NYC charter school fires teachers via FedEX.

[madfloridian]

Some of them feel it is because they voted to unionize, though a contract has never been agreed upon.

The Merrick Academy Charter School denies their voting to unionize had anything to do with it, said they were judged on their competence. Merrick was founded by Senate President Malcolm Smith and U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks.

From Gotham Schools:

Union demands charter school reinstate fired teachers


Union president Michael Mulgrew called on the public employment review board to reinstate the dismissed teachers.

Ending a relationship via e-mail is insulting, but doing it via FedEx is probably worse.

That’s how 11 staff members at a Queens charter school discovered they’d been fired last Tuesday. Now the city’s teachers union is asking the state’s Public Employment Relations Board to give the teachers their jobs back. Teachers claim that they were fired for protesting the school policies and calling for union representation.

Speaking at a press conference at union headquarters today, UFT president Michael Mulgrew said the firings violated the state’s Taylor Law, which protects workers against discrimination for unionizing.

In 2007, an overwhelming majority of teachers at Merrick Academy voted to make the United Federation of Teachers their exclusive bargaining agent. Merrick became the first of several charter schools to unionize as part of the UFT’s campaign to bring the typically non-union schools under contract.

But since then the UFT and school’s board have yet to reach a contract agreement. Last December, UFT officials held a news conference in front of the school to protest its contract with Victory Schools.

More about Merrick Academy from the NY Daily News.


Pace for News Merrick Academy fires nine staffers amid bitter contract dispute.

Merrick Academy workers get boot via FedEx amid contract dispute between school, union

A scandal-plagued Queens charter school fired at least nine teachers Tuesday - via FedEx, union officials said.

Some of the Merrick Academy staffers who got the boot are chalking it up to a bitter contract dispute between the school and unionized teachers.

.."Kindergarten teacher Marjorie Berry, 60, one of the fired teachers, isn't buying it. "I was upset, because I put my heart and soul into these children and into the school," said Berry, who has taught at the school since it opened. "I just feel like I've been pushed aside like a piece of garbage."

Federal prosecutors have subpoenaed documents from a politically connected architect who helped design Merrick's school building in an ongoing corruption probe of several Queens politicians, including Merrick founders Senate President Malcolm Smith and U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks.

[msongs]

1. in the race to the top, teachers are pieces of garbage, get used to it nt

[Hannah Bell]

2. i recced, but still 0. hmm. wonder what the issue is with this one?

this is "democratic" underground, yeah?

[madfloridian]

4. The unrecs are out-reccing your recs....

:hi:

[djp2]

34. we need a total of votes against

These need to be recorded: how may for, how many against...not just a balance sheet!

[madfloridian]

36. I know that unrecs will start from the moment I post.

No matter what the topic. It's a game now with many.

[LWolf]

37. We've got that, for a few threads.

Not for this one, since it's more than 24 hours old, but the top ten can be checked:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=greatest_threads&topten=1

[madfloridian]

3. Video and article from WABC-TV

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/education&id=7569620

"NEW YORK (WABC) -- It could be the beginning of a growing battle between the teachers union and charter schools. The union is protesting the firings of 11 teachers and staffers at Merrick Academy in Queens. Merrick is a non-union charter school.

The teachers union considers the firing of staffers at the Merrick Academy to be a union issue, and those who were fired agree.

Jonathan Carrington, one of those who was fired, says they are being punished for union organizing.

The staffers were notified by Fed-Ex mail that they had been fired, with very short letters and no explanation.

"The firings were handled poorly," said Marjorie Berry, another fired staff member"

[Smarmie Doofus]

5. I was beginning to lose interest when I saw this:

>>>>Federal prosecutors have subpoenaed documents from a politically connected architect who helped design Merrick's school building in an ongoing corruption probe of several Queens politicians, including Merrick founders Senate President Malcolm Smith and U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks.>>>>

Hmmm.

I *thought* Smith was a union supporter. But increasingly, in NY, everything is not as it seems.

Which I guess is why it's a *federal* investigation.

[madfloridian]

6. I looked up some more about it.

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2010/03/28/2010-03-28_untitled__2charter28m.html

"Students at Merrick Academy charter school - housed in an old bowling alley in Queens Village - must cross busy Jamaica Ave. for recess in a nearby park because there's no gym or playground.

They also must get used to water leaking into classrooms when it rains and wearing winter coats inside when there's no heat.

"The school is on a very big intersection," said Kenneth Eriaidubor, who has a second-grader and a kindergartner at Merrick. "We are very concerned that leaving a school is not a really safe zone for the children."

.."There's also another potential problem - one many parents may not know about: Merrick has served as a source of campaign funds and patronage for one of its high-profile board members - State Senate President Malcolm Smith."

[Hannah Bell]

7. skimming public education money for private purposes?

a charter school with leaks & no heat?

gee, it sounds like those slum schools that charters were supposed to improve.

difference is: it was harder to use those slum schools as a conduit for campaign funding -- simply because there were more people watching the money.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. A bowling alley???

Good grief.

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. Is this a union charter or not?

If it's not union, why is the union speaking out about these firings?

