Union rejects deal giving laid-off teachers preference over veteran substitutes

The governing body of the Los Angeles teachers union Wednesday night overwhelmingly rejected a deal negotiated and signed by their president that sharply reduced work opportunities for veteran substitute teachers by giving preference to recently laid-off teachers.

The vote was nearly unanimous at the meeting of the House of Representatives for United Teachers Los Angeles. The union’s governing body took up the matter after teachers at seven of eight regional meetings opposed the deal that UTLA President A.J. Duffy signed in July with the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Under the one-year “side letter” to the teachers contract, some 1,800 teachers laid off on July 1 jumped ahead of veteran substitutes with more seniority to fill roughly 2,200 daily substitute assignments in the nation’s second-largest school system.

In an interview before the vote, Duffy said he would honor the will of the membership, but that he had no unilateral authority to rescind a signed contract. He said he would enter into negotiations with L.A. Unified.

A district spokeswoman said district officials haven’t yet decided how to respond.

More than 150 subs gathered at their own meeting Wednesday where speakers, including veteran substitute Stuart Chandler, denounced both the deal and Duffy, who had campaigned for office as a defender of substitutes.

“The most effective way to characterize him is as a backstabber, a Benedict Arnold,” Chandler said. “That’s really what we’re talking about -- betrayal.”

Duffy appeared briefly before the subs, asserting that he made the deal to provide stability to minority and low-income children at schools heavily staffed by less-experienced teachers who lacked sufficient seniority to avoid being laid off. Talking above cries of “Impeachment!” and “He sold us out!”, Duffy said he had wanted laid-off teachers to continue teaching their former students — although the subtitute assignment system has not automatically placed laid-off teachers in their former schools. Duffy said he also wanted to provide an incentive for the next generation of teachers to remain with the school system until they could be rehired.

The subs said they were not only furious about losing their jobs, but also about a lack of disclosure. Duffy did not release information about the July agreement until September.

He also did not include a representative of the substitutes in the negotiations, as required by internal union rules, said Mike Dreebin, a former full-time teacher who now represents union retirees.

Duffy pledged to include representatives of the substitutes in upcoming talks.

Veteran subs lose their health benefits if they don’t work at least one day a month and a total 100 days for the year. A break in benefits also could deprive some of the opportunity to earn benefits in retirement.

Full-time teacher Heather Kolodny said she sympathized with the laid-off teachers, but sided with the veteran subs on this issue: “The subs have been our colleagues for a number of years. They’re our friends.”

She added that regular teachers feared a potential erosion of their own rights. “We’re all really scared,” she said. “We’re feeling attacked, too.”

-- Howard Blume

Comments

[paula hurdle]

Duffy was wrong to sell out the subs

[jmoore]

To hell with Duffy, LATA and California's budget mess. Move out of state like we did. You will find a wonderful new teachers job waiting. No state taxes and class sizes of 15-20.

The mess in California was caused by the LATA union and the left wing democractic party that ran Califonia as a welfare state in to the ground. With class sizes of 40-50 kids what the hell can you teach them ? The real lousers here are the children. The kids are not getting a good education in Califonia now.

[brian]

it's better for the subs to have jobs than the kids to have regular teachers. and since health care is tied to employment in this country it's even more important for subs to have jobs. IT IS ABOUT LIFE AND DEATH.

the kids will manage, they're young. having a random
babysitter each day instead of a regular teacher, no big deal.

as usual the union is correct on this.

[DR]

People that are subs are subs for a reason. They do not want to fully commit to teaching our children. They're actors, musicians, writters, etc. that are waiting for their big break. In other words, it's a way to get some money in while something pans out for them in other career aspirations. RIF'd teachers have invested the time and effort to get fully certified and trained to teach. Times are difficult for everyone but we have to do what's best for students and that is is having a credentialed teacher whenever possible.

[ferenc]

get rid of this biggest parasite on la's taxpayers.

