TRS Election Pre-Outcome Analysis

Good news. No matter the outcome of the TRS election, David Kazansky will continue to do his workshops. See his video here.

A Bronx school

Friday, May 15, 2026

I'm about to head into Manhattan to prep for my Murray Hill tour tomorrow at noon. May 16 is Park Ave Festival where they close the southbound streets from 42 to 34 St. There will be all sorts of goodies and booths, including IMx Pilates on 39th and Madison, my new favorite place to exercise. But first I wanted to get these comments out before I drown in trying to analyze the TRS election.

The DOE run TRS election is over after the May 13 balloting in the schools in an election run by the DOE - how competent do you think that was? Well, depending on the school and principal. Any candidate and voter, or those denied the opportunity to vote (the rule was to vote after school only - and many could not stay) can probably find loads of reasons to protest the way it was run in some schools. I do know from the ABC chats that the active Kazansky people made sure the elections were run as correctly as possible in their schools by feeding the principal the correct info and keeping a close eye on the process. Reports from Unity-dominated schools are sketchy but the intense pressure from the leadership to get a big turnout for Tom Brown worked in some places and failed in others. The ABC crew seems to have done an amazing job for Kazansky from results I've seen, with 80-90% for him in some schools while in Unity schools the results for Tom Brown are more in the 50s and 60s. Frank Panebianco is also getting some votes but I heard of only one school where he won outright.

A May 13 post by A Better Contract titled DAY & NIGHT chronicled a comparison of the May 11 TRS Zoom held by ABC with about 170 people with the Mulgrew Town Hall.

The author, HS CL Thomas Hasler, who I met in MORE many years ago and now seems to be aligned with ABC, made a number of excellent points and I urge you to read his comments which I will post in a follow-up. He captured the essence of how the ABC crew operates:

The difference between Monday night’s ABC Town Hall hosted by Amy Arundell, a true leader, and David Kazanksy, the candidate for TRS Trustee, was in stark contrast to yesterday’s “Town Hall” hosted by President Mulgrew and the official UFT. The difference could not have been more like DAY and NIGHT. At ABC’s Town Hall on Monday, members were allowed to ask questions on their own in an open forum. At Mulgrew’s meeting yesterday, it was the OPPOSITE.

I will point to one more of his comments:

Chapter Leaders were told to send a picture of the election tally sheet from their school to their UFT District Rep. This seems like an attempt to pressure UFT chapters to vote a certain way. Or it could be interpreted this way.

This seemed to confuse a retiree who has been an oppositionist for decades who asked:

Just curious.  How does the request from the UFT that C/Ls send  a picture of the school’s tally sheet to their district rep represent pressure to vote a certain way?  Should the DOE be the only ones who see the schools tally sheet?

My response:

It is a method for unity to hold CL accountable if Brown doesn’t do well. 

The firings seemed to work as district reps have pressured people to push Brown. 

They were never threatened with losing until recently so elections weren’t viewed as life or death matters. David and Frank candidates represent a real threat as former Unity with a following. 

But in the end all candidates get a tally sheet of all schools that will indicate unity strengths and weaknesses as it will for oppo movements. 

I had been asking for such tally sheets in general uft elections but have been turned down. 

What happens to Unity CLs in schools where Brown only wins in a close race or loses? I'm betting on district reps and those CL being called out. And I've heard the outcomes of some of these schools. 

[Excuse the redundancies in this piece since I've been writing it for 3 days and am sick of editing it.]

Officially, the legacy caucuses (RA, NAC, MORE) sat this one out. though some individuals from New Action were involved, including Ben Morgenroth who ran as David's alternate. ABC immediately backed David, who was not part of ABC, but hoping he will be in the future. People were pretty impressed with his talents. His and  Leah Linn videos made a splash. Between them they have a large following I believe over 10k. The ABC view is to challenge the ruling Unity caucus on all fronts, all the time, while the legacy groups are always calculating how to be "strategic," the sense of being too aggressive will turn off the "normies" (not me). My disagreement with them over the past few years is that the revolt of the retirees and the paras in the 2024 elections was a call for more militancy rather than pacivity. 

Some important history related to David given some backbiting over his past. Mulgrew removed him from TRS 2 years ago for being too independent and replaced him with a total incompetent loyalist. The so-called oppositionist backbiters neglect to see there is a bigger struggle to remove Unity from power that includes poaching dissatisfied Unityites. I have thought for 30 years that a break in Unity was crucial and that break is occurring. I think this election will bring over some Unity people who resented the pressure. 

