Detroit to send layoff notices to all its public teachers

[Viva_La_Revolution]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - The emergency manager appointed to put Detroit's troubled public school system on a firmer financial footing said on Thursday he was sending layoff notices to all of the district's 5,466 unionized employees.

In a statement posted on the website of Detroit Public Schools, Robert Bobb, the district's temporary head, said notices were being sent to every member of the Detroit Federation of Teachers "in anticipation of a workforce reduction to match the district's declining student enrollment."

Bobb said nearly 250 administrators were receiving the notices, too.

The district is unlikely to eliminate all the teachers. Last year, it sent out 2,000 notices and only a fraction of employees were actually laid off. But the notices are required by the union's current contract with the district. Any layoffs under this latest action won't take effect until late July.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/15/us-detroit-layoffs-idUSTRE73E0HG20110415

[sakabatou]

1. Oh great

:banghead:

[robinlynne]

2. ...

[and-justice-for-all]

3. Yeah, that will, uh....

fix absolutely nothing. Robert Bobb, FAIL.

[Snoutport]

4. k & r

[maddezmom]

5. kick

[Judi Lynn]

6. Detroit to send layoff notices to all its public teachers

Source: Reuters

Detroit to send layoff notices to all its public teachers
CHICAGO | Thu Apr 14, 2011 10:38pm EDT

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The emergency manager appointed to put Detroit's troubled public school system on a firmer financial footing said on Thursday he was sending layoff notices to all of the district's 5,466 unionized employees.

In a statement posted on the website of Detroit Public Schools, Robert Bobb, the district's temporary head, said notices were being sent to every member of the Detroit Federation of Teachers "in anticipation of a workforce reduction to match the district's declining student enrollment."

~snip~
The district is unlikely to eliminate all the teachers. Last year, it sent out 2,000 notices and only a fraction of employees were actually laid off. But the notices are required by the union's current contract with the district. Any layoffs under this latest action won't take effect until late July.

In the meantime, Bobb said that he planned to exercise his power as emergency manager to unilaterally modify the district's collective bargaining agreement with the Federation of Teachers starting May 17, 2011.




Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/15/us-detroit-layoffs-idUSTRE73E0HG20110415

[madville]

7. Makes sense if they are losing large amounts of population and tax base

If school enrollment is declining, tax base is shrinking, etc it makes sense to reduce staff if they are no longer needed. It would be fiscally irresponsible to keep employing 5,000 teachers if you only need 4,000.

[rpannier]

8. Notice it said union employees

Wonder if that applies to non-union employees

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

26. I wonder if there are any non-union teachers

in Detroit's public schools.

I'd guess all the regular teachers are in the union. The subs, I have no idea.

Robert Bobb just wants to wipe out the public school system, replacing it with private for-profit schools. I have no idea how he got appointed by a Democratic governor (governess?).

I hope the good teachers don't look for work elsewhere, DPS needs all the good teachers it can get (or keep).

:hi:

[Hannah Bell]

36. there are plenty of them in detroit charter schools.

[Telly Savalas]

40. That's because the union contract requires the district to send notices

in the event of a possible layoff. Non-union employees aren't subject to such a contractual provision and would simply get shitcanned without such a notice.

[No Elephants]

9. Maybe it makes sense to send notices to those you actually intend to lay off.

This is Terrorism.

[msanthrope]

21. It's per the union contract, according to the OP--and it makes sense.

There's no way you know who you are laying off yet, because you don't know your budget, you may not know who is retiring, who is quitting, etc...

It's probably a 90-day notice clause in the K. If you send it out to everyone, then you don't have to spend time making decisions that may not be true when you know your actual budget.

Not terrorism--blanket bureaucracy.

[Casandia]

10. Are you from MIchigan??

Because if you are, then you should know how serious this is. Michigan passed the Emergency Management Bill recently, under much protesting at the capitol. Rachel Maddow had a great piece on what is happening here in Michigan with Gov. Snyder (recently elected) and his policies written by the Mackinac Center.

Here is the worst part of the bill:


Emergency financial managers would be allowed to break union contracts,

dismiss elected officials and even disincorporate entire municipalities.


We in MIchigan understand shrinking enrollment, reducing staff, etc....BUT....to dimdiss elected officials? Disincorporate entire municipalites????

[blaze]

24. Is there any push back on that new law? nt

[PassingFair]

12. Please tell me WHY it makes sense to fire ALL of our teachers.

They are not closing ALL of our schools.

These are tactics of fear, uncertainty and intimidation.

To fire everybody and have them wondering all summer
if they do or don't have a job....

DISGUSTING.

[bif]

18. They do this in our school district every few years

They send layoff notices to all the teachers in the springtime. Then send them notices late summer that they're all hired back. I've never figured it out. I think they do it before a millage vote to scare the voters.

[PassingFair]

19. It happened to BOTH of my sisters-in-law last summer.

Caused great strife for both families.

[S_B_Jackson]

38. They aren't all being fired.

they're being notified, as required under their union contracts, that they may be layed off. Detroit can't continue to employ all of them if they only have students enough to actually utilize 2/3rds of those currently employed.

