Not wanting to sound like a broken record, I shall forego mentioning how I have been patiently waiting for several months as to whether or not a transcript exists of the October arbitration meeting/hearing concerning our retro.

Instead, I would like to openly ask the UFT as to the whereabouts of the monies we are owed for giving up our Spring break this past April. 

We, meaning the rank and file, receive zero voluntary updates from the UFT and the only time we get info is if some teacher is lucky enough to get past the guardrails during a town hall or a delegate assembly. 

So UFT, where is our spring break monies. It is now almost a year since we had the spring break rug pulled out from under us, show us the money.

At the very least, show us, the dues paying members, something concrete, like a paper trail, that we can see so that we know it is moving forward. 

Thanks to Arthur Goldstein and his blog NYCEducator, exec boards meetings, town halls, and DA's are now archived. The Crack Team found three instances of the S word mentioned.

There was the most recent DA of December 16, 2020...

"...City has given notice that tomorrow is an instructional day. Last year they forced us to report during spring break. We had a ruling that remote is instructional and when we're out of COVID our first act will be to seek compensation."

The town hall of October 15, 2020...

Q: What about medical accommodations after December 31st and any updates on Spring Break?  

M: When arbitration is back up, we will move forward on Spring Break. Medical accommodations are based on a medical condition. We would have to do another one in Jan. Same documentation and everything.

Town Hall of September 2, 2020...

"...Dealing with the craziness that included Spring break which still needs to be dealt with."

 So many questions. Let's start with the DA from December. The statement does going to arbitration to seek compensation pertain to NYC school not closing during a major snowstorm? Or is this being lumped in with our missing of spring break? Why when COVID is over will the UFT wait to seek compensation? Why not now? 3020-a hearings are going on. The DOE doesn't seem to want to wait until "COVID is over to ruin a teacher's life. Why must the DOE wait to go to arbitration? 

For the answer President Mulgrew gave at the town hall of October 15, again, it seems that arbitration is now back up. Where in the pipeline is our monies? How long does the process take? 

But just six weeks earlier we were told that the craziness of Spring break still needs to be dealt with. So where in the process of recovering our monies, were we on September 2? 

This is a trust issue. There are too many stories too often. Worse, there is no transparency. Why can't the rank and file be privy to the process? Why can't we verify the process is happening? For instance, yes, the transcript of the arbitration hearing about our retro. 

Two instances that show a disdain for reality have troubled me. One of the many reasons why teachers take the spoken word from the UFT with a grain of salt. One was an answer to a question Mulgrew gave back at the town hall in November. He was asked when is the DOE sending out emails that accommodations were good until the end of the school year. And before I go on, it was a good thing the UFT did in getting those accommodations extended without getting a second's doctor's note. I'll give credit where credit is due.

The teacher was rightly concerned. It was November 23, and she had yet to hear back. However, I did at the time of the town hall. Mulgrew replied that it takes time and that the DOE sends emails out in batches going in alphabetical order. Z is for Zucker. Z is the last letter in the alphabet. I go last. But I got my email. This is making an answer up as you go along. 

The same crap happened at this month's DA. Mulgrew was asked something about the vaccine and when and how teachers will receive it. He rambled on for a few minutes, seemingly making it up as he went along. 

 I mean come on! I was texting back and forth with a member of The Crack Team in both instances. We both couldn't believe our ears.

This then becomes a credibility problem. I would rather hear, "I don't have any fucking idea," or at the very least put someone else on to answer the question or say "I will find out."

Meanwhile, where is our Spring break monies? Give us a real update. I'm owed about $4,500 and would like to have it. We don't want days added to our CAR. We don't want comp time. We want cold hard cash. Preferably, through direct deposit.

 

 I am so not into today's Delegate Assembly. I usually sign up right away, but I am getting bored with the
same old same old. Besides I am kind of fed up.

Back in October's town hall, I asked a fairly innocuous  question...

"Is there a transcript of the arbitration hearing concerning our retro check and if so, when will it be made available to rank and file."

I received an email back from "John." In the email he shared with me that he is  following up with those that were involved and will get back to me. The email was sent on October 20. Today is December 16. 

I again asked the question at last month's town hall. As of today I did not get an email back.

I get it. I am not going to get picked to ask a question in a town hall or a DA? I don't genuflect. I am not a member of Unity. I am not a chapter leader. But at least have the decency to not only email me back but to answer my question honestly. 

