UFT Delegate Assembly--Misrepresentation and Faux Democracy

Are you surprised?

In our union, the hypocrisy never ends.

Exhibit one—I was pretty shocked to hear Michael Mulgrew say, in reference to the chancellor, that he believes in due process. This is most certainly not what he practices. Last year, Mulgrew fired the supremely competent Amy Arundell, David Kazansky, and even the elected para leader Migda Rodriguez, among many others. There was no process whatsoever. He didn’t like them, so they had to go.

Mulgrew criticized a principal who put a chapter leader up on charges. Mulgrew, though, can’t be bothered with charges. If he doesn’t like you, you’re out.

Mulgrew continued, claiming he loved that retirees are interested in politics. However, he doesn’t seem to love it unless we blindly support him. 82% of us voted to support 1096, which would guarantee Medicare and eliminate co-pays for us. Not only does Mulgrew speak against it at every opportunity, but he also actively lobbies against us.

Mulgrew later claimed he figured things out in different ways, painting himself as a creative thinker. This particular creative thinker, rather than figure out a way to support 1096, claims it violates the Taylor Law, even though we don’t report to work. He also claims it violates collective bargaining, even though we don’t collectively bargain.

Mulgrew boasted of having the largest negotiating committee ever. This argument would have us believe that simply bigger is simply better. He neglects to point out that the committee will not be negotiating either money or health care, key elements every member is concerned with.

Mulgrew goes on to claim there has not been a single giveback. As a retiree who had to battle along with Marianne Pizzitola’s group to protect Medicare, I disagree. Mulgrew sold us out to procure a sub-inflationary raise for rank and file. Not only that, but the co-pays I now pay were a giveback. The 50% increase in pharmacy insurance, which retirees pay, is a giveback. I don’t know what drugs Mulgrew is taking, but I wish I could afford them.

Mulgrew goes on to claim he won’t have workers paying for other workers’ raises. Perhaps not, but he had no issue telling in-service members if they didn’t support changing the law to lessen what the city pays to cover retirees, they would be stuck with $1500 premiums. Guess what? The city did not change the law, and members do not pay $1500 premiums. Retirees pay that, though, and more.

Mulgrew claimed UFT retirees get more than any retirees in NY. However, I’m paying $360 a month for pharmacy insurance for my wife and myself. Were I FDNY, DC37, or NYPD, I’d pay nothing. It’s hard to see exactly how I’m getting more. I know I’m paying more. Why doesn’t our Welfare Fund cover us, as other Welfare Funds do for retirees?

Mulgrew then claims each group will come up with its own demands. He seems to have forgotten that the OT/PT chapter, last time, demanded closer parity to teachers. That’s why they voted down their contract. Michael Mulgrew broke them off from their bargaining unit, isolating them, told them they could take it or leave it, and forced them to vote on the Same Old Thing. So much for encouraging activism.

Mulgrew claimed to support members having their own opinions. However, he ridiculed a woman who wanted to be able to remotely watch the DA. Furthermore, at a meeting I attended, Mulgrew claimed retirees who wanted to retain Medicare spouted fairy tales, believed in conspiracy theories, and likened people who criticize him to enemies of the union.

There was a long and tedious debate over the co-pay resolution, the one RTC has been complaining for many months has not come up. I wrote the first draft of that resolution, and had intended it for RTC only. That said, I found the speaker very eloquent and persuasive.

There were a number of issues at play here. Since I’ve been in the RTC, we’ve managed to pass two resolutions at the DA. Now I am not one of the big shots in Retiree Advocate. They make all the final decisions about what to do with these resolutions.

They made an egregious error with this one. Instead of pushing forward a petition that had 12,000 signatures, demanding that members vote on health care, they watered it down. They presented it as the DA voting on health care. That was a mistake because the DA is dominated by Unity, as we saw today.

