Teachers Lives Matter

With no plan, nor even a speculation of a plan, in sight, no one knows what to expect come
September. But one thing has been on my mind for some time now which was alluded to in yesterday's exec board meeting.

As per Arthur Goldstein's blog and last nights minutes...

Q:Members with pre-existing contditions--can they work remotely? 
A: On the table.

Yeah, what about it? What if schools reopen, or even partially reopen? What safety measures will be taken?

I have Type 2 Diabetes. My A1c is quite low (can be lower), my blood pressure is normal, my weight is good. Cholesterol, kidneys, everything is good. Knock on wood. But I am still diabetic and that is on the list of people who are susceptible to Covid-19.So what is a diabetic teacher to do?

In 1997 I had really bad strep throat. Had 104 degree fever. Was on anti-biotics. Knocked out my immune system. After I got better from the strep, I developed Shingles.

Should teachers walk into the belly of death?

How about teachers with lung problems to begin with? A little over 30 years ago my dad had pleurisy. It made him much more susceptible to pneumonia.

So should teachers with lung issues risk their lives? 

Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune disease. So is Lupus. What about any auto-immune disease? What then?

A teacher getting chemotherapy is sometimes well enough to work between sessions. What then?

A simple cold can whack someone's immune system.

Asthma? Being on certain medications? Anyone with a chronic illness?

A dead teacher is not a good thing.

I believe I can say that not one teacher is willing to die for Chancellor Carranza. One too many already have.

The city and the DOE are dicking around. But the devil is in the details.

This is time for the UFT to shine.

To truly protect its members.