The New York City teachers' union has filed a complaint charging the City Department of Education with a litany of unfair labor practices and accusing the city of refusing to negotiate a new teachers' contract. þþIn its complaint, the union, the United Federation of Teachers, charged that the Education Department had ÿengaged in a systematic campaign to obtain drastic changes to the employees' terms and conditions of employmentÿ without participating in contract negotiations required by state law. The complaint was filed with the State Public Employment Relations Board.þþCity officials quickly dismissed the charges as baseless and said that the filing amounted to little more than noisemaking by the union about a number of old complaints, some of which are already the subject of grievance proceedings. þþThe complaint, which was filed last week, represents a further deterioration in the already tattered relationship between the Bloomberg administration and the union representing the city's 80,000 public school teachers. The teachers' contract expired on May 31, and since then there has been only one negotiating session. þþThe complaint accuses the city of unilaterally trying to change the teachers' contract and of publicly attacking the contract while refusing to negotiate. It also says the city has improperly denied teacher sabbatical requests, refused to provide information to the union about payroll problems and failed to act on requests to change school schedules through a contract provision called ÿschool based option.ÿ þþÿIf they want to make these changes, come to the bargaining table,ÿ said the union president, Randi Weingarten. ÿWhat are they afraid of?ÿþþSchools Chancellor Joel I. Klein has said that the union turned against him last spring after Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced plans to lay off 1,000 classroom aides, known as paraprofessionals, in a round of city budget cuts. The paraprofessionals are members of the teachers' union. þþBut Ms. Weingarten has said that the mayor and the chancellor have repeatedly disrespected teachers in their effort to overhaul the school system. Ms. Weingarten has criticized the administration for micromanaging teachers instead of seeking more comment from them. þþMore recently, the union was infuriated by a series of City Council hearings focusing on the contracts governing teachers, principals and school custodians.þþMs. Weingarten said the hearings, led by Councilwoman Eva S. Moskowitz, were intended to allow the city to attack the unions and their contracts. þþþþ
Source: NY Times
