Who's an Enemy of the Union?

Is it those of us criticizing Mulgrew, or Mulgrew himself?

When I think of enemies of our union, I think of people who oppose public education. I think of people who try to break our union. I think of Eva Moskowitz and Michael Bloomberg. I think of the Supreme Court of the United States, who voted to make dues optional for public employees. I think of those who withdraw dues.

I don’t know exactly who Michael Mulgrew deems an enemy of the union. I do know, though, that he’s been harping on the accusation that those of us who oppose his policies sound like enemies of union. For the record, I’m not an enemy of union. I strongly support it, and I’d like to see it spread far and wide. Union benefits working people, and I support working people.

One thing a union ought to do, though, is work for the betterment of members. Things can always be better, and if you work for the NYC Department of Education, I don’t need to explain that. As far as I’m concerned, anyone working toward improving salary and working conditions for us is a supporter of union. Anyone opposed is an enemy.

This is important, and not only for us. If union wages go up, non-union wages go up too. If union scores better benefits, non-union shops may need to match them to compete. Parents always want better lives and conditions for their children, but while my wife and I were able to buy a home, I see younger friends struggling to manage. It’s now pretty harshly on us to make a better world for ourselves, and leave a better one for our kids.

Wages going up, though, means they have to surpass inflation. UAW leadership understood that, but I see no evidence UFT bosses do. With 15% inflation over the last two years, it doesn’t mean much that we’re getting 3% this year, even if this year’s inflation is not much above that. We started out significantly behind, and it wasn’t on the agenda of the Municipal Labor Committee to catch up. Clearly, they failed to organize for a reasonable cost of living increase.

What is the point of having an MLC that regularly demeans our health care, but cannot organize for a minimum acceptable wage increase? They say that’s not what the organization is for, but if not, what the hell is it for? Do we really need to invest our union dues supporting an organization that exclusively makes things worse for us?

In 2014, the MLC gave a billion dollars from our health stabilization fund to the city. This was to support a contract that allowed us to catch up with the pay increases already enjoyed by NYPD and FDNY. Not were we years behind them, but we also had to wait several more years to catch up, and with no interest whatsoever. Fabulous negotiating.

There was another option. UFT bosses will tell you, when you complain about sub-inflation salary increases, that the pattern is unbreakable, and that they’ve been ruled so. If that’s the case, why didn’t UFT bosses insist on arbitration and that we be made whole, immediately and without givebacks? Why on earth would they give the city a billion dollars for something to which, according to them, we were absolutely entitled?

Along with many, I oppose the actions Mulgrew has taken. Without our voice, and without our vote, he’s decided to diminish the health care of all union members. In direct opposition to the Delegate Assembly, the body whose work he claims to uphold and follow, he’s decided to oppose the New York Health Act, which would provide better health care not only for union members, but also for all New Yorkers.

For the record, Canada achieved universal health care province by province, and their health care system is provincial, not national. I watched my father’s wife struggle to provide end-of-life care for him, even as my sister-in-law’s grandmother, in Canada, was provided it free of charge, with a private room and better conditions than my dad had. It is a national disgrace that we don’t care for one another, and Michael Mulgrew, in defiance of our union’s express resolutions, is prolonging it.

If you read The Sum of Us, by Heather McGhee, you will see that Mulgrew’s philosophy, basically we have what we need so screw everyone else, is fallacy. First of all, according to the NY State Supreme Court, he’s doing irreparable harm to retirees. Second, if you think Mulgrew’s new scheme of a 10% cheaper plan for in-service members will be as good or better as what you have, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.

We are a community. If you have health care that works for you, that’s great. But your brother, sister, mother, father, your family,friends and neighbors count too. Do you want someone you know going bankrupt for catastrophic medical emergency? This tends to happen only here. In Canada, for example, you pay for health care through the government, and it’s a whole lot cheaper without parasitical entities like Aetna.

So who’s an enemy of the union? Is it someone like me, who wants better health care for all? Is it the people in NYC Retirees, who battle diminishment of health care, who’ve beaten Mulgrew, Adams and the rest of them in court 12 times in a row? Is it you, for wanting decent health care for all your family and friends?

Or are enemies of the union those who align with Eric Adams, our contractual adversary, to reduce our health care? Are enemies of our union those who gave away a billion dollars of our health care funds in 2014? Are enemies of our union those who agreed, in 2018, to save Eric Adams over 600 million a year in health costs forever, in exchange for a three-year contract that absolutely failed to keep up with cost of living?

Is Michael Mulgrew, working in tandem with Eric Adams to save the city money, at our expense, an enemy of our union? Is the Municipal Labor Committee, working hand in velvet glove with Adams and Mulgrew, an enemy of our union? Aren’t Mulgrew and the MLC supposed to not only save, but also make more money for us?

Who’s an enemy of union?

You decide.