Disingenuouser and Disingenuouser
Mulgrew in Wonderland
Michael Mulgrew and Unity are in full campaign mode. Mulgrew loves to speak of “shenanigans” during elections, but no one does them better than he and his Unity Caucus. While they deprive the elected Retired Teacher Chapter of the ability to communicate with membership, they have no issue using official UFT communications for their own self-serving purposes. Even as they do that, there’s much they deliberately conceal.
1. The Fake Fight to Protect Medicare
Above is Briget Rein. She’s a failed candidate for City Council, now working for the United Federation of Teachers. She’s the assistant to the UFT staff director, LeRoy Barr. (Her BFF there looks kind of familiar to me.) I’m hearing that she approached City Council members to get them to pull support for Intro 2024-1096, the bill that would restore retiree benefits to what they were in 2021.
This is a curious thing. Michael Mulgrew claims to oppose Medicare Advantage for UFT retirees. He even wrote a letter (perhaps even a strongly worded letter) saying so. Sure, it was sent back because he had no standing. Sure, he’s still signed onto an amicus brief that supports our being dumped into MA. But he says he opposes MA for us.
If UFT employees are actively lobbying against our bill, it means that UFT leadership is actively working against us.
Is that what we pay dues for? Is that what COPE is doing for us?
In fact, I’m hearing that both Rein and UFT employee/ City Council candidate Dermot Smyth did the same last year for intro 1099, basically the same bill. Of course last year UFT bosses were openly fighting against our interests, so that’s understandable (to some extent).
What is UFT Unity leadership doing to protect retirees? Absolutely nothing, and if what I hear is true, they’re actively working against us. Prove me wrong, Mulgrew. There’s no excuse whatsoever if UFT employees are surreptitiously fighting against member interests.
Smyth, incidentally, while seeking the endorsement of NYC Retirees, has thus far refused to endorse 1096 in writing. Given Unity’s lip service to supporting real Medicare, and given their utter inaction in protecting it, I’d say the whole, “Trust me” boat has sailed. Given Unity’s strident opposition to our resolution in support of 1096, it’s a fair bet they don’t support us at all.
If they’re doing the same thing now, that’s absolutely unforgivable. It very much looks like Unity wants to dump retirees into MA, and say, “Oopzie. We tried to help.” But they have not.
Of course, Unity celebrates ageism, and may well deem us too dim to notice this sort of thing.
2. The Fake Reduction in Retiree Pharmacy Premiums
Mulgrew sends retirees an email. He says great news! We’re reimbursing you an extra 60 bucks a year for your pharmacy premium. He neglects to mention that it’s gone up by 30 dollars a month, so we’re actually paying 25 more per month. If you’re married, and your spouse was not UFT, you’re stuck paying the 55 extra per month. Of course, your spouse gets reimbursed nothing. So I’m paying an extra $660 a year. Great work, Mike! I’m so thankful for all your assistance!
Not only that, but we’re now paying co-pays every time we see a doctor. The co-pays are lower than those our in-service brothers and sisters pay, but when you consider that UFT thinks premiums are no problem for retirees on fixed incomes, it’s likely we pay well more than in-service members.
If you pay 150 a month, that’s $1800 a year. If UFT gives you 900 back, it’s still 900 a year. If you’re married, it’s 2700 a year out of pocket. Add to that the up to $2,000 each you can pay for prescriptions, and a retired couple could easily be paying $6700 a year in prescription costs. That’s a big dent in a fixed pension.
It takes a lot of damn gall to send us something boasting we get an extra five bucks a month while failing to mention we pay somewhere between 25 and 55 extra monthly.
3. The Fake Democracy
I was on the UFT Executive Board for six years. It was an illuminating experience for sure. There was always food. I read somewhere that food is an important part of a balanced diet. If that’s your priority, you’ll like these meetings, at least until you finish eating.
