by Mike Schirtzer
Full Paid Parental Leave For Six
Weeks-✔
Two Observations-✔
Strong Protections From Abusive
Administrators-✔
Raises for Paras and Due Process-✔
Healthcare for Every UFT Member
Without Paid Premiums-✔
Enforce Class Size Limits-✔
Educators and union workers around the country
are under attack. The Supreme Court just ruled against unions. Members can
receive all the benefits of being in a union without having to pay dues.
Charter schools here in NYC have terrible conditions, where teachers work long
hours, have horrible medical insurance, and hardly anyone stays around very long. That’s what life is like without unions. Our new contract strengthens our
union and our rights.
Let’s face facts--compared to educators around
the country, we in the UFT have it good. We still have workplace protections
that most don't, we still have a contract, and we still get regular raises and
healthcare without paid premiums. The raises of 2% in February 2019, then 2,5%,
and 3 percent are fair. We could have had higher raises, but it would have been
at the expense of our paraprofessionals. Instead, the negotiating committee
decided to better compensate paraprofessionals with $1,200 after 5 years and over $3,000 after 15 years.
We all sacrificed a little. Perhaps we all get
a little bit lower raise, but compare
what 3% is for those of us making $60,000 or more with the same 3% raise
paraprofessionals would receive for their $25,000 salary. The sacrifice is
worth it to benefit our 30,000 brothers and sisters working as paras.
Don’t forget UFT members now have fully paid
parental leave for moms, dads, adoptive parents and foster parents for 6 weeks.
Many around the state only get half pay. That’s another victory we fought for
and won.
The Federal Reserve bank says an acceptable
rate of inflation is 1 to 1.5% and when this contract was being negotiated
that’s what it was. It is not the fault of UFT or the city that the extreme
right wing federal policies of drastically cutting taxes for the wealthy and
large corporations, while raising tariffs on things working people like us use
every day has caused inflation that now
exceeds our raises. We can vote in the upcoming elections for some rational
politicians to get the inflation rate back down below 2%.
Finally paraprofessionals will get enhanced
due process rights many of us have always had. With this contract, they can no
longer be suspended without pay if an administrator makes a false accusation,
as has happened in many schools. Paras are mostly women and many are women of
color. The way they have been treated and their low wages are inexcusable.
Thanks to our new contract this will change for the better.
We were elected to the Executive Board of the
UFT to represent high schools. It’s the 100 member decision making body of the
union. We pushed really hard for paid parental leave and for two observations.
This is what our members wanted, and this is what we delivered. Members also
wanted stronger language in the contract to protect against abusive
administrators. The new contract has an anti-retaliation clause that states the
work environment must be “free of harassment,
intimidation, retaliation and discrimination” or it will result in a
investigation and consequences for administrators that violate it. DOE fought
very hard against this, because it gives us another level of protection and
actually holds abusive principals and APs accountable. There are only two
observations for effective and highly effective rated teachers with one that
must be completed by the end of the fall term. Last year, throughout the city
most observations were done in May, which made the process a complete joke.
You may have received a vote no flyer or seen
posts online from a faction within the UFT that ran against UFT President
Mulgrew in the last union election. I was one of the leaders of that group. I became dismayed when they started a
vote no plan against the contract and “preparations” for an unrealistic strike
before they even saw the proposals. They did not join the contract negotiating
committee, take part in the process, nor did they communicate with members of
their own group that were on the negotiating committee. Go around your school
and ask how many members want to sacrifice two days pay for every one day by
going on strike. Ask how that beats inflation. Ask parents barely making ends
meet, without paid vacations or pensions, without fully paid parental leave or
time with their children how they’d feel seeing their kids with no place to go
on weekdays. Ask parents with no pay for extra hours of work or weekends, no
contract, no lunch breaks, and no due process if they'll support a no vote
against this contract or better yet a strike. Imagine how they will react.
Class-size is out of control around the city.
The legal limits are being violated year in and year out. Our students,
parents, teachers, and guidance counselors deserve better than oversized
classes. The old process doesn't work. UFT fought hard and won new procedures
to have these violations be sent directly to the superintendent and resolved
quickly, rather than wait for the failed arbitration process. Schools that have
oversized classes every year will now get special attention from the DOE and
UFT, in order to ensure it stops happening. Let’s give the new process a chance
before simply condemning it outright.
The contract is not perfect, but bargaining is
give and take on both sides. We’ve met many educators from around the country
at union conventions, grading sites, and professional developments that tell us
they wish they had the union and contract protections that we have. Our union
is under existential attack, and even under so we maintain our rights. Our
union is listening to members, to us,
and fighting for what we want. This contract shows when we struggle
together we win together.
● New salaries: Raises of 2%, 2.5% and
3% produce a three-year compound rate of 7.7 percent, above expert predictions
of inflation of 6.2 percent (Federal Reserve Bank) and 6.8 percent
(International Monetary Fund).
● At the end of the contract period, new teachers
will earn $61,070; teachers with a master’s and 10 years of experience will
earn $101,441; and the new top salary will be $128,657. The new
contract raises are in addition to lump-sum payments negotiated as part of 2014
contract, including the payment this month and others payable in October of
2019 and 2020.
● More money for Paraprofessionals -receive
raises of over $1,200 for 5 years service and another $1,200 for 15 years in
addition to other 2%, 2.5% and 3% salary raises
● Paid parental leave: No changes to the paid
parental leave agreement won in June.
● Health care: While a national survey
(Kaiser Employer Survey, 2017) showed that U.S. employees pay an average of
more than $5,700 per year for family health care coverage, UFT-represented
employees — thanks to the citywide agreement reached earlier this year with all
municipal unions — continue to have access to premium-free health care
coverage.
The proposed contract breaks new ground in
workplace improvements and the voice it gives educators:
● Reduces the
number of principal observations for the vast majority of educators.
● Creates a
faster process to resolve class size overages earlier in the school year. For
schools that are do not reach quick resolutions, arbitrators will have the
authority to impose a remedy. No more ridiculous “action plans” from Tweed.
● Provides
additional compensation for paraprofessionals and gives them much greater due
process rights.
● Creates a way
for chapter leaders to fight for improvements in safety, curriculum, workload,
space and other working conditions.
● Protects
UFT-represented employees from retaliation and harassment by administrators for
highlighting school problems. If not resolved, an independent arbitrator will
now make the final determination.
● ATR assignments
will now be made at the beginning of the school year rather than after Oct. 15.
An ATR’s salary will no longer affect the average salary calculation of a
school that hires the ATR.
Schirtzer is a social studies teacher at Leon M. Goldstein High School. He also serves as a member of UFT Executive Board, High School Division.
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