Another Great Victory
The UFT endorsed Eliot Spitzer because with him 25/55 was virtually a certainty. But his opening speech asked for a longer work day for teachers, as well as a longer work year. Amazingly, Unity/UFT considers this a "victory," because lower class size is also on Spitzer's radar screen. Apparently our union is paid to represent parents and civic leaders. They sure do a poor job of representing us. They get smaller classes; we get more work. So when you're working in July, and the rest of August, at least you'll find only 32 students in you class. But of course, what is good for them is good for us. After all, it's all about the kids. Isn't that what unionism is all about?
posted by A Strong, Proud UTP Member at 1/04/2007 07:58:00 PM
35 Comments:
Well, NOW I get it! I finally understand that it's all for the "children" I'll just run right out of my shoes to get to work early, stay late, and work a 355 day school year! Thanks Randi for this truly great victory! What happened to 25/55- If they lower class size then what? We can all work to 35/65- What a DEAl- How can we loose?!
It's no secret that our union does not represent us. The UFT represents parents and children, and they don't even pay union dues! How cool would it be if the people we paid to look out for us actually did their jobs? Well, they won't until we force them to. I'm sick of paying union dues to a children's advocacy organization. The DOE should worry about the children, the UFT should worry about us - we pay their salaries, as well as financing their double pensions and other perks.
Why is Max only willing to work 355 days, why not all 365?
You rotten ungrateful teachers. How can you call yourselves professionals and not consider Elliot our governor. I'm so glad we endorsed him. It's almost as fulfilling as the Pataki endorsement the last time.
Klein for Mayor?
For Unity to say that this speech is anything but troubling indicates just how out of touch they are with the rank and file.
It could also indicate how stupid they think teachers are.
I wonder if Maisie reads the stuff she writes. I look at it again and again, and I see, "Oh boy, he wants smaller class sizes, and by the way, he wants a longer day and a longer year."
I mean, how do you write something like that, press the publish button, and think no one will notice what it is you said?
Or does she even understand what she said?
We'll never know as the great and powerful Unity employees do not deign to speak to The Help.
I think scigirl has a great point.
I like the fact that Klein responded that the issue needs to be looked into because a longer school day will not benefit every student. Randi offered no response at all because she has to "look into everything first." I cannot stand Klein and what he has done to us but at least he can offer a response w/o checking in.
Remember Randi has one goal - to put money in teachers' pockets even if she has to sell off the entire contract. Think of the automatic dues increases -- maybe triple pensions?
Everyone can one day make the big bucks but work till midnight and half the summer. At what point do most teachers say NADA!.
That's an excellent question. I often wonder about that.
I recall reading that about half of the teachers in the system have less than 5 years.
They are not going to say nada to anything. They want more money. They don't know a thing about job rights, seniority transfers, etc.
Also, Unity are not all as stupid as Maise at the UFT blog. They create a contract committee--and when they deliver garbage, they say you got what you asked for. They create a contract survey and claim that the number one issue is money. So again, Unity claims that you got what you asked for. It's a great system: they've managed to screw the members AND make it look like their fault.
Brilliant!
But it's the members who vote to continue the Unity system.
Shame on us or Unity?
I absolutely believe that an overwhelming majority of our members have little idea who or what Unity is or represents. I myself probably voted for the New Action slate last time around, thinking that ICE or whoever else was on the ballot was simply a distraction from the real opposition.
I did this after having received years of messages from New Action in my mailbox. How many teachers knew then that New Action had been bought off? How many know now?
Very few, I'd guess. Perhaps very few even know what they used to represent. How many teachers even know there is an opposition nowadays?
Unity has a massive informational blackout on our schools. In our school, for example, ICE material was removed from bulletin boards and mailboxes. Unity is a dictatorship, and they discourage any opposition in countless ways.
Yes, our members are ignorant of union "politics," and Unity benefits from the system, and maintains it wholeheartedly.
While you talk about internal union politics, the question is what are you doing in your school to organize and mobilize your staff beside bashing the UFT leadership?
Personally, I'm very active in my school chapter. Anyone who gets near me knows what I think, and it's my duty to spread the word. I'm amazed at how unaware some very intelligent colleagues of mine are, and I think they represent the majority.
I'm pretty sure, though, that I'm reaching more people with my blog.
What we do in our school is tell everyone how the UFT is a corrupt dictatorship that gets two pensions and doesn't give a shit about its members.
