Will the New Contract Divide and Conquer?
Is the name of U.F.T.'s Unity an oxymoron? Does Unity fail to see how the new contract will divide and conquer its own constituency or has it intentionally planned it this way?
A.T.R.s will be separated from the rest of the rank and file by a seemingly second-class system of due process. They seem to get the short end of the stick. Unity argues that their expedited 3020a disciplinary process will be beneficial to all involved (Memorandum of Agreement, pp. 38-40). Perhaps, it may. That is Unity's opinion. But, did they bother asking any A.T.R.s first? Doubt it. From all I hear, A.T.R.s are staunchly against it. They are suspicious, and rightly so. The system has already dealt them a shoddy deal. Why should their due-process rights be any less than the rest of the rank and file? In many cases, they are victims of little more than Bloomberg's school-closing policies.
To add to further divisions, there will be a new class of teachers called "peer validators" (M.O.A., p. 24) who will help sit in judgement of all teachers in trouble. They will receive $15,000 per year. I can already smell the corruption coming. Some A.T.R.s may decide to bail out, opting for a voluntary severance benefit (M.O.A, p. 36).
The new contract further divides the rank and file by creating a class of super teachers. They will be called several things, including ambassador ($7,500/year more), model ($7,500/year more) and master ($20,000/year more). The process for determining these new classes of super teacher is spelled out, but without much detail. How, for example, will they decide the number of teachers to be designated as such? (M.O.A, pp. 25-31). Again, I fear corruption entering into the process. Could not this money be better spent on reducing class size and hiring more teachers???
The whole idea of a class of super teachers cuts to the heart of union solidarity. Does Unity mean to buy NYC Educator: Will the New Contract Divide and Conquer?: