No WTU Executive Board Meeting For You !

An email came from the WTU on Friday, October 9th @ 5:30 pm with the following message:

"The Executive Board meeting scheduled for Saturday, October 10, 2009, has been cancelled. President Parker has been prescribed bed rest for the next few days so that he may fully recover from an untimely, temporary medical condition. Upon his return, you will be notified when the Executive Board will convene the next meeting. Meanwhile, we are wishing President Parker a speedy recovery. Our apologies for the delay of notification and any inconvenience this may have caused."

This is not how the Washington Teachers' Union is suppose to work according to our constitution. Even in the absence of the WTU president, business is suppose to continue as usual with the WTU General Vice President assuming the union president's responsibilities. During these critical times, it is a travesty that the elected members of the WTU Executive board are unable to carry on in spite of George Parker's illness. It is most unfortunate that this has been a practice of our union under the helm of Parker. When things get tough, Parker cancels meetings on short notice and without input from WTU Executive Board members.

Posted by The Washington Teacher featuring Candi Peterson, blogger in residence

Rally Draws Thousands !

At least it felt that way to me. ;--)






I thank all the teachers and related school personnel who came out to show support for our rank and file rally today. I especially thank our WTU Executive Board members who agreed to initiate this action on behalf of DC teachers. They are Willie Brewer, Agnes Dyson, Sheila Gill, Pablo Giro'n, Nathan Saunders, Diane Terrell and myself. We also had participation from the American Federation of Government Employees, the Teamsters and the taxi cab drivers. Parents, community activists and students attended as well. All the reporters were out in full force and effect as well as an independent film maker while AFT representative Jody Easley lurked in the background the entire time acting as though he didn't want to be seen. Jason Kamras, a 2005 teacher of the year turned Rhee staffer also tree boxed our event.

I must say dating back to my involvement with the Coalition To Save Our Neighborhood Schools (CSONS) -I don't think we ever drew as large a crowd to most of our rallies. Given the refusal by our WTU union president, George Parker to support our rank & file rally and his last minute effort to run interference by the use of a Wednesday night robo call and follow up email to members - I am surprised we garnered the support we did. I have trouble understanding why all of us can't work together to support teachers and protest unfair layoffs and the new IMPACT evaluation. Certainly I plan to support the October rally that the WTU/AFT will sponsor next month.

Our speakers were absolutely wonderful and made suggestions of acts of civil disobedience to right this terrible wrong. First and foremost let me give thanks to our teacher leaders who willingly spoke including Thomas O'Rourke, Jerome Brocks and Jeff Canady. Emily Washington, a longtime educator was on the list to speak but was a no show for the event. Also amongst our lineup were parents and community activists including Cherita Whiting, Robert Brannum, Roger Newell, Maria Jones, Debra Daniels, Leo Alexander, candidate for DC mayor, as well as Ernest Johnson who is another candidate for DC mayor, Reverend Graylan Hagler and Nathan Saunders. Bravo all for a job well done.

As Caesar Chavez said that to teach our children what it means to be fully man or woman requires each of us to use our lives to show the way. How are we doing so far ?

Posted by The Washington Teacher with Candi Peterson as Blogger in Residence

The Proposal To Sell Out DC Teachers

Did AFT Prez Randi Weingarten and WTU Prez George Parker Cut A Deal With Rhee ? Guess what an insider told me about teacher contract negotiations. If it is true then only some teachers will be celebrating. This proposal could wipe out a 'significant share of our teacher workforce' through buyouts. (Sound familiar to Rhee's five year education plan which promises to get rid of a significant share of DC's teacher work force. ) It seems that AFT President Randi Weingarten, WTU George Parker and the WTU (Washington Teachers' Union ) negotiation team have agreed to a teachers contract proposal with Chancellor Michell Rhee. A recent letter to WTU members indicates that Rhee is trying to determine whether this contract proposal is financially feasible during these cash strapped times.

According to my inside source, teachers with a minimum of 20 years of experience in DC public schools would be afforded an 'early out' to retire with full retirement benefits. This would be the deal breaker and would be unprecedented. I imagine if the money is approved then many highly qualified and experienced teachers not yet eligible for retirement would walk out the door and leave our school system. Can anyone blame them ? For those who remain, this news would come as just another sorry reminder of how our labor union has failed to protect all of its members. It also would confirm what New York teachers have been warning us for a long time that AFT President Randi Weingarten is promoting her sell-out tour nation wide. The implications of this type of teacher contract proposal if approved by the WTU membership would have devastating national implications.

Mutual consent would be a component of this teacher contract proposal. This was confirmed by AFT President Randi Weingarten during the spring of this year. Mutual consent or mutual agreement simply means that if a teacher is excessed from a school and could not get a principal to hire them- they would not have a job. Basically in a nutshell, you need mutual consent of the principal in order to work. According to Ed Notes On Line blogger "Excessed NY teachers stay in their schools and work as subs. They have to get paid full salary but are not placed. They have to find their own jobs.They are vilified if they don't find a job on the open market system which is where you are heading. There is a feeling they become targets to be sent to rubber rooms especially if they are senior and high salaried. "

Giving principals this type of absolute power involved with mutual consent will be devastating for any remaining teachers in DC. So I am told that our mutual consent WOULD NOT have the benefits of the NY public school system. Given that we have many teachers who are excessed yearly, they may be given a year to find a new teaching position. If unable to find a new position then technically they would be out of a job or be forced to retire if eligible. It would lead to a revolving door workforce of teachers and related school personnel. I can only imagine that Chancellor Rhee is thrilled at the prospect of such a contract proposal. If funded, it would not be in the best interests of our students. Certainly it would discourage career teachers from applying to our school system. Under this proposal, I believe that new teachers would never make twenty years in our school system as many will eventually leave or be excessed or eventually be fired under Rhee's new evaluation system with the assistance of willing principals and master teachers and our infamous 90 day termination plans.I find all of this disgusting and disheartening. Our union may be "working" for some but it isn't working for all its members. What a way to begin a new school year.

Posted by The Washington Teacher