Growing Resistance to New UFT Healthcare Plan Despite Unamimous Vote on Healthcare Committee - Calls for NO VOTE at Sept. 29 DA

A mid-career NYC HS Teacher:

This proposal is fucked. This is insane. Mulgrew wants to take our health plan, totally deregulate it, and hand huge chunks of it over to the worst actor (United Healthcare) in the entire industry.

 I read through that FAQ with a very qualified expert (who is not in a position to put their name out publicly).  They are of the same opinion.  Very, VERy bad idea.

The self-insured plan would not be subject to regulation from NY State Insurance Commissioner (Department of Financial Services). Nor would it be subject to Federal ERISA rules.

The alarm bells need to be ringing.  We are sleep walking into a huge set up.

NY State DFS is one of the most powerful regulators in the country (next to California).  We should most definitely not remove our plan from their oversight.
If you have a vote, you need to vote no.  Start making some noise on this.  I am telling you  it is time to wake up and get LOUD!

I don’t know what else to say to motivate people.  People are sleepwalking like confused robots into very bad situation.

Like lambs to the slaughter. 

 

UFT Retiree, ABC candidate for Ex Bd. :

I am a  retiree and I was lied to about my healthcare. I will never again believe what Unity has to sell me. This is the “little boy who cried WOLF” syndrome.  The way I see this we should all be voting NO on proposed city healthcare until we are given the contract and adequate time to read/digest it. I certainly could not approve of something that I have not read/researched.... 

HS teacher: Happy school year 2025-26! Our members are already expressing concern about United  health care's terrible record when it comes to pre-authorizations and denial  of claims.
Is this something we need to be concerned about ? 

comment on chat: RA And NAC’s delegates have to show some spine. Someone needs to rally the half of the RTC delegates not caucus bound. The 300 delegates in RTC should be demanding answers. ....

 

Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025 

 

I know this after decades of watching Unity Caucus leadership of the UFT operate: LOOK PAST THE SALES JOB AND BE SUSPICIOUS and OPPOSE even not knowing the details because there will be things you are not being told. I will be posting some more details on reasons to say NO in the next few days. But here is some history of  where we are today. And let's point out -- the new healthcare plan affects working members and retirees not on medicare (under 65).

 

As people examine the proposed changes in healthcare, after a sense of initial acceptance by some associated with the opposition, there is a growing sense of opposition. While not public, I'm proud to say that on internal ABC chats there was immediate push back and analysis of the flaws in the plan, while the rest of the non-Unity world seemed to be in the dark, with all members of the healthcare committee, including reps from non-Unity caucuses, actually voting to agree, which, given their experience with Unity, they bought the bill of goods at the Aug. 28th Mulgrew presentation - the equivalent of a used car salesman. (I'm bringing the Brooklyn Bridge to hawk at the next meeting.)

 

Now we are seeing posts from New Action (Some Initial Thoughts and Questions About the New Healthcare Proposal) and MORE (Why are UFT Chapter Leaders and Delegates in the Delegate Assembly Voting No on the Proposed Changes to Our Healthcare? doing some deeper analysis, with MORE calling for a NO Votes while NAC fears to go that far, not unusual given the NAC history of caution when it comes to challenge Unity. Since NAC has so much influence in RA Org, expect RA to echo NAC in its caution. 

ABC has also been doing internal analysis with some ABC affiliated people raising public issues since the first days of the plan.

NAC co-leader and ARISE steering committee member Nick Bacon (congrats on the new baby) made his usual attack on ABC people who raised questions about the healthcare plan and branding them as seeing things through "conspiracy colored glasses" and promoted the more cautious NAC approach. 

 

Well, get me more pairs of those glasses. Would he brand fellow ARISE member MORE's call for a NO Votes the same way and threaten the bonds formed in the ARISE alliance? In this situation MORE and ABC seem to be more in synch.

 

While ABC has not put out a formal position, the ABC chats were rife with criticisms immediately after some details of the Mulgrew-led Aug. 28 healthcare committee meeting, focusing on the self-funding issue (see below), hospital tiers and other issues that my brain is too simple to absorb. 

