Act Now!: Stop todays hanging of a teacher/unionist in Iran!

Act NOW!! Don't let a unionist die!! Spread the word, sign the e-action e-mail.

From Eric Lee over at Labourstart

Act NOW!
Iran: Save the life of Farzad Kamangar

Education International (EI) has been informed that Farzad Kamangar, the Iranian Kurdish teacher and social worker sentenced to death on "absolutely zero evidence" according to his lawyer, could be hanged on Wednesday 26 November 2008.

According to several reliable sources, he has been taken from his cell 121 in ward 209 of Tehran’s Evin prison in preparation for execution. Jail security officers are said to have told him he is about to be executed and they are making fun of him, calling him a martyr.

The Revolutionary Court issued the death sentence against Kamangar on 25 February 2008. His lawyer has said: "Nothing in Kamangar’s judicial files and records demonstrates any links to the charges brought against him." Kamangar was cleared of all charges during the investigation process. The last time Kamangar was seen, he was at the health clinic of Evin prison and his physical condition was poor. Witnesses testify that he has been beaten again. Kamangar has not been allowed to see his lawyer or family members for the past two months.

EI has been appealing to the Iranian authorities to commute Kamangar's death sentence and ensure his case is reviewed fairly.

Now, EI is once again appealing to Iranian judicial authorities to halt the execution. EI is also asking members of the international community urgently to intervene.

Click here to ACT NOW!!

We can save the life of a fellow unionist in another country if we Act Now!!!

Gotta run to work.I signed it. It only take a minute.

Nov.17th. come join in a discussion on the retirement crisis

Cross-posted at DailyKOS, Union Review and Democratic Underground

The New York METRO Communicators is bringing us a discussion on the pension crisis this Monday night.

The End Of Retirement With Dignity
What workers need to know

A discussion with:

Teresa Ghilarducci, author of When I'm Sixty-Four: The Plot against Pensions and the Plan to Save Them. After having taught economics for twenty-five years at the University of Notre Dame, now holds the Irene and Bernard L. Schwartz Chair of Economic Policy Analysis at the New School for Social Research. She is also the 2006-2008 Wurf Fellow at Harvard Law School. Her other books include Labor's Capital: The Economics and Politics of Private Pensions.

There will also be commentary by:

Stuart Leibowitz, Chair of Alliance for Retired Americans, AFL-CIO; President of the New York City Chapter of Retirees Association of District Council 37

Mel Aaronson, Treasurer of the United Federation of Teachers; UFT representative to Teachers' Retirement System board

Refreshments, Light Meal and a book signing by Teresa Ghilarducci to follow

Monday, November 17, 6:15-8:00pm
United Federation of Teachers
52 Broadway in Manhattan
Classroom F, 19th Floor

<--Click for Printable leaflet on left

Brought to you by the METRO Labor Communications Council, the New york branch of the International Labor Communications Association (ILCA)

NYC Comptroller Thompson, supports new construction laws and audits DOB

“Workers on public projects deserve and are lawfully entitled to the same wages as those who labor in the private sector,” Thompson said. “Our prevailing wage laws are important to taxpayers who want high-quality construction work done safely and at a reasonable price. These laws are critical to workers who want to make a decent living and work in safe conditions, and important to honest contractors who want to compete fairly for jobs.”

Whether it be speaking against Housing Authority budget cuts that screw 500,000 New Yorkers, speaking in front of a packed union hall full of construction workers of how he will defend prevailing wage and punish those that choose to break those laws, or speaking in front of City Hall urging Mayor Bloomberg and the state to "Keep the Promises" on education funding, one thing is clear, that this son of a judge and a public school teacher and native Brooklyn resident, New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr., is continuing to fight tooth and nail for working class families and all who work in this city.


New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. joined the Keep the Promises Coalition at a City Hall rally on June 16, 2008 to protest proposed budget cuts to New York City public schools. Photo credit: Marla S. Maritzer

Thompson has had 2 press releases in the past 24 hours that show how he is fighting for construction workers, and fighting for us is not a new event. In fact since 2002, Comptroller Thompson has debarred 28 contractors from doing business with the City and State and assessed $5,832,416 in back wages and benefits and $833,282 in penalties.

Yesterday, Donna from Teamsters Local 237 pointed out a press release by Mr. Thompson which shows his strong support for 3 recent Bill's, such as NYS Assembly #11676, which according to the press release, would close loopholes in the labor laws that allow contractors and subcontractors who fail to comply with prevailing wage settlements and final orders to continue to bid on, and be awarded, public contracts. Similarly, the bill would allow the State Commissioner of Labor or the New York City Comptroller to seek to debar contractors who willfully obstruct a labor law investigation.

