Teacher Pact Includes Added Protection For Whistle-Blowers—UFT

The United Federation of Teachers’ tentative contract agreement has a provision that it says strengthens protections for whistle-blowers.

Though the UFT has a clause in its contract against harassment and retaliation, the deal adds changes to the arbitration process. Currently, if a Teacher received an Ineffective rating after she informed administrators that a student with an Individualized Education Program wasn’t getting required speech-therapy services, even if an arbitrator agreed with the union that this was retaliation for speaking out and recommended that the mark be removed, it’s at the Chancellor’s discretion whether to do so. But with the new clause, the arbitrator’s decision will be binding, the UFT said.