Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The decadent and cynical Unity Caucus, long degraded into a self-serving patronage cult, has been selling off our hard-won rights and protections for decades. THEY NEED TO GO. If you are a retiree, here are step-by-step instructions on how to vote for Retiree Advocate. At the moment, we are the best chance to stop Unity and move our union forward.
Michael Mulgrew is the current head of the UFT Unity Cult of Patronage. If he goes next year, due to his rampant unpopularity and utter lack of empathy for working union members, he’ll be replaced with another cult leader. That is, unless we stop him here and now. WE CAN DO THAT. The moment you receive your ballot, place an X in the spot for Retiree Advocate and MAIL it.
UFT Unity has empowered its retirees largely because the Cult expects us to passively vote for them no matter what. They made a grave miscalculation when they targeted us for cuts in Medicare. (Likely as not, they figured we’d just hobble around aimlessly and shout at random kids to get off our lawns. Stereotypes are despicable, and never accurate.)
This, my friends, is strong evidence that the “very smart people” Mulgrew loves to cite are not, in fact, as intellectually gifted as they fancy themselves. They underestimated us. They have never seen a group so united and determined as NYC Retirees, they’ve never had their dumb asses kicked in court 12 times in a row, and they’ve never faced an opposition so suddenly on fire as Retiree Advocate.
Union exists so that we, together, can better our lot. It is the job of union leadership to find ways to do that. Rather than bother with all that, Michael Mulgrew has sold off our health care for two sub-inflationary contracts, and one that may or may not have met inflation.
The fact is we ought not to be paying anything for contracts that meet inflation. Meeting inflation should be status quo. Mulgrew and Unity have shown, for decades now, that they don’t feel this way. They worry more about the budgets of Eric Adams than those of union members. Mulgrew and Unity, not the Municipal Labor Committee, initiated all the health care cuts we’re now looking at.
As you well know, retirees are not affected by labor contracts. We don’t get raises in our pensions when rank and file gets them in paychecks. That did not stop Michael Mulgrew and his army of patronage recipients from targeting us. In exchange for raises for rank and file, he agreed to cuts for retirees. That’s outrageous, and Tom Murphy, our nominal representative, chose to support Michael Mulgrew rather than membership.
In fact, Murphy boasted about how he would not fight for us, labeling himself a champion of civility. It’s pretty clear that, for Tom Murphy, “civility” entails saying nothing when our health care is diminished. At the very first RTC meeting I attended, Murphy did not even allow questions. The school year is almost over, and there has still not been a motion period.
It’s very clear that Tom Murphy represents Michael Mulgrew and the Unity Patronage Cult rather than rank and file. In fact, like every single person who enjoys a union job, Murphy signed an agreement to place the Unity Cult in front of everything. The job of a union, again, is to fight for members. That said, the job of Tom Murphy, along with every single Unity Caucus member, is to fight for the privileged, elite Unity Caucus, a small sliver of membership.
We desperately need representation. We desperately need leadership that will place our needs first. Civility is fine, but it does not mean sitting down and shutting up in the face of self-serving demagogues who take extra pensions at our expense. It does not mean sitting down and shutting up when our so-called leaders chase savings for the city instead of better conditions for us and our brothers and sisters in rank and file.
Our future is in our hands. Let’s insure it by electing representatives (like me) who will consider our needs before those of Michael Mulgrew and his self-righteous, self-serving cult.
If you haven’t already received a ballot, you will get one soon. Again, here’s how to vote for Retiree Advocate. So you don’t forget, do it immediately.
Let’s place our future in our hands, rather than the hands of those who take our money for jobs they can’t even bother to do.
Your vote is the only thing that will make that happen.
There are a few. In my book club group, the chapter leader before me in my school said we will dismantle SHIP and the welfare ffund to keep the government medicare. I asked who told you the falsehood. She said a high person in the union but would not tell me who.
Still waiting for ballot but contacted 27 retirees. All pledged to vote for Retiree Advocate.