DA Votes yes to Send out Contract without a Copy: UFT Delegate Assembly – 6-13-2023

Summary/ Analysis: Today, UFT leadership put delegates in a position where they had ‘no choice’ but to vote without seeing a tentative agreement. Otherwise, Mulgrew said, we wouldn’t be able to vote on a contract before September. The PowerPoint had a lot of things that could be good, but we’ve seen PowerPoints miss the fine print before. The DA voted to accept sending out the contract to members for ratification, and I understand why. But, make no mistake: this has put us in a dangerous moment. In 2018, healthcare givebacks were signed into the appendix of a contract (in the form of economic concessions) because of missed ‘fine print.’ It became harder to get a +30 for newer teachers, because fine print was not understood. The list goes on. What won’t we know before we vote this time? And when will the MOA even be on the website? I ended up being the only person allowed to speak against, though many other hands were up, and that paragraph is towards the bottom.

Mulgrew: Welcome to the final DA. You all do so much work. Appreciate the patience with constant changes. We understood going into this that we wanted to get a contract done by the end of the school year, to use the ability to do something significant – remote learning – but only way to do that was to get it done before September. Today is the last day that this decision could be made. If you don’t understand, we ratify our contracts in the schools. Majority of the membership, some exceptions in functionals who have it sent to their houses, who vote in schools. This is what the City was told. Timeline is real – not a tactic/pressure issue. If we wanna ratify, we have to ratify now. If we want the ballots back, they have to go to AAA – not the union. We were working on that  – at 4:00 or 5:00 I didn’t think we’d be having this conversation. I thought we’d be preparing for actions in September and preparing this summer. Twists and turns in negotiations. Didn’t expect phone call at 10:45 PM last night. We worked through the night and the next morning – finished the last piece at 11:00 AM this morning. That last thing that Chancellors Day is permanently remote. So now, exec board and contract committee have voted to send this out to the general membership. What we’re going to do today.

The MOA is done but it hasn’t been signed by the City or us. But as soon as it’s done, it will be made available to the membership. If you don’t believe me – you think I’m a liar, I don’t know what to tell you. We have more agreements than we have ever had in a contract. There’s stuff in here for every title. Almost all our titles have time to do virtual work. There are recognitions that you should have control of what you do with your time. A reconfiguration of the 155 minutes. I received some very interesting questions – if we do not have a work day agreement, there is an agreement that says every non-multi-session school goes to 37.5 minutes of small group instruction after school. That was something we did years – the reason the DOE came to us to come to a workday agreement, let’s just say – schools end up with 12 bus runs instead of 6. Do you understand what that causes for the school system? More than a billion a year. Technically the City can send out the calendar without us, but we tie this to the calendar. So when the DOE sent out the calendar on that Friday afternoon, we made the correct decision to inform you all that we’re going back to 37.5. And I informed the Mayor in person that night. It took them a little while – they thought it sounded nice, until they called the bus people. At the same time, we have a pattern that we’re not crazy about, so how do you get creative? Our members rightfully said to us that they wanted to stop being disrespected. And time. That’s it. So today, I want to lay this out.

LeRoy Barr brings out resolution for tonight to change the DA – 3 resolutions: resolution to send ratification vote to members, second for a summer contingency plan for endorsing candidates, and to extend the virtual DA resolution – the total agenda for today.

Rashad brown rises in support. Members wanna go away knowing things are OK.

Passes.

Mulgrew: look at the clock, and we might have to extend if that’s OK with you, our fault – we started late.

This here is the powerpoint – not going to get through all of it, half a phone book. Wanna be clear, there is not a single concession in it. 80% was done in committee. These are things, that individual titles, it is very important to them. This is really important work. Our goal was to get every title in front of the City. There was training/demands. That led to massive changes in our contract – all positive towards what we believe we need. Mostly about stop the disrespect. Also about doing some work virtually. If you’re a classroom teacher, it’s harder to do if you’re in person. It was very clear when I was in the committee, it was clear. Every single one of you got changes in your time.