However, that was not the worst of it. The worst of it is this health care committee of which Mulgrew spoke. They appear to go along with whatever Mulgrew asks. Mulgrew falsely claimed the group was introduced by retirees, but I was at that meeting and it was not. It was introduced by then-Secretary LeRoy Barr. LeRoy amended it to add that committee.

My friend Norm Scott asked a great question, a question that Mulgrew did not answer. Who picks the health committee? Are they elected? They are not, in fact. People apply, and Unity decides who gets on.

No one from ABC is on the health committee. This health committee, including five RA members (four of whom actually showed up to vote) voted unanimously to pass a health plan they were not permitted to see. Regardless of its merits, that’s an outrage. We deserve to know what we’re voting on, not take the word of Michael Mulgrew. If you’ve read this far, you know his word is dubious at best.

While I support the hybrid DA, and have used it all year, I was struck by what Elementary VP Karen Allford said—that it promotes engagement and member voice. She’s absolutely right, However, Karen’s Unity caucus, along with ARISE, does not believe in extending electronics to UFT voting. Three out of four UFT members don’t vote, and they want to keep it that way.

Finally, I was struck by Mulgrew’s much-used defense of questionable UFT endorsements. The members met and chose, he said. They worked hard. Mulgrew fails to note that said members were only allowed to ask a group of pre-selected questions from which they may not vary. These members are not, for example, allowed to ask whether or not the candidates support 1096.

Mulgrew claimed he did not support everyone the UFT endorsed. I cannot actually read the guy’s mind. However, given the way he fires everyone he doesn’t like with no due process, given the way he shuts down resolutions based on rules his cult has made up, if you believe that I have a bridge in Brooklyn with your name on it.

Notes (unedited)—(Bolded portions were for my reference.)

I call in at 4:16, having not received a call. I get to hear a groovy music clip, over and over, as someone thanks me for joining.

4:17—Mulgrew comes on, thanks us. Says 11 more days. Asks moment of silence for departed CL Joe Seidel.

Federal tax credit/ voucher program—coming to us very shortly. Details in next few days. Part of Big Beautiful Bill. Has been failure educationally, resegregating society, church and state. They say it’s a tax credit for everyone—no cap on it. Don’t know how they afford it. You can donate 1700 for a school. May let public schools be involved.

Way to pull people away from public schools. What happens is tax credit raised, becomes more of burden on state to fund public schools. Will be no federal money for state, only money for vouchers. Up to state governor to opt in. Hochul interested in middle class tax breaks. Gearing up for fight.

State federations in AFT will write to governors, say don’t do this. Package has many talking points. Majority of parents we serve not looking for tax credits. Trying to pay bills. Giveaway to more affluent families. Will start in summer. Will try to have it in place before midterms.

AI—Lots of opinions. AFL-CIO took a position saying we need guardrails. We agree. Data centers—don’t know how you stop them. Will move forward. Mulgrew discusses phones and bathrooms for no evident reason. AFL-CIO has construction unions for data centers, says they will be in impoverished communities.

We continue to say we need more guardrails for children’s and our privacy. We are training teachers to use AI to write IEPs and do things beyond lesson planning. If we can use a tool to actually help us is good strategy. Some want it banned—unrealistic. Many things on phone use AI. We’ll force ourselves to train working people to get what we need from platform.

AI companies go where money is. Who controls money in schools systems? Admin. Their priority is how to create an observation system, all across the country. Stopped it here. Thousands of teachers not observed every year. Won’t let them use AI for that. We want what helps us to help children, do what we want.

State budget done—Still don’t have school budgets. Thanks DA for advocacy. Made significant step forward in fixing Tier 6. Without our work, age would not be 58. When first phase ended, nothing happened, eight weeks later we insisted Tier 6 be included. Other unions went different way, that was their choice. Our need is age. We knew every year we knocked off saves 9K in contributions.

Also wanted to remove penalties. Before this, you’d have lost a quarter at 58. Taking away something you already paid for. Never had something so aggressively negative. We’re not done. Have to get to 55, get contributions. Appreciate great work, got it done, but must move forward.

