CTU Meeting 9/9

Yesterday we had the first meeting for this school year at our new location at Cermak and Canal. Its a beautiful new facility with air conditioning, more parking, and the ability to use technology appropriately. It is said that is actually less expensive than the old site since it went under new management. Here's a summary of the meeting.

• Still having deferred pay related problems? Check out the calculator on the CTU website. Still a problem, call 312-329-9100 and ask for Mary McGuire.
• Key question raised by a displaced teacher, why are so many new people coming in instead of hiring displaced tenured teachers? Response: We’ve observed (at job fairs) that teachers from alternative certification programs had ‘special stamps’ on their resumes; displaced teachers were wearing a ‘green armband’. Shades of history. The union is filing a lawsuit related to this, esp. age discrimination.
• Charter school organizing drive continues… three down and many more to go. Speakers reported on plans to organize these teachers (in a separate union). If you know teachers at UNO, Perspectives, Aspira, Youth Connections or Noble Street please give us their names… those are the organizing drives they are focusing on.
• The CTU Executive Board is putting three union constitution referenda on the ballot for us to vote on in November. They are: Drop the office of Treasurer from the current five union officers; establish a recall procedure for CTU officers; and discontinue publishing the vote totals in union elections and put them on the website instead.
• Grade change survey the union did reports that about 1/3 of teachers have felt pressure from administrators to change student grades. This is a total affront to our professionalism. Some teachers have reported threats and fear repercussions.
• Any financial fraud should be reported to the anonymous hotline 773-48FRAUD or to the Inspector General at 773-534-9400. Somehow charter schools are not included in the Inspector General’s purview.

Feel free to post any questions or comments.