UFT Delegate Assembly, 6/12/2024, Unofficial Minutes:

Moment of silence for Marjorie Stamberg.

Note: I was commuting by bike during the president’s report, so I listened in, but can only summarize what was said until about 6:00 PM. If another NAC member comes through, I will add more detailed notes later.

Basically, Mulgrew tried to sum up the year by going over several ‘wins’[1] from 2023-2024, including:

• Strengthening of the Maintenance of Effort Law
• Projected Implementation of Class size law
• Congestion pricing
• Funding
• Contract implementation
• Prose expansion
• Virtual instruction expansion
• BERS to TRS switch for many members
• Tier 6 changes, especially lowering of years to compute final average salary
• Some other changes I probably missed (the PowerPoint they apparently gave in person was not sent to those of us on the phone).

More expansive informal minutes follow:

Mulgrew: On the subject of national elections, one party will support us and one won’t. If the side that doesn’t support us wins, we’ll have to go into a defensive posture, not advancement.

Mitch McConell was a brilliant strategist. There will be a challenge to Brown vs Board of ed, because it’s standing in the way of their strategy. They want the rest of the country to be Florida. They want the entire US to have vouchers. Brown is a problem to them because the places where they’ve done this have quickly resegregated, so it won’t survive a lawsuit while Brown stands. That’s what we’re facing. They want to get rid of US Dept of Ed, which I’ve wanted to get rid of before too. Everyone thought Roe V Wade could never fall. If this side wins, we go into a defensive posture. NLB will be unfriendly to labor. Other side, we can go into aggressive advancement. We’ll know in November.

Charter schools not the model anymore. We have that one person still here…wicked witch of the north, but that’s not the strategy anymore. Vouchers are.

Want to get to a place of 55 for all, Tier 6.

LeRoy Barr: On June 4^th, we had the Shanker scholarship event. Comes from funding we put in contract many years ago in lieu of raises. Chapter elections under way – please send in certifications. UFT family day, 2024. Yo soy Latina, directed by Danny Rodgriguez. Revitalized UFT Caribbean committee – first meet and greet. Take advantage of happy hour 6-9. UFT labor day link for sep 7 will come out soon. Had great turnout, 1000+. Want even more this time.

Mulgrew: Thank everyone for LeRoy’s leadership. Applause. Directing a cast of teachers, Danny Rodriguez.

5:20 – Question Period

Delegate 1: what can we do to prioritize when we have too many students over the limit, but don’t have enough teachers to open up another class.

Mulgrew: Contractual class size limits have nothing to do with class size law. Still keeping that language. That’s tough. If every grade level you don’t have enough to make another class, next question is do you have space, then are you title 1 school, then have to make a decision. Either split classes completely, or how do you want to get in compliance, because aren’t going to have exemptions since we have space. If answer is split 2 this year then 2 next year, might be the way, because also have to get the new teachers to do the work. Then issue of money, they’ll say no money, you say not our issue because law says DOE will supply the funding. … Why so important to educate the principals, because principals don’t want to move, some fine, some don’t want to move, others don’t want to be told what to do.

Delegate 2: time and attendance. Guidance? Some have good documentation.

Mulgrew: As a CL for a period of time, I remember having conversations… If have medical documentation, get over it. Of course we could call DOE legal people…

Delegate 3 (MORE): A number of UFT members under fire for teaching balanced age-appropriate about what’s happening in Palestine. Curious about what union is doing to protect those teachers?

Mulgrew: If absolutely appropriate. Have some administrators politically averse to any position. Think Chancellor has been very clear – should be teaching what is appropriate to this issue on both sides. Can’t run away. Gonna discuss it as long as appropriate, of course what is appropriate. If happening in your school, let us know.

Delegate 3 (MORE): I think we need a little more guidance about what appropriate and both sides means…

Delegate 4 (NAC): Healthcare, personal experience. A few years ago had someone in MAP come in, told about Hello Hero which was great for our family, unfortunately fell apart, even before were having issues with providers dropping off because of reimbursement rates. What can we do to make sure we have reimbursement rates.

Mulgrew: Happy to say we have a new company with better provider network. We pay out of our union dues for that. One for the city. But we had such horrible service that we decided to spend our own union dues for our members. Another company – call them and they’ll put you in touch. Valero. If you want a different provider and they say no, let us know and we’ll get you someone else.

Delegate 5: Administrator had decided to transition everything to CORE or professionally made curriculum, insulting because we’re professionals. Have said we have to do Wit and Wisdom even though we’ve been told no mandate for the district. What can we do at our school level, it’s been culturally destructive. And what can UFT do at city level?

Mulgrew: complicated history. 40 years ago there were curriculums in NYC. They were there. Little more than 40. Clear both contractually and in education that employer has responsibility to give a curriculum. Up to them what children given to learn. We then design our lesson plans based on our professional judgement. Could mean supplemental materials. Up to us as professionals. Way it’s supposed to work. Most people were making our own curriculums and chancellor made decision it’s time to stop. What choose as a school should have more to do with consultation and SLT. If think it’s not a good curriculum, work with SLT. Some of the curriculums give more flexibility than others. All based on science of reading.

Motion Period

Delegate 6: (Something to this effect) – Whereas the class size was recently passed and there is class size reduction based on class sizes and not schools, be it resolved that we’ll monitor in our schools to make sure compliance takes place.

 87% passed.

Delegate 7: pronouns they/them. Anniversary of stonewall riots. Motion to move stonewall riot reso from position 8 to position 4 on the agenda.

71% – passes with 2/3s. Mulgrew: gotta move fast now so we can get to number 4. Not telling you what to do, but to get to number 4, gonna have to move.

Business

Rich Mantell: Some races impact our members. Call for exec board to be able to do endorsements.

88% – passes.

Carl Cambria: extend hybrid rules – highest decision making body in union. In person debate most seamless, but learned during pandemic that we got record participation. So operate this balanced approach. Only in person delegates allowed to introduce motions and amendments. Phone system. Also sometimes motions need to be in writing. That needs to be done in person. At same time, you get to listen to Mulgrew and ask questions – what delegates most interest in. Also lets you debate.

95%

Delegate 8: kids sick from testing anxiety. All year kids told only thing that matters is how do on test, but you and I know that’s not the case. Quizzes on what assessments given – all above.

Delegate 9:  coendorses.

Passes.

Mulgrew: thanks Adam Shapiro ‘phenomenal’ district rep and OT PT CL for METS game turnout.

Rashad brown: Be out there on the streets, June 30^th, march for trans, lgbtq siblings. New tradition of state of the community. Urge you to support.

Employee of stonewall and UFT member rises in support. Tired of fighting for equal rights.

88%, passes.

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[1] I put ‘ ‘ marks around ‘wins,’ because some of the wins aren’t so clearly because of the UFT, at least not us alone (congestion pricing); some of these ‘wins’ also aren’t necessarily wins depending on who you are (again, congestion pricing is a good example, especially since UFT never voted on spending our money on that), and some of the wins are dubious (funding was not entirely a win story this year) or the jury is still out on them (let’s see what happens with class size and our ability to use the new language on maintenance of effort). We also heard less about our losses – continued mayoral control, buyers remorse on a sub-inflation contract with a few less than desirable features (e.g. excessive paperwork requirements RE remote work), healthcare deterioration, etc. Nevertheless, it’s good to end the year on a high note, and we did have some wins.