Wanted to fix Foundation Aid formula. Include weights for ELLs, homelessness, have many included, significant increase for NYC schools.

Community Schools, got big number. Mulgrew lectures people, is DA, if you yell, I’ll ask you to leave. Over 20 million, teacher centers funded.

DOE had interesting day. Do we trust their training and support on new math? No. Won’t be helpful.

Class size—Had town hall. Yippee town hall. Have class size working group, meets weekly with CSA and DOE. Last year finally got to get schools to submit a plan. Highly successful. Made class size hires distinct line item, repeated every year, outside of budget. Was important. Got to 60%. Have proven we can do it, but requires DOE work.

DOE did not have space, construction plan. Estimates were astronomical but untrue. Still no plan. If you build more classrooms you need more teachers. Mulgrew makes repeated jokes about snacks.

After budget was done, DOE worked really hard, analyzed districts and schools as to what they needed. Small, large constructions, some additional schools. Just starting. DOE found out they could come into compliance if they learned how to program. DOE was told this years ago, ignored it.

NY Post says we shook them down for 20 million, didn’t shake them down, held them accountable. Said we don’t want bogus exemptions. Want it done correctly. Class size reorg will be part of our system for decades. Now holding them accountable. If schools did their capital plans in year one and two could be at 80% now.

Some schools have recruitment problems. If they have hard to staff differential, you may be eligible. Something about exemption classes and November 15, and next year we move forward.

School budgets—meeting tomorrow, chancellor, superintendents and principals, we believe. Once over, we expect everyone to get budgets. Unacceptable. Schools used to get preliminary budgets ahead of time. Too many decisions to be made, hires to do, and many won’t. In bad position starting this way.

Chancellor—we believe in due process. We know procurement process of DOE beyond broken, a disgrace. Chancellor was supportive, did work on class size. Political environments we’re now in, who knows. Very good working relationship, but have to move forward without distractions. One way or another, will resolve.

Have accomplished most things on our agenda, but not respect check. SBOs coming in, off the charts. Next year’s calendar is insane. Makes sense if you look at holidays. Have to continue pressure on respect check. Thanks Priscilla, chapter leader, testimony, everyone wants to do this, mayor, speaker, why isn’t it done?

Movement in process, pressure has to remain. All happy about Knicks, World Cup. Building bleachers on Governor’s Island. All happening, have to keep pressure on.

TRS and para elections done, thanks Tom Brown, paras. Get to work.

Early voting starts Saturday. Lots of contested elections, and everything turns to midterms. Many things will happen. We get a break. Appreciate our retirees always interested in politics, need them interested, great strength of our union.

Midterms important to us, much at stake for public education, have to begin negotiating a contract. Will have largest negotiating committee in history, over 700 people. First, about education. Will have people who don’t understand. Will sit across table from DOE.

We want our members doing the work, talking to them, shaming them. Every contract has had workplace changes not a single giveback. Have to come up with a plan, have to represent. We’ve said enough of having workers pay for other workers raises.

Each group will come up with its own demands. Guide for each committee comes from membership. No one can hijack a committee with an agenda. Will get surveys. We know number one issue first. WE like vacation days, city hates it, beauty of negotiation, they might be looking for something.

Certain titles have sound argument they might need more. Will we set the pattern? Probably not. Many unions don’t have contract from last round. Do we like that? No, we are control freaks we are teachers. Didn’t set pattern but got more than pattern. Some people don’t want to admit it but it’s a fact.

School’s opening very late, but end at same time, on a Monday. We have no choice. I’d say we’re really not doing PD last day, are we? Thanks everyone who put their name in to be part of a committee. Will break down by title. Keep everyone balanced. Ends 5:01.

Michael Sill—UFT 5K Saturday. RTC meeting Tuesday. Student debt relief Tuesday. Thursday June 18 new member celebration. 22 open mike. Last day 26th. NYSUT get out vote rally for Kate Conley in Peakskill. Asks who is going to retire, asks for applause.

