UFT Delegate Assembly and RTC Meeting Updates: Part 1 The Thread Runs Through It - How can we save the city money?

The late, great James Eterno saw exactly where this was heading and said so in 2009, when it still mattered.

He called it what it was:

A billion-dollar giveaway to save the City money — paid for by future educators.

He was right then. He’s right now.

Tier 6 didn’t come out of nowhere. The runway was built in 2009 by Randi and Unity...Educators of NYC

An LOL comment at the Feb. 5 retiree meeting was a Unityite arguing against restoring the 8 1/4% enjoyed by our supevisors because ending the 7% Randi giveaway would make us look greedy and besides the city doesn't have the money. The crux of the Unity Caucus positions come down to the purpose of a union is to find ways to save the employer money.

 

Unity/UFT Leadership History of Sell-Out argument to save city money while screwing members --- EONYC - Feb 14, 2026

Daniel hits all the bases in this post 

Why “Fix Tier 6” Stops at 25/30 — and Not 25/55: Because 25/55 was already given away in 2009. All roads lead back to Randi Weingarten.  - Educators of NYC

The above chronicling the sellouts was posted today so make sure to click and read it. The link - https://thewire.educators.nyc/p/why-fix-tier-6-stops-at-2530-and

 

Saturday, Feb. 14 - Happy Valentine Day - Taking my woman out to dinner in the city tonight - don't tell my wife. Actually, I have a surprise Neuhaus box of dark chocolates waiting for her in the city- since she would rather sleep on a bed of nails than read my blog, no worries she will won't be surprised.

 

I'm going to have to do this in two parts because I have to leave soon - tii much time watching olympic snow and ice after doing my daily shovel of snow and ice.

 

My political life is managed by meetings related to the UFT, most recently the Retired Teacher Meeting on Feb.5, the Feb. 10 Retired Teacher Exec Bd Meeting and the Feb. 11 DA. People complain they are all boring but I am a junky and engaged. 

 

I just can't keep up with the prolific Daniel Alicea, Marianne Pizzitola and  Arthur Goldstein -  here are his reports of the Feb. 5 RTC and DA.

Feb. 11 UFT Delegate Assembly--We Endorse Tom Brown

Protecting Medicare and Social Security not that vital to UFT bosses after all.

 Feb. 5  Unity Says, "No 1096 for You!": We say otherwise, by a huge margin.

I have some different angles and where do I begin? Of course the major news is the David Kazansky run for TRS against Tom Brown and that dominated the DA --- speaker after speaker in favor of Brown while a few tried to get David's name out there as a candidate without opposing the Brown nomination, which I would have done - and I had some reasons which I will share one day -- but I wanted to be a team player.  Both meetings sort of have a common theme. Unity totally controls the DA and absolutely don't have control of the RTC. But their goals at both is to degrade the ability of the opposition to influence union policy. There were 2 resos pushed by the non-Unity RTC leadership - support for 1096, calling for the Randi Weingarten giveaway of 8.25% in 2008 to be reversed and two Unity sponsored resos - Keeping retirees Safe from Scams and support for the NY Civil Rights Act. At every meeting they introduce another feel-good distraction -- for this meeting on The Importance of Building and Providing Affordable Workforce Housing for NYC Educators, Healthcare Professionals and Essential Workers. James Eterno used to mock these type of resos as "Mom and Apple Pie" resos. We've also seen similar virtue signaling resos from those opposed to Unity --- when you don't have a clue how to make a dent in the power of Unity, resort to calling for support for issues outside the union.  Unity pushed back on the RTC resos on 1096 and 8 1/4% that actually improve our conditions while their own feel good resos, offered as a distraction from addressing their years of failure are difficult to oppose - like who doesn't support protecting retirees from scams or supporting the NY Civil Rights Act? And they are clever resos -- putting the RTC leadership on an impossible position -- though I get what Unity is doing and am willing to do the dirty work of calling them out -- except I get bad looks from my RTC leadership colleagues that standing opposed to a feel-good reso designed to distract from issues that won us the election.  Leo Casey came off a sick bed to lose his marbles in a rant against Marianne Pizzitola at the RTC meeting -- so sorry, Leo can't be at the DA because Unity lost the RTC election.   The battle between Leo and Marianne is all about healthcare and the Unity attempt to distract people. Leo will defend any Unity policy, as do the Unity faithful as we saw at the last RTC meeting when they opposed the 8.25 reso because it will cost the city money and make us look greedy. 7% also looked greedy when everyone else was getting 1% so making that case is anti-union. Getting raises and lower class sizes costs the city money.   But for we retirees the worst was the attempt to put us in medicare adv -- our victory, due on no small part to Marianne -- which is why in advance of next year's election which Unity expects to win - Casey is the designated hit man to degrade Marianne's influence and bring Unity back to it's 70% majority before the 2024 election. A lesson on her influence is the low amount of votes the ARISE Coalition received in the last election while the ABC supported by Marianne received 3x as many, a lesson Leo Casey clearly has learned -- beat up Marianne to help Unity win.   I will get to part 2 maybe tomorrow but now turn it back to Daniel:

