The Snow Covers Everything...

....except the perfidy of our union bosses.

It appears we’re about to experience our biggest snowstorm in years, and tomorrow is gonna be remote for those of our colleagues who have to work. I’m relieved to be off tomorrow, as teaching online is one of my least favorite things. It’s what led me to step down as chapter leader and retire shortly thereafter.

In other news, I thought the whole Prime Therapeutics thing would not be remotely helpful to anyone, but it’s working out well for me, at least. Of course I understand that many people have issues with meds they now have trouble getting. That’s unacceptable, particularly when UFT bosses place a gun to your head demanding $180 a month, per retiree, for prescription insurance.

Why not take a moment, right now, and sign our petition demanding that we stop paying that? Firefighters don’t pay it. Police don’t pay it. They’re supposed to be the city’s bravest and boldest. We, on the other hand, are supposed to be the city’s brightest. Yet 71% of us, at last count, can’t be bothered to vote against the folks who impose these fees on us. We’ve almost reached our initial goal of 5.000 signatures, and you can help put us over the top.

As for Prime Therapeutics, here’s the deal—While I too have a prescription they will no longer cover, it’s been costing me $1.50, and will now run me a full six bucks. That said, I also have a generic prescription that cost me $165 last month for a 30 day supply, and it’s now down to $36. I thought it was an error. I called CVS and said they must have screwed up, and to please refund the rest of my money.

CVS called and said they did the same process both times, and perhaps there had been a deductible. I knew there was not. I reached out to several sources to help, one being Marianne Pizzitola of NYC Public Service Retirees. Within hours, a woman from Emblem Health, who Marianne had called, got back to me.

The woman told me that Emblem selected Prime Therapeutics because they were better at negotiating prices than Express Scripts. She said that’s why they changed agencies. This did not surprise me. I take another generic that costs me $236 for a 90 day supply at CVS. It costs over 400 everywhere else, including Express Scripts, Amazon and Costco. The woman told me that, under Prime, it would run me about a hundred dollars less for my next refill.

Now I realize that my story is just that, a single anecdote, and that others have far worse results. I stuck with the costly UFT plan for a few reasons. One was that other plans did not cover my expensive generic. Another was to make sure I’d be able to complain to the Welfare Fund if some key med I needed in the future was not covered. Another, of course, is that I feel entitled to this plan. Other city agencies don’t pay, we shouldn’t either, and that’s why we need you to sign our petition.

In other news, ICE appears to be emulating UFT Unity tactics. If you read my last piece, you know that ABC has resisted Unity’s threats. Unity wants us to sit down and shut up, and has decided to threaten us with legal action if we don’t comply. The fact that it’s ridiculous and embarrassing for a union to threaten members doesn’t bother them at all.

Over in Maine, ICE is taking photos of those who observe them.

Video taken this morning in Maine shows an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer taking pictures of a legal observer's car. When she asks why he's doing that, he says, "Because we have a nice little database, and now you're considered a domestic terrorist."

This is exactly the same thing Unity did. We in ABC exercised our freedom, and were threatened. This citizen is exercising hers, and she was too. So the question then becomes who’s the model here? Well, Unity existed decades before anyone thought of ICE.

Of course, I kid our good friends in Unity. I can’t seriously sit here and tell you that ICE looked to a teacher union to inform its tactics. I can tell you though, that they’re virtually identical, and that they have precisely the same intent. ICE wants to quash the freedom of that citizen, and all citizens. Unity wants to quash our freedom, and that of all members.

It’s not only that. When retirees complain that Unity unilaterally doubled the cost of SHIP insurance, their overpaid Big Shots accuse us of “kvetching.” How dare retirees, living on a fixed income, complain that their union has raised their expenses by $120 a year, or 240 per couple? It’s a big nothing, they say.

However, when they offered to give us $105 back, during campaign season, it was the bestest thing ever. They didn’t warn us of the ridiculous amount of paperwork it would entail to get it back. I spent a few hours and gave up. My doctors are all in different places and no one network worked for me.

Unity is composed of self-serving hypocrites who will say anything at any time if they think it will work for them. Even as they raise our rates unilaterally, even as they claim we have the Best Welfare Fund in the Universe, they charge us a huge amount for prescription benefits other retirees get for free. That’s simply disgraceful.

In any case, I hope that Prime Therapeutics will afford you some benefits as well. If it does not, and if you’ve had bad experiences, the comments are open. Stay warm and safe through this winter storm, and please, please refrain from shoveling. (I’m looking at you, Norm Scott.) Pay someone with a big machine, or just leave the snow there.

Moving snow is not worth your life. Enjoy your snow day. If you have kids, or grandkids, tell them to go out and play, and not to waste their precious time with so-called remote instruction.

If you get half a chance, go out and join them.