Mulgrew says Sill Celtics, Red Sox fan. We support people having a right to opinions. Pride month, parade 28th. We are large group, big float for membership. Should be great day. Caribbean American month. Debates how it is pronounced. Says we have to come to consensus.

Questions—5:06

Amanda Walsh—Fair student funding—Can we get it funded per class instead of per student? Projections 17-20 kids in our grade next year. Can have classes too full. In suburbs done that way.

A—Issue with DOE. Anything designed by Klein and Bloomberg not good for schools. This is based on retail stores. Wanted 32 in every class. Would cost principals to lower class sizes. Right after Bloomberg mayor said he’d get rid of policies, didn’t. One constant is DOE. We don’t have right to negotiate how schools are funded. They tell us not covered. To get around it, was class size law. We didn’t have collective bargaining, but we figure it out in different ways.

Hundreds of people working in teaching and learning. Every time they try and do anything, they get an outside contract. Taxpayers paying for all of this. Insane, we’re trying to blow the lid off of this. Three mayors made commitment, de Blasio, Adams, didn’t work. Mamdani telling DOE to make cuts, but in things schools use, basic programs.

Tina Silverman—PD virtual, all day—Members asked to come in to sit in front of computer all day and then drive home. Can we push for teachers to engage in virtual PD remotely instead of coming in?

1. Yes. Thank you for common sense approach. Makes no sense to anyone but DOE.

Anthony Cabrero—Policy if you’re dual certified, can they give you split schedule every year? Never hire in additional license. Phys ed and health.

A—At least three periods a day in appointed license. Can say not meeting preference and have to teach in license. You can start saying you want full program in license and start grievance process. Save preference sheet. Happens in too much of the city. Glad you bring it up.

Dr. Shawanda Weems—Protecting CLs. Received 3020a charges, removed from classroom. Being retaliated against. Attorney says not alone, has five cases on trumped up charges. 27th year. Chose to stay. Membership living in fear. Begging for support. If you hold principal accountable, will be retaliated. Reassigned to home. What is union going to do. Help my staff and help me.

A—Very happy to see you and call on you. Won’t go into specifics, but have had many discussions. Have records from your school, expect to protect you as teacher and CL. We protect everyone, but we will be coordinating with you. Have a lot of info from your building. Sorry for what you’re going through. Many CLs go through this. Have had CLs come out on other side when we’ve had principals removed. CL deserves extra respect in building. If you choose to be CL, you’re putting your butt on the line. We need to say you’re going above and beyond. You won’t go through this alone.

5:24 Motion period. Mulgrew says two reso we must get to.

Margaret Choi—motivating reso to go after private school vouchers. Believe public education important in healthy democracy. School vouchers here to undermine our public institutions. President ruining this, with Knicks winning streak. Money diverted from public schools, which are still responsible.

If they take our students, they take our money, our democracy. Public money should come with public accountability. Private schools pick whoever they want, don’t take every child, like we do. This results in more segregations. Wrong choice for us, students, country.

online y—748 n 123 room y—250 n 19 88% passes

Martha Boardman—Continuing ed—Oppose copays and roll back existing copays for next month—October. Copays tax on being sick. Shift health care burden to our members. Income slashed. UFT commits premium free health care, but not premium free when you pay for routine visits, barrier to care. In service members imposed and increased, devastating for retirees. Went from zero to potentially thousands. Retirees can’t pick up extra work to cover extra costs. RTC already voted to oppose these fees. Stand in solidarity with in service. Asks union to back us up. Not radical. Asks MLC recognize copays as hidden premiums. Priority at bargaining table. Urges yes vote.

Point of order—Sean Ramos—we have health care committee to look at this. Why is it not moved toward health care committee looking a viability.