Unity Didn’t Just Accept Givebacks — They Normalized Them This wasn’t a one-off mistake. It was yet another banner moment where Unity institutionalized concession bargaining. Every giveback was sold the same way: “Necessary” “Responsible” “For the common good” “ We achieved “cost savings for the City” while “improving our benefits” And no one embodied that thinking more than Unity’s chief apologist, Randi’s longtime personal assistant, Leo Casey. For decades, Casey has faithfully defended: The disastrous 2005 contract The 2009 pension concessions And now, copays imposed on retirees Different issue. Same message: Suck it up—for the common good. His 2009 defense of the Bloomberg–Weingarten pension deal is still archived online, frozen in time, and devastating in hindsight. While the Ground Was Being Given Away, There Was No Fight Fast-forward to 2011–2012. Bloomberg and Cuomo push through Tier 6, the worst pension tier in state history. And where was Unity? There was no mass mobilization. No sustained organizing. No serious resistance. Now—13 years later—the same leadership claims they’re “fighting Tier 6,” while refusing to admit that: Extended years of service Lifetime pension contributions Reduced retirement security …were already conceded on their watch. James Eterno Warned Us — In Real Time The late, great James Eterno saw exactly where this was heading and said so in 2009, when it still mattered. He called it what it was: A billion-dollar giveaway to save the City money — paid for by future educators. He was right then. He’s right now. All Roads Lead to Randi This is why “Fix Tier 6” stops at 25/30. Not because 25/55 is unrealistic. Not because it’s impossible. But because Unity already surrendered it — quietly, strategically, and proudly — while calling it “responsible unionism.” The same concession logic that gutted pensions is now being used to gut healthcare. Different decade. Same playbook. These are not the values of unionists. These are Proxies for Management. Morticians of our hard-earned benefits. James Eterno on the 2009 giveback https://iceuftblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/billion-dollar-days-off.html?m=1 https://iceuftblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/june-da-report-farewell-randi-tier-v.html?m=1 Leo Casey defending the Bloomberg–Weingarten pension deal: https://web.archive.org/web/20150606054122/http://www.edwize.org/uft-and-city-reach-agreement-on-pension-ending-two-days-before-labor-day

 

Retired Teacher Exec Bd Meeting and Upcoming DA - At least there are potato chips

Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2:50PM 

I've been remiss in trying to write about some of the meetings I attend - I finally did so the other day - UFT Exec Bd Update: Kazansky Announses for TRS, LeRoy says Goodbye, Sill Replaces Him, Tom Brown Endorsed for TRS - and will try to do so after the DA later today, for which I have to leave pretty soon. If you are coming to the DA show your love for Unity by wearing red. Maybe Mulgrew will call on you. 

