If Randi Weingarten and Michael Mulgrew were sincere about hearing retirees and opposing Medicare Advantage they would be lobbying for state and city legislation to preserve Medicare and Medicare supplement at no cost to UFT retirees.
They would be writing columns in the Teacher and NYSUT publication opposing dumping their retirees into Medicare Advantage.They would be filing briefs opposing the City’s cases to dump retirees into Medicare Advantage and opposing co-pays which is another way of increasing retiree health care costs.
In court this week, both emblem, and the city of New York said that retirees are just complaining about co-pays because active workers don’t complain at all about their co-pays!
Maybe active workers don’t realize their union leader led the way to impose co-pays on everyone
Maybe they didn’t know that healthcare is a mandatory subject of bargaining and they have a say!
There's a story about two Russian farmers. One says, "My neighbor has a cow and I don't. I want his cow to die." This is how we're expected to think. This is how our union leaders encourage us to think. Well, this sort of thought is not union. We need to educate our fellow unionists, especially those in-service.
Thank you for writing this, Arthur. Everything you're describing, I witnessed firsthand. I was a member of Unity Caucus for a few years, and worked as a UFT PM staffer in the UFT D75 Office for about 3 years. I left Unity Caucus a year ago, because of my ethical concerns around healthcare, lack of democratic processes within our union, and divisive/dishonest rhetoric espoused by Unity members who are also UFT employees paid with our dues money. I was fired from my UFT PM staffer job about 2 weeks after leaving Unity. No reason was given, but there had never been an issue with my job performance. I was fired because I no longer agreed to be a member of Michael Mulgrew's Unity Caucus.
The Unity Caucus certainly operates as a rigid hierarchy, with Mulgrew on top. Anyone who doesn't fall in line is branded a liability, and is fired altogether or banished to a cubicle in a remote location-- or to a cubicle where they can be closely watched. A lot of people in Unity don't like or trust Mulgrew and his inner-circle, but they know if they say anything they'll simply be removed and replaced. Mulgrew is paranoid, power-hungry, and vindictive. He lies to UFT members' faces without a second thought, and he is selling out the rights and benefits that we earned through decades of union organizing and decades of public service. Mulgrew and his Unity Caucus enablers are unfit to lead the UFT, and we must all work together to vote them out. I am very confident that UFT members of conscience will defeat Mulgrew/Unity in the upcoming general election, and we will make our UFT truly democratic, proactive and so much stronger than it is now.
Thanks for your comment, Chad. Your firsthand experience speaks volumes. It's terrible that someone as articulate and thoughtful as you is dumped for the egregious offense of not drinking the Kool-Aid. It's also terrible that we're compelled to pay the salaries of people who do nothing BUT drink it.
Mulgrew doesn’t know retirees haven’t fallen for him smoke & mirrors statement of not backing Advantage care for retirees. He’s concerned about his re-election. Read yesterday there is a UFT exec. thinking of running for Bob Holden’s seat upon his retirement . UFT infiltrating NYC Council to get Advantage passed?
One vote won't do it. And the current UFT position, unilaterally given by the Great Leader, is we don't support it. So we'll see what happens with Dermot.
Oh my, it’s Dermot Smyth who’s running. Dermot told me, over 13 years ago, when he became a special rep that he wants to change the union from within. Was I supposed to infer that the $187,786 he’s getting in UFT patronage money had nothing to do with his leaving his full time day job of teaching to change the union from within? I haven’t seen any change from within since he came on board. Looks like he’s going on a grab for another gold ring 🥇 at NY City Council. Another one of those screws with no threads.
Years ago, I remember our chapter leader emailing Mulgrew about issues that came up and then she got a message from one of his minions that she was emailing him too much and to stop emailing him.
I actually read a book called The Teacher Rebellion by David Selden. There was quite a bit there about Shanker, and he was certainly not portrayed as a nice guy.
We're so fortunate that you are one of our Retiree Vice Chair Leaders. While Mulgrew and his Unity loyalists have built in ways to restrict the power of non-Unity elected and the RA team (especially after such an historic win!) -your words continue to travel -and effectively so! We're all learning to distinguish between frauds and those who take lives and the meaning of union to heart! TY for being on such a roll!!
I'm thinking we win the election next year and take over the union. I also think it's important to defeat Trump, who will come after Medicare and public schools.
At that salary, a person votes however Mulgrew says. It would be nice if we, the lowly members, had the remotest notions what that would mean for, say, protecting Medicare.
Actually tthe City Council protected 12-126, but turned down our request to protect Medicare and a supplement. The state seemed to support us, but didn't bring it to a vote, citing union opposition. Hopefully we can fix that. To do so, we need Mulgrew to act rather than talk.
If Randi Weingarten and Michael Mulgrew were sincere about hearing retirees and opposing Medicare Advantage they would be lobbying for state and city legislation to preserve Medicare and Medicare supplement at no cost to UFT retirees.
They would be writing columns in the Teacher and NYSUT publication opposing dumping their retirees into Medicare Advantage.They would be filing briefs opposing the City’s cases to dump retirees into Medicare Advantage and opposing co-pays which is another way of increasing retiree health care costs.
But they are not. Their silence is deafening.
Yes I couldn't agree more. We get to vote in UFT next year. And when we win, we'll have votes at AFT too.