[PassingFair]

39. Especially since their plans have included classroom of SIXTY students.

The train that has been going in the wrong
direction for so many years is about to
go over the cliff.

And no one except the kids and the teachers care.

[Bluebear]

13. Is that so.

[vikings_fan]

15. I see someone is ushering in the sensible people

Sounds like something the "Sensible People" would say in a Tom Tomorrow strip

ICYDK: That's not a complement

[JackRiddler]

16. Really. They should preemptively fire everyone in the country, for the same reason.

[groundloop]

11. I don't understand why anyone would want to teach anymore, given they're always the scapegoat

It's bullshit sending layoff notices to all teachers, without even knowing ahead of time how many you plan to layoff. That's a copout for poor management.

[raccoon]

14. You and me both!

"I don't understand why anyone would want to teach anymore, given they're always the scapegoat"

I'm sick of hearing teachers and schools put down all the time. They're made the scapegoat for all sorts of social problems.

[Telly Savalas]

41. Calling it poor management is a copout for a radical underfunding of the system

The budgeted spending is $994 million which is about $12K a student, which is typical of an urban school district that has quite a few special needs and issues to address.

However the district is only taking in $667 million in revenue, about $8K a student, which is simply not going to cut it.

The guy in charge of the district is in a no-win situation. He doesn't have the power to affect the revenue side of the equation, so what's he supposed to do?

[Zorra]

17. Why send notices to all th e teachers? Is it to scare them all, to keep them in line?

Stop the union crap, be a Good American, and keep your mouth shut so maybe we won't lay you off?

[msanthrope]

22. It's per the union contract according to the OP.

There's probably a 90-day notice clause.

So all union members get it, probably because each school hasn't figured out yet who is retiring/quitting/senority, etc...

For example, if I have a school with 100 teachers, and under this plan, I figure I'm going to have 40 of them laid off, do I only notify the 40? What happens when some people of the remaining 60 retire, or quit? What happens if I find out that I need to layoff 50 teachers? The 10 that didn't get notice didn't get their due process.

[SomeGuyInEagan]

20. It is common to send out notices, but not to all.

In our district (and all districts I am familiar with as well as higher education where faculty have this kind of contract), they typically send out the notices to comply with the contact guidelines regarding notice of layoff - but only to those who *might* be in laid off due to low enrollments or budget shortfalls. It's a "what-if" scenario and done to comply with the contract.

I even know a professor who - just this week - received his layoff notice AND contract for next year in the same mailing.

But I have never heard of the notices being sent to everyone. Never.

[blaze]

23. Do they hire them back at a lower salary?

Why would layoff notices to all be part of the contract?

And this, from the article...

"Under a law known as Public Act 4, passed by the Michigan legislature and signed by the state's new Republican governor in March, emergency managers like Bobb have sweeping powers. They can tear up existing union contracts, and even fire some elected officials, if they believe it will help solve a financial emergency." (emphasis added)

Fire elected officials? Really?

This is so wrong.

So much for checks and balances.

[MichiganVote]

25. Counting the minutes until we hear, "Its the Unions fault".

[greymattermom]

37. unemployment?

So do they all get unemployment for the summer? How does that work?

[Bozita]

27. (Robert) Bobb will use new powers to alter union contracts

Source: Michigan Messenger

Bobb will use new powers to alter union contracts
By Ed Brayton | 04.15.11 | 10:40 am


As if to prove correct those who argued that the Emergency Manager bill would be used to alter or eliminate union contracts, Detroit Public Schools Emergency Manager Robert Bobb said Thursday that he will use those new powers to do exactly that.

“I fully intend to use the authority that was granted,” Bobb said, referring to a new law that gives emergency managers the authority to modify — or terminate — collective bargaining agreements. It was the first time Bobb had publicly indicated he intends to use the expanded authority.

His statement came as the district announced Thursday it is sending layoff notices to all 5,466 members of the Detroit Federation of Teachers and non-renewal notices to 248 administrators.

Teachers in Detroit have already made a series of major concessions in order to help the district overcome a massive deficit.

Read more: http://michiganmessenger.com/48258/bobb-will-use-new-powers-to-alter-union-contracts

[Citizen Worker]

28. Labor law falls under federal jurisdiction not state. Federal law as in the Wagner Act and Taft-

Hartley Act.

[former9thward]

30. No it doesn't. Public employees are not covered by federal law.

Only private sector workers. Public sector are covered by state an local laws. That is why legislation affecting the public sector has been able to be passed in Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, etc.

[Shadowflash]

29. I'm sure

This will be challenged and overturned. I just hope it's before TOO much damage is done.

[freshwest]

31. Why did the people of Michigan want to create these Emergency Manager positions?

Surely not to eliminate all those positions below this person, making him like a dictator. What emergency? Or are the citizens of Michigan intent on dismantling community government?

[TruthTeller]

32. help...not all of us! n/t

[freshwest]

34. Did they sneak this through with some bill about emergency management? This doesn't sound right.

[aquart]

33. And this is why judges matter.

[defendandprotect]

35. k