PCT PLEDGE

ON TEACHERS AND TRANSPORT WORKERS

    At the height of the recent transit strike in New York City, I was taking my routine breakfast in the Plainview Diner when I became aware that the workers there were discussing the strike with one of the customers. While I don’t know much about the customer, the diner employees are clearly all working class people who work hard, manual labor jobs of one sort or another from cook to busboy. In the past, I’ve had occasion to discuss with several of them health issues that they have that are not being properly addressed because they are without health insurance. They certainly have no employer provided pensions either. Yet, here they were excoriating the striking Transport Workers for their nerve to "inconvenience so many people."

    When working people are alienated from working people, the rich and powerful can exploit them with impunity. When each year fewer of them are organized in unions, the current assault on the middle class standard of living goes essentially unchallenged. Just this morning, IBM, a corporate giant that is financially very sound, announced that it is freezing its defined benefit pension plan and going forward will only offer a 401k plan. The famous Ford Motor Company, a pioneer of the modern manufacturing company, is apparently poised for bankruptcy in an effort to get out from under its health care and pension responsibilities.

    Teachers need to know that there are rumblings in Albany about the perceived need to do something about the rising pension cost to public employers in New York. The expression Tier V is beginning to be heard. Long forgotten is the fact that public employers were contributing less than one percent just a few years ago when the stock market was doing better.

    The members of the New York Local of the Transport Workers Union deserve the gratitude of every working person in this country. They are an example of the kind of militant unionism that played a very significant role in the creation of America’s middle class. They should be a model for all of us of what courage and solidarity can accomplish. Their efforts have made it harder for those who have their eyes on our pension system. Thank you, TWU.

PCT ELECTIONS

    PCT Secretary Judi Alexanderson has announced an election calendar for the PCT for the 2006 Officer and Convention Delegate elections. All PCT, CUPCT, and SUPCT officer terms end June 30, 2006. The positions to be filled are as follows:

PCT President

PCT Elementary Vice-President*

PCT Middle School Vice-President*

PCT High School Vice-President*

PCT Secretary

PCT Treasurer

*The Instructional Level Vice-Presidents are elected by the active teacher members of the PCT. All other officers are elected by the membership of all units of the PCT.

Clerical Unit

President

Vice President

Secretary

Treasurer

Substitute Unit

Chairperson

Secretary/Treasurer

Alternate

Convention Delegate (3)

Alternate Convention Delegate (3)

    Elected Officers will automatically be delegates to the state organization convention. We will additionally be electing 3 convention delegates and 3 Alternate Convention Delegates who will serve if needed in the order of their electoral finish.

    Any member may run for any office for which he/she is constitutionally qualified by submitting a Nominating Petition with 25 signatures of eligible voters. In the case of Substitute Unit Office, only 10 signatures on a Nominating Petition are required. Nominating Petitions are available at the PCT Office which is open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily.

  Completed Nominating Petitions are due in the PCT Office by the close of business on February 15, 2006.

    Candidates for union office are eligible to submit a 100 word statement in support of their candidacy for publication in the Pledge. These statements are due to the PCT Office by the close of business on March 3, 2006.

    The election will be held on April 5, 2006.

    Absentee and Retiree Unit ballots must be postmarked no later than March 24, 2006.

DISTRICT-WIDE COMMITTEES FORMED

    Prompted by a growing national concern for the health of the nation’s youth, the POB Board of Education directed Dr. Brooks to come up with a plan for looking at what our district is doing in the areas of student health, fitness and wellness. Dr. Brooks recommended and the Board approved the creation of two district-wide committees composed of teachers, adminsitrators and parents to look at what our district is doing in this area and to make proposals for possible improvements.

PE TEACHERS

Jason Obloj

Jeff Salzberg

Lance Homan

Frank Buck

Mark Colleluori

Cheri Wojnicki

HEALTH TEACHERS

Laura Meyer

Angela Barca

Nicole Recce

HOME AND CAREERS TEACHERS

Barbara Nizewitz

Donna Jahn

GUIDANCE COUNSELORS

Irene Petrsoric

Lorraine Spaterella

Neil Lasher

Jennifer Block

SOCIAL WORKERS

Karen Kern

Aviva Sala

Betty Iannotti

PSYCHOLOGISTS

Len Streim

Sally Antman-Gleicher

Gloria Rothenberg

    The PCT will offer a Safe Driver Course on Wednesday and Thursday, March 15 and 16, from 4 to 7 PM in the Choral Room of the PMS.

    Participation in the Safe Driving Course provides members with a 10% reduction in the cost of their auto liability insurance and can be used to remove up to 2 points from one’s license.

    Those wishing to attend should send a check for $30 made payable to the PCT.

THANK YOU

    Thanks to all who contributed to the holiday gift drive for the children at P4K in Brooklyn. Because of the generosity of PCT members, over a dozen children who would have received few or no gifts now have new coats, clothing, shoes and toys. Your actions have made a big impact on the lives of these special needs children. I am so grateful to work with such kind and generous colleagues. Thanks again and Happy New Year.
Jane Weinkrantz

PCT WEBPAGE

    Readership of the PCT WebPage continued to grow in 2005. By the end of the year, 13,375 visits had been logged with visitors reading 24,846 pages of material.

    Have some ideas for additions to our WebPage? Email your thoughts to Have an article that you believe belongs online, send it along.