Mulgrew—Have met with retirees, told them I’d rule it out of order. They have a right. Let it go before. Please go out into hall. Needs to go through health care committee. Overwhelmingly supported by everyone. Everyone is against copays. Mulgrew calls people out of order. If committee can come up with something, will bring it to DA. City would take copay money out of raises. When I say UFT has to be smart, I’ve had this conversation with people who brought this forward. Not going to do something that will hurt us later on. If we can lessen copays, will do it. Healthcare committee directed us throughout.

For people online, want to be clear, we could say yes to this. City’s position will be you have to pay now. Arbitrator will rule for them. Health care costs are a constant problem. If you yell out I will ask you to leave. This union has dealt with many complicated issues. In the end, the priority is not to divide. I don’t want people to lose raises because of copays. We need to be smart about this.

Our retirees want all the benefits they get, more than any other retirees in state of NY. Don’t want things to divide us. We can now vote on whether chair is correct or not.

Mea Ambrosio—point of info—already voted any health care voted at DA.

Mulgrew—Anything on substance of health care has to go to health care committee. Committee comes back with recommendation and then DA votes on it. If it said we want it to go to health committee, would be in order.

5:40. Vote to overrule chair. Do you support ruling that this resolution is out of order, superseding what DA voted on? (Says was voted on this year. I believe it was last.)

Mulgrew says we will get through this.

Point of order—debatable motion. Check Robert’s Rules

Point of info—Norm Scott—Remember resolution about committee—elected or chosen by leadership?

A—Claims it was brought forth by retiree group, It was not.

online y—606 n 229 room y—189 n 79 72%.

Resolution declared out of order.

5:46—Karen Allford—wants to extend hybrid DA rules. Win-win as there is a choice. Overall effect is more engagement and voice.

Point of info—Is there somewhere online we can see text of hybrid rules?

A—Will be sent out.

Point of info—Mea Ambrosio—Spoke about this last year, usually at home. Suggest we could see video and see who’s talking. Boring at home, you have 700 people.

A—Very sorry for people online who have to listen to my boringness.

Janella Hinds speaks in favor.

?—enjoys coming, extra info, seeing people he doesn’t see online. Important to be side by side, in the mix. When teaching hybrid, wasn’t the same. Shame we don’t go back.

Greg Fuchs—Calls question.

online y—797 n 75 room y—233 n 24

Resolution—

online y—888 n 28 room y—218 n 35 passes 95%.

Elizabeth Perez Manhattan rep—5:54—Endorsement of City Council and contingency. Opportunities to endorse during summer. Don’t want hands tied. To best serve interests need exec board to do work. Asks we vote yes.

Debbie ?—Has two children in service in SI. Questions about endorsements without oversight of DA, will endorse candidates that don’t reflect our concerns. Gives example of reactionary Democrat….

Mulgrew—We always endorse candidates not everyone agrees upon. Came from volunteer teachers who did interview process. Was voted on. Asks them to support with lens of profession.

Debbie—We have supported immigrants, this woman united with reactionary elements for them being housed, still bragging about it. Where do you want these people housed, concentration camp, Delaney Hall…

Mulgrew—Not rescinding support. If you want to do the work, go do it. Have taken many positions in support of protecting our students from ICE, have trained over 5,000 members. Many endorsements I don’t agree with. But we rep our members. This provision does not mean Exec Board will endorse anyone for general. Only for unforeseen circumstances, like if someone we endorsed is arrested.

Darol Morris—Isn’t this perfect opportunity for hybrid DA? We can log on at the beach.

Mulgrew—They might be drunk. This is why we pass this, for unforeseen circumstances. Try not to call whole DA in if not necessary. Just small little things, Hard for us to get quorum.

Sheryl Benjamin—Supports resolution. Was parent and grandparent of students, was special election, UFT came in full force to support very supportive candidate.

Tracy ?—Supports. Had to get hundreds of signatures to be considered for exec board. We should trust them.

? exec board—Calls question

online y—700 n 80 room y—213 n 33 89%

Resolution

online y—558 n 143 room y—177 n 63 78% passes.

Mulgrew says he appreciates us.