Time For Another ATR Rally?

With the 2nd anniversary of the ATR rally coming up in November and the UFT/Tweed ATR agreement due to expire, and the escalating Klein attacks, some ATRs have been in touch and are talking about another rally. Or at least a blog to keep people informed.

I was at a meeting the other day where a chapter leader said he heard that very day that the number of excessed teachers in his school had jumped from 2 to 12. That was just a few hours after I heard from a reporter who said the DOE was claiming the ATR situation was not increasing or did not think it was a big problem. I told the reporter to do the math - between the 19 schools closed that the UFT "won" a suit and then turned around and screwed some of the schools by agreeing to allow other schools to open in the buildings and draw away potential freshmen - and the budget cuts there would be a jump in the numbers as people got back to school. Unless lots of people retired. Or died. Or were killed by a hit squad hired by the DOE in an attempt to create jobs and save money.

The ATR story is heating up with Klein calling for salary freezes and the press jumping on board. The attack is on people supposedly who don't apply for jobs. But all of is done online and many are shut out and others sent in resumes to schools and got no response. I get emails from people who are offered jobs so far away from their home and as an ATR are in their neighborhood. So why travel if they don't have to?

Now it is interesting that the UFT is calling for them to be given permanent assignments to schools, which the DOE doesn't want to do for ideological reasons even if class sizes go through the roof. What if the DOE followed UFT advice and then just try to put people as far away as possible to force them into great discomfort? In other words, offer an English teacher in the Bronx a job in Staten Island and offer a Staten Island English teacher a job in the Bronx. The UFT would tell them to file grievances and wait goodness knows how long while they spend 3-4 hours a day commuting. Good luck! Let's make sure this factor is taken into account.

I left this comment at Gotham on Anna's ATR story, which as Leonie points out below is distorted:

Wouldst the UFT offer the same eloquent defense of ATRs as Leonie does.

It's not about what Klein wants. It is about what he did. What kind of contract he was willing to sign to get what he wanted.

"So in order to promote free-market principals and accountability, Klein wants to offer job security for life to laid-off employees during a recession with no stipulations for getting them back into the city’s workforce? We must have missed that social-studies class."

So when Anna says: "Klein does not want to offer job security for life to laid-off employees during a recession with no stipulations for getting them back into the city’s workforce. In fact, he wants the opposite."

Of course he doesn't want to offer job security - to anyone in the system. But he did do exactly that to win his ideological point. And now he wants his cake and to eat it too by calling on the reneging of that deal he made - yes, he signed a contract.

(Does he think he is more valuable than Darrelle Reves of the Jets?)

For those who think the UFT will find a way to give up the ATRs- maybe not fire them but do agree to some kind of wage freeze or buyout - (by the way, don't u-rated people get frozen even when not proven guilty?)- look for money in a contract in exchange for something that can be sold to the members but hidden in a way to make it sellable.  The UFT has been selling off pieces of the contract in exchange for money for some time.

And by the way, an ATR informed me today to remind us that the ATR agreement between the DOE and UFT that was announced on the eve of the ATR rally that was subverted by the UFT runs out in November. 

Some ATRs are talking about another rally. Look for an ATR blog coming soon.

You can view my video of the ATR rally and the UFT wine and cheese party at the same time at: http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2009/01/video-uft-doesnt-want-you-to-see-atr.html

Here is Leonie's comment:

Anna: how do “We know that most (60 percent) of the 1700 teachers who haven’t found work did not go to recruitment fairs or apply to jobs online.” Did you get that data from the DOE? Was it confirmed by any independent source? Given their slipperiness w/ data, why trust the reliability of this claim And what about the comments from ATR teachers about the computer system’s screw ups, and their inability to access the online jobs site?

Moreover, Klein’s insistence that these teachers should not be put in permanent positions because that would violate the autonomy of principals doesn’t hold water. Why not make these teachers available to principals free of charge, without having to pay for them out of their individual school budgets, and see if the principals wanted them or not?

Klein has created the disincentive for principals to hire these teachers by his supposed “fair student funding” system, which discourages principals from hiring experienced teachers ….a system that would never be considered acceptable for staffing either police precincts or fire houses or any other municipal agency. Then he unfairly slanders these teachers and uses their continued unemployment to try to justify layoffs, at the same time as class sizes are growing at an unprecedented rate. Who really cares about the kids here?

