Archive Page 115

OPPOSE THE NYPD’S “STOP AND FRISK” PRACTICES

Published April 18, 2012 New Action Closed
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From New Action’s April 2012 Delegate Assembly leaflet:  Leaflet 2012 April

Since 2002 the number of NYPD stops of African-Americans and Latinos has jumped nearly 700%. In 2011 685,000 stop and searches were conducted by the NYPD. As today’s resolution states,“87 percent of the people stopped…were people of color, and 53 % were African-American.” 9 out of 10 have done nothing wrong or illegal. How many are our students? This practice is not only damnable but it is thoroughly and blatantly racist. It clearly violates the Fourth Amendment of the Bill of Rights.

Today we place ourselves in strong opposition to the current NYPD policy of “stop and frisk.” Further, this resolution supports the communities with the largest concentration of people of color. It unites us with the NYCLU, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and others to support legislation to ban the practice. This legislation would also prohibit “NYPD quotas for a minimum number of stops and searches each police officer must make.” Isn’t it time we as a society end the practice of racial profiling and institutional racism?!

TEACHER DATA REPORTS – TIME for DIRECT RESPONSE

Published March 17, 2012 New Action , New York CIty Department of Education , UFT , United Federation of Teachers Closed
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New Action/UFT
…a caucus of the United Federation of Teachers
PO Box 180574 North Richmond Hill, NY 11418
https://newaction.wordpress.com/

March 2012

TEACHER DATA REPORTS – TIME for DIRECT RESPONSE

Bloomberg can point a finger at the courts and say they did it. But the publication in the media has to be laid squarely at the feet of the Mayor. The city encouraged the media to file the FOI request, and then refused to raise as much as an objection in the courts against making these reports public.

It is heartening to read that the 99% (those scoring at the top of the TDRs) are circulating a letter of protest against these bogus stats.

The UFT membership has been under attack since Bloomberg took office. His legacy is in the tank  – but that doesn’t help those of us suffering from his disastrous leadership. When have working conditions have been worse, or the demoralization as great?

Chapters have been fighting back – against closing schools, against abusive administrators, against budget cuts, etc. New Action calls for a day of solidarity to let the mayor know that the membership of the UFT will not be beaten down.

NEW EVALUATION SYSTEM – ELIMINATE TENURED TEACHERS?

In January 2010 New Action warned about joining with the City to lobby for Race to the Top monies. New Action wrote in May 2010: “New Action opposes the teacher evaluation system just proposed by the Board of Regents, with support from the NYSUT and UFT leaderships. We do not believe that even the best  […] Back in January 2010, in the face of similar proposals, made by AFT President Randi Weingarten, Michael Mulgrew wrote, ‘[These] proposals would require a climate of collaboration and trust that simply does not exist here.’”

May 2011, New Action wrote:  “How many times do we (our UFT) go into agreements with folks who turn around and go back on their word? Witness the Teacher Data Reports. And how can we support a system that allows tenured teachers to be terminated after 2 ratings of being “ineffective”? With too many principals today, the name of the game is to get rid of veteran teachers. Will the new evaluations lead to more unsatisfactory ratings? We all know the answer.”

Our opinion has not changed. This new evaluation system will lead to an avalanche of ineffective ratings. We know the DOE violates every agreement. If we reach an evaluation agreement they will violate it as well. Tenured teachers cannot afford to wait and see.

End Mayoral Control; We need a day of solidarity; Beat back Tier 6

Published February 17, 2012 New Action , UFT , United Federation of Teachers Closed
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From the February 2012 New Action Delegate Assembly Leaflet. For the original leaflet, click: Leaflet 2012 February

New Action/UFT
…a caucus of the United Federation of Teachers
PO Box 180574    North Richmond Hill, NY 11418
https://newaction.wordpress.com/

February 2012

TIME TO CALL FOR AN END OF MAYORAL CONTROL!

Congratulations to all who confronted the PEP at Brooklyn Technical HS last week. Our message was loud and clear. But the Mayor’s puppet PEP once again demonstrated what a farce mayoral control has become. A new strategy is in order.

New Action proposes that we use the clout of parents, students, elected officials, our membership and the UFT and CALL for an end to mayoral control. We must unite and demand an independent panel of people, fairly and democratically chosen, with background and knowledge in education. The make-up of the new panel or committee should be determined after broad discussion and consultation with all stakeholders, with the mayor’s representation limited to a minority voice.

ISN’T IT TIME TO GET RID OF THE PEP AND MAYORAL CONTROL?


DAY OF SOLIDARITY NEEDED

Many of our members have demonstrated against school closings, the threat of lay-offs, the co-location of charter schools, voter suppression bills, and the attacks on public workers in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Florida. But conditions in OUR schools are the worst in recent memory – pressure, threats, and paperwork, paperwork, paperwork.

New Action believes we should organize actions to express our disgust at every school, involving every member’s voice. As a first step towards a real campaign, New Action calls on the UFT to set a date for school based actions in the spring. This will help prepare the membership for upcoming struggles that we will face.


BEAT BACK GOV. CUOMO’S CALL FOR TIER 6 PENSION

Cuomo is leading the charge for a Tier 6 pension for new employees. While his legislative program doesn’t rise to the level of the bills in Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio, Florida, etc. it is unacceptable to labor in NYState. He must be beaten back on this. We urge every member to make the calls the UFT has asked us to.

Cuomo’s drastic proposal must be met by the strongest response we can put forward. Every form of protest must be on the table. The calls are a good start—but only a start. Labor and its allies must be front and center on this one.

TIER 6 MUST BE DEFEATED!

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