MORE officially took a no endorsement position because their ideology calls for a focus in divesting in Israeli bonds - they are behind the Educators for Palestine group. But individuals in MORE did see the impact of defeating Mulgrew's hand-picked candidate. In fact, since the 2025 election, a faction of MORE has been reaching out and working with ABC and some results coming in from schools with MORE CLs and contingents have favored David. There is a split in MORE between those wanting to be involved in UFT elections and those who don't and given the 14% ARISE received in the election, the no-election faction may have gained some power. An alliance of the pro-election faction with ABC makes a lot of sense because RA and NAC do not offer a punch at the in-service level. In fact, such an alliance could actually win the 2028 UFT election.

Will the hate ABC ideologues that were connected to ARISE rise once again as a spoiler in two years to try to assure Unity control of the UFT? If MORE officially sits that one out and allows the pro-election faction to ally with ABC, there is less chance of that happening.

What the legacy caucuses don't get is that we must take every opportunity to force Unity to defend itself in the electoral arena and the yearly TRS election had been neglected for decades until 2 years ago and I'm proud to be part of the team (pre-ABC) to have helped organize these elections and I hope next year and the year after there will be candidates to try to take down the Unity TRS candidate under the control of the UFT leadership.

Despite the 3-way TRS race, people in ABC still give David a chance to win, though given the 30k petitions turned in by Unity for Brown (David vs Unity Goliath in TRS Election) it looked like the machine was in operation. Yet, from the reports I was getting, David was holding more than his own.

Let's see what the combined totals of David and Frank come out to. If over 40%, given the rigor Unity exerted, that is a danger sign for them and bodes well for defeating them. 

Don't forget, retirees and non-TRS members (ie BERS pension) can't vote, but PSC and CSA does vote. 

This election is a test of sorts of the strength of the leadership which went all out. If Brown gets 70-80% of the vote, it bodes well for the leadership --- signs Unity may have stopped the bleeding. If under 60%, danger signs will be blinking. It is also a test of  ABC, the only organized force in the UFT officially involved in the election.

ABC Rocks as threat to Unity hegemony grows

An important aspect of this election has been the re-emergence of the ABC network with new people like David and others, showing ABC is still alive and vibrant. Some schools with nominal Unity CLs came in heavily for David and ABC is hoping for more migrations. We've seen former Unity people who had been locked up behind a closed door emerging like birds released from their cages. The Mulgrew firings of competent people have not only hurt and degraded Unity, but have fueled an enthusiastic opposition based in ABC and affiliated independents and even some from the legacy caucuses. Yes, some Unity are still scared, but for how much longer? The flow from Unity to ABC will continue, which is why Unity leaders view ABC as the main threat, as do the legacy caucuses which also see ABC as a threat to their influence.

The ABC network seems resilient after a post-2025 election lull and as part of the "We Trust David" chat, it was thrilling to see the level of openness, cooperation and organization in operation. The chat also included non-ABC supporters from other caucuses. It has been so much more of a pleasant experience working with an open group like ABC compared to working with the legacy caucuses, MORE and Retiree Advocate, which was such a closed group after they won the RTC election and only recently opened up - to those willing to pay $50 dues to get a voice. ABC is free and open.

The ABC crew and affiliates has been fabulous for brainstorming and moving agendas. Results coming in showed the ABC crew did an amazing job in getting votes for David --- only if we had more people in more schools. Also even in some Unity schools Brown is not winning with 80 or more %. The third candidate definitely hurts but not too bad. 

The ABC operation seems to have found a formula for organizing -- it is open and flexible unlike the legacy caucuses.  (Another wing of ABC also affiliated with independents has also been activated around the way the RTC is being run by RA and the upcoming RTC chapter election, a dynamic group that more and more people are joining -- yes, it's free.)

From what I saw from reports coming in yesterday, in some Unity schools pushing the heavy Brown vote, there has been some counter reaction to Unity oppression. From one school:

We heard of more pushbacks against Unity pressure. In another Unity school, the vote went overwhelmingly for David which means exactly what? Maybe more hidden cracks. The Mulgrew terror campaign can only go so far.

