NYSUT officers got their pals, Klein and Skelos, to pass this law giving them leaves of absences at full pay, all of it pensionable, and get Cuomo to sign it at the speed of light - for the NY State legislature.
AN ACT to amend chapter 675 of the laws of 1984 relating to providing fringe benefits for certain employees of school districts and boards of cooperative educational services, in relation to leaves of absence...Oh, who may these "certain employees" be?
The salary paid shall be the salary the employee would have earned and received had THE EMPLOYEE remained in service in the positionWhy the newly elected NYSUT officers - of course, this is a priority matter. They will now get their full salary they from their old local (with pension credits) while they are state officers in NYSUT - the union reimburses their locals, but may not be asked too if the NYSUT state leadership sells out at a fast enough clip.
A. 10019 2
1 which THE EMPLOYEE held as a full time employee at the time
2 THE EMPLOYEE was first elected as an elective officer, prior to the granting of the leave of absence based on the salary schedule in effect for the negotiating unit during each year of the leave of absence.
This act shall take effect immediately.
The law can be read in full here -
http://openstates.org/ny/bills/2013-2014/A10019/ -- if you have the stomach.
The NYSUT leaders also failed to announce this news at recent state meetings, and given passing any legislation at all would call for a victory party, there are some thoughts Karen Magee, Andy Palotta, and gang were pulling a coverup.
The bill was introduced on June 9, passed by the Assembly on June 19, passed by the State Senate on June 20 and signed by Cuomo into law on July 22.
Wondering why NYSUT decided not to endorse Teachout and stay neutral in the governor's race?
Well, Cuomo signed this pension giveaway to the NYSUT officers into law swifter than you can say "Common Core!"
Wondering why NYSUT endorsed the mobbed-up, pro-charter, pro-voucher Jeff Klein for re-election (as I was wondering)?
Well, IDC head Klein did let this come up for a vote (and then voted for it.)
Wondering why NYSUT is pushing Common Core even when the current NYSUT leadership ran against Common Core in last spring's election?
Well, Cuomo loves Common Core and NYSUT officers love double pensions and, well, you can see how all this works.
There are of course other reasons for the shenanigans around the NYSUT endorsement of Klein, the neutrality for Cuomo and the support for Common Core, but don't underestimate old time corruption like this quid pro quo giveaway to the NYSUT leadership.
These people are crooks, the crookedness displayed here is as bad as any under investigation by Preet Bharara now that he took over the Moreland Commission files and quite frankly, this ought to be one more case the US attorney should be looking into.
Just how did the pension giveaway to the NYSUT leadership get fast-tracked through the legislature and signed into law by the governor and what did the politicians involved get in return for fast-tracking it?
Scumbags is the perfect word to describe those folks.
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking RBE - note the satirical press release written by unknown sources - Stronger Together is holding together and MORE has someone on the steering committee. A back story here is that Lee Cutler who got the most votes on Stronger Together slate while losing is now unemployed and the new NYSUT crew wants to make sure that doesn't happen to them. Also - the UFT has that same deal, in spades.
ReplyDeleteI would like to say that any of this shocks me, but it doesn't. I will wait for the usual crap from WeinGrew & Co, how they are all for members and how they are responsive to the membership. I just wonder if they really think anyone (outside of those who sign their non-existent existent loyalty oath) really believe them?
ReplyDeleteOh, and I can't wait to see how Marty Daly spins this BS on Twitter.
ReplyDeleteLOL. I notice most of the typically vocal Revive supporters have been strangely silent this morning. Quite possible they are in a room figuring out how to spin this as "semantics" and a "kept promise."
DeleteHonestly though, I think a lot of those supporters outside NYC really did believe in Revive. Really did think the opposition was fear mongering. And now they were probably blindsided by this.
There should undoubtedly be a move from the Board of Directors to impeach this slate and it'll wake a lot of people up to the reality of what Unity Caucus ultimately is.