At tonight’s executive board meeting the PJSTA’s executive board unanimously approved the following resolution…
Whereas, the Portland Public Schools are harming students and educators with a refusal to negotiate a fair contract, particularly in regards to class sizes, teacher workloads, wages, insurance coverage, and staffing levels and
Whereas, the Portland Association of Teachers, a fellow NEA local, now sit on the front lines of the fight for quality public education;
Be it resolved, that the Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association supports them in their fight.
Many locals are coming together to form a huge voice within our state union!
This is not the faux grassroots, top down, Mulgrew led unionism. 120 local presidents are now publicly showing their support for Dick Iannuzzi, Maria Neira, Kathleen Donahue, and Lee Cutler.
Via the Stronger Together website…
Ben Alexander, Co-President, Jordan Elbridge Teachers Association
Jim Baldwin, President, Homer Teachers Association
Thomas Barry, President, East Islip Teachers Association
Nancy Baker, President, Dunkirk Teachers Association
Juliet Benaquisto, President, Schenectady Federation of Teachers
Jeanne Bennett, Co-Presidents, RC12
Irene Bielski, President, East Ramapo Teachers Association
Ted Birch, President, Deposit Teachers Association
Antoinette Blanck, President, UT Northport, ED 23 Director
Sandy Bliss, Co-President, RC12
Carol Blumrick, President, Royalton Hartland Teachers Association
Joseph Borgisi, President, EPEA
Robin Brennan, President, North Rockland Teachers Association
Tim Brown, President, Valley Central Teachers Association
Joe Cantafio, President, West Seneca Teachers Association
John Canty, President, Ramapo Teachers Association
Jason Carter, Wayne Teachers Association
Edward Carutis, President, Chautauqua Lake Teachers Association
Beth Chetney, President, Baldwinsville Teachers Association
Kim Christensen, President, Chenango Valley SRP
Bob Claps, President, Amityville Teachers Association
Tracie Clark, President, OCM BOCES
Seth Cohen, President, Troy Teachers Association
Kevin Coyne, President, Brentwood Teachers Association
Ralph Cross, President, Saranac Teachers Association
Darlene Darch, President, Bayshore CTA
Paul Davis, President, Bainbridge-Guilford Teachers Association
Joan Deem, President, Hicksville Teachers Association
Pasquale Delli Carpini, President, Wappingers Congress of Teachers
Dave Derouchie, President, Fulton Teachers Association
Rosemarie DiBernardi, Co-President, Greenwood Lake
Beth Dimino, President, PJSTA
Mark Dwyer, President, Chatham Teachers Association
Roberta Elins, President, UCE of FIT
Mike Emmi, President, Solvay Teachers Association
Paul Farfaglia, Co-President, Jordan Elbridge Teachers Association, ED 8-9 At-Large Director
Jo Ann Fastiggi, President, Nanuet Teachers Association
Tony Felicio, President, Connetquot Teachers Association
Eileen Fitzgerald-Spurhs, President, Cortland Teachers Association
Regis Foster, President, Port Jervis Teachers Association
Michael Friscia, President, Rocky Point Teachers Association
Frank Gannon, President, Florida Teachers’ Association
Anthony Gibson, President, Hauppauge Teachers Association
Larry Grisanti, President, East Aurora Teachers Association
Ron Gross, President, William Floyd Teachers Association
Richard Haas, President, Half Hollow Hills Teachers Association
Chris Harding Grosfelt, President, Trumansburg Teachers Association
Nathaniel Hathaway, President, Malone Federation of Teachers
Trevor Herzog, Co-President, Endicott Teachers Association
Jennifer Higgins, President, Amherst Teachers Association
Matt Hill, President, Haverling TA, ED 46 Director
Bill Hughes, President, South Orangetown Teachers Association
Eric Iberger, President, Bayport Bluepoint Teachers Association
Carmine Inserra Jr., President, Indian River Teachers Association
Lisa Jackson, President, Carmel Teachers Association
Kevin Jaruszewski, President, Lewiston Porter Teachers Association
Maureen Joseph, Co-President, Greenwood Lake
Andy Kavulich, President, RC11
Sean Kennedy, President, Yorktown Congress of Teachers
Jeff Kuemmel, President, Cheektowaga Teachers Association
John Kurlya, President, North Syracuse Education Association
