5 Comments
Feb 10Liked by Educators of NYC

Yes! He doesn’t want you to know you can collectively bargain with some of these issues - it’s twofold. One he doesn’t really want you involved. Remember a few years ago he told the press that you elected him to make decisions. He doesn’t need to come back to all of you to ask what your opinion is. If you get involved, he can’t do what he wants.

And two. He doesn’t want you to know that the Uft leader ship sold off your pension for raises. The exact same thing he’s doing today with healthcare. You have to keep perpetuating the lie to cover up the things that you did wrong.

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Feb 11Liked by Educators of NYC

Really excellent research and very important information. I just want to say a word about one part of this piece of which I have personal experience: the 1990 contract with the 5.5% raise. The Unity leadership was politically close to Dinkins and had been important in getting him into the mayoral position. The raise was a result.

However, we didn't get that raise. At the end of 1990, only a few months after the contract was ratified, the City came back and said it was broke and couldn't give us the raise unless there were lay offs. The UFT leadership (BTW, the president at the time was Feldman not Shanker) worked together cleverly at the members' expense. They agreed that the raise could be broken into two parts and deferred for 2 - 3 years in exchange for no lay offs. The members would vote on this new contract provision.

You cannot imagine a better way to divide the rank and file and put us at each others' throats. The mainly new teachers whom would be laid off if the new deal were rejected were personally informed. A 2nd year teacher at the time, I was among them. Our more senior colleagues who had been so welcoming and helpful turned on us, as if we were trying to snatch the food from their babies' mouths. I will never forget the hurtful things they said to me.

Nevertheless, the change passed, no one was laid off, but the much-touted raises were delayed. The union leaders and the City together had deceived, manipulated and short changed us.

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author

Thank you, Marian. We made the correction to the article to include Feldman. This is an interesting footnote to a negotiated contingent contract. Surreal to know that they let them break a ratified contract without a real fight!

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Feb 10Liked by Educators of NYC

We desperately need the 25/55 program back for tier 6, it's extremely unfair the plan we have now. Melgew needs to stop lying to us about not being able to do anything and actually start to fight for changing tier 6, changing unfair observations, letters in file and do something about teacher discontinuances.

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Change begins with the ouster of the Unity Caucus.

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