 

Unity rushed through the Tom Brown TRS election endorsement Monday night and made sure to put it up first at today's DA.  I've contended for years that we make Unity defend every single position. They got away with the TRS elections free of charge for years and now we are making them defend it. I even wanted someone to put an opponent up against Mike Sill for Secretary to make them hold an election. Anyone up for Assistant Secretary?

 

At the RTC EB meeting Tuesday afternoon Brown's name came up over his embarasing performance at one of our meetings and his pity me performance over his initial support for a Kathy Hochul pension refinement plan and the subsequent backtracking. Brown did not make many friends at that meeting but retirees can't vote so it may have no effect. 

 

At the RTC EB meeting as usual there is some level of frustration over what I perceive to be a lack of militancy. Lots of complaints over Mulgrew's not calling on retirees who have passed numerous resos at their meetings yet are not allowed to present them at the DA. For instance, we have a dozen vacancies on the RCT delegates - we elected 300 in June 2024, this shutting out every Unity retiree. We now have a dozen vacancies (deaths, dementia, people who didn't expect to win) and people waiting to replace them but the Unity machine claims we don't have a right to replace them. By "we" I mean the RTC Exec Bd. Read this from the RTC constitution:

 

"A vacancy in the exec bd OR in an elective office -- the DA delegates are an elective office - shall be filled by the Exec Bd. And we have been filling vacancies on the EB and are in the process of holding an election on March 3 - my Bday -- for a vacancy with 4 candidates running. We held nominations yesterday. What bothers me is the apathy of the people on the board over the vacant delegates. We get a ruling we can't replace them and Bennett Fischer just seems to accept that ruling without pushing back - or if he pushes back it is never public. Like how about putting this in his newsletter to the 70k members or at the very least in his CL report at RTC meetings which are attended by about 1200 people in person and remote?

How about amending the constitution to protect democracy from Unity domination if they win next year's election? No sense of urgency. The focus is on the political battles outside the union. There is a front group of sorts called the Labor Solidarity Group and I support that work though I chose to engage in political activity with other groups. I think RTC needs to focus on the UFT. 

Then I hear some officers argue that a major goal of ours is to pressure the union and suggestions to bring in union officials to address the RTC and give them a forum makes me want to scream. I see our purpose is to organize to change the union leadership - (and the decisions to align with ARISE and split the retirees was a massive failure. I don't have the time to go into the details but will follow up.)

Unity has hijacked our meetings either from the floor with their former retiree delegates or by taking time and not giving up the mic. Unity hates Marianne with Leo Casey leading the insane charge but they are joined in backbiting by some in the leadership of RTC who seem to resent the fact she not only made it possible for us to win but also helped ABC win retiree votes over ARISE by a 3-1 margin. This lack of unity among retirees will almost guarantee Unity's election next year.

See: Are We Union? I hear both sides - Arthur GoldsteinThe RTC EB is dominated by New Action -- I'm guessing at least 6 or the 25 - maybe more. ABC has Arthur and me and a few neutrals. The upcoming election with 4 candidates will indicate whether the RTC leadership is interested in forming a united front for the chapter election. But either way, the Unity machine needs to be challenged and Bennett wants to play neutral. They clearly organize and all we do is react - and I react rather passionately by going after their throats and that seems to bother the "civility" crowd running RTC --- the old adage of bringing a feather to a knife fight.

I have other issues too over what has been a lack of transparency - almost more of a fear of our own delegates and supporters.

One bone of contention between the ABC crowd and the RTC leadership was over their initial support for the new healthcare plan with some of the leaders offering full-throated endorsement. It was the ABC people who pointed out danger signs and here Daniel Alicea at EONYC pointed out in this post today how part of the deal is giving our data to the United Health Monster. 

