A Future for Our Union

Imagine leadership that moved forward, rather than backward.

Union is a pretty great, and yet a basic idea. We unite to make things better for us. We negotiate improvements. We stand together when bosses try to exploit us. And also, we set an example our non-union brothers and sisters benefit from when their bosses need to compete. I understand very well it’s difficult to lead a union.

You can’t always make everyone happy. As a teacher, some kid will always be upset with you. Someone will always misunderstand you. All you can do is go on, mend fences as best you can, and try to learn from every negative experience. You do better the next time. For my money, that’s a lot of what teaching is.

Knowing that, though, didn’t prepare me for becoming chapter leader of a very large school. I represented hundreds of members, double the number of my students. There are NYSUT chapters with union presidents who represent fewer members than I did. UFT members can frequently be more outspoken than teenagers. (I know well because I’m one of them.) So you try to communicate well, but you alter your approach. Adults are different (especially when all your students are language learners).

That said, just as you do with kids, if you make a fundamental error, you apologize. Then you go back and fix it. People remember things like that. Note that when Mulgrew said he no longer supported MA, he blamed the mayor. Note also that he never took substantive action to remedy the issue, and we’re still headed to court.

If I made a blunder as monumental as attempting to place retirees into an inferior health plan, I’d change my position and do something about it. Unity’s failure is why I’m here. That said, when Mulgrew first announced the MA plan, it was with Emblem GHI. I was prepared to try it. Maybe 18 years ago I had cancer, and GHI was pretty good to me. They never denied me a pre-approval. I never had to wait long, if at all, for anything.

And yet, the more I read about so-called Medicare Advantage, the more I soured on the idea.

About 18 years ago, I contracted an oral cancer. Like any cancer, I suppose, it was no fun at all. After radiation treatments, my mouth was as dry as the Gobi Desert. My doctor gave me a sample of artificial saliva, which helped some. Michael Mulgrew will tell you the Welfare Fund doesn’t deny drugs, but I remember distinctly being denied that one. It was very expensive, and with thousands I was paying out of pocket already, I did without. (That said, I’m very grateful to be here, able to talk about it.)

Imagine leadership that told you the truth. We’ll cover these prescriptions, but not those, for reasons a, b, and c. While not remotely as good as covering all drugs, honesty would still be an improvement.

Imagine leadership that reflected membership. No one, and I mean no one, wants diminished health care. We can argue about taxes, or politics, or voting for this or that person, but to have or not to have good health care is not controversial for anyone with a shred of self-interest. My GOP colleagues would never support me for US Senate, but they supported me as CL—because I supported them when they had building issues, always. I’d wager my GOP readers want to keep Medicare (but correct me if I’m wrong).

Imagine leadership that could read the room. Imagine leadership that thought reading the room was worth their time and effort. Short of that, imagine leadership that could read court decisions—that we’ve been promised this coverage our entire careers, and are thus entitled to it.

Imagine leadership reading court decisions stating that Aetna Advantage is inferior, and taking the position that our members deserve better, not worse health care. Imagine leadership that observed Aetna admit to the NY State Supreme Court they would deny doctor-recommended procedures, and then didn’t follow up by denying it (as they continue to do).

Imagine leadership that took a look at the pattern bargaining process, saw a problem, and worked for a way to fix it. I’m no genius, but when I look at the Municipal Labor Committee, which decides to decimate our health care with absolutely no rank and file voice or vote, I’m sickened. Why on earth can’t they work to set a reasonable minimum pattern for all? It could be flexible but jeez, imagine a leadership that, at the very least, insisted increases keep up with inflation?

The line I’ve heard from Unity is that it might step on the right of other unions to negotiate. The truth is this—the city lowballs one union, in my memory invariably DC37 or UFT, and then dumps the pattern on the rest of the city. I don’t know about you, but I’d have no issue whatsoever if piss-poor negotiators like Michael Mulgrew were prevented from accepting crap patterns. I’d also be good ruling out idiotic swaps for crappy health care.

Imagine a leadership that worked to make health care better, as opposed to treating us like Pavlov dogs. Those $100 co-pays for urgent cares—they’re specifically designed to dissuade you from seeking urgent care. Huge hospital co-pays—the same. Better you pay your doctor 15 bucks, and GHI then sends him 28 more. When they did that enough to my former doctor, he dropped GHI, and when I asked him why, he said, “They pay shit.”

The thing is this—you can’t always get in to see your regular doctor right away. My current doctor was with Mt. Sinai, and it felt like you had to pass auditions to see her. You had to persuade the Mt. Sinai switchboard it’s worth putting you through to the office, and then you had to persuade the office to let you in. I was very happy when my doctor moved to a private practice and became more accessible.

Of course, I now have Medicare, and that pays a hell of a lot better than GHI. That’s one reason I battle to hold onto it. Imagine a leadership that would fight with us to maintain and improve our health benefits. Make no mistake—that is their job. It’s what we pay them to do.

Imagine a leadership that looked at someone like Marianne Pizzitola, who somehow organized the amazing, powerhouse group, NYC Retirees, and said, “Hey, let’s work with that person. She is onto something.” Imagine a leadership that contributed to someone who directly benefited working union members, as opposed to ridiculing her online, as well as those of us who work with her to preserve our health care.

Imagine leadership that joined us in our battle, as opposed to hollow gestures like a resolution at AFT, and one letter that was returned, a letter having no effect whatsoever. Imagine leadership that fought for savings for us instead Eric Frigging Adams. Imagine leadership that would lobby the State Assembly and City Council to protect health care for all union members.

I imagine all of that. That’s why I will work to defeat King Mulgrew and all his well-compensated aristocrats this May. Mr. Mulgrew, you need not tear down that wall. We don’t trust you to get the job done. We’ll do it ourselves. It’s our UFT.

Join me. Together, let’s really become the “powerful teachers union” the tabloids so love to hate. Last May was just the beginning.

This May will be a victory for all of us.