Check out the press release entitled "THOMPSON PUSHES FOR STRONGER LABOR LAWS (6/23/08)"

The second which I just stumbled upon today, is the comptrollers audit of the NY Dept. Of Buildings, in which Thompson states "“It is simply unacceptable that DOB has permitted buildings with multiple open hazardous violations to go un-inspected for years, even by DOB’s own admission these are the worst cases, yet it has stood by and let the violations go unchecked and put New Yorkers at risk.”

Check out the press release entitled "THOMPSON AUDIT: BUILDINGS DEPARTMENT FAILING TO ENSURE HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS CORRECTED ACROSS THE CITY (6/23/08)" and the Letter to Mayor Bloomberg (PDF)

He's a guy I have met at my own union meetings and along with Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota, I was proud to say thank you and was glad I had a chance to shake their hand.

I leave you with his statements from March 20th. of this year at a UNITE HERE ceremony commemorating the 1911 fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory that killed 146 garment workers

"As we commemorate the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, we need to keep in mind that while much has been accomplished in the ninety-seven years since, more can and needs to be done to defend the rights and safety of our laborers.

As the guardian our City’s pension funds, I am inspired by organizations like UNITE HERE to work towards ensuring that the companies we invest in abide by fair labor practices.

I extend my deepest sympathies to the families of those brave victims. Your relatives did not die in vain. The tragedy that took place here led to increased fire safety awareness and new standards in building codes that to this day have saved tens of thousands of lives over the years."

Get a job: New York's teachers union, the UFT, needs a good web personality

Got a message about a job listing

The UFT, the United Federation Of Teachers, one of the biggest mover and shaker unions in the entire United States, is looking for a good person who has a strong commitment to unionism and public education, among other qualifications. Heres the description of the position from IdeaList.org

Web Outreach Coordinator

• Education: Bachelor (BA, BS, etc.)
• Location: New York, New York, 10004, United States
• Posted by: United Federation of Teachers
• Job Category: Editing & Writing Salary: Negotiable
• Last day to apply: March 31, 2008
• Last updated: March 3, 2008
• Type: Full time
• Language(s): English
• Job posted on: February 29, 2008
• Area of Focus: Education and Academia, Media and Journalism

Description:

Web Outreach Coordinator
Representing more than 200,000 people, the United Federation of Teachers is the union of New York City public school teachers and other non-supervisory educators. The Web Outreach Coordinator is a key member of the UFT’s small Web Communications team and works closely with the Director of Internal Communications. The Web Outreach Coordinator will play a key strategic planning and implementation role in all of the union’s online communications efforts to better serve its members. Primary duties will include making the UFT Web site more effective, managing the UFT blog edwize, and overseeing email blasts.

Additional Qualifications:

The online coordinator should be able to manage both the front and back end of the UFT blog and Web CMS technologies. That requires strong communication as well as technological skills.

Responsibilities include:

• Helping shepherd the redesign of the union’s Web site to make it more dynamic, interactive and informative
• running edwize, the UFT’s labor/education-oriented blog, including:
  1) editing/organizing/finding content
  2) being responsible for a regular flow of new items
  3) recruiting new writers
  4) monitoring comments and enforcing ground rules
  5) developing a strategy for driving more traffic to edwize
• helping develop a strategy for increasing the use of e-mail and other forms of online communications to reach and engage chapter leaders, rank-and-file members and parents
• trouble-shooting and optimizing the current UFT Web site (including sharing the work of routine maintenance)
• helping create action alerts, online petitions, surveys, e-activist campaigns, meeting notices and news bulletins
• contributing to joint projects of the Web communications team

Qualifications:

• At least three years of experience in Web communications
• BA/BS degree
• Knowledge of Web 2.0
• Hands-on proficiency in HTML, CSS and CMS technologies; a plus if knowledge of WordPress, Photoshop, Drupal, Dreamweaver, ASP and PHP and scripting technologies.
• Experience supporting Web-based content management systems
• Strong writing and editing skills
• Strong commitment to unionism and public education
• Knowledgeable about local and national blogs and proactive in disseminating information to like-minded blog communities
• Both a self-starter and a team player
• Ability to think strategically
  

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
Excellent Benefits

How to Apply:
Resumes and cover letters may be sent to:
D. McFadyen
United Federation of Teachers
Communications Department
52 Broadway, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10003
Email: uftwebjob@uft.org
No faxes or phone calls please.

