Newark Teachers Union Update: President Del Grosso Boycotts Ex Bd as Attempt to Bar Newly Elected Fails

Even when you win they try to make you lose. For those that aren't aware, NEW now controls a majority of seats on the EB and Del Grasso only won by 9 votes. Good for NEW Caucus for handing this professionally. Two background reports from Ed Notes:

NEW Caucus Shakes the Union Election Tree in ...

Jun 25, 2013

Newark Teacher Union Election News UPDATED

And this:  GREAT piece written by our friend Lois Weiner (author of The Future of Our Schools:

Teachers Unions and Social Justice) a co-authored by a few rank-and-file teachers.

http://njtoday.net/2013/08/02/opinion-who-will-own-our-schools/ 

I hope to meet some of our NEW colleagues in Chicago this weekend.

All,

THANK YOU to all who came out last Tuesday (July 30) to the NTU Executive Board meeting.  

At least 15 NTU members showed up, and a number actually spoke up and participated, sharing both feelings about the NTU, and offering suggestions and proposals for change.

This was GREAT!  We hope MORE will come out and participate in the future.  The more NTU members come out, pay attention, and get involved, the stronger we will be.  

Details:

The meeting was both tense and productive at the same time.  

President Joe Del Grosso, after calling the meeting in early July, attempted to cancel it on the morning of July 29.  But the majority of Executive Board members convened anyway.

President Del Grosso did not attend the meeting, and some NTU staff attempted to keep newly elected E-Board members from entering the building, and attempted to stop the group from meeting.  Once inside, however, a quorum of the E-Board DID meet and conduct a 

meeting.  

One new motion was passed, extending the two motions passed by the quorum of E-Board 

members at the June swearing in.  It is a motion setting a calendar of dates for Executive Board meetings for the upcoming year.  The motion reads:

“Per the June 28 motion to establish a calendar of Executive Board meetings, that NTU President use every Wednesday AFTER NPS Advisory Board Business Meetings as the meeting dates for NTU Executive Board, beginning at 5 pm, to be amended as necessary."

Dates are as follows:

2013   September 11

            October 9

            November 13

            December 11

2014            January 8

            February 12

            March 12

            April 9

            May 14

            June 11

            July 9

While these dates have not yet been agreed to by President Del Grosso, the quorum of E-Board members in attendance were unanimous in their support for the motion and dates.  

After that motion was debated and passed, the Executive Board had a general discussion of

issues that they hoped to address, and members (non-E-Board members) contributed to the discussion.  

In conclusion:

If these dates hold, they will be the first time in years (probably more than a decade) that the NTU Executive Board has had a monthly schedule of when meetings will occur, and that those meetings will be openly advertised to the membership so that members may attend and speak.

A HUGE STEP FORWARD!  

In Solidarity,

Newark Education Workers Caucus

(NEW Caucus)

NewarkEducationWorkersCaucus.com

862-367-9211 

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