We Warned You: The MLC’s Quiet Push to Hand Over Our Prescription Data to United Healthcare

The City and MLC's push to save an extra $100m in "healthcare cost savings" includes sharing your welfare fund prescription data and history with Big Healthcare's United Healthcare/UMR

Educators of NYC

Feb 11, 2026

 

UFT Exec Bd Update: Kazansky Announses for TRS, LeRoy says Goodbye, Sill Replaces Him, Tom Brown Endorsed for TRS

I was trying to write this up last night but was seduced by the Olympics. Tonight or tomorrow morning I will report on the 1PM RTC Exec Bd meeting which I am leaving for ASAP. Oh, and before I forget - they served shrimp scampi last night.

Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, 12:15 PM

Leaving my warm and cozy Rockaway abode, I reluctantly attended only my second exec bd of the school year last night because I had an early appointment at MSK to have my port flushed. I love a port flushing and if you don't know what that means, you're lucky. It was a brisk 15 block walk from my apartment but not that cold. I walked back downtown through Grand Central where I had coffee and an almond croissant before stopping at Neuhaus chocolate for a Valentine gift. Now that I've taken care of the important stuff, here is a report on the info-packed UFT Exec Bd. meeting last night.

LeRoy Barr made an appearance and was greeted warmly. I posted Rebel Teacher's analysis where the author surmised LeRoy was pushed out in a dispute with never teacher Ellie Engler who was backed by Randi Weingarten. Or possibly LeRoy just got sick of dealing with the lunatic fringe at 52 Broadway. No longer being a member of the UFT Exec Bd, he spoke from the mic in the ten-minute pre-meeting time. He followed former TRS pension rep David Kazansky, who was pushed out of the position two years ago when he was in Unity, but is now running as an independent and was endorsed by ABC. 

• Kazansky announcement. 

• A Better Contract-UFT unanimously endorses David Kazansky for NYC TRS Trustee; Ben Morgenroth tapped as alternate: We must put rank and file educators back in charge of $130 Billion pension fund. David Kazansky is the real and only choice.

David, who is back teaching 5th grade in the Bronx, was also greeted warmly by his former Unity comrades.  To learn more, visit: http://wetrustdavid.org

 

LeRoy enthusiastically endorsed his successor, Mike Sill and said there have been only 10 Secretaries in the history of the UFT, the longest running being Jules Kolodny under Shanker - yes, Virginia, I'm old enough to have been there when Kolodny was Secretary. I'm sure Mike Sill is looking forward to breaking Kolodny's record. The betting line on Sill being the next UFT President immediately went up at Kalshi.  Get your bets in now.

Speculation began on who would replace Sill as Assistant Secretary, a road to UFT President in the past (Randi and I think Sandy occupied that position). Some said Mary Vaccaro who is already a member of AdCome and would also need replacing. Others are thinking more widely. One dark horse: Emily James, who is serving her first term on the Ex Bd as a high school rep who no longer teaches but is based at 52 as a key Mulgrew advisor. 

The other issue that came up was the endorsement of Tom Brown to run against Kazansky for TRS rep that will come up at tomorrow's Delegate Assembly where expect the Unity crowd to immediately start petitioning as soon as the endorsement goes through. Some David supporters will be there to petition for him. IMPORTANT NOTE: Anyone who signs both petitions will have their sig cancelled. One thousand sigs are needed but it pays to get double because there will be cancellations. There has been only one TRS election in the past 40 years - that was 2 years ago when Ben Morgenroth ran. ED NOTES covered that election.

• May 8, 2024, Vote for Ben to End Unity Monopoly of Pensi... 
• TRS Election Issues as Both Campaigns File Protest...
• Hundreds of TRS members with no ballots and the Al...

Unity Caucus sent out this update at 8PM, one hour after the Ex Bd endorsed Brown:   

The Unity Caucus Steering Committee met and voted to recommend endorsing Tom Brown for another term as trustee of the Teachers’ Retirement System. That recommendation was then brought to the full Unity Caucus membership and just after 8:00 p.m., members voted to endorse Tom Brown.