 

In my internal debates with RA/RTC  leaders I have pulled whatever hair I have left over their sense of "We can't automatically oppose anything Unity proposes, Unity is not the enemy but fellow unionists." My response has been - you mean the very people who tried to sell retirees on how great a Medicare Adv would be -- twice - until they lost the big RTC election? And you are giving them a benefit of the doubt an yet another healthcare plan being presented as saving the city money? With United fucking Health yet? And how about that 60 year reign with the current edition holding 100% of elected position despite getting only 54% of the vote, a state of disunion?

 

I say automatically oppose anything this big they propose. I don't even need to see any stinkn details to smell a rat - especially when they say they are both saving the city money and giving us a better healthcare plan. 

 

Where do I begin to talk about the brand new healthcare proposal which will be voted on at the special Sept. 29 Delegate Assembly.  Maybe at the beginning.

 

Way back then -- at a DA last fall or winter (excuse the memory issue - I was in the midst of chemo) - the newly empowered Retired Teacher Chapter, for the first time no longer controlled by Unity Caucus, passed a resolution calling for a vote by the Delegate Assembly for any changes in healthcare. 

 

Now understand, this was occurring in the midst of a UFT election campaign where there was a growing differential between the newly emerging A Better Contract and the ARISE coalition of 3 legacy caucuses comprising New Action, MORE and Retiree Advocate. The latter had won the June 2024 RTC chapter election and elected the entire 10 officer, 15 exec bd and 300 delegates. MORE claimed to have 100 chapter leaders and delegates and New Action had a few. ABC, still in formation, had no clear number of delegates and chapter leaders at that point, but had a bunch. If they all packed the DA, there was potential to exert an unprecedented level of control over the DA.

 

It didn't happen.

 

What began the year as a nervous Unity, turned into more and more dominance as the opposition seemed to fade away. At that point, Unity was still figuring things out and decided to support the reso from RTC on the DA voting for any healthcare changes. 

 

UFT Secretary LeRoy Barr amended the reso to declare the UFT would never advocate for MediCare Adv - the leadership response to the RTC election loss - to many of us words only because they would oppose city council bill 1096 which would codify protections for retirees.

 

And then Mike Sill, part of the 3 man triumvirate, added another amendment calling for the creation of a UFT Healthcare Committee that turned out to be totally controlled by the leadership. Some say hand-picked, including some members of RA and New Action - it is not clear if any from MORE joined the committee -- but one thing was clear - anyone associated with ABC who tried to join was rejected. 

 

I want to point out that some of us associated with ABC were not happy with a reso calling for the DA, controlled by Unity, to vote on healthcare changes since a few of us had put out a petition back in April-June 2023 calling for the entire membership to vote on healthcare changes, a petition that garnered over 12,000 signatures of in-service and retirees. (Yes, we dropped the ball in not continuing with it in the 23-24 school year.

 

The late James Eterno was instrumental in formulating the petition which needed 10% of the membership (20K) to sign to force a referendum. James' stroke and total incapacity affected us so deeply, the momentum was lost on the petition and we never reached 20k but it was clear we had a shot at it. 

 

This was one of James' final posts on the ICE blog on April 18, 2023:

HEALTHCARE REFERENDUM ORGANIZING ZOOM 

We can convince 10 percent of UFTers to sign our petition so we can get a full membership vote on significant changes to our healthcare if everyone climbs on board the petition express.

 

 

 

At that point we had 400 sigs. Over the next 8 weeks it grew to over 12K: James and I posted progress on our blogs:

Strong & growing. -Petition for UFT Healthcare Vote: Sign now - http://hcpetition.educators.nyc

 

The abandonment by the RTC leadership of the call for a member referendum and lodging the vote in the DA was viewed as a betrayal of sorts, given that the original reso from 2023 had a chance of passing this DA, if RA and MORE had gotten most of their delegates to show up and actually coordinated with each other- which they did not do, which is surprising given they were allied in the election as ARISE. (At no point through the 6-month election process did we see signs of the ARISE delegates from all 3 groups working together at the DA, except for a few rare moments.) At that point ABC had. not yet consolidated a delegate group to act at the DA except in a few instances.

 

The chickens of that decision to make the DA and not the membership vote will come home to roost when a Unity controlled DA is favored to pass the new healthcare plan at the special Sept. 29 DA.
   