Voices of Brownsville: The Rally at PS 150

Parents and teachers rallied at PS 150 in Brownsville Brooklyn on March 18, 2009 to protest the closing of the school and its replacement by two charter schools. Here are some of the people from the school community who spoke. There will be a follow-up edited version, A Tale of the Two Rallies - the scary Harlem Success event later that night and this home-grown event.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-z4FavNfUI

The Video the UFT Doesn't Want You To See: The ATR Rally

A Tale of Two Rallies
or
A Tale of a Rally
and
A Wine and Cheese Party

[Make sure to see Part 2 also]

On November 24, 2008, teachers without positions, known as ATRs, held a rally at Tweed. They had forced the UFT to endorse the rally but in the interim the UFT signed an agreement with the DOE. The leadership called for an information meeting at UFT HQ, a mile away at the very same time the rally was due to start. Mass confusion. I taped the UFT HQ while David Bellel did the rally. The back story is how desperate UFT leaders were to suppress the tape I made. In fact, today at the Delegate Assembly they will pass a gag rule to try to prevent future embarrassment.

Part 1
Concurrent events at Tweed and the UFT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ac-Ul1m8-0



Part 2
UFT leaders with some ATRs who went to the info session march -er- meander up Broadway to Tweed where the 2 forces meet. Unity is outnumbered and Randi is heckled as she speaks. Note: She congratulates the people who called for the rally, saying there would not have been an agreement with the DOE if not for the rally. Less than an hour before she gave the people at the info meeting the reverse message: that in these bad economic times, things like rallies and militancy are not wise. No wonder they didn't want me to tape.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG4xrbgiGqU

ATRs/Seniority Rights: The Fight for All Members' Rights

Guest column

By Angel Gonzalez, Retired UFT Teacher - November 30, 2008

The October Delegate Assembly (DA) resolution calling for a mass Nov.24 rally at the DOE was initiated by ATR Ad-Hoc Committee members who were supported by UFT opposition caucuses (e.g. ICE and TJC) and many other delegates who understand that seniority is a sacrosanct union provision.

The resolution called for a protest to support the ATRS:

"THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the UFT will organize a mass citywide rally to show our unity and strength, calling on the NYC Department of Education to reduce class size and give assigned positions to all teachers in the Absent Teacher Reserve who want assignments before any new teachers are hired."

While Randi Weingarten initially signaled tepid approval for this friendly amendment to support the ATRs, she simultaneously threatened to cancel support--and move the body to reject it--if she did not agree with the argument (the motivator) for it as presented by John Powers. The DA did overwhelmingly approve the call for this "Support the ATRs" rally, with Ms. Weingarten's subsequent approval.

Perhaps Ms. Weingarten's reluctance to support such a militant mobilization, initiated at the grass roots, was due to the realization that the source of the ATRs' predicament lay in our last [two] contracts, in which the UFT Executive Board negotiated away seniority transfer rights. For years, the UFT leadership's strategy has been to lobby government officials for "favors" to our members in exchange for an endorsement from our union. This focus on intimacy at the top has
contributed to our leaders' becoming disconnected from our day-to-day reality in the classroom. Depending upon fickle politicians as opposed to the strength and conviction of our members has served to backfire on teachers and the students and families we serve.

The DA is the body that should direct the UFT Executive Board. If this is so, why do so many delegates feel that the Executive Board has to approve our decisions in order for them to be realized? In truly democratic structures, the leadership fulfills the will of the membership—not the other way around. Our DA saw an opportunity to seize the moment and affirm that reducing class size while also allowing our experienced teachers to continue to offer their expertise
benefits students and honors the hard-won rights that our colleagues fought so hard for in years past.

As the Nov. 24 date set for the rally approached, and as rank and file members began to be energized with the feeling that together we were finally fighting back, the UFT Executive Board was quietly negotiating--what can only be characterized as a back-room deal--to temporarily stall the dismantling of seniority and tenure. It is unclear if the motivation for these discussions was to assuage the powerful City Administration who obviously did not approve of an angry
rally exposing the outrage of the ATR fiasco, or to quell the spontaneous mobilization of so many members who felt that they were helping to construct a movement to defend our rights.