In schools with Unity CL where David won handily, I can just imagine a new wave of firings or demotions. Yes, the firings last June did work on some Unity people. One district rep who was called in and threatened has apparently learned his lesson by banning some CL who backed David from his communication group.

Frank Panebianco, who is very well-liked and respected by everyone, including the ABC crew, was fired because supposedly TRS rep Victoria Lee wanted him out of the way because he complained to LeRoy Barr over her bossiness. (She is supposedly not well liked). She complained to Mulgrew. Mulgrew fired Frank but then rethought it and tried to hire him back. 

Frank thought he had put in the time and loyalty and wanted the TRS position when Mulgrew removed Kazansky two years ago but was jumped over by no-nothing Christina McGrath who shit the bed even worse than Tom Brown at an RTC meeting. They ran Lee the next year for the position, which Frank felt he deserved, a slap in the face.

Frank was willing to come back but wanted a raise, to be the next trustee and work out of the Bronx. Mulgrew wouldn’t agree to those demands so rather than accept his old job back, chose to go back to teaching. Give him credit for that. 

Speaking of Victoria Lee, check this out:

I have no comment other than how many other principals were in cahoots with a Unity CL?

A Unity HS CL with an after school job wined to the staff:

It was his job to get them to vote and he blames them.

And then there were complaints on why people couldn't vote.

NOTE: If you managed to wade through the mess above, you get the weekend off.

ABC TRS Town Hall: May 11 @ 7pm -- A Better Contract

I was away on a tour of national parks and tried to keep up but internet was sketchy. The TRS election has all sorts of permutations and the "We Trust David" chat has been hot. I just don't have the bandwidth to get into all of it but if you attend the town hall tonight you (and I) will be filled in. I categorized Unity staff in the past as drones and have learned in working with former Unity like David that once freed of the cult they have a lot of skills. David has done a great job in organizing his campaign. Needless to say, the Unity machine leadership views this election as crucial and has pulled out all stops to promote its candidate as I reported in my April 22 report:  David vs Unity Goliath in TRS Election as Fear and Loathing Works

 

Educators of NYCMay 11 · The Wire: Powered by Educators of NYC

Join us, today.

ABC TRS Town Hall: May 11 @ 7pm

A Better Contract May 11

READ IN APP

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/lHRQhNwyQkid3fhGeuciww#/registration

This Monday (5/11) at 7PM: The TRS Town Hall Every UFT Member Needs to Attend

A Better Contract (ABC-UFT) is hosting a TRS Town Hall this Monday, May 11 at 7pm, facilitated by Amy Arundell. We’ll break down how the TRS election should be run and explain why every member needs to vote for David Kazansky.

Don’t miss this crucial chance to protect our future and take back our union!

THIS IS ABOUT YOUR PENSION

This election helps decide who has a voice over your retirement. David Kazansky is the only independent, member-driven candidate focused on protecting pensions without political pressure. Let’s show up and make our voices heard.

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/lHRQhNwyQkid3fhGeuciww#/registration

Register for town hall

 

UFT DA and RTC Back to Back Meetings: The Stockholm Syndrome

Recent retiree: My first retiree meeting and I am appalled. 

Retiree delegate responds: Yes.  The only thing that could have made it worse would have been a Mulgrew visit and, I guess, a Tom Brown performance.  It made me want to cry.

Recently Retiree: Yes. It made me very sad. All that work to win a historic election and this is what they do with it. Arthur reports on DA and RTC

Retiree Michael Brocoum: I attended the RTC meeting at 52 Broadway. Bennett Fischer stated that The UFT is trying to deal with the copay issue. With all due respect that is laughable. Copays exist because of Mike Mulgrew. Mulgrew asked the City to institute copays to free up some money for active worker raises essentially pitting active workers against retirees. Additionally Bennet Fischer asked for people to man phone banks to support the UFT's (Mulgrew) pick for District 3 City Council. The union (Mulgrew) supports Carl Wilson. You can be sure that to get the UFT (Mulgrew) support he had to agree to not actively fight to protect retiree healthcare. I rose up to speak and asked attendees to vote for Layla-Law Gisiko who is supported by Marianne Pizzitola. We still have our traditional Medicare because of Marianne. Please vote for Layla-Law Gisiko and ignore any calls from the UFT phone banks.  Bennett Fischer was not pleased to hear my statement and criticized me for mentioning Mulgrew in this healthcare fight. Sad. 