Permalink: http://www.idealist.org/en/job/267261-316

Join the Unions and community organizations in 3-19 rally to reverse City and State funding cuts

Got this from my E-Mail

KEEP THE PROMISES! -TO BUILD MORE SCHOOLS -TO FUND FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN -TO LOWER CLASS SIZE -TO IMPROVE MIDDLE SCHOOLS -TO EXPAND ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS PROGRAMS -TO KEEP AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS AND TUTORING SERVICES We may face uncertain economic times ahead, but this much is certain: We must keep the promises to our kids. Show your support for the KEEP THE PROMISES COALITION BRING YOUR UNION'S BANNER! What: "Keep the Promises Coaliton Rally" Where: City Hall Park When: Wednesday,March 19th Time: 4:00PM

Click the picture below for leaflet, had to convert from PDF to JPG so it isn't very clear

Heres more info from New York Teacher from 2-14-08

‘Keep the Promises’ coalition forms to reverse city, state ed funding cuts

A diverse coalition of education advocacy groups, community organizations, clergy, labor unions and dozens of elected officials has launched a major campaign to fight state and city budget proposals that could cost New York City public schools $700 million.

Members of more than 60 community groups, parent organizations and unions, as well as some 40 state and city elected officials, gathered on the steps of City Hall on Feb. 10 to announce the formation of the “Keep the Promises” coalition in response to budget reductions and proposed cuts in education for city schools. The list of cuts includes the following:

• The city has imposed an immediate 1.75 percent cut to schools — a $100 million, midyear cut that will disrupt schools’ programs, schedules and staffing.
• The mayor’s 2009 budget proposal cuts New York City education by $324 million.
• The state budget proposes to give city schools nearly $200 million less than was expected in the Contract for Excellence, stalling progress in class size reduction, full-day pre-kindergarten expansion, improving middle schools and other programs and services.

The state is also proposing to cap building aid, which will slow school construction.  

“When government promises to safeguard the quality education of our children, parents and the public have a right to expect those promises to be honored,” UFT President Randi Weingarten said to reporters as she stood on the City Hall steps flanked by dozens of her coalition colleagues.

She said that “in the absence of an independent Board of Education and an independent schools chancellor, public school children need champions to intervene and protect them. That’s why we are part of this coalition launching this campaign.” Weingarten said the coalition would fight to have the funds restored because the city’s children deserve the quality education they’ve been promised.

“Make no mistake,” Weingarten added. “School-based educators would never dream of saying, ‘Now that we have less we will do less.’ Instead we will fight the school cuts.”

Geri D. Palast — executive director of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, which took the state to court to win increased funding for New York City schools — noted that after 13 years of litigation, New York State “legislated a promise” to add $2.35 billion in classroom operating aid for New York City over four years. At the same time, Mayor Bloomberg said the city would add $2.2 billion. The state also said it would provide $11.2 billion to subsidize the city’s $13.1 billion school construction plan to “finally fund the constitutional right to a sound, basic education,” Palast said.

However, she added, both the state and the city are proposing $700 million in cuts in these commitments. “Long overdue funding of these promises tied to accountability for this catch-up plan must be immunized from short-term economic fluctuations,” Palast said. “A generation of kids has already paid the price for delayed funding with their futures.” (Click for: Full Story)

NY: UFT ad attacks standardized testing, after $160 million is wasted in test prep and data processing.

“While testing is an important part of measuring student progress, it should not be done at the expense of educating the whole child,” - UFT President Randi Weingarten.

From: The New York Daily News

Teacher union ad attacks testing plan
by Erin Einhorn Daily News Staff Write 2/25/08

A Brown-eyed blond girl gazes at a seed she has planted in a large glass jar and beams as a teacher helps her set it on a classroom shelf.

It's hardly the stuff of political attack.

But the 30-second ad - which will start airing today during morning and prime-time TV - is paid for by the city teachers union and targets the standardized exams that teachers say devour too much of the school day.

"A child's mind is a precious thing that's growing every day," a soothing female voice intones during the ad. "Standardized school tests can measure her progress in certain subjects, but New York City teachers believe it takes a well-rounded curriculum - including science, civics, language, arts and sports - to help young imaginations thrive."

Teachers union President Randi Weingarten has assailed Schools Chancellor Joel Klein for recent investments in an $80 million test prep program and an $80 million computer system to crunch testing data. She was furious when Klein revealed a plan to measure teachers by children's scores.

The ads appear to be her answer. They'll air in the city during news programs and such shows as "60 Minutes" and "Law & Order." The union estimates they'll be seen at least 10 times by 11.6million people.

"While testing is an important part of measuring student progress, it should not be done at the expense of educating the whole child," Weingarten said in a statement. Weingarten's spokesman refused to say how much the ads would cost beyond saying it's "clearly a significant buy."

Klein spokeswoman Debra Wexler said the union was "promoting a false choice" with its ad.

"We need to provide students with a rich, well-rounded education and we also need to assess," Wexler said in a statement. "If we don't assess, we don't know whether our students have learned or our teachers taught."