So I am typing this and listening to the DA at the same time. I pressed zero as soon as I answered the call for the DA and spoke to Michael who took my question and was going to relay it. I am waiting.

What is the UFT hiding? If there isn't a transcript, let me know. If there is a transcript why can't I or any other member of the rank and see it? Doesn't the UFT wish for transparency? Transparency would easily do away with any rumors, innuendoes, and accusations that are going around concerning the leadership of the UFT. 

I'll make it easy for the UFT. I'll agree to go to a private room at 52 Broadway with other Unity people. Let me read the transcript without taking notes. Heck, I'll leave my phone at the security desk in the lobby. Better,  I'll strip down to my rather fashionable boxer briefs to assure there is no monkey business. 

If there is a transcript, I'd rather deal with the UFT in knowing if there is one and actually being able to read it. I guess the other method would be filing a FOIL request with the city and asking for it that way. I'm sure I can find someone, somewhere, in a different caucus other than Unity to file the FOIL request.

What's bothering me, what got me going about seeing the transcript is something Mulgrew said at the October DA which raised my eyebrow...

...and then on October 2 I asked for confirmation they were processing payment. Asked again.

 He knew something was up on October 2. Twelve days before we were told we would not be getting our retro monies on  October 15. There is no reason we could not have gotten a heads up sooner. This is what makes members question the UFT. This is what makes the rank and file nuts. 

By the way, the question portion of the DA has ended. My questions wasn't chosen. What a shocker.

Let's try this again. Is there or isn't there a transcript of the arbitration concerning the retro monies? A simple yes or no will suffice.

Tomorrow is a UFT Town Hall. I think these town halls show the UFT is being proactive somewhat and somewhat transparent. But how much of it is substance and how much of it is for show? 

Something like this should have been done a long, long time ago in a reality that was too far away. Mulgrew or whomever was UFT president should have had these town hall face to face in each borough every month. The ATR meetings in November I have appreciated but instead of once a year should have been every month. 

Each town hall I have pressed zero to ask a question. I used to get Rasheed, lately it seems like some retiree. It used to be that someone from the upper echelon of the UFT emailed you back. But that is if you weren't amongst the chosen to formally ask Mulgrew a question. No longer, now you get some anonymous hack emailing you back a question. One thing did improve, we don't hear the same Flat Stanley question time after time in a town hall.

My gut tells me the teachers that get to ask question publicly and their questions are pre-screened. It just makes sense. The numbers I have heard on a town hall phone call are over 10k. How is it that of all these town halls, all the pissed off teachers, all the thousands of teachers there has not been one teacher to dare question Mulgrew's leadership? To scream? To rant? To curse? To mock? Statistically, this is impossible. How many callers would call Mike Francesa to mock him and/or rant in just a single hour?

So last month I came up with a good question. It was about the arbitration hearing with our retro pay. I asked this question due to Mulgrew sharing this at last month's town hall...

Many of you have written me about it. We always anticipate bad things. We plan for bad days as teachers. Didn't talk to city about it at all, and then on October 2 I asked for confirmation they were processing payment. Asked again. I then called, knowing members would check paychecks.

 October 2nd he had a hunch what was going on. He could've shared this with us. He didn't. But, I thought, the arbitration meeting, it must've been transcribed. I asked (click to enlarge)...

I asked if there is a transcript of the arbitration hearing and if so when can the rank and file expect to see such transcript. The email I received was dated October 20, 2020, and I followed up on November 18, 2020. As of today, November 22, 2020, I have heard hide nor hair from the UFT concerning my transcript request. If there is a transcript, the DOE and/or the city must have said transcript. Perhaps a FOIL request can be filed? 

Transparency. That's not very much to ask for. Let's see the transcript. Why is it taking so long to respond whether or not a transcript exists? Or even just an audio recording of the arbitration. There is enough skepticism about the process last month with our retro. Prove the skeptics wrong. Release the audio and/or transcript of the arbitration. 

A lot of us got really screwed with half a retro check this year. I think it is only fitting that we know the full truth on how we are out half our retro.

This blog post is dedicated to my friend, James Eterno. James is a great guy and true blue
Mets fan.

In my blog post of May 20, I kind of lamented how the town hall question and answer period has become somewhat predictable. There about 14,000 callers and probably a few thousand people waiting in the que with questions. Maybe, just maybe, questions should be emailed ahead of time. Perhaps questions can be selected to answer by Mike Mulgrew or he can pick the questions randomly out of a drum.

