We thank Councilman Charles Barron and the brave co-sponsors of the City Council for standing up to this thuggery by Mr. Garrido and introducing Int. 1099, which will protect the earned Medicare benefits of their constituents. ... NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees
Monday, June 26
The rally last Thursday was packed with retirees and supporters. When I left to catch the 2:30 ferry back to Rockaway there were still hundreds of people still hanging out. I have pics below. How interesting that Charles Barron, an open socialist, who has often been shut out of the mainstream, has become a hero to the retirees which includes people on the right. It proves something many of us on the left learned in our own schools when we won elections: stand up for people and they will look past your politics they disagree with. Other left wingers in the Council back us.
The other point is that the right wing Republicans also support us - my own Joanne Areola - I never vote Republican but on this issue alone I may vote for her next time.
This morning there is a press conference to expose Henry Garrido from DC 37 for his attack on the bill Barron presented. I've got a zoom at 10 so I'm not going to be there. The assumption has been that Mulgrew is also threatening City Council members who support the bill with no endorsements. They should call his bluff as those people will get the votes of 250K retirees which is worth more than a UFT endorsement, which has often been a kiss of death.
On the other hand, there is a theory floating around that if Mulgrew was smart (certainly far from a given) he would support the Barron bill, which would maintain the Senior Care option and allow people to remain in traditional medicare as a way out of the mess he's gotten himself and us in. It is pretty funny to see people I meet in other unions say what a rat Mulgrew is.
Speaking of rats:
| One more point -- Retiree Advocate Caucus UFT and CROC - Cross Union Organizing Committee which includes retirees from other municipal unions, were involved in the rally and bought out their people. |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 2023
New
York City Organization Of Public Service Retirees Responds to Union
Boss Henry Garrido’s Misrepresentations & Smears on NY1 with Errol
Louis
PRESS CONFERENCE WITH COUNCILMAN BARRON
MONDAY, JUNE 26TH
11 AM
CITY HALL
On Thursday, June 22nd, District Council 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido delivered a two-page missive declaring legislation (Int. 1099) proposed by Councilman Charles Barron of District 42 in Brooklyn, the most irresponsible proposal in the history of the City Council. That same day, the NY Daily News reported how Mr. Garrido was planning on threatening council members who supported the legislation - not because the bill to protect Medicare for retired public servants has merits - instead, due to him making a deal with the devil to trade away those benefits for his own enrichment.
Accordingly,
to try and clean up his bullying, he went on a P.R. sprint to justify
his actions by going on an unchallenged interview on NY1 with Errol
Louis to misrepresent and distort his actions without any fact-checking
or pushback.
Several Unions - not all - within the Municipal Labor Committee bulldozed the Municipal Retirees into an inferior Medicare Advantage Plan that will cause some to lose access to their doctors, physicians, and treatment facilities while undergoing severe ailments like cancer and dialysis run by a company - CVS/Aetna - that's under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for defrauding the Federal Government for Medicare Fraud.
Moreover, the NY Post Editorial published an OpEd laying out the true reasons for this switch to a Medicare Advantage Plan by stating, "The projected savings help fund the latest round of municipal labor contracts that hike wages for cops, teachers, firefighters, sanitation and clerical workers." ...
There we go.
“Mr. Garrido admits his Stabilization Fund is empty, but he’s not telling you they misused it and now are selling off retirees and the disabled for a cash infusion. There are no $600 million savings to the NY taxpayer as that money goes to the same unions stealing the benefits earned and paid for by senior citizens and people with disabilities. He should collectively bargain for benefits, something retirees can no longer do. We live that adage, ‘If you don’t have a seat at the table, you must be on the menu. Mr. Garrido picked the wrong main course!’” said Marianne Pizzitola, President of the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees.
NYC
Municipal Retirees, all former Union workers, are being forced into a
privatized plan that will cause us harm in funding current workers'
raises. That is just wrong.
We thank Councilman Charles Barron and the brave co-sponsors of the City Council for standing up to this thuggery by Mr. Garrido and introducing Int. 1099, which will protect the earned Medicare benefits of their constituents.
###
Marianne Pizzitola
President
NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees
And
FDNY EMS Retirees Association
A few pics from the rally with credit to me and Denise Rickles from retiree Advocate.
2 comments:
It’s amazing to me that Socialism and being called a Socialist is now a pejorative term. Even guys I know who were very openly socialist steer away from the term or are apologetic of it. It’s kind of like the self-hating Jews, Irish and Italians that I know. It’s way past time to embrace unapologetically who and what you are.
There wasn't one elected socialist ten years ago. Bernie made it more acceptable. So conditions are changing but the attack machine on socialists by both parties is very operative.
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