In court this week, both emblem, and the city of New York said that retirees are just complaining about co-pays because active workers don’t complain at all about their co-pays!
Maybe active workers don’t realize their union leader led the way to impose co-pays on everyone
Maybe they didn’t know that healthcare is a mandatory subject of bargaining and they have a say!
There's a story about two Russian farmers. One says, "My neighbor has a cow and I don't. I want his cow to die." This is how we're expected to think. This is how our union leaders encourage us to think. Well, this sort of thought is not union. We need to educate our fellow unionists, especially those in-service.
Thank you for writing this, Arthur. Everything you're describing, I witnessed firsthand. I was a member of Unity Caucus for a few years, and worked as a UFT PM staffer in the UFT D75 Office for about 3 years. I left Unity Caucus a year ago, because of my ethical concerns around healthcare, lack of democratic processes within our union, and divisive/dishonest rhetoric espoused by Unity members who are also UFT employees paid with our dues money. I was fired from my UFT PM staffer job about 2 weeks after leaving Unity. No reason was given, but there had never been an issue with my job performance. I was fired because I no longer agreed to be a member of Michael Mulgrew's Unity Caucus.
The Unity Caucus certainly operates as a rigid hierarchy, with Mulgrew on top. Anyone who doesn't fall in line is branded a liability, and is fired altogether or banished to a cubicle in a remote location-- or to a cubicle where they can be closely watched. A lot of people in Unity don't like or trust Mulgrew and his inner-circle, but they know if they say anything they'll simply be removed and replaced. Mulgrew is paranoid, power-hungry, and vindictive. He lies to UFT members' faces without a second thought, and he is selling out the rights and benefits that we earned through decades of union organizing and decades of public service. Mulgrew and his Unity Caucus enablers are unfit to lead the UFT, and we must all work together to vote them out. I am very confident that UFT members of conscience will defeat Mulgrew/Unity in the upcoming general election, and we will make our UFT truly democratic, proactive and so much stronger than it is now.
Thanks for your comment, Chad. Your firsthand experience speaks volumes. It's terrible that someone as articulate and thoughtful as you is dumped for the egregious offense of not drinking the Kool-Aid. It's also terrible that we're compelled to pay the salaries of people who do nothing BUT drink it.
Mulgrew doesn’t know retirees haven’t fallen for him smoke & mirrors statement of not backing Advantage care for retirees. He’s concerned about his re-election. Read yesterday there is a UFT exec. thinking of running for Bob Holden’s seat upon his retirement . UFT infiltrating NYC Council to get Advantage passed?
One vote won't do it. And the current UFT position, unilaterally given by the Great Leader, is we don't support it. So we'll see what happens with Dermot.
Oh my, it’s Dermot Smyth who’s running. Dermot told me, over 13 years ago, when he became a special rep that he wants to change the union from within. Was I supposed to infer that the $187,786 he’s getting in UFT patronage money had nothing to do with his leaving his full time day job of teaching to change the union from within? I haven’t seen any change from within since he came on board. Looks like he’s going on a grab for another gold ring 🥇 at NY City Council. Another one of those screws with no threads.
Thanks for being so supportive!
Thanks for your kind comment.
Years ago, I remember our chapter leader emailing Mulgrew about issues that came up and then she got a message from one of his minions that she was emailing him too much and to stop emailing him.
That's hilarious. And sad too.
Do a deep dive on Albert Shanker and the origin story of the UFT.
Shanker is not the "nice guy" that the UFT makes him out to be.
https://jacobin.com/2018/09/ocean-hill-brownsville-strike-united-federation-teachers-new-york-community-control/
I actually read a book called The Teacher Rebellion by David Selden. There was quite a bit there about Shanker, and he was certainly not portrayed as a nice guy.
Thank you for sharing this. Im lookimg for the book right now. 🙏
It's been out of print forever. I think I found a used copy on Amazon.
I just scored the book on internet archive. Thank you!
You will like it.
We're so fortunate that you are one of our Retiree Vice Chair Leaders. While Mulgrew and his Unity loyalists have built in ways to restrict the power of non-Unity elected and the RA team (especially after such an historic win!) -your words continue to travel -and effectively so! We're all learning to distinguish between frauds and those who take lives and the meaning of union to heart! TY for being on such a roll!!
Thanks Laura. I appreciate your encouragement.
Arthur, keep writing- it’s more important than you may realize.
Thanks so much! I appreciate that.
What are next steps?
I'm thinking we win the election next year and take over the union. I also think it's important to defeat Trump, who will come after Medicare and public schools.
Dermot Smyth running for NY City Council District 30.
Dermot is the holder of a Unity patronage position at $187,786 per annum.
Adheres to the Unity ie Mulgrew doctrine.
https://queensledger.com/2024/07/17/dermot-smyth-declares-candidacy-for-district-30-seat/
At that salary, a person votes however Mulgrew says. It would be nice if we, the lowly members, had the remotest notions what that would mean for, say, protecting Medicare.
Actually tthe City Council protected 12-126, but turned down our request to protect Medicare and a supplement. The state seemed to support us, but didn't bring it to a vote, citing union opposition. Hopefully we can fix that. To do so, we need Mulgrew to act rather than talk.