My comment:

Standardized tests do not teach, as a matter of fact the entire idea of No Child Left behind does exactly the opposite of what one would think. It leaves children behind. While the Bush administration wholeheartedly pushed this legislation, it left it up to the states to pay for it. Some states have actually had to sue to get federal aid to pay for this standardized testing. How silly we are to think that we must focus on a mere test instead of actually teaching our students. It wastes our money and lets those children who can remember answers get pushed through the system knowing how to pass a test. Well, why not? With an impending draft on the horizon, think of it in terms of when you had your driving test and they didn't want you to have bad habits, the new version of a bad habit is free thought, and intelligence. Try to tell the drill instructor or a McDonalds manager that you have free thought.

NCLB is doing exactly what money corporations want it to. Keep the youth ignorant, dumb and easily pliable for their future careers in the military, the service industry and the security industry. While ignoring the professional fields where workers are needed such as nursing staff. Did you know that we are now importing from the Caribbean and India most of our nursing staff due to lack of qualified American workers? What about technical schools? Talk about underfunded.

Once a country of inventors, the US is now lagging behind about 20 nations in Science. As with anything in this world, you get what you pay for. I tend to believe that they do not want a smart class of workers in our USA. Why create a well educated society who the politicians and the corporations would have to answer to. Go Randi, tell the chancellor to stuff the PC's up his proverbial asset. We want our $160 million back.

Randi Weingarten, will soon replace Ed McElroy, who is retiring as president of the American Federation of Teachers, the second largest teachers union in America. This may be the beginning of a larger movement to battle the No Child Left Behind rule, which according to The Elementary Educator from a 6/07 story entitled "The NCLB Effect: Mediocrity Is More Important Than Excellence":

There are a lot of disconcerting things about No Child Left Behind, but here’s one that I find particularly troubling. We spend a ton of time measuring many subgroups of students to make sure that they are making adequate yearly progress: special ed. students, students of all different races, low-income students, and so on.What about gifted students? Who is making sure that they are maximizing their potential?

Let’s be honest. Which group of people is likely to have more of a positive impact on the world for generations to come (for example, by designing new inventions, finding cures for diseases, or coming up with innovative entrepreneurial ideas that alter the way we do business): the top 1% of students or the bottom 1%?

Mark Pullen, a 3rd. grade teacher from Michigan and the author of the above blog has some real insight on teaching, one of his other posts, "Teaching without telling", points out:

Lately, I’ve come to the conclusion that throughout my teaching career, my definition of “teaching” has been a whole lot closer to “telling” than “causing learning to occur.”

We’ve known for a long time that students learn best when they are doing things through multiple modalities, particularly when they are speaking and actively doing the task to be learned. One source asserts that “students retain 10 percent of what they read, 26 percent of what they hear, 30 percent of what they see, 50 percent of what they hear and see, 70 percent of what they say, and 90 percent of what they say and do.” I’m not looking to squabble over those exact percentages, because other sources come up with somewhat different numbers, but the key point remains: students need to be speaking and doing more than listening and watching.

Which further strengthens the argument against the standardized testing methods that have sucked the life from actual teaching. Also pointed out is a great blog post by Jenny, an Elementary school teacher from Virginia, entitled "Super Bowl - Quite a Test"

The New England Patriots lost their first game all season last night. I know, that's not news to anyone. But it's got me thinking. After an almost perfect season, losing one game has meant that people have called the Patriots' performance disappointing or a failure. This one game, just a few hours, has changed many people's impressions of the team. Is that reasonable?

We seem to do the same thing to our students with standardized tests. One bad day, a few hours of sub-par performance, and a child can be labeled negatively for some time. Their scores on a test often are viewed as more accurate, exact, and important than anything their teachers might know about them. All the anecdotal notes, classroom tests, and other assessments carry less weight.

Our students, at their young ages, aren't ready for a Super Bowl of standardized tests.

Now thats in a language we can all understand. But nothing says it better than when from the mouths of babes

The NCLB law is not working and leaving so many kids behind as a nation whether learning disabled, gifted or anywhere in between! As a direct result of this law and it's funding, the states are just using standardized practice test taking curriculum targeted at the minimum grade level standards rather than empowering children with knowledge to apply in novel situations in their future endeavors. The minds of our future leaders are at risk! HELP! (from YouTube)

This post is dedicated to the teachers, the ones who actually are trying to teach in a ever changing field of play, where all efforts are pushed into attendance and minimal passing grades at all costs, regardless of student progress. I got a lot of 90's in classes i never attended.

This post is also dedicated to Mr.Heffner, Mr. DiGiacomo, Mr.Guadagno, Mrs.Krieslamen, Dr.Hayes, Mr.Katz and my friend Dianne who has to deal with all the bullshit from both sides, being a mother and an educator.