Ms. Weingarten's proposal to alter the character of the rally into a silent candle-light vigil would have reduced us to a group of passive mourners, as opposed to a body of professionals rightly proclaiming what belongs to us, while exposing the City's ill-conceived and costly indignation to which it condemns our ATRs. The DA was correct in indentifying the need for a mass rally, and strong member opposition to a "silent vigil" forced the Executive Board to back down.

A week before the rally, further attempts to squelch it materialized in the "deal" brokered by the Executive Board and the City—again only a temporary band-aid on a gaping wound. This agreement encourages, rather than mandates, placement of ATRs with an administration whose
track record has shown unprecedented commitment to eat away at public unions' power. It is tantamount to having the fox watch the chicken coop. The deal was characterized as a resolution to the issue by the UFT leadership, who decided there was no need for a rally after all.

It would appear that the threat of the rally was being utilized by the UFT leadership to maneuver this deal. This is corroborated by the fact that the Union made no genuine efforts to mobilize or organize in any broad way for this event. However, the passion of the members and our just cause began to take on a life of its own, beyond the leadership's control. Teachers are tired of give-backs. We deserve more respect than that.

The final blow to this member-driven initiative was the Executive Board's decision to call for a meeting to celebrate the band-aid "agreement" at Wall Street [UFT] Headquarters, at exactly the same time as the rally! A leadership that truly supported its members' needs and aspirations would have instead supported this rally. A subsequent meeting could have announced the proposed temporary stop-gap measure, with the recognition that serious errors were made in the 2005 negotiations—the framework that set these unfortunate events in motion.

Regardless, the ATR rally started at 4PM, bringing out over 200 spirited members -- thanks to the hard work of the rank and file organizers. Many speakers denounced both the City and the UFT officials who created this situation and allowed it to fester so long.

Although Ms. Weingarten declared that the rally was unnecessary at the 4pm Wall Street "wine and cheese" meeting, she appeared with a bullhorn as the rally was winding down at 6pm (with about 75 people). She gave lukewarm thanks to the organizers, perhaps to assert a certain level of control or to save face, in light of such strong grass roots sentiment regarding what many have defined as a carefully crafted strategy to chip away at tenure .

When Marjorie Stamberg, a key rally organizer, approached the bullhorn to address the crowd, Ms. Weingarten refused to let her speak, chastising her "for what she did." The crowd chanted: "Let Marjorie speak!" forcing Ms. Weingarten to relent. After Marjorie spoke, many members began to chant: "Restore Seniority Transfer Rights Now!"

Clearly frazzled with the dissidence targeted at UFT leadership, the Executive Board's contingent left the rally.

This rally was an excellent beginning in our hard battle ahead to restore our contractual seniority transfer rights, to protect tenure, and to bolster and defend our contract.

In a truly democratic union, the leadership has faith in and responds to the will of the membership. The "deals" that have been made over the past 30 years to "save" unions have in fact resulted in the dismantling of Trade Unions and workers' rights across this country.

We cannot abide continued UFT complicity with the City's plans, which waste valuable qualified experienced educators--and over $75 million annually--while further diminishing the quality of education that our children deserve. Our communities have the right to know that part of this plan results in experienced and quality educators being replaced with less costly, less experienced teachers, thus impacting negatively on the quality of education for their children.

The lack of information, transparency and open debate in our union denies member input into critical issues about pedagogy and historic union rights. An uninformed membership gives even a well-intentioned leadership free rein to function as it pleases. As the economy worsens, we need to take a strong stand in defense of the rights of teachers and communities, rather than to facilitate the erosion of all that has been built over the years.

From the momentum generated by the ATR Ad-Hoc Committee, we could help to build a democratic movement within the UFT that recognizes that our strength derives from our members' interactions, conversations and mobilizations. Such efforts will require a great deal of work, but the alternative is to passively stand by as we observe the destruction of quality education and ALL of our members' rights.

We need to build the fight for a UFT contract that promotes and defends:
1. Seniority Rights
2. Tenure Rights
3. Smaller Class Size
4. Against All Merit Pay Schemes
5. Against the use of testing to rate teacher performance
6. Quality and Justice - Not Testing
7. No cutbacks
8. No more privatization schemes (Charter Schools and vouchers inclusive)
9. No layoffs and more.