As soon as it’s signed, it will be online and you can read the entire thing. I’m sure you will be fascinated by everything we were able to get for all the titles. Money is 3, 3, 3, 3.25, and 3.25 ( per year), so that’s above the other union. The other piece is the retention bonus piece. Ranges from 400 to 1,035 depending on the year. You will receive that as long as you work for DOE – FOREVER. It does not go away. This check will be the same for every title.

Alicea: Pensionable?

Mulgrew: No. It will not be pensionable. If we put pension costs in that, we don’t get the thousand dollars. The rest goes right where it needs to go. But this one was specific. If put in pension, that thousand dollar check would go down to 600.

With the increases, what we go to now is the teacher salary schedule. All of the teachers will now reach 100,000 by 8B after five years. And everyone who worked this year will get a retro. *Shows slide with some specifics for financials.

New pilot workday: 60 min PD on Mondays; 40 mins for OPW; 55 for PE. PE can be done from wherever you want. Right now, if you do a log, that’s fine. Parent engagement will also be added to C6 menu. Parent engagement time can be done when you want.

Other-school-based titles make own schedules, get time to complete administrative tasks, remote.

*Mulgrew realizes powerpoint hasn’t been sent out to people at home, so starts reading out loud on section about non-school-based titles who can now work up to 2 days remotely in some circumstances.

DOE wanted no-pre approved SBOs. Don’t know what that was about. We were like no, we’re not doing this. 60 means we have multiple options now, e.g. to put PD in the morning. For instance, if you start at 9:00, may want to do PD in morning. Also some multi-session versions pre approved for faculty conferences and grade/department meetings.

Parent Teacher Conferences – DOE wanted to leave it to principals for whether to be in person or remote. But we know it’s successful. We see 3x as many parents as we used to. So we’ve locked that down. Parent teacher conferences can take place in school if parent requests at mutual time.

Expanded professional activity menu.

Bereavement changes – can use at any point within 3 months if funeral scheduled later.

Parental Leave – if both parents are UFT members and you’re having a child, you both now get paid family leave.

DOE has agreed that we should have access to clean drinking water and air.

A lot of stuff in contract is when people are in difficult situations – e.g. Injury in the Line of Duty. Medical arbitration.

UFT center to help make CTLE-aligned options, which can be used in PD time during the workday at the school’s per session. We have to build this—most will be based off of new literacy programs—so that up two PD credits can confer CTLE credit.

DOE agrees we need a committee on over-assessment of children.

Now have to give a reason why probation extended. Can no longer give no clue to why. Opens up some of our legal options.

Biggest skillset missing is programming – some work on that.

H-Bank – we now have read only access, so we can help solve things for them.

All the paperwork standards have more rigor than we had before.

Creation of an electronic per session time form.

Due Process and investigations. Things that we asked for – if you have any doubts about my integrity, please.

I give this chancellor credit. There will be two virtual systems. Citywide system – classes will be jointly created. Can enter, after the school day, if get demand during we’ll do it though wouldn’t work. Could be in morning, evening, Saturday, Sunday. No teacher can be forced to do this work. A lot of good stuff here. We see this as a catch up possibility for students who might not graduate. Then there are other students who want to graduate early, so what’s the problem, let them graduate early. Equity portion – a lot of classes that we don’t have teachers doing. Problem is teacher often doesn’t have full schedule this way. All voluntary, posted. We’ll have full time teachers, hybrid teachers working 3, maybe you want to work 1-7. This all has to be worked out, but we’re trying to be as creative as possible. Starts with 25% of high schools next year, then phasing in other schools. We know with elementary it’s more of a challenge because you usually need an adult on the other side. All our work is protected, everything is there. This is very, very interesting. Always love doing something creative in a contract. If we get this right – there’s no major school district in the country doing this. If you’re district 79, you might have 18 sites. So how do you do math in 18 sites?

