Economic Justice Committee gets resolution passed  on Reducing the Environmental Footprint. Calls for an end to plastic bottles at UFT and for recycling bins.

February 2011

New Action exposes SESIS as a “nightmare.” Calls for help for our members
New Action asks for follow-up of Diversity resolution passed in January
New Action is credited at UFT Exec. Bd. For bringing Wisconsin resolution  to the union.
New Action brings resolution in Support of Fired Puerto Rican Leadership.

March 2011

New Action initiates resolution in Support of Puerto Rican Teachers Federation Leadership
New Action calls on UFT to support the April 9 anti-war demonstration
New Action successfully calls on union to notify all Chapter Leaders and  Delegates to participate in the Commemoration of the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

April 2011

New Action warns that any new teacher evaluation system must have a fair appeals process, unlike the one currently in existence
New Action initiates and passes resolution to designate May 1, 2011 as Holocaust Remembrance Day

June 2011

New Action supports No-layoff agreement which saves 4,400 jobs

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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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