I guess they had to mimic ABC. It's nice to see Unity no longer hiding that they exist as a machine to run the UFT.

 

After the meeting I congratulated Sill and Barr, both of whom I like personally and have had a good relationship with. LeRoy mentioned that in his Facebook post with his pics, he made sure to include the late Ellen Fox. He also said he disagreed with Rebel Teacher's analysis that he was pushed out. I said I didn't totally agree either - I think Unity (which LeRoy headed) will miss him as will the UFT and his retirement weakens the machine. But on the other hand, I think in the short term the Mulgrew repression and firings and threats has brought people into line in maybe stopped the Amy Arundell like defections. We will see. 

 

and I could see the case for his leaving at this time though did mention that some couldn't understand why someone so relatively young and making so much money would give it up. "Living life," he said. "They say you should have the same number of retirement as working years." Hmmm. That's a tough one - I need another dozen years. Maybe LeRoy will make it. I asked why he wasn't at the RTC meeting last week and he said he will be there in the future. Some think he might be a candidate for Ch ldr against Bennett Fischer next year. If LeRoy is serious about retiring it makes no sense for him to take on that position. The Kalshi betting has been on Sterling Roberson, with a minority going for Leo Casey, who is not loved within Unity but is spending his time attacking Marianne Pizzitola who is a hero even to some Unity after saving them money. 

 

Read her latest response to Leo:

There is one highfalutin blogger named Leo Casey who insists retirees are in unions. And not matter the case law, the PERB or OCB cases, City, State or Federal we post against that theory- he resists. This is not debatable; retirees are not in union collective bargaining units. They are in retiree chapters like auxiliary members and their own bylaws show that their DA can vote with the support of their Executive Board as to whom can be included - but they are not full members. Even though retirees can vote - not every retirees’ vote counts as ONE full vote per person of more than 23,500 retirees vote as Arthur my retired union brother wrote yesterday in, “Are We Union.” The reason he fears the UFT losing the support of retirees is money. It’s why Leo attacks our organizations’ grassroots funding, our legal strategy, and the support we have because we are literally front and center fighting for retirees. Leo cannot say that about the UFT, like I cannot say that about DC37. This will be a future post very soon!

So let’s dive into history.

 

Some UFT History and the Retiree Connection

Marianne Pizzitola Feb 10

Norm Update - so you know I'm still here

Officer Vacancy

The executive board declared a vacancy for the position of Secretary, with nominations expected at the February 9 meeting and, if necessary, an election on February 23rd. 

Monday, Feb. 9

UFT Update: LeRoy Retirement Implications, Mike Sill to replace him, Leo Casey Goes Wilding at RTC Meeting, Kazansky Runs for TRS (ABC endorses) and more goodies

 

Oy! So much happening and so far behind. 

 

Leroy Barr's retirement came home to roost when I called his office to sign up for tonight's Exec Bd meeting and was told to email Mike Sill who is replacing LeRoy.Leaving soon for UFT Exec Bd meeting so this will be short - for a change. So all that headline stuff -- later.

 

Let's see what's been going on going back to the last time I blogged on Jan. 23 

The Outrage: Blogging About Nothing, Blogging About Everything - Or Not Blogging at All 

But I did post a guest blog last week: 

Inside UFT Update: Unity’s Grip Weakens as Members Are Left Behind - By Rebel Teacher

Jan. 23 rally at Union Sq. and walk to Bryant Park. 

Jan. 24 - Botanic Garden guide training review of conservatories and a Naked Tree walk -- i teen temp. 12 layers helped. 

Wife B-Day Jan. 25 ruined by snowstorm -- no fancy restaurant but frozen pizza. 3 bouts of shoveling with wife yelling for me to hire someone. 

Jan. 26 - more shoveling in the cold.

Jan. 27 - ditto after Plantorama trade show postponed at BBG.

