Archive Page 99

Report from UFT 12/16/13 Executive Board – Calling the Question too fast

Published December 17, 2013 New Action , UFT , UFT Executive Board , United Federation of Teachers 3 Comments
Tags: , ,

No President’s report. Mulgrew was absent.

Staff Director’s Report (?)

I was late and missed the staff director’s report. LeRoy Barr appeared not to be there. Perhaps Ellie Engler (who was present) gave the report

Questions

I missed the questions

Reports from Districts

There were many reports from districts

Legislative Report –

Paul Egan was absent, and called in to Emil Pietromonaco that there was no legislative report.

Special Orders of Business

1. There were resolutions recommended to the NYSUT Representative Assembly. These were non-controversial (). Mike Shulman added the Mandela resolution from the previous week.

2. New Action brought forth a resolution, calling for a change in the rules of order for the DA. If a question is called before there has been a speaker against, the proposed rule would require the chair to ask for a speaker against before allowing the question to be called. Jonathan Halabi (me) motivated. John Soldini, former HS VP, spoke against, saying that calling a point of order would accomplish the same thing, Kate Martin-Bridge countered, saying that in the last two years at the DA, calling a point of order has not gotten the chair to ask for a speaker opposed, Sterling Roberson rose to warn the body not to be “fooled” by the resolution, Mike Shulman rose to underline that the resolution was clear and that there was no attempt to “fool” anyone, and Richie Mantell finally rose to table the motion, due to unclarity about Roberts Rules, etc. The motion to table passed, unanimously.

New Action Caucus has ten seats on the UFT Executive Board – the only ten seats that do not belong to Unity Caucus.

Ten is not enough to win anything – but it allows our voice to be heard, it allows us to put forward resolutions, and when there is agreement, to put forward resolutions the leadership signs onto. It allows us to offer amendments. It allows us to bring issues to the leadership.

At Exec after Exec, Unity members sit and listen. Some never speak. Most rarely speak. But New Action usually has questions, comments, resolutions, or amendments.

This year we will publish reports – sometimes on the entire Exec Board, sometimes just on New Action’s contribution.

Resolution on encouraging broad discussion

Published December 17, 2013 New Action , UFT , UFT Executive Board 1 Comment
Tags:

Resolution on encouraging broad discussion

(presented at the 12/16/13UFT Exec Board. Tabled. This resolution would change the rules of the Delegate Assembly so that if the question was called before there had been a speaker against, the chair would ask for a speaker against before preceding to a vote.)

Whereas, the United Federation of Teachers is a democratically run organization, and

Whereas, the UFT’s governing body is the Delegate Assembly, where policy is introduced, discussed, debated, and decided, and

Whereas, the Delegate Assembly is generally governed by Roberts Rules, with several specific changes, as the UFT has chosen, and

Whereas, on occasion, after a resolution has been motivated, the question has been called and voted upon without the nay side of the issue having been heard, and

Whereas, allowing one speaker opposed would not impose an undue burden on the body, and might enrich the discussion before the vote,

Therefore, be it RESOLVED that the rules of order of the United Federation of Teachers Delegate Assembly are amended by the addition of: “6. CALLING A QUESTION – Before entertaining a motion to ‘call the question’ on any matter, if there has not been a speaker opposed to the question, the chair will ask for a speaker opposed.”

 Introduced to the December 16 UFT Exec Board. Signed by Jonathan Halabi, Michael Shulman, Kate Martin-Bridge, Francisco Peña, Keith Fessell, Doug Haynes. Motivated by Jonathan Halabi. Tabled.

Good Riddance Bloomberg – Good Riddance to Working without a Contract

Published December 16, 2013 Contract , New Action , New York CIty Department of Education , UFT 1 Comment
Tags:

(from the New Action leaflet distributed at the December 2013 Delegate Assembly).
For a printable version click: December 2013 Leaflet

Good Riddance Bloomberg – Good Riddance to Working without a Contract

Members are rightfully disgusted with the NY Times editorial (12-2-13). The Times echoed Bloomberg’s call for a wage freeze for three years followed by two years of 1.25% each. The rest of the editorial covering seniority, ATRs, firing teachers, and “flexible schedules” was outrageous and right out of the corporate reformers’ playbook.

Money: UFT members are owed a 4%, 4% raise from 2009 to 2011, as the other unions already received (increases after 2011 still need to be negotiated with Mayor de Blasio.)

Retroactive Pay: Retro negotiations must cover all who worked during the years covered.

Givebacks:  Since no other union was asked for givebacks, that is the pattern. Period.

Learn more about

our UFT Caucus

Content Policy

Content of signed articles and comments represents the opinions of their authors. The views expressed in signed articles are not necessarily the views of New Action/UFT.
Follow New Action – UFT on WordPress.com
September 2026
M T W T F S S
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
282930  

Blog Stats

  • 414,903 hits