[john]

"Duffy said he also wanted to provide an incentive for the next generation of teachers to remain with the school system until they could be rehired."

Few years ago they were crying for new teachers. Thanks to the layoffs, we will have shortage of new teachers AGAIN in just a few years.

[L.A. Parent and Teacher]

As usual, the teacher's union by "overwhelmingly rejecting" the deal Duffy made with the district, is looking out for number one, themselves. I have seen some of the substitutes that were protesting in front of UTLA a few weeks ago and I know that some of them are people that I wouldn't dare leave my kids alone in the same room with. It is one of the reasons why I never took a day off unless I personally knew who the sub was going to be. Of course not all subs are that way, but it really bothers me to see some really lousy, incompetent, verbally abusive and even unhygienic subs given priority over credentialed and experienced laid off teachers. If the veteran subs really cared about teaching then they should have gotten their credentials by now. If the district truly cares about what is best for the students (not just the teachers), then they will remain with the current deal Duffy justifiably made with them.

[David Lyell]

Union members did the right thing. All of this posturing about what is best for the children is simply that: posturing. And the idea that the way to improve education is to have credentialed teachers in all classrooms is simplistic and ridiculous. Reality is, some credentialed teachers are great, some are not, just as some substitutes are great, and some are not. The credentialing process doesn't make or guarantee a great teacher. Experience, patience, and a desire to learn are better indicators of ability than a piece of paper indicating one has a "credential." Credentialing programs do not even address the most difficult element involved in teaching in K-12 schools: how to manage classroom behavior. If you disagree, please, go watch some youtube videos and come back when you've picked your jaw up off the floor. Then get a drink of water and read the rest of this post. The credentialing process needs to be revamped entirely. If the credentialing process is so successful, why do 50% of all newly credentialed teachers quit the profession entirely within the first 3 years? On average, a student spends 1 year of a K to 12 education with a substitute teacher. Instead of denigrating substitute teachers, we ought to celebrate them, because, frankly, most of us just don't have the skillset and patience required to perform in this capacity day after day. Also, please don't punish substitute teachers if they happen to have a creative side. Even if someone ventures into substitute teaching while pursuing other creative endeavors, that hardly seems like a rational reason to punish someone. Since when did we become a society that has decided that creativity and Education can’t co-exist? I guess I didn’t receive the memo. We ought to encourage ALL students and teachers, regular classroom and substitute teachers, to explore any creative inkling they have. The arts should be celebrated, and creative expression encouraged. Or maybe actors who pursue a career as a substitute teacher should keep their side profession private, lest anyone doubt their commitment when they help a child learn how to read. We ought to celebrate those who dedicate themselves to this profession, and pay them well in order to create competition, thereby further raising the quality of all substitute teachers. If we are to ever improve education in this country, we must start celebrating all teachers, so as to create competition and make the profession more attractive to the workforce, instead of saddling them with more hoops to jump through, and criticizing and punishing those who have decided to develop and explore their creative abilities. It's about time we give all regular classroom and substitute teachers, as well as all school support staff, the professional respect they deserve.

[Dedicated Fully Credentialed Substitute Teacher]

Thank you to those regular teachers who supported the veteran substitutes in their fight for what is right. To those on the opposing side, how would you like if if the same thing was done without your knowledge? It is a question of fairness and legality. Please remember that there are excellent regular teachers as well as substitutes (whether credentialed or not). There seems to be an attitude that subs are second class citizens who deserve fewer rights. The union needs a better evaluative system that determines who should stay and who should go. Let the regular teachers decide whether to chose a sub or not when they are out. The only thing Duffy cares about is which group (regular teachers or substitutes) can provide him higher union dues. He is a divider. Duffy needs to be removed from office!!!

[Neil Peters]

Toss out your old substitute teacher stereotypes for they don't apply here. The majority of LAUSD substitutes are every bit as committed and credentialed as the Riffed teachers, and more experienced to boot. This is why their union colleagues voted to overturn Duffy's unwarranted action.