Joseph Kwiatkowski, President, Fredonia Salaried Support Staff Association
Deb Kydon, President, Rockland Boces Staff Association
Michelle Licht, President, Williamsville Teachers Association
Mike Lillis, President, Lakeland Federation of Teachers
Karen MacIntyre, President, Brocton Teachers Association
Michael Mallon, President, Highlands Teachers Association
John Mansfield, President, TA of Lindenhurst, NYSUT Board of Directors
Liz McCheyne, President, South Seneca Teachers Association
Carla McLaud, President, Pine Bush Teachers Association
Mary Lou Megarr, President, Plattsburgh Teachers Association
Bob Meir, President, Arlington Teachers Association
Linda Meredith, President, Central Teachers Association
Elias Mestizo, President, Hempstead Teachers Association
Cheryl Miskell, President, Auburn Teachers Association
Pamela Modzel, President, Wayne-Fingerlakes BOCES EA
Nate Morgan, President, Hastings Teachers Association
Stu Napear, President, President, Freeport Teachers Association
John Nichols, President, East Syracuse Minoa United Teachers
Kevin O’Connell, President, Pearl River Teachers Association
Marietta O’Malley, President, Holland Teachers Association
Linda Oryhon, President, Binghamton Teachers Association
Chris Philp, President, Kings Park CTA
Adam Piasecki, President, Ithaca Teachers Association
Lois Piscitelli, President, Gowanda Teachers Association
Art Plichta, President, Newburgh Teachers Association
Tim Potts, President, Monticello Teachers Association
Kim Pritchard, President, Syosset Teachers Association
Arlene Reese, President, Lockport Teachers Association
Michael Romano, President, Central Islip Teachers Association
Donna Ramundo, President, Nyack Teachers Association
Dan Rupert, President, Hannibal Faculty Association
Eleanor Russell, President, Rosylyn Teachers Association
Bruce Sander, President, Deer Park Teachers Association
Nancy Sanders, President, Miller Place Teachers Association
Kathy Sarafin, President, Frankfort Schuler Teachers Association
Ellen SchulerMauk, Faculty Association of SCCC
Ron Sesnie, President, Tonawanda Education Association
Mark Shanahan, President, Sweet Home Education Association
Ken Smith, President, Broom-Tioga BOCES, ED 11 Director
Brian Snow, President, Port Jefferson Teachers Association
Tim Southerton, President, Sayville Teachers Association
Laura Spencer, President, Smithtown Teachers Association
Jen Stevenson, Co-President, Endicott Teachers Association
Tris Stewart, President, Commack Teachers Association
I received this in my email yesterday. All PJSTA members should be sure to take the survey. I made sure to tell the NEA to STOP SUPPORTING THE COMMON CORE!
Dear BRIAN STPIERRE,
Your state education association and the National Education Association want to hear from you on some of the most important education issues teachers are facing – issues like Common Core implementation and standardized testing.
The NEA and your state education association have hired Bernett Research, an independent opinion research firm, to conduct a confidential survey of K-12 teacher members across the state. We urge you to take a few minutes to fill out this very important survey. They need to hear from you in order to be an effective voice for you on the critical issues that affect you, your teacher colleagues, your profession, and your students.
The process is easy and the survey will only take a few minutes to complete. All you have to do is click on the link below or type the full web address listed below into your web browser:
Please be assured that your responses to the survey are strictly confidential. Neither the NEA nor your state education association will have access to any identifying information for any opinions or responses you provide.
The link above will only be active through Tuesday, February 18, so we urge you to complete the survey as soon as possible.
The NEA cannot stress enough the importance of ensuring that educator voices are a major part of the public debate about the future of public education. But they need your help to make that happen.
Should you have any questions or difficulties completing this survey, please feel free to contact the project manager, Brooke Tippery, by email at surveys@cybercept.com.
