I did just that when I was told that there was no record of me having punched in or out during all of September.
The Payroll Secretary told me that she was no longer handling my payroll. I then called the Union Representative for Reassigned Teachers, and asked him who was handling my payroll. He hasn't gotten back to me on that.
In September, I took two sick days and wanted to turn in proof that I had consulted a doctor (had really been sick). I tried to give it to the Payroll People at my new work site, but not only did they say that they did NOT handle my payroll, I would later find out that they were at that time planning to put in scanners to prevent Reassigned Teachers (aka Terrorist Teachers) from smuggling weapons into the building.
In October I took another sick day, this time self treated. That means that I didn't go to a doctor, but just stayed home until I felt well enough to return to work. When I had a Payroll Secretary, I signed for these illnesses, but now there was no one to see, no where to sign.
As long as I was at the Linden Street Reassignment Center in Queens i.e. Rubber Room, I had a Payroll Secretary who received my doctors' notes and who kept track of my attendance records.
Then I found out through word of mouth about how badly Reassigned Teachers were being treated by DOE attorneys, Arbitrators, and even their own NYSET (union paid) attorneys. Teachers weren't being allowed to even consider having their cases heard at a 3020a hearing. They were being forced to take settlements they didn't want/and or didn't understand. Those that insisted on having their hearing were forced to represent themselves or hire a very expensive private attorney. Even those with private attorneys were not faring well before the Arbitrators. The emphasis seemed to be on pushing as many cases through in as short a time as possible and making sure that all the teachers were in the end declared guilty of something in order to justify everything that had been done to them.
Since most teachers just wanted to go back to the classroom and get on with their lives they acquiesced and admitted some degree of guilt whether they were guilty or not.
Salem was in full swing. 3020a hearings had officially (in my opinion) turned into witch trials.
I have considered retiring ever since Principal P., a Business Model Bloomburger, came into my life, but I have held on. I always thought that there was some way to fight her and win within the system. At one time I thought the 3020a hearing was my one chance to present my case to an unbiased observer--so I have held on, even though the harassment has affected me physically, psychologically, and spiritually. But now I have lost all hope of being treated fairly in the Bloomberg Department of Education.
So, I decided that I should definitely look into retiring some time this year. On Thursday I went for a Final Pension Consultation and got all the forms I needed in order to retire, except one: The OP44. Do you know what that is? That's the form asking to be paid for the days you have in your Sick Day Bank--otherwise known as the CAR. But guess what? I can't file that form myself. The only person who can file that form is the PAYROLL SECRETARY that I don't have.
The Union is taking no responsibility for this aspect of my retirement. This is a Department of Education problem, not theirs. The nice lady that did my final pension consultation didn't even tell me about the OP44 Form until I asked. She then told me to go to the Queens UFT and talk to a Payroll rep. So yesterday I went after work to try to see a Payroll Representative. I was told that the Union has nothing to do with this matter and to go back to the building where I have been assigned and ask them to take care of it.
"But they won't even take my doctor's notes. They say they can't even access my time sheets."
"You still have to make the attempt," was the reply.
Ok. But this time, I think I'll call an attorney to do the attempting for me.
5 comments:
Wow and your still paying union dues?
Just like they tell us to 'document, document' for unruly students, your refusal to be a victim got you off the terrorist list. I think you now need to photograph punching in and out so that again (like the visitor's pass) you can prove you were there.
Anon, I am bewildered and hurt by what I regard as the Union's weak stance on defending teachers against Bloomberg's witch hunt. However, I pay union dues because I am a part of that union--whether union officials like to admit it or not. I still have a lot of benefits that have been won over the years. Pension, health care, dental, optical, legal (for it's worth). With our numbers, and our rising frustration and rage, there is the potential for APPROPRIATE AND LEGAL resistance. For instance, why are teachers still buying newspapers that want to publish their names and their class ranking?????
Why wasn't there a boycott on the LA Times, and now on the NY Times? I would much rather stop buying the NY Post which has attacked us over and over again than stop paying union dues. And yet the same teachers that criticize the union, buy and read the Post. We all need to get on the same page.
V. T. Cybershift has gotten back to me, and I am now able to get a copy of my time and attendance, but they can't play the roll of a Payroll Secretary. They can just make available to me what every other worker in the building has available to them--access to their time and attendance records. (See the comments on the Oct. 7 post, "Scan Scam Update).
I'm going to get paid for my sick days come hell or high water, because I need the dough for the bankruptcy lawyer--see, they actually did me a favor by getting rid of me--I'm not going to be responsible for my credit card debts since I no longer have my salary as a teacher. So, it feels as if I am getting back the money I put into my education--which was a big waste of money, in my opinion. Never encourage any high school student to waste their parents money or take our loans for teacher preparation. With so many thousands of other careers,it would be immoral to push the teaching profession--tell the kids how awful it is and how there are now no jobs!!!!!!
Anon 3/13, I hope that works out for you. However, you times several million can equal another economic crisis equal to or greater than the last one. The ones warning about this are some of the libertarian financial analysts. They also warned about the mortgage crisis long before it actually happened. There is a huge and I mean HUGE debt bubble that cannot be paid back if they keep slashing salaries and firing people.
You have to start by protecting yourself, so do whatever you have to do to overcome your own personal crisis, but you are not alone--and in this case, there is no comfort in numbers.
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