Norm: Did you notice Bennett attacking Mike Brocoum for going after Mulgrew, labeling it as a personal attack -- the Unity crowd heckled Mike but no word from Bennett about them. What next, getting reprimanded for being critical of UFT policies? Could Bennett have objected to mentioning the "union Leadership that made the deal to force us into Medicare Advantage" or the "union leadership" that went to the city council to try to amend the law that guarantees health care coverage for all municipal employees and retirees and their dependents - to put retirees in a different category so they could force us into MA or make us pay for our Senior Care if we wanted to to stay in traditional Medicare?

Arthur Goldstein report of RTC Meeting: It was pretty remarkable to hear Bennett Fischer stop a speaker from saying that Michael Mulgrew imposed copays on us, deeming it a “personal attack.” That, in fact, is not a personal attack. It’s a statement that, as far as I know, is true. The copays were put in place to make his crappy Medicare Advantage plan look better. A personal attack would be saying your adversaries spout fairy tales. It would be saying some people can’t handle the facts. It would be saying your adversaries make everything a conspiracy, or that those who disagree with you are enemies of the union. Michael Mulgrew said all those things at a UFT Executive Board meeting I attended. 

Norm: Watching Bennett over the past year and a half, he bends over backwards to defend Unity and criticizes their critics - in public, while privately he will be critical. I can be the only one with my hand up and he will avoid calling on me because he's concerned I may go after Unity (which I will).  I've been Tom Murphyized by Bennett.  

Retiree Delegate after the meeting: I debated paying the $50 to join Retiree Advocate and decided not to. I paid what I thought were dues for years and found out I was not a member. I'm not giving them more money.

Friday, April 23, 2026 

 

Oy! Having spent 4 hours over 2 days at Albert Shanker Hall listening first to Mulgrew and then endless reports that chewed up most of the RTC meeting, I said thank goodness for the chips and oreo cookies. Above are some of the comments from retirees. I have a lot to say about both but not enough time to write it all down. So I will focus here on the DA.

 

Arthur covered both meetings remotely in depth. 

Unbelievable--April UFT Delegate Assembly: Michael Mulgrew and his Unity ducklings instruct us on just what we are and are not allowed to know.

Arthur Goldstein

Apr 22, 2026

At RTC Meeting, We Help Everyone But Ourselves: We've entirely dropped the ball.

Arthur Goldstein

Apr 23, 2026

Both meetings exposed the differences riling both retiree and active UFT members opposed to Unity Caucus. The ABC DA chat group during DAs is worth the price of admission (free). While I gnash my teeth at DAs, I don't expect very much from the Unity leadership. Or from the RA-RTC leadership and their dwindling core of delegates. One of the delegates I respect a lot resigned recently. People are saying "what's the point?" I'm thinking the same but go for the entertainment value.

 

Mulgrew will talk forever. A faux Unity unsigned reso will be placed on the new motion agenda. Most of the people called on will be full or part-time UFT staff. And even if a new motion from a non-Unity gets raised and even approved, it will get buried and put on the bottom of the agenda for the next month. Or year. Or decade.

 

There were a few big issues: 

David vs Unity Goliath in TRS Election as Fear and Loathing Works as Unity Delivers 30K Petition Sigs for Tom Brown

I'm not coming to the DA today because I resigned as a delegate. I couldn't take all the unkindness anymore.... A (former) retiree delegate.

One day I'll get into how Retiree Advocate and the RTC leadership frittered away the potential power of electing 300 retiree delegates, many of whom don't bother attending. I'm too dumb to get the message and I'm racing to finish this before heading off to another scintillating Delegate Assembly, or Derogatory Assembly.

I’ve worked with David (Kazansky) for nine years, and it’s been an absolute pleasure. We have had the opportunity to attend many meetings, travel around the country, you always attending the defined benefit pension plans. David has always acted as a true fiduciary, always had the interest of our members, any time we debated anything, he would always say, how would this benefit our members? He’s taken care of a lot of specific issues with our members, helping members..... Tom Brown 

Wednesday, April 22, 2026

I graduated from the 8 month training program at Brooklyn Botanic

Garden Tour guide program last week and here is the treat of the season there - but with more to come as spring moves on. Maybe see you there one day.