[NLA]

I feel very badly for those last-hired and newly laid-off; so many of them are of the highest quality and the are the hardest working. However, Duffy has a habit of of ignoring the needs of dues-paying veteran teachers, be they subs, coaches, or other out-of-classroom personnel. For years, Duffy called for the removal of out-of-classroom teachers from the positions they held and wished to return them to the classroom. When, due to budget constraints, he finally got his wish, he fought harder to keep the newly laid-off teachers than he did to ensure that quality veterans received appropriate school placements. Here he goes again making deals that would keep some dues-paying members working at the expense of others.

[Dedicated Fully Credentialed Substitute Teacher 2]

Thank you to the regular teachers who suppported the substitutes. The facts are that many subs are fully credentialed who eventually who would like to teach fulltime. Many were successful from their previous jobs and would sincerely like to make a difference in the lives of students. This is their stepping stone towards that goal. Duffy doesn't care about the students. He is a divider and is only concern about who can bring in union dues. Respect substitutes because they are willing to put up with the difficulties of the classroom, which the general public would not tolerate.

[Scott Johnson]

The decision by the UTLA House of Representaties declared the agreement signed by UTLA President AJ Duffy as "moot and non-binding" because he, acting with the authority of no governance body of UTLA, signed a legal document that he had no authority to sign. The question before UTLA was, "Is the stroke of one man's pen sufficient to negate contractual terms voted upon and agreed to by the entire membership of 45,000?" The House of Representatives correctly decided that the President of UTLA may not negate contractual rights without the approval of UTLA's governing bodies. It was all about making sure that it does not happen again to somebody else.

Scott Johnson

[LOL]

DR is correct in stating that many of the subs who are lifers are those who can't or won't make it in other jobs. They pick up the free newspaper in the main office and babysit for the day. All subs with only a 30 day permit should be released; problem solved. It's not about seniority, it's about having QUALIFIED subs in the classroom. Does it insure quality? Of course it doesn't, but it is a step in the right direction. We have plenty of RIF'd and non-RIF'd subs WITH credentials. By ridding the district of the non credentialed subs we might be able to foster and retain credentialed teachers to stay in the profession. If we don't, then we will lose the good new teachers forever.

When I was in the classroom, I never considered the babysitters my colleagues; they're more like parasites. They rarely if ever followed a lesson plan or they allowed my paraprofessional to teach the class while they read the paper. Get over yourselves. The gravy train is emptied.

[Richard Ivey]

We need to lay off thousands more teachers and do pay cuts, too, so we can achieve our goal of 15 percent unemployment and booming demand for fast-food and Wal-Mart jobs.

[Milica Boghunovich]

Bad actors just as bad teachers want gratification for little or no work. I have deep respect for artists who are true to life, the art, and the divine inspiration. If good or bad artists want to be teachers or substitute teachers, they must not pour disdain upon those who have first met their subject matter competence along with preparation for the classroom requirements under the name of Teaching Credentials. Yes, all substitute teachers should have teaching credentials whether they be doctors, engineers, artists, etc. whether there are bad credentialed teachers or bad artists or bad any other profession.
American society is filled with entertainers who entertain for entertainment's sake. Such "artists" entering the classroom can only provide students with entertainment which students already receive galore on 24-hour- open TV at home and outside home. Without any need for classroom management or the subject matter, those "artists" can keep students mesmerized by their acting skits which have so little to do with universal true art of great theatrical masters.

Don't deceive yourselves that anyone without teaching credential should be allowed to enter the classroom and start entertaining and keeping your children or mine still like puppets before the big screen. The youth today need to learn how to interact with others without being sassy, bullying, or disrespectful. They need to learn the subject matter without cheating and plagiarizing. What is a society but an animal farm without some decent human beings who show respect for and honesty to each other!?!

