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New Action/UFT Endorses Michael Mulgrew for President

We are proud to support a real teacher for UFT President. Michael Mulgrew worked for 9 years in the classroom. He understands that even as pay has improved, working conditions have deteriorated.

In his short tenure as UFT President he has:

  • Sued Joel Klein and the DOE over their failure to reduce class size
  • Fought the closing of 19 schools — a fight that New Action urged long ago
  • Refused to accept Mayor Bloomberg’s latest contract offer of 2% and 2%
  • Convinced NY State Legislators to keep the cap on charter schools. Michael argues that Charters do not take their fair share of students with special needs, aren’t as accountable as NYC public schools, and some executives and principals receive obscenely huge salaries. New Action opposes charter schools and privatization of education services.
  • Stood firm against Bloomberg and Klein’s demand to fire ATRs.
  • Stood firm in support of tenure and against evaluating educators using student test scores
  • Strengthened UFT alliances with parent and community advocacy groups

Position Paper December 2009

A New Action paper briefly reviews the conditions we currently face:

Educators are under attack. … decrease in the effectiveness of the UFT to counter the power of the DOE. … a young, new workforce … a lack of connection to unionism. …

…  corporate model…  top-down structure … no … collaboration … massive testing … merit and bonuses, and strongly anti-union. … breakup of large schools … Newer teachers are easier … to victimize  …  autonomy given to the principals and the laissez faire attitude of superintendents.  … news stories depicting teachers as incompetent (ATR’s) or dangerous (“Rubber room”). … national spotlight is focused … on teacher evaluation and creating more charter schools…

The past several years have been a disaster for our members. Working conditions are perhaps the worst in the history of the UFT.

…excessive paperwork… data … scripted lesson … individual student goals … teaching for the test. … abusive or incompetent administrators … absolute authority … constant creation of new small schools … assault on experience and seniority … willful opposition to … our legal contract.

Click this link for the complete text.

New Action statement calls for solidarity against Bloomberg’s attack on tenure

The day before Thanksgiving, to his usual list of proposals, Mayor Bloomberg added that he had instructed the Chancellor to start using test scores in tenure decisions this year.

This is the time for a united fight against this corporate mayor. President Mulgrew and the union leadership must do more than issue strong statements condemning the mayor and chancellor. New Action stands ready to lay out a strategy to counter and beat back Mayor Bloomberg.  We should extend our hands to all to join with us in this fight.

Read the full New Action statement


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