Portside

As schools prepare to open, in addition to safety measures, some unions are pressing for police-free schools, canceling rents and mortgages, and bans on new charter programs and standardized testing.

President Randi Weingarten, American Federation of Teachers and President Michael Mulgrew, United Federation of Teachers Strongly supported Secretary Hillary Clintion at the Democratic Party National Convention. They stressed that she was rock solid on labor issues.

Movement of Rank-and-File Educators (MORE) earns an important foothold for an emerging rank-and-file challenger at New York City's United Federation of Teachers (UFT).

AFT President Randi Weingarten along with the leaders of the American Federation of Teachers, the New York State United Teachers and the United Federation of Teachers praised Secretary Hillary Clinton for her win in the New York primary and thanked their members who volunteered and voted in their thousands.

Several union officials charge that Working Families Party officials this year re-worked the presidential endorsement process in a way that rigged it for Bernie Sanders with the hopes that its work on behalf of the Vermont senator would help the party raise money and increase membership.The unions that remain argue the party will play a critical role mobilizing the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

A compilation of articles by Richard Steier, the "best full-time reporter on the New York City labor beat." He is the editor of the Chief where these articles first appeared. This is the book to read if you want to know what was happening on the municipal labor scene since the mid-1990's.

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration is pushing for what would be the longest-ever contract with the teachers’ union: a nine-year deal that would let the city stretch out potentially huge retroactive pay increases. A nine-year deal for teachers would actually date to Nov. 1, 2009, when the union’s contract expired. But it would extend for another four and a half years — after Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, would face re-election in 2017.

New York City Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio and municipal unions have a major problem. After going 4 years without a contract under Mayor Bloomberg the question of a new contract and how much retroactive pay is included is front and center for the incoming Mayor and the municipal unions.