A certain former congressman has been voted out. DC can’t get anything done... Michael Mulgrew, Dec DA
Monday, December 18, 2023
Finally, some truth from Mulgrew. How dare people say he lies and lies and lies and lies?
Another thing Mulgrew doesn't hide - the increasingly open strangulation of democracy in the UFT.
People look to Trump to kill democracy if elected - his model can be Mulgrew.
I was in the back lobby of the UFT the other day and a retiree told me a story. She was there for two issues, one a welfare fund story. She couldn't go up to see the people she had to see. Instead the security guard had to track down each person and it took some time. Then each person had to come down to the lobby to meet with her sitting at one of the rickety tables instead of their office upstairs. Are they afraid to show members how comfy they are? The process took over an hour when she could have settled each item in ten minutes.
Arthur talks all about our vaunted UFT Welfare Fund -- the absolute best according to Mulgrew.
We Have the Best Welfare Fund in the Country
I was struck by several remarks made by UFT President Michael Mulgrew at last night’s Delegate Assembly. He’d said he’d have a major announcement on health care, but simply reiterated that there were two finalists—Emblem/United and Aetna. (Mulgrew just can’t wait to dump Aetna on retirees, so I suspect he’ll lean toward them regardless.)
That said, this is very disturbing—As Daniel Alicea pointed out on Twitter, there’s a slide from the PowerPoint they used last night that speaks to “real managed care”. Mulgrew also said that members would need to declare a primary doctor. This suggests the new plan may be more of an HMO than a PPO. If that’s the case, you will have far less choice among providers (despite Mulgrew’s happy talk about paying 10% less for something “as good or better”).
Mulgrew continues to claim his Aetna Medicare Adv is no different than Medicare -- maybe even better. Even better than the Emblem MedAdv plan he claimed was the best just two years ago.
Even the corp media on NBC exposes Mulgrew as a liar:
NBC segment: :https://www.youtube.com/watch?
I was outside the Delegate Assembly on Wednesday (Dec. 13) with Retiree Advocate colleagues and retirees from New Action handing out our leaflets. It was cold and some of us old folks wanted to in to distribute - a right we always used to have but in the increasing restrictions on democracy in the UFT, we had to fight to even stand inside the warm lobby. As for the table the opposition always has had - that is long gone -- according to sources under the orders of LeRoy Barr. As for our right to actually watch the DA even at the 19th floor - well that is long gone.
Adding to the ugliness, it seemed to be ugly sweater day for the Unity Caucus gang. And of course Mulgrew made sure not to call on any opposition people who might actually challenge his lies.
Nick wrote up the minutes.
Read MoreUFT Healthcare cuts – Delegate Assembly – 12/13/23
Summary/Analysis: That’s enough summarizing I think. I’ll leave the rest for standalone articles. My informal minutes follow. President’s Report DA starts late at 4:20 PM Someone asks for a FT pom pom hat, Mulgrew responds he’ll look into it (retro collection) Last DA of 2023. Healthcare rep
Fear of Nick Pervades Unity hierarchy and Arthur is loathed by some
Someone commented that Mulgrew tailors his presentations with what Nick might write in mind. Arthur too. They don't love Daniel, who voted for them in 2019, either.
It must cut deep for the triarchy at the top that Nick used to be in Unity and Arthur ran with them twice. They never minded people like me and James because we have always trashed Unity.
But the UFT is not the only teacher union to repress democracy. Read this long time Chicago teacher who has reported on their DAs for decades and is now being repressed by a usually considered more progressive union than the UFT.
Chicago Teachers Union Whacks Second City Teachers with Resolution to Stop Delegate Reporting
- and here's some healthcare updates:
- The Council has now placed the entire 12/11/23 Finance Committee hearing on the budget on the City's website.
