New York, NY – On October 21, the Alliance of Substitutes and Paraprofessionals (ASAP) held a Substitute Teacher Townhall, where over 25 substitutes and others within the United Federation of Teachers gathered on Zoom. The town hall heard from substitutes and former subs in the NYC Department of Education on what issues they have faced in their workplaces that could be turned into a campaign by ASAP.
ASAP is a group of militant substitute teachers, paraprofessionals and teachers in the UFT who are developing campaigns around the most underserved and underpaid groups within the NYC Department of Education.
Subs on the call discussed long-term substitute assignments, withholding pay, lack of clarity on the job, as well as low compensation.
One sub teacher on the call said, “I have a lot of concerns come up when I go in to cover a teacher’s parental leave. The job is usually just short of the 30-day mark to make it a [long-term] status, so I don’t get paid the same. There are a lot of grey areas when I get called in for long-term assignments. The schools should be upfront and declare them right away.”
Another sub teacher said, “Sometimes the school I work at a lot will call me right before the school day, and because I want to help I will. But then I go look at my check and I see a certain percentage taken out. Your pay gets docked if you go in past 8:00, but they’re the ones that asked me to come in. I’m doing them a favor, and it’s the same percentage taken out for the entire day even if you’re there a few minutes after 8:00!”
The ASAP organizers will be taking back what was learned from the Sub Town Hall and building a campaign.
Joe Diodato from ASAP stated, “Coming away from the call, one common thread was that subs are tired of being exploited, especially as it relates to long-term jobs. We’re going to plan out a campaign that is grounded in what we heard tonight, bring more and more subs into the fold, and make sure that the city knows we’re going to fight for long-term sub rights and everything else that we can.”
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