[Dan Basalone]

This mess that has been created is all about seniority rights. While seniority may equate to valuable experience, it isn't the only criteria for good performance. Until UTLA and the District can agree on a truly valid evaluation system for all teachers, the union will always fall back on seniority where layoffs are concerned. As a former District teacher and administrator for over 40 years, I can categorically state that I always looked first at qualified substitutes when trying to fill regular teaching positions. But, without a creditable evaluation system, no teacher is honestly evaluated. The current system is a joke.

[RIF'd Teacher]

I agree with the suggestion that fully credentialed teachers, both veteran subs and RIF'd teachers, should have priority in SubFinder over those with only 30-day emergency credentials. This would help level the field between long-term subs who are in danger of losing their benefits and RIF'd teachers who have labored, as I have, for three years with many hours after school and on the weekends, to earn a Clear Credential, only to lose my position one day before becoming permanent.

Also, if you look at the LAUSD HR webpage, you will find a chart that details how many regular subs are getting work and how many laid off teachers are working on any given day, and you will find that the regular subs are actually working more than the RIF'd teachers. So it isn't true that veteran subs, who can still be name requested, aren't working. But those of us who have invested so much time and money in credentialing classes, BTSA, district training, lesson planning, correcting and grading papers, parent communication, etc., etc., deserve consideration, especially since so many teachers will supposedly be retiring soon. In addition, local, state and even national agencies have invested time and money towards our training and preparation. We are the next wave of teachers and we shouldn't be allowed to just crash on the rocks.

[Fully Credentialed Substitute Teacher (John)]

I sense anger towards substitutes from Lol and Milica. Too bad because your colleagues who voted rejected your way of thinking. I agree there are bad substitutes. What about the bad regular teachers? Aren't they the bigger parasites since they receive a bigger paycheck for doing nothing. Read the LA Times article on teachers who get paid to stay home. They are the true burden to the taxpayers. It's a one sided way of thinking. Remember, there are good and bad teachers, whether regular or substitute. If you are not happy with a substitute, find the one who will benefit you. This is America, pick the best one. That's the way it is done in the business world. Maybe we can learn something from them.

[A Career Substitute]

I have read some very diverse responses to this issue, from the ridiculous (LA Parent/Teacher, Melica, & "LOL") to the sublime (John, Scott Johnson).
John, these teachers were pink-slipped precisely because they lacked experience. Managing classes from K-5 (in my case I work elementary) takes a very special set of skills. One never knows what one will get. Last June I finished a long-term assignment and the teacher in the adjoining 5th grade class was let go. She asked me about subbing and I gave her my best advice. Last week she was put in a Kindergaten class and had great difficulty dealing with the little ones. So many times I have been asked in the lunch room, "How do you do it?"
John, I do care about the kids. I do care about teaching. I came to teaching after a 35 year career as a musician/actor. I loved the work, but answered the call for folks like me to bring my life experience to the classroom and join the teaching PROFESSION. I have 140 wonderful, creative teachers on my computer email address book who so value my work that they request me when they need a substitute. I have been asked by both teachers and administrators to take assignments that run the entire year. Imagine, an entire year taught by a substitute. Guess what.....the scores rose, and I was praised by both parents and administrators. I guess I must be doing something right.
I WANT to be a sub.....I don't WANT to teach the same class for 180 days each year. I like the variety, and I like the seniority for which I had worked so diligently. That was/is our issue with our union leadership.....removing that seniority through a wrongly attained MOU.
"LOL", you've experienced some lame subs in your time in the class, but don't paint us all, or the majority with such a broad brush. Just as there are lame teachers, there are some lame subs. This has been my profession for 13 years, and I know many who have much longer service, and we wouldn't have lasted so long without dedication and professionalism. I am a teacher's collaborator and colleague and have NEVER read a paper in class or allowed anyone refer to me as a babysitter.
Lastly, two weeks ago I had a modest run-in with a Chapter Chair at a school, and by her statements, she actually thought the letters "sub" in substitute was a prefix, and that we were thus "below" classroom teachers. I had to set her straight by asking her what a "stitute" was.
She has a CLEAR credential, while I posses the dreaded 30-Day substitute teaching permit.......a love of and enthusiasm for learning, and a love of children.
I've worked long and hard and expect my union to protect MY seniority as well as the classroom teachers.