The Teacher Retirement System (TRS) race is one of the more interesting I've seen in the UFT. Recent discussions about investing pension funds in city housing and other investments have raised the issue of exactly what role our pension reps play on the TRS. Do they share investment info or strategies with the membership and if not why not?

David vs Unity. Goliath

David Kazansky Gets 2500 sigs, Frank Panebianco, 1400. Needed was 1,000. Kazansky had been a pension rep for 9 years before he was moved out by Mulgrew and subsequently fired. He is currently teaching elementary school in the Bronx. 

He is running as an independent with the backing of ABC as the only group to back him officially while the legacy oppo groups sit on their hands. (though some individuals have been on the campaign). Better dead than red is an old anti-communist theme. A version has infected the old legacy UFT opposition: Better Unity than opposition that doesn't meet the purity test. That is the theme of most of the oppo, which has been embalmed in a left wing ideological tomb for decades.

Panebianco, also back to teaching after being a UFT staffer fired by Mulgrew in a reign of terror. It seems to have worked, as the Unity machine saw the threat David presented and went hog wild in getting 31k signatures for Tom Brown, who is also a UFT officer. Unity is feeling enough heat to have run a massive campaign for Brown.

Of course petition signatures don't necessarily translate into votes when the election is held in a few weeks. Having third candidate Panebianco in the race certainly makes David's chances very slim. Is Panebianco a Unity stalking horse to assure a Brown win? Did they help him get the 1400 signatures? Sources say probably not. 

I'm actually pretty impressed with the campaign David has run - his approach and his organizational abilities - 2.5k sigs is pretty impressive and also shows that the ABC network is still operating. Note that petitions can be challenged and last year Unity managed to knock the opposting candidate off the ballot and no election was held. I don't imagine Unity will challenge Panebianco's signatures this time and David has too many sigs for a challenge to work but they may try to go after the main threat anyway.

There are 3 teacher pension reps, all for a 3-year term, staggered so that every year one of them has to run - if there is an opponent. For decades Unity has controlled all these positions and in fact there was never an election because no one ran against them. For many years I and others have advocated for someone to run against the Unity candidate. A victory or even a serious dent in the Unity vote would break the monopoly of the TRS teacher reps who are as subservient to Mulgrew's wishes as the Trump cabinet is to his. 

There are strict rules around the election process and the petitioning. The DOE, not the UFT, runs the elections in the schools on a day in early May. Ironically, retirees play no role in the election. Supervisors and college teachers can vote, so it requires a broad network. Two years ago, an hoc group of UFT members organized a vigorous campaign for a candidate who volunteered to run and with a tiny organizing effort he got a third of the vote. But Unity did not do a lot in that campaign.  We did not necessarily expect to win that election, but to use it as a learning experience for a future run. Last year there was a challenge on some minor issue and the candidate was knocked off the ballot. So this year is the first time of a real potential election. (Expect another election next year.) 

The election is run in the schools in one day by the DOE and the last one two years ago was so terribly run there was a law suit. Don't expect this one to be run much better. One interesting aspect it the results show how each school voted -- how many votes each candidate gets so there is a lot of room for analysis. Expect the Unity machine to hold its in school people and district reps accountable for the votes.

On the surface it may look like a slam dunk for Unity and it probably is. Now it's down to GOTV and let's see how well the candidates do. Unity might get 80% or 60%. Remember the 54% in last year's election. This will be a test of the Unity machine's GOTV operation, which a year ago was not too effective -- which I think led to the firings and warnings and even some demotions. But I will say that the tactics being used may work for a short time but fear and loathing of such tactics will lead to rising resistance. 

I'm working on a future blog titled: Will Unity defectors become the face of the opposition in the UFT? My thesis is - and actually has been for 30 years  - that Unity can never be beaten until there are cracks that lead to breaks -- and instead of trying to heal these cracks, Mulgrew has cracked down and over the long run -- those cracks and crackdowns will turn into an earthquake.

======

Afterburn: The Legacy Caucus sit on their hands

After initial reluctance, some key members of New Action supported the campaign two years ago, but MORE sat it out because their main concern is about BDS - dumping Israeli bonds. When I brought the issue to RA, one member refused to let them consider supporting the candidate over the potential BDS issue too. 

This year RA and MORE are again sitting it out, while there is some support from a few people in New Action. 