Jan. 28 - Brooklyn Museum Monet in Venice - super crowded. Now that I'm taking painting classes - how the hell did he do that?

Jan. 28 - ABC Retiree zoom.

Jan. 29 -  BBG - Plantarama trade show- all day - as volunteer had to be there at 8AM - sort of cold.

Jan. 31 -- BBG Guide training full day - I do presentation on one of conservatories.

Feb. 1 -- wife at all day mah jong in Manhattan. I read papers and watch TV - and some shoveling.

Feb. 3 -- Rockaway Theatre Co with construction crew - we build 4 12'x6'  flats for Man of La Mancha and store them outside since Pre-teen show opens on Friday.

Feb. 4 - David Kazinsky announces he is running for Teacher Retirement System in May election. Ben Morgenroth running as alternate. 

Feb. 5 - Retired Teacher Meeting at 52 -- I could write 3 blogs.

Feb. 5 - ABC who ran for Exec Bd have Zoom with David and Ben as guests and endorse them.

Feb. 6 Back to Rockaway Theater - most work outside. Later that night attend pre-teen opening  of Annie Jr. Olympics Opening night. Study for presentation next day at BBG. 
Feb. 7 - BBG guide training canceled due to cold.

Feb. 8 - coldest day - still had to go to gym. Morning political shows. Olympics and Super Bowl.

 

Kazansky announcement. 

 

In the meantime, Arthur and Marianne have been prolific as they both mash Leo Casey's Pizzitola Derangement Syndrome.

 

 Marianne responds to Casey PDS: Hypocrisy Roars

 And Arthur hits Unity for their performance at the Feb. 5 RTC meeting: 

 

Unity Says, "No 1096 for You!"

 

 

 

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Union Membership, Representation & Retirees Employees NEED Unions for collective bargaining for wages and work place safety. Retirees are no longer employed and do not need the union for bargaining. Marianne Pizzitola Feb 6   READ IN APP   Ill-educated blogger Leo Casey, pontificated on labor law recently and asserted that claims regarding retiree union membership are “fabricated” and contrary to law. That assertion mischaracterizes both the substance of the issue and the nature of the arguments that have been raised.

 

 

 

 

A Real Choice for NYC TRS Members: Why I'm Running for Trustee

What’s at stake for 230,000 public educators and $130 billion in retirement assets

David Kazansky Feb 4 ∙ Guest post

 

Inside UFT Update: Unity’s Grip Weakens as Members Are Left Behind - By Rebel Teacher

This anonymous missive dropped over the Ed Notes headquarters' transom. I don't agree with all of it but am too lazy to go into the details. I will comment in a future post. I did some light editing to smooth out some edges.

 

Unity’s Grip Weakens, Members Left Behind! 

By Rebel Teacher 

 

February 2, 2026

Leroy Barr Abruptly Out— 

  

Leroy Barr, long-time Staff Director and head of the Unity Caucus, suddenly announced his retirement at the last DA, saying it would be his last one. No warning. No fanfare. Just poof, gone. Even Mulgrew expressed some surprise at the time and place of the announcement. 

 

Behind the polished speeches, the Unity leadership machine has been showing cracks going back to the major Unity defections in last year's elections where Unity received 54% of the vote, the lowest in history. Mulgrew responded, like the authoritarian he is, with firings and threats.

Was he pushed or did he jump?

LeRoy Barr was considered a powerhouse in the UFT, one of the three men in the room along with Mulgrew and Mike Sill, with many considering Barr as a possible successor to Mulgrew. So his sudden retirement came as a shock given his relatively young age and high level position - and his salary. Speculation began soon after his announcement as to whether he was going willingly or was pushed. 

 

There have been leaks about internal conflict at the top levels of the UFT to the extent that even ex UFT president and current AFT President Randi Weingarten intervened, not on the side of Barr, thus leading to his leaving.

