Retiree Advocate/UFT Caucus joins call for United Slate for UFT elections in 2022 and joint cooperation on common issues

Retiree Advocate/UFT posted this notice calling for a united opposition in the 2022 UFT elections.  

August 30, 2021

Retiree Advocate, a caucus in the UFT, calls on all opposition caucuses and non-affiliated individuals within the UFT to come together and form a full and united slate to run against the Unity Caucus in the 2022 United Federation of Teachers union-wide elections. 

 
Our goal is to transform the Retired Teachers’ Chapter (RTC) into one that is democratic, powerful and responsive to the members and not simply a calling card for the UNITY leadership.
The Unity caucus leadership, in power for 60 years, has felt free to engage in actions that are detrimental to the interests of the membership.

 

Retiree Advocate urges further cooperation during the upcoming school year on points of common interest such as, lowering class size, fighting against changes to in-service and retiree member health care, rights of members to a healthy and safe teaching and working environment and advocating for a more democratic UFT.  

 

Only a credible threat from a broad based opposition that threatens Unity's hold on the union can force the UFT leadership to be more accountable to the membership. 

 

What is Retiree Advocate/UFT?

We are a caucus in the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). Our goal is to transform the Retired Teachers’ Chapter (RTC) into one that is democratic, powerful and responsive to the members and not simply a calling card for the UNITY leadership. To do this, our chapter must critically evaluating leadership’s policies & programs and create real alternatives that protect retirees, support working members and fight for social and economic justice for NYC’s public education school communities. We believe that the Unity caucus leadership, in power for 60 years, has felt free to engage in actions that are detrimental to the interests of the membership. Witness the recent undemocratic decision to convert our traditional Medicare coverage to a privately managed Medicare Advantage Plan. We were able to alert the membership about this deceptive action. Only a credible threat from a broad based opposition that threatens their hold on the union can force the UFT leadership including our chapter (RTC) to be more accountable to the membership moving forward. We have been running slates in UFT elections for 20 years. Our program can be viewed here-

RA-UFT Platform. This past April we received practically 30 percent of the vote, our highest ever!

We need you to join us so that we can continue to grow, achieve our goals and take control of OUR union.