UFT Leadership to Paras: ‘you already have it pretty good – don’t usurp our bargaining authority by fighting for a living wage!’ – DA Summary/Minutes/Analysis, 3/20/24
Summary/Analysis: The headline from tonight comes from the very end of the meeting – Unity’s bizarre handling of the paraprofessional resolution. Readers may remember that I motivated Migda Rodriguez, Marie Wausnok, and Daniel Alicea’s resolution at executive board on Monday, only to see i
A Farewell to Collective Bargaining?
Over the last several years, UFT leadership has claimed repeatedly to be in an existential fight for our very right to collectively bargain. Infamously, they’ve made the absurd claim—over and over again—that pushing retirees onto Medicare Advantage isn’t about saving money at the expense of
Michael Shulman’s WBAI Interview Transcribed
Earlier this week, Michael Shulman was interviewed by Daniel Alicea on his WBAI radio show, Talk out of School. That essential interview is also transcribed below. Danieal Alicea: I’m on the line with Michael Shulman. He is a retired educator, who taught in New York City schools for 36 years.
UFT Leadership’s Contract Teach-in Legacy is to Sue Members for Organizing
I was cautiously optimistic about the contract teach ins. So were a lot of people in the UFT’s progressive opposition. We had questions, to be sure — doubts. As I put it in January, “We need to make sure that the ‘teach in’s in our schools are not just infrastructure for an u
Blue Senate
It is urgent that we take advantage of this moment of financial improvement in New York State and the change in the political landscape in Albany. We should not wait for the next contract period in to see changes that are crying out for improvement. Teacher Evaluation – The current teacher eva
New Action to Run Slate in Spring UFT Elections
Priority Issues Fight administrative abuse – Defend Chapter Leaders, Probationers, and ATRs Last year NEW ACTION and MORE brought Chapter Leader after Chapter Leader up to UFT Executive Board meetings to speak up against the 200 or so Principals and Administrators who are making life hell for
New UFT Contract Passes: New Action Sees Many Gains, Yet Has Many Reservations
Members voted for a contract that has some very important gains. At the same time, it does not deal with some very important issues. While receiving an 80% vote from almost all units it was rejected by OT’s and PT’s. It is our obligation to stand in solidarity with the OT’s and PT’s. They wi
UFT High School Executive Board asked for endorsement of the anti-IDC Challengers
Primary Endorsements; Primary Elections There was no meeting to decide who the UFT would support at the NYSUT endorsement conference in August. And there were hot races for the NY State Senate – in the wake of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s victory, progressive challengers, including Robert Jackson
Janus – It Takes a Fight to Win
This year the UFT and membership may face the most difficult year in our history with the adverse U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Janus case. We are convinced Chapter Leaders and activists in our schools will rise to the occasion and support our union by convincing every member to pay union dues.
Paul Feingold, teacher, leader, activist, 1945 – 2017
Dear Friends, We lost a true trade union giant. Our dear friend and colleague, Paul Feingold, passed away this past weekend. Paul was a great rank and file chapter leader at John Jay HS, a long-time New Action supporter, and a fighter for social and economic justice. In 1986, when I was Academic Hi