That abandonment was a sign of weakness in the RTC leadership -- a fear and failure to confront the leadership when it should have capitalized on the strength of having won 63% of the RTC vote in June, 2024. I and other retirees have been increasingly frustrated by a sense that the RTC leadership values being civil and seeking bipartisanship over confronting the leadership. Arthur and I are part of that leadership but have disagreed with that direction.

 

On August 28, Mulgrew called a healthcare committee meeting. RTC Bennett Fischer, who was in Maine on vacation and also recovering from a serious operation, had scheduled a remote RTC Exec Bd meeting, postponed it so 4 RTC officers who are all on the Retiree Advocate Organizing committee and ran on the ARISE slate, could attend the healthcare meeting.

 

What was clear to many of us who have dealt with the Unity machine over decades was that this would be a selling job, not a fair presentation. They needed to go into that meeting prepared to say no or at least abstain.

 

Mulgrew announced after the meeting there was a unanimous vote to support the new agreement, news that astonished me and others. I emailed the RA Organizers listserve and asked if the 4 attendees had voted for the plan but received no response. One member told me that there was a lot of confusion and no formal vote but that Mulgrew ended the meeting by saying "if there are no objections." At the next RA meeting I asked again and heard a variety of responses, but also a sense that Mulgrew's selling job worked on the whole. Our reps told us they did raise questions but without an independent analysis, had no way of knowing what the flaws were. As I said -- they should have said no and not let Mulgrew claim bipartisan unanimous support as part of his selling job to the DA and members.

 

What I did see on ABC chats was an immediate reaction questioning many aspects of the plan. I mean immediate. 

  

The New Plan is self-funded - a major flaw according to the ABC crew - as per the opening comment, does self-funding remove state protections?

 

In a self-funded ERISA-governed plan, New York state mandates—including protections for gender-affirming care, fertility treatments, and mental health parity are not automatically enforceable, unless federal law requires it. 

 

Here are some notes from the ABC chat:

But aren’t they legally required to provide coverage like gender-affirming care in NY State?

Legally, yes. However, one of the loopholes United Healthcare has is that under the new plan, it will be self-funded, which means you cannot appeal externally to New York State if you are denied coverage, which is an important tool for many members of our communities who are denied care. This doesn’t just apply for gender-affirming care, but cancer treatments and other life-saving treatments as well. If you wish to receive care outside of the Downstate 13, you are essentially at the mercy of United’s system. Union leaders will respond that Emblem is administering parts of the plan.

 

The have to follow the law they don’t have to cover any explicitly NYS health mandates

Per Marianne they could follow idahos state regulations on coverage if they choose to.

This is a major issue. The oversight is very loosely goosey on self funded plans

Especially for left leaning states healthcare mandates
This self funding is the primary reason to vote NO

Yes absolutely

Yes the STRIKE HOT (MORE) post simply mentioned it’s self funded. Unless that’s explained how that works and why it could easily collapse the system, most will NOT have any clue what that means.

I’ve spoken to a lot of cl and delegate teachers in Staten Island who have staff who want this because they live in NJ and emblem was garbage there for years. So this is an improvement to them.

Selling point 1 is that they claim there are 50% less preauthorizations. This conflates preauthorizations with denials. They are not the same … and no matter who has more or less preauthorizations… United healthcare’s percentage is still 1 out 3. Even if I drive in less traffic every day, follow all traffic rules and don’t putz around in strip mall parking lots … if my accident rate is still 1 out of 3 … it’s still a fkn nightmare 

 

Selling point 2 … they say “medical claims” will be handled by Emblem’s new downtstate 13 plan. First we don’t know it to be true since we don’t have a contract to analyze. Emblem’s plan never handled hospital care before. And is medical claims same as hospital claims? 

 

Nj, ct, and everyone else is ruled by united

 

United is covering outside the downstate 13

Hospital is health and hospital then tier 2 is a crapshoot 

 

The Cons of Self-Funded Insurance Plans: A Comprehensive List

Cost Uncertainty and Budgeting

One of the biggest disadvantages of self-funded insurance plans is cost uncertainty.

Variable Costs and Unpredictable Expenses

Unlike fully-insured plans with fixed premiums, self-funded plans have variable costs. This means the amount you pay depends on the actual medical claims of your employees. One month, you might pay very little, but the next month, you could face multiple high-cost claims. This unpredictability can make it hard to plan and budget for healthcare expenses.