I know what you are saying, "But wouldn't Mulgrew just pick the softball questions?" That is a possibility, unless he follows what Ron Swoboda did in 1975.

I was 11 years old in 1975. I was on Tracey's Shoe Shoppe in the Ardsley Little League. Our annual father-son dinner was being held at the Glen Island Casino in New Rochelle and Ron Swoboda was to be our guest speaker.

This was the first time that I was to seat alone with the team. I talked my dad in sitting at my brothers table. My reasoning was that it was my brother's first year in little league (He was 8) and that my dad was co-manager. I would not have to worry about my dad all night.

The dinners always had a question and answer period of the player (Unfortunately, it was always a Met as the guest. I had to sit through Ray Sadecki, Jim McAndrew, and Bob Apodaca to this point). It was always mayhem hundreds of boys raising their hands at once. Except 1975 was the year of the new Q&A format. We would now write our questions on a piece of paper which would then be collected and given to the guest.

Now mind you, at this time in my life I only knew of Ron Swoboda of having played for the Yankees, having come over in a trade during the 1971 season for Ron Woods. And frankly, in the 2 1/2 seasons Swoboda played for the Yankees he kind of sucked. The Braves even cut him during spring training in 1974. Again, I did not know of his 1969 World Series heroics. I am sure some of the more mature readers he do.

I decided on a question. Of course me being me I wrote: "Were you a scrub?"  The boys, and even the fathers, at my table said there is no way that Swoboda would read the question.

Guess what? He did!

Swoboda is up at the dais and going through the questions and just blurts out, "Were you a scrub?" He pauses, and decides to give a life lesson. He tells us how the 25th man on the team is just as important as the 1st man on the team and yada, yada, yada. Looking back on that answer it makes sense. Hey, he got to play Major League baseball and be a hero in a World Series.

About 10-12 years ago he was at a card show at the Westchester County Center. I took my son with me and he got an autograph. I also took the time to apologize to Ron Swoboda and, he graciously accepted (He had ZERO memory of that night).

But you know, looking back I was impressed that he didn't take a softball question. He faced that obnoxious question by an ADHD 11 year old and he met it head on. Sometimes answering the hard questions, the questions that people might not like the answer for is the way to win converts and have people come to your side.

Next UFT Town Hall Q&A let's keep on wishing for less ""What gave you the idea for Flat Stanley?" questions and more questions, to use a baseball parlance, that are knuckleballs.

We are in this together. UFT should always be aware that actions are better than just words.

Sometime in the late 90's I had been teaching third grade. The author of "Flat Stanley", Jeff Brown, came by the school and the third grade came to meet him in the library. He gave the story of how he created Flat Stanley and about writing and reading and all that important stuff. The kids really enjoyed it.

Then came the Q&A part. We practiced with the students on what questions to ask Mr Brown. If memory serves, they had a list of questions to choose from. The kids raised their hands, and Mr Brown picked a student. I remember the question vividly.

"What gave you the idea for Flat Stanley?"

Mr Brown shared Flat Stanley's genesis, and the kids were really into it. He asked who else had a question. The hands shot up. He picked another student with a question.

"What gave you the idea for Flat Stanley?"

This went on for the rest of the time with Mr Brown. Every kid asked the same question while Mr Brown's teeth were grinding---politely. 

There is a reason I bring this up. A method to my madness.

I do appreciate the town halls. I do appreciate Mike Mulgrew standing up and putting the effort to at very least show that he is attentive to the needs and concerns of the rank and file. This can be a very good start.

One thing irks myself and The Crack Team.

I feel like I'm back in that library in 1998 and Mulgrew is Jeff Brown and the teachers asking the questions are the students asking the same questions abut Flat Stanley.

I am not blaming the teachers. They, we, all have pertinent questions that need be answered. I get it.

The screeners did better training. Too often, the same question is asked. Now I can be wrong, but it seems that way. I don't know if this is done by design or just a repeat of the Flat Stanley Debacle of 1998.

So for tomorrow's town hall, please, let's mix it up a bit. If Mulgrew mentions something in his opening remarks, questions pertaining to what he said could be put off. Or if a question is asked having already asked, we skip over that question to something that is completely different.

I am hearing rumors that the questions and questioners are not pre-screened. We are giving the benefit of the doubt. A wide variety of everything is best for all involved.

Let's head down this positive path together. Variety is the spice of life.