Ideology once again triumphs over winning, one reason the oppo in the UFT will always lose to Unity, which is already planning the 100th anniversary party of holding onto monopoly power in the UFT in 2062.

Menin to Mulgrew: Send Para Protesters to Mamdani Event, RTC Exec Bd Meeting Today

“Speaker Menin is asking for 20 people to be outside with Para Respect signs, so the mayor and others can see them as they enter,” read the email, which urged members to sign up to rally outside the venue for about two hours before Mamdani’s event started. The email, which indicated Menin put in the last-minute request to UFT President Michael Mulgrew, was sent to dozens of paraprofessionals and looped in two high-ranking union officials — Michael Sill, the secretary of the UFT and a top aide to Mulgrew, and Priscilla Castro, the chair of the UFT’s paraprofessional chapter — according to a person with knowledge of the message who was granted anonymity to discuss the private communication.... 

A spokesperson for the UFT said the rep who sent the message was misinformed and likely confused the Sunday protest for a larger pro-pay raise bill rally that’s supposed to take place in the coming weeks......Politico

Paras being used as pawns by Mulgrew 

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

The leaked email is another sign of internal dissatisfaction in the Unity cult. Last night at exec board Vacarro made sure she said they had a person on the stage supporting Mamdani at his 100 day event. Call it Counter balance, but they only had one person supporting Mamdani while trying to make it look like rank and file paras were outside protesting and not orchestrated by Menin and Mulgrew?

I heard this about Julie Menin before she became City Council President: She wants to be mayor and will stab anyone in the back to get there. She's also a millionaire. 

My guess is she is aiming to create a mess for Mamdani and set herself up for a mayoral run in 2029 in case he falters. And knowing the center anti-left politics of the Unity/UFT hierarchy, expect our union leaders to be complicit despite their backing Mamdani when it was clear he would win. They received a lot of pushback for the endorsement from the more conservative members.

Don't expect the love fest to last, Also note -- Menin and Mulgrew have a close relationship.

The issue here is the money the UFT is pushing for paras, a push that comes outside contract negotiations and would be non-pensionable.  

Mamdani does not support outside the contract arrangements, something I can agree with. What's to stop the next mayor from taking away these raises? I view class size laws the same way. If they were in the contract there would be no negotiations about delays. Make Fix Para Pay a permanent part of the contract. In the UFT election ABC made this point and was attacked by the Unity crowd which apparently is OK with outside the contract deals. 

Let's also point out that the push on the para raise came because the Fix Para Pay slate won the chapter election with 75% of the vote. Mulgrew was smart enough to come up with the push for more money to counter FPP, which was allied with ABC. I believe that Mulgrew move cost ABC para votes. And the Mulgrew reversal on forcing retirees into MedAdv probably cost ABC a batch of retiree votes.  

Norm 

Menin makes early trouble for Mamdani

The Council speaker has been increasingly critical of the mayor. It could be just the beginning.

An internal union email obtained by POLITICO indicates Menin asked the United Federation of Teachers to send around 20 people to the Knockdown Center in Queens to highlight proposed legislation — opposed by the mayor and backed by the union — that would give a pay hike to teaching aides known as paraprofessionals. Mamdani believes any pay hikes should go through the contract negotiation process.

“Speaker Menin is asking for 20 people to be outside with Para Respect signs, so the mayor and others can see them as they enter,” read the email, which urged members to sign up to rally outside the venue for about two hours before Mamdani’s event started.

The email, which indicated Menin put in the last-minute request to UFT President Michael Mulgrew, was sent to dozens of paraprofessionals and looped in two high-ranking union officials — Michael Sill, the secretary of the UFT and a top aide to Mulgrew, and Priscilla Castro, the chair of the UFT’s paraprofessional chapter — according to a person with knowledge of the message who was granted anonymity to discuss the private communication.

“Please when responding, rely [sic] all so that Michael and Pricilla [sic] will know of your reply,” the message specified.

Neither Menin nor the United Federation of Teachers denied the authenticity of the email. However, they said there were no discussions about protesting Mamdani’s 100-day speech and insisted the missive was a miscommunication.

“This is patently false. Neither the speaker nor anyone in our office had any communication with the UFT regarding this event, and we’ve had no knowledge of it,” Council spokesperson Henry Robins said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the UFT said the rep who sent the message was misinformed and likely confused the Sunday protest for a larger pro-pay raise bill rally that’s supposed to take place in the coming weeks.

