When 2 Percent Isn't 2 Percent

I know many readers are aware that we teachers are expecting a raise of 2 percent this coming May 1st, with another 3 percent only on June 16. The numbers are on the salary schedule from UFT.org. 

(Readers have probably seen it 100 times).

Our current, 2017, amount is shown on page 7 of that document. The May 1 2018 amount is shown on page 8.

There is a slight problem is that the actual numbers between page 7 (2017) and page 8  (2018): They don't match 2 percent.  The math doesn't quite add up. 

I mean, I'm no math teacher but my friend, a math teacher, told me I wasn't wrong so I much not be wrong.

If you examine the numbers from 2017 on page 7 and multiply them time 1.02 (or 2 percent raise on top of the amount we currently make) you should see the same thing my math teacher friend and I saw: Those numbers on page 8 aren't 2 percent higher than the ones on page 7. Instead, the numbers reflective of the 2018 riase are 1.923% higher than the for the 2017 salary.

That's a slight difference but a difference nonetheless.

The increase that a first year teacher (currently $54,000 (p. 7), soon to be $55,059 (p.8)) is actually 1.923%. That's the increased amount. 

If that teacher were to receive an actual 2% raise, the amount would be $55,080. That's 21 bucks a year. But it's still 21 bucks.

The amount that a teacher at the top of the pay scale receives (currently 113762 soon to be 115993) is actually 1.923% . That teacher, at an actual 2% would receive 116037 (and 24 cents!). Now that's only 44 bucks a year for a top tier teacher but that's still 44 bucks per year. 

My own increase is 1.923% as well. I'm a but further than 1/2 way through. 

The total amount I would be missing is .077% of the 2 percent I was originally expecting and it's only .032% of my current total annual salary so I'm almost positive there are other pressing issues. But still that's about 30 bucks a year to me.

And what? Do I look like some rich guy hgere?  30 bucks is 30 bucks!

I asked a good friend Mike Schirtzer, an elected UFT Executive Board member, to raise the issue at the next meeting but he couldn't. So we have no answers about the mysterious case of the vanishing .077 percent. Only questions.

Compare your year to year  increase for our next raise in May. Are you set for 2% of 1.923%?  Leave a comment with your numbers and the percentages.

http://www.uft.org/files/attachments/secure/teacher-schedule-2009-2018.pdf 

UFT Paying for Ad Campaign for Paid Parental Leave

Today, many teachers received an email from UFT President Michael Mulgrew asking members to email the mayor for paid maternity leave for teachers. There was a fancy button and an easy way to email Bill de Blasio.


What the union did not mention was that they are also paying for an ad campaign to help sway public opinion in favor of this policy. Last night, while reading this (depressing) article about the Penn Station and the state of our infrastructure,  I came across an ad for paid parental leave. 

That's Emily James in the picture. The link takes you to a recent NY1 interview between Ms. James, Councilman Tryeger from Brooklyn and Michael Mulgrew around parental leave.

The click was worth it. I was proud to see my union president act and speak on this issue. Ms. James described a colleague who had to wait six years before having a second child because of the lack of paid maternity leave.  Tryeger summed it all up perfectly: 'We either care about families or we don't" and "it's shameful this isn't policy already". 

I agree. It's Totally Shameful. Mulgrew's letter is below.  The link to the letter writing campaign to the mayor is here. And if you haven't signed the (now 83,000 strong) petition, feel free to do that here. 

Dear John,  Mayor Bill de Blasio made headlines in 2015 when he promised paid parental leave for city employees. Two years later, his administration and the Department of Education have failed to extend that benefit to public school educators — the very people who have devoted their lives to caring for the city's children. That’s not progressive — that’s just wrong. Please send an email NOW to Mayor Bill de Blasio telling him to support paid parental leave for UFT members. And ask your local Council member to support the UFT push for paid parental leave. It’s time for the de Blasio administration to deal fairly with public school educators. We need the help of our Council reps to get that message across to him. Thank you for taking action. Sincerely, The actual link is here.