“In a self-funded plan, budgeting becomes extremely important,” says Les Perlson, a veteran in the health insurance industry. “You need to anticipate the number and amount of claims you may receive.”

Budgeting Challenges

Planning for healthcare costs year over year can be stressful. Self-funded plans require careful budgeting based on employee demographics such as age, region, and the number of dependents. It’s crucial to have sufficient reserves and risk mitigation strategies like stop-loss insurance to manage potential financial risks.

 

These are just a few issues on self-funding. Read more: https://npabenefits.com/disadvantages-of-self-funded-insurance-plans/

 

 More analysis from the ABC crew to come.

 

Fight Fascism - in Unity Caucus - As Mulgrew and Trump Exhibit Similar Behavior Patterns - YOU'RE FIRED, ARISE Coalition Focuses on Trump

ABC supporters and acquaintances purged. Unity purge continues with more firings of those who ran with ABC or were seen as being too friendly. We learned of 2 more firings over the past few days, one was a Unity Caucus member and one was one of the few people who always ran with the oppo who kept a part-time job at the UFT despite that but apparently running with ABC was too much.

Friday, Sept. 5, 2025

I'm taking the 8 AM ferry tomorrow morning into the city for the Labor Day parade. The UFT contingent takes off around 11 and I will march with them and circle back to march with the NYC Retirees at 1:30. The Retiree UFT Chapter will be focused on fighting fascism. I don't agree that should be the focus because it is so much virtue signaling. As one CL said: Trump must be trembling. 

Also marching will be a contingent of supporters of Ashley Rzonca, fired district rep from District 30 and I will march with them as I think the fight against fascism starts with Mulgrew and his Unity gang.

I see that revolt as the first potential super serious break in Unity control in its 60-year history of control. At a recent meeting where battling Trump fascism was discussed - watch the signs at the parade- I pointed out that when one political entity controls the largest union local in the nation for 60 years - and in the recent election where Unity got 54% of the vote but gets 100% of the officers, Exec Bd and AFT/NYSUT Delegates - well I call that fascism. 

On Thursday, 20 people gathered at UFT HQ to make "Fight Fascism" signs for Saturday's Labor Day march while they will march with the Unity Caucus Fascists who lead our union. These are the same people who attack Marianne Pizzitola for being an authoritarian. Speaking of which,  

I did attend the Happy 65th Birthday event at City Hall on Tuesday with Marianne's NYC Retirees to promote law 1096, opposed by our own union leaders who are more focused on saving the city money than saving our healthcare.  

Arthur Goldstein covered the event on Sep 02, 2025: At City Hall, We Stand for Medicare, Later, Unity holds a meeting praising themselves

The event supporting 1096 was very light hearted and fun. it was good to see some of my Retiree Advocates colleagues there with the RTC banner. 

Afterwards I went to lunch with an academic doing research on the UFT. I may earn a citation when the best-selling book comes out one day. And think of the movie rights. Who will play Mulgrew and Randi?

Chris Marte, whose politics probably echo Mamdani, and who has been our champion on 1096, has thrown his hat into the ring for City Council speaker and promises an independent council, which should be interesting if both he and Mamdani win. 

‘Retirees’ Champion’ Chris Marte Introduces Plan to Reform Autocratic NYC Council and Become Next Speaker

 

 

I've had some interesting conversations with some people associated with the ARISE caucus crowd, consisting of MORE, NAC and RA. 

 

I spent a great day with MORE/ARISE officer candidate Jessica Beck who led me on a bird watching expedition at Jamaica Wildlife preserve and I led her on a tour of my garden, Breezy Point, and we spent some time at Fort Tilden beach which, in the late afternoon, was empty and wonderful.  Jessica introduced me to this oyster catcher and pointed to all the flying birds with fish in their claws or mouths. It was not all about da birds. We also had some deep talks about the union, the election and general politics, not always agreeing, but always respectful. Jessica is one of the people capable of bringing people together. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some conversations with others connected to ARISE have not gone as well. There's a strong sense of self-righteousness based on their supposed willingness to take on controversial political issues - but not necessarily the Israel issue - unless it was with a front group. Some attack ABC for not taking on Trump as a way to attract Trump supporters in the election. ABC put out a survey before the election on issues of most concern and the Trump issue was nowhere to be found. My response is if you really want to fight Trump elect a more militant union leadership that will fight the Taylor Law penalties instead of hiding behind them and work with other unions to build enough power to close down the nation. Even Trump supporters, when faced with the kinds of attacks on their jobs, may see the light.