On behalf of your state education association and the NEA, thank you for your participation.
Yesterday we mentioned the possibility of Portland Oregon’s teachers going on strike. Late last night the PAT‘s rank and file overwhelmingly authorized a strike.
Teachers in Portland, Oregon’s largest school district, voted Wednesday night to authorize a strike, setting the stage for a walkout that could disrupt classes for nearly 48,000 students, union officials said.
Portland’s 2,828 teachers have been engaged for months in contentious off-and-on negotiations with the district on a new three-year contract, and the strike authorization vote clears the way for a strike on February 20 if no settlement is reached, the Portland Association of Teachers said late Wednesday.
“No teacher ever wants to go on strike, we want to be in classrooms with our students,” union president Gwen Sullivan said in a statement after the vote.
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“We can still negotiate after a strike vote,” Miles said. “We are still at the table. We are still trying to come to an agreement.”
A strike authorization does not necessarily mean that the teachers will walk out. It does, however, allow union leaders to declare a strike if negotiations are not successful.
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The district already is bracing for a possible walkout with plans to keep its 78 schools open using substitute teachers if the need arises.
Some parents, however, have expressed concern at the prospect of their children crossing picket lines to attend classes or extracurricular activities during a strike.
“I don’t think we would send them to school with substitutes. We support the teachers,” said Ali King, the mother of two daughters in the sixth and ninth grades. “Even with qualified subs, it will be a disruptive atmosphere.”
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Students at several Portland high schools were planning to stage their own rallies to show support for teachers before the vote on Wednesday.
The union and school district have been at odds over class size, teacher workloads, wages and insurance coverage, but the issue of staffing levels has emerged as the chief stumbling block.
Our brothers and sisters in the PAT, and NEA local, have moved to the front lines in the battle for quality public education. We will monitor this situation very closely and the PJSTA will support them in any way we can as we stand in solidarity with them.
Members of the Long Island Rail Road’s largest union voted 500 to 0 on Wednesday to strike, a development that helps lay the groundwork for a walkout as soon as March.
Two locals that make up the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Union voted in Massapequa, L.I. The third local in the union didn’t participate.
“The membership spoke loud and clear tonight … and said we will not sit back and be disrespected,” said Anthony Simon, SMART’s general chairman. “I have never been prouder to be their leader.”
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About 6,000 LIRR workers have labored without a contract for more than three years, and talks aimed at producing a new contract have reached an impasse. Workers are angry that officials at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority — the LIRR’s parent company — won’t adopt a contract settlement proposed by a Presidential Emergency Board. It includes modest raises, but MTA bosses shot it down last month.
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The emergency board, made up of neutral mediators, delivered its recommendations in December after hearing labor and management experts testify about MTA finances and various additional factors. The board concluded the MTA could afford to pay the raises it proposed — amounting to about 2.85% a year for six years — without raising fares in 2015 higher than the 4% jump already planned. It also said workers should start contributing 2% of their base pay for health care.
But the MTA is pushing for a three-year wage freeze for all of its workers unless pay increases are offset by cost savings related to productivity. The mediators didn’t endorse the work-rule changes the MTA sought to balance out potential rises for LIRR workers.
We will continue to follow this story as it unfolds in the coming month.
Tonight there will be two strike votes taking place. One of the votes will feature a teachers union while the other features a Long Island union.
This evening at 7:00 pm Pacific time teachers in Portland, Oregon will be voting on whether or not to authorize a strike. The Portland Association of Teachers, an NEA local, is made up of nearly 3,000 teachers plus more than 1,000 substitute teachers. Today, in solidarity with their teachers, students held walkouts around the city of Portland. As the story unfolds we will have more here at thepjsta.org. You can follow @PATSolidarity on Twitter to keep track of the story in real time. The PJSTA is proud to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Portland!
The other strike vote taking place tonight is that of the LIRR’s largest union. Via Newsday...