Student pathways – students do better when tying to their future.

PSAL: Increased number of sessions.

SPED: There will be specific meetings now where you must discuss the school’s compliance. Training session so that principals and teachers do that training together. SEISIS, we’ve been told 2 years from now there will be a new one, they will continue to work with us on this.

SPED professional activities: must prioritize student assessments and co-planning time.

Elementary Schools: Elementary teachers pee too! Same language for middle/high school now, now have same language on 3 in a row. Also, elementary day will end after kids are on the bus. We’re gonna have fun enforcing this one – it will blow minds.

We still have 20 pages to go through, but these are very specific things to titles themselves. There are no givebacks here.

I’ll say this to you today. We’ve had our disagreements with the mayor. But when he realized what we were trying to do, but this morning he was truly happy with the things we got to announce today. He’s happy about every one of our members getting a thousand dollar check. And the chancellor’s vision. So, going to do a question period, then we will do a vote.

Question Period:

George Geiss: Proud member of this negotiating committee. My first question a joke – how do I run to be a CL in a virtual school. For SBO configuration, is it still a 6:20 option?

Carl Cambria: Yes, there are some options that talk about other options, but that’s what you’d be voting for.

George Geiss: Joined negotiating committee – it didn’t make this. But you better bet, I’m voting yes, because no matter what you think – this is a very powerful contract, no matter what caucus you’re in.

Mulgrew: Just reminding everyone it’s the question period.

Zeke Plotkin: just wondering about logistics of SBOs.

Mulgrew: I shut down all SBOs and PROSE votes. If we were going to war, we weren’t going light. A lot of my members were like huh? What we’ll do is this: we will send out the ratification right away, printing right now. Then I will do an online to the chapter leaders. You can proceed with your PROSE and SBO votes, but it’s contingent on ratification of the contract. Don’t want to hold them and make you do in September.

Name missed: Wondering about virtual schooling, how will it be assigned?

Mulgrew: All of it will be done through posting. Schools themselves will have to submit a plan on what they want to do. No crazy stuff happening this year with virtual. We have to guard this program. Virtual learning was done during the pandemic. There was good and bad VL. Public will probably give us a shot on the good learning. We have to guard the integrity of the virtual learning program.

Name Missed: What if a teacher applies for a virtual learning program and it doesn’t work out because it doesn’t work? Do they still have old job?

Mulgrew: Still working that out…at least a year. But have to work out. Think it will be extremely popular.

Steve S (Lehman): Talking to some of my members, and after negotiating committee, was talking to some folks who were skeptical of presentation. We will we get to see MOA? Including appendixes? When?

Mulgrew: Yes…pauses on appendixes….yes….Then on time, says we are still working on some stuff that’s contingent. Right now, I’ve been told that the MOA is done. IT has been sent to the office of labor relations. They will read it, have 3 people reading simultaneously. If choose to, they will sign it, then they’ll send it back to us, and up on the web it goes. Assume that would be done in next 24 hours, but is still OLR.

Beth P: Question is about the calendar and on remote snow days.

Mulgrew: Officially in this contract, will not go into effect unless have calendar agreement. Have informed City about large issue with Jewish, Christian, and Muslim friends—so I think I’m telling you where we are going on this. In emergency shut down, we go to remote. Had 2 last week – not just snow days. This year, wasn’t a lot, but we didn’t expect to see so many days for next year. And remember, we may also have another day – Diwali – we support it.

Question missed.

Kate Konnors: You said MOA would be up in 24 hours?

Mulgrew: hold up – we’d like to have it up – if OLR does, then it will be up. Just got a nod from attorney dealing with them.

Kate Connors: You’re asking us to vote on it before we read it?

Heckling of Kate from UFT staffers.

Mulgrew: We vote to send to members. Last day we can do this. If people don’t want to have the choice because they don’t have an MOA, then vote no. But I’m so proud of this contract.