The meetings themselves are not always that exciting. We start by approving the minutes. Sometimes people come to address the board. That’s limited to ten minutes total, so a lot depends on who else shows up. The last time I tried to speak (in favor of Amy Arundell), they offered me a minute and 40 seconds. I declined, and wrote up a version of my comments here.
In fact, I read somewhere they’ve limited member comments. So even if you’re on the board, you only have so long to speak. This, of course, is because not everyone on the board is Unity Caucus. I was on the Executive Board for six years. I always had questions. I rarely got answers. That’s not what Executive Board is for, as far as Unity is concerned.
Aside from the open mike, and comments from members, there are reports from districts. This is generally Unity members getting up and boasting of all the wonderful things they’ve done.
The 12 officers, also known as Adcom, would have an agenda. I’d bet you that only a few of them created said agenda. Perhaps Mulgrew alone did. The Executive Board, almost all Unity members, approve whatever they’re told to approve.
A real Executive Board would consist of members, not necessarily UFT employees. These members would bring the concerns of those they represented to the board. Adcom would, in fact, be informed and driven by said concerns. Executive Board members could debate and discuss things, rather than serve as a rubber stamp. That’s how ABC will run the Executive Board.
4. The Fake Paraprofessional Raise
Unity has failed for 55 years to Fix Para Pay. They did done absolutely nothing about it until the paras finally stood and said they’d had enough.
I wrote extensively about this on Sunday, but it’s beyond disgraceful that Mulgrew would raise the hopes of our lowest paid members in an elaborate campaign stunt. This shows not only desperation, but also moral bankruptcy. In the last round of contract negotiations, Mulgrew and Unity received 450 million dollars to address hard to staff areas, one of which was paraprofessionals.
As usual, they did nothing. They had ample money during actual negotiations to accomplish what this Hail Mary pass will not, and they could’ve addressed the OT/PT chapter as well. Unity chose to do neither, and rightfully lost the paraprofessionals’ support.
Unity also introduced a feel-good resolution to improve cost of living adjustments in pensions. Lest we forget, they also did that back in 2007. I shall sit while I wait for that one, and save space for any paraprofessionals who wish to sit with me. When ABC has money to fix hard-to-staff positions, we’ll use it to fix hard-to-staff positions. (And we won’t wait another 17 years before seeking COLA improvements.)
5. The Fake Elections
Every three years, we have elections. We’re having one this year. We had one last year. You get to vote for various officers. Depending on whether it’s a chapter or general election, you vote for a President, Vice-President, or Chapter Leader. Then you go to Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, and so forth.
The person at the top of the ticket has to do something. But it’s a long Unity tradition to just place employees into slots and just have them keep doing whatever jobs they were doing before. I was a little gobstruck to learn that our Retired Teacher Chapter has no treasury whatsoever, and that any funds we use must be personally approved by Michael Mulgrew. Why, exactly, do we need a treasurer and assistant treasurer? Why do we need four Vice-Chairs? (I’m a Vice-Chair, and while I have both vices and chairs, my role is writing.)
ABC will assign responsibilities to titles, so that when you vote for someone, you’ll be voting for someone to, you know, do something. Members have a right to expect those they choose will actually represent them.
Note that divisional VPs are elected at large. This was changed specifically to preclude high school teachers from electing a non-Unity VP. It happened once, back in the eighties, and Unity doesn’t want it to happen again, Had they not changed the regulation, the Unity HS VP would have lost two of the last three elections.
Furthermore, our elections are winner-take-all, so that Unity has no opposition in place. Thus there is little debate or discussion at 52 Broadway, and Michael Mulgrew can do whatever he golly gosh darn feels like. This has resulted in leadership that’s largely detached from membership, leadership surrounded by people who don’t dare challenge them.
Union exists to amplify member voice, to work in member interests, and set examples, even for non-union shops.
The UFT members should file a class action against Mulgrew for theft of services.
Thank you.