Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein has criticized the teachers' union contract, saying that it is preventing changes need to improve schools. Klein said that schools need to move away from what he called micromanagement and microregulation, and specifically denounced seniority rights, tenure, and pay scales that did not take into account the merits of teachers. A spokesman for the union dismissed Klein's comments as management strategy for upcoming contract negotiations.
See "Klein Assails Job Protection for Teachers", Elissa Gootman, The New York Times, October 16, 2003