This is an actual conversation:
New Action Delegate: Here take this ( a leaflet entitled New Action Spring 2015). It may better inform you about New Action's views. Since you like to read lies on blogs about us.
Me: Thank you. Why is the union against ATRs having their own chapter?
NAD: Mulgrew feels, and we agree that by giving ATRs their own Chapter, we are solidifying a temporarily displaced group.
Me: You realize there are teachers who have been ATRs for over 10 years?! There will be more next year. Do you actually believe that horse shit?
NAD: I do and we are giving you ATRs the ability to run for UFT office in the school you're in the first week of May.
Me: Are you joking?! Who's going to vote for someone they don't know and who will be leaving?!
NAD: Don't say that. Portelos won his election from the rubber room!
Me: Yes, but he knew the school's staff. We don't even know the school we will be in.
NAD: You really should join New Action. We're helping lots of discontinued teachers.
Me: That's great, but you're doing nothing for ATRs. In fact, you are hurting us.
NAD: Oh well. Got to go.
Although the Temporary Reassignment Centers were temporary, Randi granted rubber roomers elected liaisons who met monthly at 52 with Mendel and Barr. These members, remember, were in bad standing, but still had representation. Yet we ATRs of good standing have zero representation and one token annual meeting in the boroughs during which useful idiot Unity zombies--Arundell and Sill--tell us why no representation is better than any representation. But they won't tell us how they would feel if they were unrepresented ATRs like us.
ReplyDeleteGreat to know the history of an incident that's being used as an example of why it isn't unfair to have ATRs run for office in temporarily rotated schools!
DeleteAlso " solidifying a temporarily displaced group of teachers", may be looking at the future. Even though ATRs have been around for 13 years and will be here next year, the ATR agreement ends June 2016. Is the Union implying there will be no more ATRs after that time(so why give them a chapter)?
DeleteNAD certainly does have a pair. This is why we should be pushing MORE to teachers we meet in our roving assignments. Perhaps the willingness of Unity to sell us downriver will come back to bite.
ReplyDeleteYes, New Action are the robots with hearts. I think they are however missing their balls with the rest of their Unity brethren.
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