[Can't Wait]

Once again, the students are the losers.

First, there shouldn't be such an army of substitute teachers. Why are there so many? Because over one-third of LAUSD teachers take off all their sick and personal days. Teachers get 3 months off a year. Teachers in all year round schools get 4 months off a year. All teachers who take off all their sick and personal days for more than three years in a row should be fired to make room for the next generation of teachers who actually care for our students. (That would be over 1/3 of the teachers in LAUSD by the way).

Second, to discharge thousands of teachers who have taught one, two, and three years regardless of their ability and talent but keep the ones that Jason Song has written about makes any UTLA member complicit in the crime of robbing our children of the best teachers available to them. Not only does this system mean that our kids get worse teachers than they should, it means child molestors, burnouts, and incompetents remain in the classroom.

Third, the UTLA is pathetic. You protect the worst teachers who everyday set our children back, and yet while you can protect them, you cannot improve work conditions and compensation for the good teachers (the clear majority): class sizes are outrageously large, salaries are not high enough, and the very best teachers are paid the same as the very worst teachers who have the same years of service. The UTLA is a dinosaur. Here's hoping for a comet to crash soon and wipe you out.

[Children First]

Finally, Duffy gets something right!!! He thought student first rather than adults first when he made this decision. I know it is tough for the substitutes and I sympathize with them but it is best to have highly qualified teachers who worked on a daily basis with the same children and fully understand the curriculum than someone who babysits for the day. There are a few great subs but the majority just come in for one day and do the minimum. Duffy, I never thought you would think of the child before the adult. I know now you are in trouble with your organization but the students have benifitted by it. You keep putting the child first and I will begin respecting you.

[Tax Payer100]

Response to Children First: if Duffy finally did something right, then that means that 99.9% of his other decsisions have been detrimental to the students. That doesn't cut it. LAUSD is at the bottom. There is no return on investment to the taxpayers. This division between regular and substitutes is not helping anyone. Abolish UTLA. Ever notice that the best and quality people do not go into teaching. People have questioned whether teachers are professionals. Why? Whether you are a great or bad teacher you get paid the same. Also it is difficult to fire the bad teachers. That's not right. Create a system where competition brings out the best teachers and reward them. I's sure UTLA will argue that a competive environment creates divsion among teachers. Hasn't that always existed under the Union. Two of the greatest innovators, Bill Gates and Steven Jobs have questioned the Union's role in helping the public schools. President Obama has questioned the effectiveness of Teachers Unions. He sends his kids to private schools The public school system needs change and a new direction. Change is the key!!

[Dan]

I don't feel sorry for any of the teachers today, they are only out for themselves as clearly outlined in this article. It's not about the kids as they want you to believe. It is about all the benefits they can scam out of taxpayers. Thank God I don't have kids in this district. I put them in private school this year and they have learned more in a short time then in any other year. Eventually, what comes around goes around.

[lee mary]

Being credentialed doesn't make you a genius nor does it guarantee that you have some competency in teaching. It's merely a two year associate degree in some very basic educational concepts and philosophy. Credentialed teachers need to shut up already with their bragging rights about being credentialed. It's such a joke to be credentialed because the majority of students in LAUSD are failing WITH so called credentialed teachers. I know many teachers who have a credential and are complete idiots. In fact, many LAUSD teachers are themselves just a few pages ahead of the students when it comes to their knowledge. High school teachers for the most part are intelligent but elementary school teachers in LAUSD are very lame themselves. I agree with the vote, substitutes shouldn't be laid-off to give newly hired credentialed teachers a job when some of the substitutes have been covering classes for LAUSD for many years. Subs who are not credentialed often have other work experience and knowledge that allows them to carry on a classroom appropriately when the regular teacher is not there. And many subs (from my experience) are often smarter than regular teachers. And that's the truth!