Now the whole staff bashes Unity--at least 'till the school closes.
It's working out rather well.
Of course you need someone to bash after school hours, and I think New Jersey is perfect. I happen to work weekends with people from Jersey, and believe it or not, they often have the audacity to make New York jokes.
Just because you give your opinion or "let them know what you think" doesn't mean you are helping organize the staff and being a real unionist. Hell my AP tells me what he thinks all the time but he's no freind to unions.
Bash Unity Loudly - BUL - good name for a new caucus.
Poor pro Unity-ites - - so sensitive over the bashing.
You should ask a better question: what is Unity doing to organize their own chapters since the overwhelming majority of chapters are controlled by Unity Caucus and they are so weak? How many Unity chapter leaders are in the pockets of their administrators?
By the way anon. pro-Unity --- we know exactly who you are since even though you think you are so clever, the context of your comments is revealing. Why don't you tell us all how your oganized your chapter? We know more than you think.
Being a real unionist means getting two pensions.
Two pensions isn't nearly enough.
To be a strong supporter of unions, you must loudly praise the sixth class, the perpetual hall patrol, the two days in August, the 90-day unpaid suspension for baseless allegations, the demise of seniority rights, time-for-money swaps disingenuously labeled "raises," pay hikes that fail to meet cost of living, and an election process that denies high school teachers the right to choose their own representation.
I'm curious to know what exactly our anonymous friend does. Kindly enlighten us as to what your pro-union program happens to be.
The "pro-union" program is to staunchly support the party line, suck up to every Unity hack that crosses your path hoping to create an "in" for yourself so you can secure some Unity "perks". If you can get the free vacations etc. then maybe some day you can weasle yourself into a union job, which really pays off since you don't actually have to do anything (except maybe explain to some teachers why whatever crap contract you are pushing is the best thing since sliced bread) and will provide you with a much better salary and two pensions. Not bad for selling out your colleagues, and turning your back on everything you know is right is it? Thats being "pro-union" - in this union anyway. The "logic" these people use defies the imagination.
The fact that 90% of the teachers brought it in the recent contract vote astounds me.
To anon: The extended day, more work days during the year, and a variety of other maladies were caused by the last contract.
The new contract though it didn't remedy any of the pain caused by the last contract did not hurt the membership or make things worse. That's why it was so popular.
I agree with that, of course. The message, though, that Unity got was that teachers are perfectly content with the draconian conditions imposed on them by the 05 contract. Short memories are not at all helpful for working people, and raises that fail to meet cost of living are not worth jumping up and down about either.
On another note, I posted at least two of the above posts as NYC Educator, but they are now attributed to "anonymous." This is not helping my chronic identity crisis.
We changed to Google Blogger yesterday, and some of the names (like yours) were changed, while some weren't. Don't know why.
If we could change our leadership as easily, that might be interesting.
the truth is that we can't keep going bakc to the "other" contract and always look forward to the current one and the next one. That was ICE's failute. If not we can always say "remember when . . ." and neve be prepared for the current fight.
Even you guys can't be against the smaller class size campaign.
Can't read?
Or, you're also for longer work days, and a longer work year?
listen nothing is done including class sizes, days and school time. So if we get class size done and the other 2 don't happen then what? Support smaller class sizes and fight the other 2!
How long do we have to keep paying for EdWize?
No one goes there. There are almost no comments.
The smaller class size campaign is nice, very nice even, but the only thing that's kept class sizes as low as they are now has been a contractual agreement. Randi precluded negotiation for lower class size by specifically telling members in the surveys it would come in lieu of salary increases.
Smaller class size campaigns like the one going on now have failed because the mayor had (and still has) the power to unilaterally drop such referendums from the ballot.
The mayor, after granting us a raise that doesn't meet cost of living, has just thrown a billion dollars into the air for city taxpayers. Killing another referendum is not going to bother him at all.
The likelihood of Ms. Weingarten outmaneuvering this mayor, which she's never been able to do in the past, is remote at best.
the current campaign isn't about the mayor. In fact it works with the state legislators where they already despise the NYC DOE and we have more sway. I hope you are doing your part NYC Educator instead of throwing your hands up in the air.
My hands are not in the air. They are in your face, and there they will remain.
Though you're free to ignore recent history, in doing so you've failed to address my comment.
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