While the budget process each year follows a familiar pattern: the Mayor proposes a draconian budget (and always cuts parks, libraries, and schools) and after the predictable public outrage, the Council restores the bulk of the funding, it is still useful to watch at least those spots which I have highlighted below.First, go to this link:Then click on the link for "Video."If you are truly a glutton for punishment, you can watch all 10 hours and 47 minutes of the hearing.But I suggest that if you want to see City Council members asking City Office of Management and Budget Director Jacques Jiha about members' budget priorities (while Jiha's extensive number of staffers sit next to, and behind him, with retirees sitting in the row behind them), you watch -- or skim -- the first 4 and a half (!) hours of the testimony, up to 04:30:00.A panel of Michael Mulgrew (UFT President), Henry Garrido (DC 37), James Davis (Professional Staff Congress), and Andrew Ansbro (Uniformed Firefighters Association) follows at 04: 35:00. Mulgrew and Garrido express their outrage at the City's budget numbers and anger that the City plans to cut "revenue-producing titles" and replace them with consultants. (DC 37 has sued the Mayor over this, by the way). Davis tells us how important CUNY is to the City. Ansbro says that cutting firefighters will affect response time and that the cuts are immoral.The Independent Budget Office testifies at 05:25:00 and questions the Mayor's numbers.Many members of the public, including arts groups and composting advocates, testify for several more hours.Retirees testify later in the afternoon: Marianne Pizzitola testifies at 08:30:19, Laura Genovese testifies at 08:35:01, and Sue Ellen Dodell testifies 08:37:15.As noted above, the hearing is 10 hours and 47 minutes.Enjoy!And this just in:
The NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees is assisting yet another Retiree Organization defend their right to their Medicare Benefits earned and promised to them during their employment. TWU100R is a new retiree organization founded much like ours and consisting of active and retired union workers who do not wish to be forced onto inferior alternatives to Medicare. We stand in solidarity with them and wish them success in their battle to protect Medicare and their promised health benefits.
In solidarity,
Marianne Pizzitola
President
NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Activists and Retirees Unite to Preserve Medicare Access: Lawsuit Filed in NYS Supreme Court against MTA & TWU Local 100 to Demand Access to Promised Medicare Benefits
Complaint asserts 7 causes of action ; Preliminary Injunction motion asks Court to Stop the MTA and TWU Local 100 from stripping Retirees from their long standing Medicare Insurance.
Brooklyn, New York, December 18, 2023 – On behalf of TWU 100R, retired workers of TWU Local 100 of the MTA, Kenneth Nelson Page filed an action and request for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against the MTA and TWU Local 100 challenging their plan to force tens of thousands of elderly and disabled retirees off their existing Traditional Medicare and supplement and onto an inferior type of insurance known as “Medicare Advantage.” Unlike Medicare - a Federal Public Health Benefit that has protected American Taxpayers for 57 years - the Aetna Medicare Advantage Plan is a private, for-profit plan that is accepted by a limited network of providers, doesn't cover a vast array of medical services unless Aetna deems them "medically necessary" delaying and denying them medical care and exposes retirees to crippling healthcare costs.
In a significant move, a diverse group of activists and retirees have joined forces to file the TRO in the New York State Supreme Court, Manhattan. This legal action marks a pivotal step in their determined effort to preserve Traditional Medicare for Retirees, and the promises made to them by the MTA and their former Union, TWU Local 100. TWU 100R consists of retirees who used to move 8 million passengers a day for a living. They ensured the riding public got to and from home, work, and school safely every day, assisted in times of trouble; when stuck on a train in the tunnel, during blackouts, robberies, and during the Covid Pandemic. They often worked in dangerous and unsafe conditions which affected their health in ways that didn't show up until after retirement including 9/11 exposures.
Background: The coalition, comprising of individuals from TWU Local 100 as well has come together over shared concerns about the erosion of traditional Medicare and being forced into a Medicare advantage plan, diminishing their current level of benefits. This situation is like what Mayor Adams has attempted to force on NYC Retirees, but being Quasi State workers, they were not protected by the court successes of the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees. They had to file their own litigation.
Details of the Injunction: The litigation filed in the NYS Supreme Court seeks to halt actions that the coalition believes are detrimental to the health and longevity of retirees and their families. Specific details of the case including the parties involved, are outlined in the legal documents submitted to the court.
Contact Information: For more information, interviews, or detailed discussions, please contact:
Lloyd Archer
President
TWU100R
929-247-7175
Kenneth Nelson Page
Attorney
917-655-6695
Evangeline A. Byars
Labor Leader
Women Uplifting Women: A Sisterhood of Working Women & TWU Local 100 Active Member
917.932.5482
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