Thursday, February 14, 2008

Break Out Valentine


UFT President Randi Weingarten is getting ready to become AFT President. She's celebrating break style with some of her management friends who have helped in her achievements. My sincerest of valentines to
nyceducator who minces no words in explaining why those achievements are dubious
UFT President Randi Weingarten is getting ready to become AFT President. Among the many notable achievements that define Ms. Weingarten's legacy in NYC:
disenfranchising working teachers to the point that fewer than 25% bother to vote in union elections
3 extra days so teachers can listen to Klein's flunkies pontificate while kids stay home
fewer transfer options for experienced teachers
a sixth 37.5 minute class of "small group instruction" 4x weekly (which the UFT maintains is not a class, while Chancellor Klein maintains we now have small classes in the city)
no right to grieve letters in your file
return to lunch duty, hall patrol, homeroom, potty patrol et al on a permanent basis
UFT silence on the mayoral election as quid pro quo for the worst contract in our history
bribing New Action, the former opposition party, with patronage jobs so they'd support her
failure to oppose reorganizations that hurt chances of teachers being placed in regular jobs, thus sentencing many ATR teachers to permanent substitute status
enthusiastic support of nebulous class size regulations that achieved nothing
repeated failure to amend the UFT contract, the only instrument that legally restricts class size, to really reduce it
partnership with Green Dot Schools, which specifically reject tenure and seniority rights for teachers
UFT support of mayoral control
achieving the admiration of Rod "The NEA is a terrorist organization" Paige, as well as that of various anti-teacher, anti-union editorial boards
accomplishing all of the above without bothering to achieve even cost of living increases for rank and file
I've no doubt Ms. Weingarten can continue to build upon her remarkable record on a national level. It may prove marginally interesting to watch her and others posture as though she has not already been assigned the job.
Then again, it may not.

1 comment:

NYC Educator said...

Thanks Sol!

Love the video!