The Sheet Metal, Air and Transportation Union/United Transportation Union, which represents nearly half of LIRR laborers, will cast their ballots at back-to-back meetings in Massapequa Wednesday night. SMART UTU general chairman Anthony Simon, who expects a unanimous “yes” vote from members, said he will also be handing out picket signs and coordinating strike captains.
Smaller LIRR unions have already approved similar votes to walk off the job as early as March 21. Simon said his union’s vote — the first of its kind in two decades — is “the toughest for our members ever to make.”
“This is going to affect their finances, their families, and the Long Island economy,” Simon said. “But they are standing united with their union, because they have been pushed around far too long.”
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In November, President Barack Obama appointed a Presidential Emergency Board to help resolve the dispute. After listening to arguments from labor and management during a weeklong Manhattan hearing, the board largely ruled in the unions’ favor, saying that the MTA could afford to give workers raises without having to raise fares. The unions accepted the board’s nonbinding recommendations, but the MTA rejected them.
The PJSTA proudly stands in solidarity with all of their brothers and sisters in the labor movement. We will have more on these situations as they unfold.
The NYS Legislature will shortly decide which candidates will be appointed to four Regents positions.
NYSAPE is endorsing four new candidates, who have made a firm commitment to change the direction of current education policies. They oppose high stakes testing and student data-sharing without parental consent. They are long-time educators and parent leaders who are respected in their communities. You can read about these candidates here: http://www.nysape.org/nysape-endorses-full-slate-of-candidates-for-the-board-of-regents.html .
HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Please take the time to email and call your Assembly Member and Senator and ask that they support Mike Reilly, Regina Rose, Audrey Baker and Dr. Carol Mikoda. You will find a sample email/call script below.
Here’s a sample email/call script, please feel free to revise:
Dear [Name of Legislator] :
On February 4 and February 11, Assemblywomen Nolan and Glick will lead interviews for four positions on the Board of Regents. I am urging you to support the following four candidates: Michael Reilly, Regina Rose, Dr. Carol Mikado and Audrey Baker.
All four are experienced educators and/or parent leaders, and understand that the current policies of the NYS Education Department must be reversed. As Regents, these four candidates will fight for authentic and quality education for all children in New York State.
The incumbents sitting in those seats have expressed no willingness to do so.
The resumes and/or the surveys of Michael Reilly, Regina Rose, Dr. Carol Mikado and Audrey Baker are available on the NYSAPE website: http://www.nysape.org/regents-candidate-information.html Please let me know if you are willing to support their candidacy.
New York State United Teachers President Richard C. Iannuzzi today called on school districts to abandon educationally unsound and unconscionable policies that force students whose parents have decided to opt them out of state testing to “sit and stare” instead of providing them with a constructive alternative.
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“NYSUT strongly condemns the policy of ‘sit and stare’,” Iannuzzi said. “This policy aimed at students whose parents elect to ‘opt out’ their children from state standardized testing is unconscionable. It would be spiteful and counter-productive for any school district to require an administrator or teacher to direct a child to ‘sit and stare’ at a blank desk while other students are taking exams because of a choice made by a parent.”
Iannuzzi added, “This is cruel to those students not taking the exam and a distraction and disservice to those who are attempting to complete it. Punishing or embarrassing children because their parents exercised their right to choose not to have their children participate in tests they consider inappropriate is, frankly, abusive.”
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Iannuzzi said the union would provide guidance and support to parents – or parent groups – unfairly singled out or harassed for advocating the right to opt out and added, “We will vigorously defend any NYSUT members who are subject to any negative employment considerations for choosing to opt out their own child or who advocate, to the extent permitted by law, for others who opt out of state standardized tests.”
This is very strong language from Iannuzzi in support of students, teachers, and parents. It also continues his trend of taking more aggressive stands against damaging reforms from SED. Ironically some locals are opposing his re-election bid, and supporting the slate that wants to play nice with Cuomo, because Iannuzzi wasn’t previously aggressive enough.
Today’s comments seem to be further proof that an Iannuzzi no longer beholden to Michael Mulgrew is an Iannuzzi who will take NYSUT in the direction that most NYSUT members want.
The Official Website of the PJSTA 