 

Purges are designed to use fear of going back to the classroom for full-time UFT employees and loss of income to part-timers as a method of control while attempting to manage the membership. If a certain age, retirement is an option.  

 

Membership interests ignored as Leadership get the perks and Members get the short end.

 

For everyday members, this is just another reminder that Unity’s leadership engages in internal power plays while the members suffer.

Meanwhile: The promised Para Pay is still a mess and Tier 6 reforms are stalled.  

LeRoy Barr has been a leader of a prominent African-American contingent in Unity, including officers Janella Hinds, Karen Alford and Leo Gordon, and the influential Anthony Harmon, among others. But with the subtraction of Barr, the real decision-makers in the UFT comes down to Mulgrew, Emily James, Mary Vaccaro, Mike Sill and non-UFT member and never a teacher, Ellie Engler, who seems to have won out in her battle with Barr. Racial dynamics tend not to be subtle. 

Members are right to ask who really runs this union, whose voices matter, and whether the broader national attack on DEI and racial equity is creeping into UFT decision-making. When leadership won’t answer these questions, distrust fills the vacuum.

Bennett, Fischer, and the Retiree Chapter

UFT Retiree Chapter Leader Bennett Fischer, and the Retiree Advocate caucus which took power in the last chapter election continue to struggle as leaders of the chapter. Instead of going to the members, being transparent, and using their position to expose Unity’s mismanagement, they close ranks and hope Mulgrew tosses them a few crumbs. Their decision to run in the UFT general election with the ARISE coalition, instead of being neutral, led to a split among retirees that has still not been healed. They’re supposed to build power for retirees—but instead, they seem to fear Mulgrew and Unity retaliation if they get too militant in challenging them. Instead of reminding retirees at every opportunity that the Unity retirees worked hard to move them out of Medicare and into Medicate Advantage, they play footsie with the leadership even when they are pushed around and instead of going public write strongly worded letters, ala Chuck Shumer and the Democratic Party.

The year and a half old retiree chapter leadership seems to be exhibiting the same pattern we see in Unity: secrecy, closed-door meetings, and a focus on protecting the RTC leadership from criticism, rather than fighting for those who elected them. Some RTC members are getting increasingly restive, while leadership scrambles to preserve its control with performative feel-good virtue signalling resolutions.

TRS Teachers Trustee Election: Time to Stand Up

 

Here’s where it gets interesting.

 

In last May's union-wide election, Unity won with 54 percent of the vote, their lowest total in history, not exactly a mandate. Just as we watch the outcomes of bi-elections, like the recent Democratic win in Texas in a district where Trump won by 17 points, a 34 point flip, we also have elections in the UFT that can be a sign of member sentiment. And don't forget the massive shift in the 2024 retiree chapter election where Unity dropped from 70 to 37%. But if the RA/RTC leadership doesn't get its act together, this margin won't hold and Unity threatens to regain control.

 

The UFT elects three members to the Teacher Retirement System to three year terms with a member being elected every year in early May, with the election being run in the schools by DOE, not UFT, rules. Unity has controlled all these positions for decades with no opposition. There has been only one election and that was two years ago. Last year Unity petition challenges managed to get the opposition candidate knocked off the ballot. This year promises to see a serious campaign and the outcome will be a serious sign of just how much Unity's grip has weakened. Look for announcements in the coming days.

Questions we should be asking:

Will A Better Contract run a candidate?

Will independent members finally push back against Unity’s control?

Will ABC, New Action, and MORE work together for the betterment of our union?

This isn’t just another vote—it’s a chance to say enough. Unity can’t keep running things behind closed doors while members get ignored.

Bottom Line

Unity leadership keeps purging, scheming, and protecting itself. Meanwhile, members lose out on pay, benefits, and even basic wins. The cracks are showing—and the upcoming trustee election could be a significant moment where members take back some control.

If leadership won’t represent members, maybe it’s time we elect people who will.