Unpacking the February DA
The February DA was a farce, but not for the reasons our leadership would have you think. United for Change has a problem: we haven’t been called on during a Delegate Assembly since November. The November DA was an unprecedented victory for the opposition, and a good sign that the many indep
Does the DOE have a disciplinary system anymore?
This year I haven’t had access to whiteboards/chalkboards in any of my classrooms. My principal got rid of the old ones, some of which were almost brand new, others of which were a bit blemished (but still usable). The point of getting rid of the old ones was to make room for new ones. But [&helli
Mulgrew, we can’t let administrators justify abusing our members because of their union activity!
I am good friends with the Chapter Leader at a medium-sized high school. Within the last ten years, their founding principal retired and they got stuck with an extremely abusive replacement. It got so bad that they eventually had to have a vote of no confidence, the results of which were overwhelmin
The National Implications of UFT Elections This Spring, and Why Convention Delegates Matter
This spring United For Change (UFC) is running in the citywide UFT elections. UFC is running 400+ educators as candidates for convention delegates to the statewide NYSUT conventions and nationwide AFT and NEA conventions. UFC consists of members from several UFT-represented rank-and-file educator gr
Dear Michael Mulgrew, We’re Overworked!
Dear Michael Mulgrew, Unity Caucus claims “[they] do the work.” But over the last several decades, they’ve allowed the DOE to pile on extra responsibilities for all UFT members. In essence, under Unity, we’re overworked. Let’s take a look at an example. The other day, I was logged in for s
UFT Staffers and Union Democracy
We at New Action and in United for Change value our UFT staffers. The vast majority of them are highly competent individuals who do important work for our membership. Yes, because Unity Caucus almost exclusively hires their own people, we are critical of the apparent patronage system that exists to
This is Not What We Meant by a Remote Option…
We need a remote option. The new deal worked out by the UFT and DOE isn’t one. Why we need a Remote Option As COVID-19 spirals out of control in our schools, infecting students, teachers, and their families, our Mayor and Chancellor refuse to temporarily make schooling remote. If we’re going to
Why New Action is running with United for Change, not Unity
United for Change is the rational progressive choice in the next UFT election. New Action’s participation with this unprecedented alliance of caucuses should signal just that. New Action is the oldest existing opposition caucus in the United Federation for Teachers (UFT). We have a long history of
Some thoughts on the Spring Break Decision
On January 5th, the arbitrator reached a decision on our compensation for spring break time. For each of the seven days we worked, we will receive a ‘vacation day.’ Subject to approval from school administration, and being given ‘expedited arbitration’ if we are denied a request, we can theo