The Future With the New UFT Contract

The Crack Team is down in the dumps. Sadly, the contract that the UFT negotiated for the teachers of New York was passed by a 3-1 margin. Instead of cursing the result The Crack Team decided to do something about it.

We thought that rather than once again writing about why this contract was not good yet again,  it would be better to show how actual teachers would be affected by it. It was decided that a contingent of The Crack Team would travel into the future to see just how this contract has either helped or hurt teachers. We did not have any plutonium for our Flux Capacitor so we decided on another method of time travel as seen in the Star Trek episode, "City on the Edge of Forever." Luckily for us, Steve of The Crack Team has been to a Star Trek convention had purchased the schematics for the Guardian of Forever for $10,000. We thought he was foolish, but imagine our surprise when we found out it worked. Don't believe we built one? Here's the finished product awaiting the two members of The Crack Team to enter.

At about 7:30 PM EDT Crack Team members Jim and Spock entered the Guardian for Forever and returned just a few minutes later at 7:34 PM EDT.

Their report; 

UFT Headquarters, Executive Offices June 4, 2014:
We witnessed Mike Mulgrew and LeRoy Barr are sitting around a conference table with their feet up with Carmen Farina. All are smoking cigars which they had lit with $100 bills laughing and saying, "Gee, they'll vote for anything."

Outside a School in District 11, May 24, 2017:
Met with ATR Kevin Smith. Kevin informed us that he is now on his second 50 day assignment. He was at another school in District 11 when on day 51 he was asked to leave for problematic behavior. Apparently, he had left the toilet seat up in the staff bathroom for the 2nd time. He had already received a counseling memo for leaving it up once before. He is concerned. He told us he is not taking anymore chances. He now pees sitting down.

At 51 Chambers St, 3020-a hearing, February 5, 2017:
We chatted with Steve Smith, a 24 year teacher before his hearing. He is an ATR and is facing the 1 day, expedited, not full due process, 3020-a hearing. Steve got removed from his first assignment because the principal found a 22 year old newbie to fill his position. The principal waited until day 51 to find him problematic, claiming that he had been late, even though the lateness was due to his crossing the Tappan Zee Bridge and there was a jumper and traffic was stopped for 3 hours. Steve even sent video from mid-span and of the jumper falling to the Hudson just to cover his butt.

The second time, he was replaced because the principal wanted to give his position to her old college pal and Steve just happened to be in the way. The principal claimed that Steve was yelling at the students even though he was in a cafeteria of full of 300 students and he was just talking loud. 

PS 451 Bronx, May 4, 2016:
We sat down with Dawn Smith, a 4th grade teacher. Dawn, a 20 year veteran, shared with us that for years she was used as the model teacher when visitors, Quality Reviews, etc... went on in the school. She applied to for the model teacher position hoping that the extra cash could help her son get into a decent college. She was disappointed when she found out that the principal chose to send the name of the school's art teacher in for the position. Apparently the art teacher had been living in the principal's colon for some time and the principal wished to show her thanks. 

MS 777 Brooklyn, May 22, 2016
Teachers are discussing the results of the UFT election. They can't believe it. Mulgrew is reelected and receives 99.99% of the vote.

UFT Headquarters, February 22, 2017
Teachers are still inundated with paper work. The union, which in 2014 agreed to find ways to reduce paperwork, has been fact finding since September 30, 2014. A finding has been imminent now for over 2 years.

UFT Headquarters, June 1, 2018
With the historic 8 year contract coming to an end, new mayor Eva Moskowitz tells the UFT that the city can't afford to pay the last two installments of retro and will like to stretch the payments out to 2035. Mulgrew quickly responds with, "Sure, whatever you want! We just want a seat at the table"

A PROSE school, Upper East Side May 11, 2018:
Without union protection, this PROSE school, "The Excellent Academy for Scholarly Scholars," the teachers must report to work at 6 AM and leave at 9 PM. Teacher's that speak up against administration have no union protection and are taken out back and summarily executed with their lifeless heads chopped off and put on a spike in front of the school as a message to other teachers as to what can happen to them.

Shiva Call, Monsey NY, Home of Ida Rabinowitz, February 7, 2017:
Mrs Rabinowitz' husband, Morris, who jumped off the Tappan Zee Bridge the other day, just buried her husband the day before. He was distraught for several reasons. One, his paycheck was now being deducted 10% for health care and he was getting less bang for his health care buck. His old psychiatrist was no longer on the plan and he had to go see a psych at the closest joint UFT/NYC funded health center in Middletown NY.  His new psychiatrist was a 26 year old affiliated with "Psychiatrists For America" and had only 5 weeks training. Worse yet, the anti-depressants he was on were no longer covered and he had to settle for generic anti-depressants that were manufactured and mailed from Kazakhstan. 

President Mulgrew was gracious enough to pay a shiva call. When Mrs Rabinowitz asked Mulgrew if as a widow, will she be getting the remaining payments of her husband's retro Mulgrew responded, "Ain't happening!" He soon turned and left for the buffet table, helped himself to some bagels, smoked salmon, creamed herring, and whitefish salad and headed out the door.

So there you have it. The intrepid time time travel of The Crack Team showing the rank and file what the future holds.

The future can be changed. But it is up to US, not UNITY, of anyone else to change it. So let's do it.