[madfloridian]

10. A couple of years ago those teachers voted to unionize.

They have apparently been trying to get a contract since then.

That's what we have been hearing about....that charter schools teachers were becoming union. Apparently not this one.

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. So they aren't union until they have a contract?

[madfloridian]

17. I don't know what point you are trying to make.

Clarify please.

[madfloridian]

21. See my post #20

[erodriguez]

25. They were trying to organize

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. Union bashing on DU. Something I never thought I would see.

Recs down to one.

[druidity33]

14. Really?

I see it all the time. Quite a few "repeat offenders" too. They always quote stories about how the Union "screwed" them or their father, or sister, or whatever. I've given up listing the benefits that Unions have won workers over the years.

Course, there are the Union stalwarts too. I considered the Union Yes! icon for awhile, but have stuck to my little tree and watering can...

:)

K&R

[Jakes Progress]

30. Got a lot of it here.

Not a lot of bashers, but a lot of bashing. There's a word for people who bash unions - republican.

[Starry Messenger]

13. k & r

[Raineyb]

15. Gregory Meeks' name is attached to this shit?

What a surprise! Not!

Meeks is a feckless, worthless tool and unfortunately he's running unopposed AGAIN. Last time he appeared on the Democratic AND Republican lines.

[madfloridian]

18. From the first link:

"Opened in 2000, Merrick Academy’s founding board included Congressman Gregory Meeks and State Senate President Malcolm Smith, both of whom have left the board. Smith’s former business partner, Darryl Greene, still sits on Merrick’s board. In 1999, Greene was convicted of stealing half a million dollars from city agencies and, earlier this month, he backed out of business ties he had with the company selected to run a video slot machine parlor at Aqueduct Raceway."

http://gothamschools.org/2010/07/22/union-demands-charter-school-reinstate-fired-teachers/

Really doesn't get that specific.

[Eyerish]

16. K&R

[Smarmie Doofus]

19. So basically this is about Democratic politicians violating labor law...

... in order to screw people... in this case charter school teachers.... out of their legal right to form a union.

And profiteering from school privatization in the process.

And these are prominent *Democratic* political figures in New York State.

Do I have this right?

Why this thread doesn't have 100 recs is a mystery. I thought our party existed in large part to *protect* people from this sort of thing.

[LWolf]

22. +10

[Raineyb]

29. It would appear that there are quite a few things that when done by Republicans people will

yell and scream but then turn around and tell you to STFU when you point out the same behavior in Democrats.

:shrug:

[Jakes Progress]

31. That's how nixon went to China and

how Obama privatized public education.

[madfloridian]

33. And it is happening in education, women's rights, and Social Security....

And those things matter so much..

[madfloridian]

20. From June: Merrick Academy kept teachers from union contract for 2 years.

Merrick teachers want contract after two years

Teachers at the Merrick Academy charter school in Jamaica said they have been struggling to keep their school’s atmosphere positive since they have been working without a contract for more than two years.

Some of those instructors joined United Federation of Teachers members outside the school at 207-01 Jamaica Ave. Monday evening to demand that the institution’s administrators listen to their needs. Chanting phrases, including “Two years, two long,” a huge group of supporters backed up instructors who told their stories of hardship.

..."In addition, they have been forced to adhere to a strict academic program that does not let them get involved with parents, according to Barr. He urged administrators to give the teachers a say so the roughly 500 kindergarten through sixth-grade students can benefit.

..."Randel said the administrators have been negotiating a new contract for some time and there was some headway in their discussions. The teacher said she hopes something is done before the new school year so morale can be improved."

[KamaAina]

23. Weren't charters supposed to enhance a district's overall offferings?

For instance, in Hawai'i, about half of the state's 25 charters offer a Hawaiian cultural and language curriculum -- something not offered in the mainstream public schools.

Sadly, it's just easier to use them as glorified slush funds than to come up with creative ideas like that, I guess. :eyes: And don't even get me started on NOLA replacing its public schools with charters wholesale post-Katrina. :grr:

[madfloridian]

24. That was the original idea. But profit got in the way.

And billionaires started playing their games with education.

[zenj8]

26. It is disheartening

to see what is happening in public education. It's like watching a train wreck happening before our eyes. I also just wanted to say a huge thank you to Madfloridian for keeping those of us who are watching what is happening informed. I look for your posts every day. Please keep up the great (and inspiring) work.

[proud2BlibKansan]

27. Welcome to DU!

[madfloridian]

28. I appreciate the words.

I am fearful that so many here have turned against teachers because they feel they must support this administration's policies.

:hi:

[madfloridian]

32. Also the school tossed a PTA election to have another one.

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2010/06/30/2010-06-30_rushed_revote_for_troubled_charter_pta.html

"At a scandal-plagued charter school, officials called for a rerun of the PTA election with just 24 hours' notice, parents charged.

Merrick Academy tossed the results of a May election won by parent Kenneth Eriaidubor, who has publicly criticized the financial mismanagement at the school, revealed in a Daily News investigation.

"They don't want me in," said Eriaidubor, a vocal supporter of teachers' efforts to gain a union contract."

[MilesColtrane]

35. If this administration doesn't enforce the National Labor Relations Act it deserves to go down hard.