Our current UFT leadership has not indicated its commitment to achieve these goals—it is up to the members to make this happen!

For more about the ATR Rally, the ATR issue, the current UFT-ATR agreement with the City and other comments go to:

http://supportatrs.blogspot.com/ and

http://iceuftblog.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2008-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&updated-max=2009-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=50

Video of the Rally at Tweed, Part 1

Update:

"This is union-busting of the WORST kind. It came from union management."
- Under Assault (see more and links below)


The UFT didn't show at 4:30. Or at 5. Or at 5:30.

So they held a rally on their own. You know something? It looked like they were having a much better time than the people who went to the information session at 52 Broadway, which is where I was in an attempt to get some video. (I'll be putting up my commentary of my adventures in the world of Unity Caucusville in the next day or two.) John Powers was the MC and lots of real people got to speak. Most of the people who have been active in the critical wing of the UFT seem to have been there --- parteeee. When Randi and crew arrived around 6, she was heckled. The gang from Unity was practically out numbered. Some of us continued the party in a cafe up the block after the rally.



Twenty six minutes of raw footage, thanks to David B.

Also, see a brief slideshow of the rally with part of Marjorie's speech.


UPDATE:
People who think the ATR agreement was a win for the UFT are missing a point about why many principals, especially those with little ed background, don't want to hire experienced teachers who can see through the bull of the ed jargon and just might tell the emperor he has no clothes. There is enough insecurity around to make them prefer a newbie who they know won't have the knowledge to look askance at some of the programs they are putting in.

I would bet a lot less ATRs get jobs than people think. After a year, watch the DOE and press go after those who didn't and the howl to drive them out of the system will resound. Thus, in some ways this is a long-term investment by the DOE and why I don't consider this a win for the UFT.

These thought are echoed by Pissed Off who confronted Unity Caucus suits at her school who were telling the teachers how good they had it.

I asked the union lackey about ATRs. He said, they just got a great deal from the DOE. Smart principals will hire them in a minute. I reminded him of the fact that principals do not like experienced teachers, that they don't like teachers that think and have minds of their owns. Years ago, principals hid vacancies whenever they could. No one wanted a veteran teacher who would not jump when told to. He said smart principals did not think like that. I said the smart ones were few and far between. He just kept talking about the one smart principal he used to work for.

Under Assault tells us about

Four kinds of tenure, but who's counting

For those who think Weingarten's ATR agreement with the DoE on the tenure issue has helped the profession much, think again.

UA goes on to talk about the rally.

Oh, yes. Did I tell you that Weingarten sabotaged her own rally yesterday? Well, it really wasn't her rally, because it's obvious she collaborated with Klein to diminish seniority rights. This rally was forced upon her when the Delegate Assembly voted for it some weeks ago. She must not have gotten her signals out to her Unity people quickly enough to stifle it, so it got voted in by accident and she had to go along with it.

She begged the organizers to call it off. Didn't work.

She scheduled an "informational" meeting for ATRs at the UFT HQ a half hour before the rally was supposed to start — two subway stops away, mind you.

She had people at the City Hall station telling people making their way to the rally to go down to the UFT instead.

And she served them wine and cheese down there, when — for solidarity's sake — they should have really been at Tweed.

And of course she kept the meeting running for a couple of hours, so there was no way anyone was going to get to Tweed to hear the enraged protests going on over there.

This is union-busting of the WORST kind. It came from union management.

Norm on ATRs and Today's Rally on WBAI

I was interviewed on WBAI's Sunday News Program on the ATR situation and today's rally. Thanks to David B for extracting the piece.

Note: They also asked me about Joel Klein and the Education Secretary situation but didn't use that segment.

RALLY ON MONDAY -- STAND UP FOR THE ATRs

SEE SIDEBAR FOR FULL DETAILS

4:30 p.m. Monday ---Rally for the ATRs at Tweed

Look for an upcoming Ed Notes analysis on the ATR agreement.

The UFT/DOE ATR Agreement: The Not So Tender Trap

I and David B. will attempt to make a short film on the event to be posted on you-tube. Look for us and stop by and say a few words.