Kate: Have concerns from last contract – going to Medicare Advantage. Appendix B, do some research.

Mulgrew: will say what I said to someone else, it was all in there, know people like to misrepresent, but everything in MOA. If you feel uncomfortable, just tell them you voted no on their ability to vote on the MOA.

Vote to extend DA another 15 minutes.

Passes with 81%.

Alicea tries to amend but denied.

Carl Cambria (UFT Staffer): Know a lot of you were on the 500 member committee. Has members of that committee stand up – most stand. About a year ago, we started this – for a fair contract now. We have that fair contract, that fair tentative agreement right now. It’s beyond. Each and every committee. One missing piece to this – the word on the button bottom – NOW. We need to do this now. We owe it to our members to get them a fair contract now.

Rashad Brown (UFT Staffer): Michael, I don’t know how the UFT leadership pulls it off again. Thanks many. We see benefits. Number one thing is money? 1k  a year? Never heard of that.

Point of information: what’s the amendment?

Mulgrew: Can’t just yell out motion to amend. Anyone want to speak against?

Danny Rodriguez: Bronx DR (UFT staffer). Don’t normally speak, but feel compelled to say this – we are here because of the negotiating committee and all the actions we have done. We’ve had contract action teams working with our members. Important to share our work. Proud we were part of that. Show our members. Patient.Hope all yes.

Daniel Alicea: first point of order, typically motions we don’t motivate unless sending to next assembly. Clarify rules? We had a motion here, folks started speaking towards it. If there is a motion, there should be for and against. I would like motion to amend.

Mulgrew: there is nothing that says not necessarily for or against. Something we’ve adopted.

Barr: In terms of question about an amendment – that would be out of order, you’re giving leeway to take someone to speak against. We don’t have to acknowledge.

Nick Bacon: Sorry to even be in a position where I have to speak against this, but I’m on the negotiating committee, the executive board, and the DA and have not seen this MOA. We don’t even know when it will be on the website for our members to see. You don’t buy a house based on a PowerPoint the realtor showed you, or a used car based on the PowerPoint your used car salesman showed you. You look at the contract. There were issues with the last PowerPoint – not because anyone was trying to lie, but because it’s hard to see fine print in a PowerPoint. We need to see the fine print before we tell our members this is a deal worth voting yes on. *Around now, being heckled by UFT staffers* It’s OK, I’ve been being heckled all day, mostly by UFT staffers. We’ve also mostly heard from UFT staffers about why we should vote for this contract. They haven’t read the MOA either, and they also don’t have to live with the consequences. Working teachers – and other titles – will have to live with the consequences. We need to know what’s in this contract before we vote on it.

Name missed: will MOA be on the website before vote?

Aqeel Williams (UFT Staffer): Dues paying member (and staffer) – glad to see the stuff on elementary. Trust my leadership. Also as a member of this negotiating committee, we should be proud that we’re doing – and I trust my leadership that I don’t have to see the whole MOA right in front of me.

P. Johnson: Membership is highest governing body. Members will have a chance to vote later. Call to question.

Mulgrew: says can’t motivate and can’t call question.

Geoff Sorkin (UFT Staffer): Proud executive board member and director of the welfare fund and proud to call the question.

Unity members celebrate no debate, clapping.

Yeses: 1,287; nos 285 – online. (Miss room count). Mulgrew: Passes overwhelmingly.

Motion to extend. Yes, press 1;

Hybrid DA:

Name Missed: For this motion. If have to commute, can miss half the DA – worry about parking etc.

Name Missed: as someone coming from Staten Island, thank g-d. First time I could do DAs without having to sacrifice time with my children. Remember us poor forgotten Staten Islanders! Takes forever to get here.

Name missed: speaks for, great way to be a mother and part of this union.

J. Morris: I’m for – misdial.

M. Joyce: Call the question.

Passes.

Summer endorsement process also passes.