NYC Educator By Arthur Goldstein
25 FOLLOWERS
Arthur Goldstein is an ESL teacher and UFT Chapter Leader at Francis Lewis High School.
NYC Educator By Arthur Goldstein
1y ago
The best reason to vote no on this contract is this: UFT Unity lied to us in 2018. They misrepresented that contract. It was predicated on deals we were not fully informed about. It is leading to our health insurance being significantly downgraded. We simply cannot trust them, and if you aren't sure why, read on.
There are a few obvious reasons, but they aren't the main issue. We know, for example, the compensation increases do not even approach cost of living, pegged at 8.7% by Social Security. MLC, evidently, can organize to demean our health care, but NOT to protect our income.The bonuses ..read more
NYC Educator By Arthur Goldstein
1y ago
Mayor Swagger will probably talk about it around noon. Mulgrew has ordered the contract committee in at 2 PM and it will probably be voted on at DA today.
Expect compensation increases that fail to keep up with inflation and an absolute refusal to discuss the coming degradation of in-service health care. Social security pegged cost of living in 2022 as 5.9% 2023 at 8.7%. Expect 3% per year, an effective pay cut.
"The new deal is expected to follow the pattern set by a deal previously hammered out by the Adams administration and DC 37, the largest municipal workers union in the city ..read more
NYC Educator By Arthur Goldstein
1y ago
NYC Mayor Eric Adams has a great ally in the UFT Unity Caucus. For one thing, they both share the same slogan. They "get it done." They've screwed us once again on health care (and I'll get back to that shortly).
UFT Unity was crowing about how they got yesterday, a day of frigging meetings, to be remote. Fine, but it would've been a lot smarter to do that Wednesday, when it was a surreal hellscape outdoors.
I don't know if they're taking credit for making today remote, but I will say that remote teaching is just abysmal. It doesn't compare to what we can do face to face. I hate i ..read more
UFT Unity: GIve Up on Money. Give Up on Health Care. FIGHT for 150 Minutes of Weekly Teacher Torture
NYC Educator By Arthur Goldstein
1y ago
Let me begin by telling UFT Unity leadership that there are things we actually CARE ABOUT. No one whose employment depends on towing the line will tell you what they are, but I will. Pardon my profligate use of all caps, but the older I get, the less tolerance I have for all things stupid.
1. We want a RAISE that meets or beats inflation.
2. We want BETTER, not CHEAPER health care.
3. We are GROWNUPS. We can better decide how to use our time than either the DOE or our spectacularly out-of-touch leaders.
I won't even bother to elaborate on points one or two. They're simple. If leadership cared ..read more
NYC Educator By Arthur Goldstein
1y ago
After 38 years teaching here in Fun City, I plan to retire in July. I sent the following to my UFT chapter. If I get a chance, I will vote no on the next contract. There are a number of reasons. Primarily, though, it's because I don't trust leadership to tell me what's actually in the contract.
I supported the last contract. To me, it appeared to be a plain contract that gave raises around cost of living. I was good with that. I was not good with discovering that UFT Unity, behind our backs, had schemed to save money for Eric Adams rather than us. I was not good with tossin ..read more
NYC Educator By Arthur Goldstein
1y ago
The UFT was out demonstrating yesterday, for a "fair contract." I want a fair contract, but it's hard for me to see exactly how we get there from here. The city pattern is 3% a year. However, inflation was pegged by Social Security at 5.9% for 2022 and 8.7% for 2023. So personally, I'm not taking time out from my busy schedule to demand what is effectively a pay cut.
Now sure, Michael Mulgrew is out there talking about paperwork, and I like paperwork as much as the next person. But if Michael Mulgrew doesn't know that money is the first concern of every working person in most contract negotia ..read more
NYC Educator By Arthur Goldstein
1y ago
The city unions have an umbrella organization called the Municipal Labor Committee, or MLC. I may have mentioned them once or twice on this page. This group acts on its own, It does not seek approval from rank and file.
That, of course, is an issue when they make deals. At some point, to save money for the city, they agreed that all new city employees would be in HIP for the first year. I was not that upset by that. Many employees don't last longer than that. Of course, many disagreed, suggesting it was a slippery slope.
It turns out they were absolutely correct.
Emboldened by thi ..read more
NYC Educator By Arthur Goldstein
1y ago
Hi it's me, your esteemed UFT President, Mike Mulgrew. First, don't mess with me or I'll sue your worthless ass. Getting down to business, we're negotiating a contract, and it's very important that you all join me in a fight for a #FairContractNow!.
That's one of those hashtag thingies they use on Twitter. And hey, everyone should be on Twitter. Except me. I don't like it because people might say nasty things to me and hurt my feelings. But you do it. What's the worst that could happen? (Look at the bright side--it won't be happening to me.)
The other reason I'm not on Twitter because I ..read more
NYC Educator By Arthur Goldstein
1y ago
There's nothing quite like seeing a show with a bunch of students. I was lucky enough, after years of trying, to get into a program sponsored by TDF. The program dried up with the apocalypse but has finally reappeared. TDF buys out entire theaters and fill them with NYC students. It's a remarkable program, and likely the only way a whole lot of students like mine will ever see a Broadway show.
This year, we were slated to see Six, which, judging from the soundtrack, seemed a little more like a concert than a standard musical. It's a very clever play on Henry VIII's six wives, all together, di ..read more
NYC Educator By Arthur Goldstein
1y ago
Ever since Unity Caucus decided I was public enemy number one, I've decided paying into COPE was a bad idea. I wonder whether it was my dues or COPE that paid the lawyers who wrote me a threatening letter. In any case, if Unity sees fit to subject me to civil and/ or criminal penalties for speaking my mind, they are unfit to spend my money. I won't give them one dime beyond what I have to in order to remain a union member.
It's important to remain a union member because I know believe we can vote them out. Their decision to modify our health care in order to secure a three year contract was ..read more