NY teacher union president, Michael Mulgrew, gets a punch in the face from retirees.
Michael Mulgrew’s United Federation of Teachers has never been a shining star of union democracy.
If you have lived in Chicago under the regimes of the Mayors Richard Daley (father and son) and the Democratic Machine, as I have, you should have a sense of how the ruling Unity Caucus of the UFT operates.
I recall watching a live feed of the 2014 AFT convention discussing Common Core when Mulgrew responded to criticism of Common Core by some Chicago teacher union members.
I believe Mulgrew’s argument for Common Core went something like, “I’ll punch you in the face if you try and take Common Core away from me.”
As I write this it appears that a group of UFT retirees have successfully organized a rebellion against the Unity Caucus and Mulgrew, taking control of what is essentially the retiree chapter of the New York teachers union.
It wasn’t even close.
Retired New York City math teacher, Jonathan Halibi reported the unofficial results on his Facebook page yesterday.
This was an unheard of defeat for the Unity Caucus of Michael Mulgrew.
It was a historic win for the Retiree Advocate which challenged the leadership of the UFT.
The win had its seeds in the fight against the move by Mulgrew and New York Mayor Adams to push retirees into a privatized medicare advantage program.
However, there were other issues that Retiree Advocate argued for as well.
The Retiree Advocate program:
2024 Retiree Advocate/UFT Election Platform
ORGANIZE TO PROTECT AND IMPROVE RETIREE BENEFITS
Protect our Healthcare from being privatized – No Medicare Advantage
Protect our Pensions
Improve the COLA formula on our pension to match full Cost of Living
Expand Social Security benefits and ensure that they are not diminished
Support and organize for a NY Health Act that protects and expands health benefits for all
Work towards a national single payer health plan
EXPAND UNION DEMOCRACY IN THE RETIRED TEACHERS CHAPTER (RTC)
End winner-take-all chapter elections (70% of the vote should not win 100% of the 300 delegates)
Make RTC meetings more meaningful. Give voice to a greater variety of views. Allow real debate. Allow members to raise issues
Let the full chapter vote on major RTC issues such as changes to our healthcare
SOLIDARITY WITH WORKING EDUCATORS / STRENGTHEN WORKING EDUCATOR-RETIREE ALLIANCE
Everyone’s Health Care Matters! Work to protect in-service health care, as we fight to preserve retiree healthcare
Lobby the state legislature for Pension Equity – Move Tier 6 to Tier 4
Take steps to support educators working under abusive administrators
Involve retirees in assisting chapter leaders and organizing school chapters. Use retiree knowledge and experience to empower our working colleagues and unionize charter schools
Keep public schools public. No charters, no vouchers, no co-locations, and no funding schemes that undermine public education.
End Mayoral Control
Fully fund our schools. Slash the Tweed bureaucracy. Stop wasteful spending on no-bid contracts for consultants and vendors.
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE FOR ALL
We support:
raising the minimum wage
alleviating student loans
universal parental leave
subsidized childcare
a massive jobs program to address racial and economic disparities
a progressive tax system including a stock transfer tax
Oppose and fight racism
Prioritize local communities, social services, and veterans’ benefits over military spending
Another New York teacher retiree, Arthur Goldstein, wrote on his substack site:
Yesterday was a historic day. We have taken our United Federation of Teachers from the clutches of those who thought Eric Adams’ budget and/or Aetna’s profits were more important than our health. We have broken the bonds placed upon us by ostensible leaders, union bosses to whom our health was not even an afterthought.