STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The union that represents New York City public school teachers is preparing to authorize a strike to stop the reopening of school buildings due to safety concerns amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, according to a recently published report.
Chalkbeat reported that the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) has scheduled a meeting of school-based delegates -- which includes about 3,200 representatives from every public school in New York City -- for Tuesday suggesting they could vote to approve a job action, according to emails sent to members from union representatives.
Before Tuesday’s meeting, Chalkbeat reported that the UFT executive board is expected to vote Monday to authorize a strike, according to an email sent to Brooklyn chapter leaders.
The email included a checklist for union chapter leaders to create a strike plan for their campuses, according to Chalkbeat, such as identifying strike captains who will assign picket locations in front of building entrances and distribute signs, and creating subcommittees to coordinate social media and communication with members.
The email asks chapter leaders to submit a strike plan by Monday afternoon, according to Chalkbeat.
However, Mayor Bill de Blasio said during a Monday press conference he was told by the UFT a strike authorization vote is not planned.
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Authorizing a strike doesn’t mean it will happen, but calling for one increases pressure on Mayor Bill de Blasio to delay the return of in-person learning on the tentative Sept. 10 first day, the media outlet reported.
Under the city’s current reopening plan, public school students are slated to return to school buildings part-time under a blended learning model, or will learn at home remotely full-time. School buildings will only open if the city’s rate of positive coronavirus tests is less than 3% using a seven-day rolling average.
But the unions that represent principals, teachers, administrators, school aides, lunch workers and more have called for a delay to in-person learning.
Michael Mulgrew, UFT president, announced at a press conference earlier this month that no New York City public school should open unless it meets all criteria in the union’s School Safety Report -- which sets standards for cleaning supplies, personal protective equipment (PPE), testing and more.
If a school is not deemed safe, Mulgrew said the union is prepared to go to court and to take job action -- even if the court determines it is breaking the state Taylor Law, which defines the rights and limitations of unions for public employees in New York. That means the union could go on strike, Mulgrew said.
“If a court determines we are breaking the Taylor Law, so be it,” he said during the press conference. “We have promised the teachers and the parents of New York City that we would stand and fight if we felt a school was unsafe, and that is a promise we are going to keep.”
New York City teachers haven’t gone on strike since 1975, and going on strike could bring big risks, according to Chalkbeat. A violation of the Taylor Law means the union could lose its ability to automatically collect dues, teachers would miss out on paychecks, and union leadership could face jail time.
“We are preparing for any eventuality to make sure schools reopen safely for students, staff and the entire school community,” union spokesman Dick Riley wrote in an email to Chalkbeat.
Riley told Chalkbeat last week that the resolutions that will be voted on Monday and Tuesday weren’t finalized. He noted the procedure for striking typically involves authorizing the union’s leadership to make the final call, the media outlet reported.
Bill Neidhardt, a de Blasio spokesperson, told Chalkbeat: “We continue to have discussions with UFT. They have the right to call meetings as they see fit and we respect that.”
The union has been urging all parents to opt for remote learning until the city Department of Education (DOE) notifies them that their child’s school meets the procedural and testing standards outlined in the safety report, even if it means delaying the opening of some schools.
According to the DOE’s reopening plan, schools will not reopen if the community transmission rate is above 3% on a seven-day rolling average.
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