Building “Mature Relationships” Within the UFT: “Agreeing to Disagree”

Have you wondered why the UFT chose as its name the, “United” Federation of Teachers?  The UFT was the result of a merger between the Teachers Guild, akin to today’s DSA and the High School Teachers Association, the Teachers Union, further to the left was decimated a decade earlier by the Feinberg Law, a law requiring all public school teachers to sign a loyalty oath: “they had never belonged to a subversive organization,” the Supreme Court ruled the law constitutional. The remnants remained as a caucus within the union.  Clarence Taylor wrote an excellent history of the Teachers Union, “Reds at the Blackboard.”

For its first decade the nascent UFT was riven by differences over whether to support/oppose the war in Vietnam, the Civil Rights Movement and a range of labor issues. In September, 1967, a two week strike, pre Taylor Law, issues: More Effective Schools, a large infusion of dollars to support the most challenged schools and a highly controversial Disruptive Child provision requiring a student to be removed from class under specified circumstances. 

The creation of three demonstration school districts, small clusters of schools with elected school boards and considerable local autonomy. The Ford Foundation released (11/67) a report, Reconnection for Learning proposing decentralization of the entire school system and in the Spring of 1968 one of the demonstration districts, Oceanhill-Brownsville, fired seventeen white teachers, the Mayor, John Lindsay refused to intervene, the city ripped apart by a six week strike.

For the UFT, a tumultuous first decade.

Teacher Aides in schools were represented by DC37 and paraprofessionals were seeking representation, to be decided by an election scheduled for paraprofessionals, the choices: DC37 or the UFT.

The UFT, an overwhelmingly white teacher union just returning from a racially divisive strike and a well-established union, DC 37, with many members of color.
The representation election within the UFT was led by Velma Hill and Joan Fischer, (my future wife).

Surprisingly the UFT won the election and paraprofessionals became a chapter within the UFT.

A career ladder program, thousands of paraprofessionals have moved into teaching ranks.  healthcare and welfare fund, a pension, unfortunately over the years pattern bargaining has widened the paraprofessionals- teacher dollar gap. The vast majority of New York City unions favor pattern bargaining, they benefit from coattails of the larger unions.

UFT leadership followed a new strategy, carefully and strategically building support for a $10,000 pay bump and language in the bill, hopefully to make the bump permanent.
Rather than congratulating Mulgrew and his team, opposition caucuses within the UFT attacked the plan, sadly assisting the mayor who may challenge the law in the courts.

As a UFT District Rep I had to develop a relationship with the superintendent, we “agreed to disagree” on a range of issues and worked together on others. I’d call it a mature relationship.

Unfortunately the current opposition caucus has chosen an immature relationship, jeopardizing gains for all members.

When I asked an opposition caucus member what they would do differently, an answer: “prepare to strike.” 

The opposition frequently sounds more like Trump, nasty, outrageous comments instead of a bipartisan approach, “agreeing to disagree “ and working together where we agree, a mature relationship.

The UFT is preparing to enter the next round of contract negotiations and is beginning to meet with the hundreds of members who are part of the process, the current contract contained many changes, changes emanating from the bottom up, see here.

Contracts evolve as situations change, Article 21 encompassing “letters in the file” generated by far the largest number of grievances, a  single arbitrator heard all letter in the file arbitration demands in an expedited format. Over time the arbitration decisions moved from removing “unfair and/or inaccurate” letters to redacting sections of the letter, also “supervisory judgement,” was beyond the scope of the arbitrator.  The contract language was upgraded and letter in file grievances sharply declined, see here.

Contracts are “living documents,” and are driven by needs of the membership, a membership representing a wide range of titles, over 100,000 members.  
If the bargaining table is not the appropriate venue you seek another pathway, the para pay bump is an example. The union quietly spent over a year advancing the plan through the Council, finally culminating in a 49-0 vote. Will the mayor sign? or allow it to become law without a signature? Or veto or challenge in the courts?  One battle at a time.

The opposition caucuses opposing the bump strategy is unfortunate, it gives the Trumpers ammunition.