“There was no conversation between Speaker Menin or her office with UFT President Mulgrew or the UFT about a protest,” spokesperson Alison Gendar said in a statement. “Any allegation of that is untrue.”

She went on to say the legislation has widespread support and that UFT members were at the Knockdown Center to support the mayor.

While helping to stage a protest would mark an especially contentious course of action, even taking on the mayor in more traditional ways carries risk for the speaker.

Before I go off to the UFT monthly retiree chapter executive board meeting, I have to point out that any UFT retiree can attend, either in person or by zoom. There are always some nice sandwiches. For some reason the RTC leadership doesn't like to share this information, so I will: 

RTC Executive Board

April 14, 2026, 1-3pm, Room 19H

AGENDA

1. CL Report – Bennett

2. RTC Healthcare Committee Report – Gloria or Mike

3. RTC Labor Solidarity Project Report – Bobby

4. Resolutions for consideration

• Pension fund re-amortization and/or pension obligation bond resolution (tentative)
• Buffer Zone resolution
• Affordable Housing resolution

4. RTC Delegation vacancies

5. New Business

Zoom link for remote attendance: https://uft.zoom.us/j/86926068409?pwd=nr82t0bGLVarA75OjQ5S2FNk4H6sZp.1

Topic: RTC Executive Board Meeting

Time: Apr 14, 2026 01:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Norm Update: Where have I been, Where Am I going?

April 1, 

Wow, it's April 1 and I haven't blogged in 3 weeks. Happy Passover - we head to cousin in Jersey later for a festive meal and an eating frenzy. We bring the Haggadah and yarmulkas. And charoset. My belly is aching already.

Why haven't I been blogging? Some people were concerned enough to check on my health, which has been good so far (next scan is end of May). 

And had a lovely lunch with a former student celebrating Chinese New Year and my birthday. Nothing I love more than meeting up with people I knew when they were 12 and seeing them all grown up. But more important, she's become a friend.

I haven't totally abandoned UFT politics - I got to all the meetings and am in chats with lots of people and organize a chat n chew in person meeting with people connected to the group formerly known as ICE when school is out for a week - so far have had two and holding another one next week at our favorite diner. Over 10 have showed so far -  mostly retirees but some working - and I find people really like to meet in person rather than zooms. A lot of the talk is about the rift in the opposition, including retirees since the UFT election wrangles that began in the summer of 2024, which has led to my pulling away from Retiree Advocate for a number of reasons beyond the election, which I will delve into if I ever blog again after this one. (Meanwhile keep reading Arthur who I consult with often.)

I have been doing other stuff too. I entered an intensive guide training program at Brooklyn Botanic Garden back in September and my final "exam," a 50 minute rest tour, is April 8. There are 21 people in the group of trainees and we have been meeting on Saturdays all day -- a great group of people - you can't go wrong hanging out with people who love gardening. I also do tours in Murray Hill where I'm also taking private pilates lessons at a studio on Madison Ave and E. 39 St. I'm feeling real good from those. I hope to get back to hot yoga soon. And walk, walk, walk - ironically which I do when I am in Manhattan but don't do when I am in Rockaway. And going to a gym and lifting light weights. At the height of my chemo I looked like a skeleton. (It's been a little over a year since chemo - and remember I handled all the petitioning details for ABC in the midst of the chemo. I still have the neuropathy and of course the diabetes due to the deformed pancreas. 

And I still work with the construction and video crew at the Rockaway Theatre Company where Man of La. Mancha opens for a 3 weekend run tomorrow night. No more attempt at acting for me. We have such a pool of enormous talent - the fourth person to hit Broadway from our crew is Baby Byrne, appearing in, 

ANJELLICLE CATS. I remember her as Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls about ten years ago. (She's on the right). I was an aspiring gangster in that show (back row).

Oh, and also having fun with some UFT Si Beagle classes. In the fall I overdid it and registered for tours I couldn't make but did make the drawing and painting classes. This spring I limited myself to the latter every Thursday -- over 4 hours of relaxed drawing and painting. I went whole hog and brought lots of paints. I may sit in my garden and paint all summer. 

My 81 Bd - gift: 

I've been doing some other stuff too, but can't seem to remember what. I'm 81 after all.