At the Labor Day parade, RTC will focus on fighting fascism. Here is a section of their leaflet:

 

Fundamentally, there is a sense they don't run to win but to make their political points. Instead of member-driven based on working with others to address the major issues of concern - like the threats to their jobs and working conditions from charter schools -- or threats to their healthcare -- they often focus on supporting other unions (not a bad thing) while ignoring political struggles closer to home -- like the rally for 1096 or the D. 30 revolt or the Mulgrew purges.

District 30 CLs Boycott UFT CL Training, Inside Un...

More Mulgrew Purges as District 30 Parents, Teache...

 

One of the most egregious purges was David Kazansky who originally was pushed out of his Teacher Retirement position but given a specially created AFT job out of 52 Broadway but was fired from that job in June and is going back to the classroom. 

Arthur Goldstein wrote in Feb 16, 2024 about the move to oust him from TRS:

Unity Punishes Competence: And promotes mediocrity, directly hurting rank and file

UFT Unity has priorities. Alas, their ostensible job, serving the members, is not among them. If it were, why would they be getting rid of David Kazansky? Kazansky is a pension trustee, and a very effective advocate. I know this firsthand, because when I’ve had questions, he’s listened, done research, and come back with accurate answers. This placed him in stark contrast with multiple UFT Unity employees who’ve stated whatever passed through their minds that moment and hoped for the best.

Kazansky has been snatched up by AFT. Evidently someone there recognizes his ability and wishes to put it to use. So our loss is their gain. Why wasn’t Kazansky put up for re-election?

That’s pretty simple, actually. There are several UFT reps from District 11 in the Bronx. There’s Kazansky, headed for AFT, Amy Arundell, now sorting paper clips over at 52, maybe, and Paul Egan, now (gasp!) actually working in a classroom as a teacher. My gosh, what a sorry fate! (Not even sent to do nothing over at HQ,)

David recently wrote about his situation on substack: 

Back To Where It All Began: 

It's time for me to get a few things off my chest about my forced departure from the UFT and reflect on my decades of proud union service.

David Kazansky

Sep 01, 2025

The President of the UFT decided that the hundreds of thousands of in-service UFT members and retirees would be better off without me around. That my contributions as a full-time union rep for nearly 2 decades – longer if you count my PM staff work – amount to nothing as long as it satisfies Michael Mulgrew’s deep and dark emotional need to hurt those who do not conform to his definition of unquestioning devotion and fealty...

Opposition to arbitrary and capricious behavior, policy, and leadership is what led me and many others to union work. I find it terribly unfortunate that you are expected to abandon those principles once you are part of the UFT corporation.

 

 I haven't written much about the healthcare changes though I did say a few words about the support given by some RTC reps on the Mulgrew appointed healthcare committee. More to come. Here is a snippet of opposition the RTC people don't seem to have while the ABC chats blew up with comments. 

The Chief Leader - City Unions Announce New Municiple Health Plan

 https://thechiefleader.com/stories/city-unions-announce-new-municipal-health-plan,55018 

Rush to judgment

Posted Wednesday, September 3, 2025 2:04 pm

To the editor:

The city has announced a new health plan for active city employees, pre-Medicare retirees and their dependents. A joint proposal from EmblemHealth and United Healthcare was selected, subject to ratification by the Municipal Labor Committee. 

The lead up included promises of transparency by MLC leaders, who don’t want to repeat missteps that doomed the original Medicare Advantage plan for retirees. (In a 2021 court decision won by the New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees, Judge Lyle Frank called the process “irrational.”)

In 2023, the MLC approved a Medicare Advantage plan for Aetna — without having read the contract. There are already red flags that indicate no lessons learned.

For one day only, the MLC will provide one representative from each union “access to the contract agreement and exhibits … at the offices of DC 37.”

Actual members will not be able to view and provide feedback to their leaders before the ratification vote, hurriedly planned for late September.

Meanwhile, the United Federation of Teachers” health committee quickly voted to send the proposal to their delegate assembly —also without having seen the actual contract.

The selection of United Healthcare was made against the backdrop of a Department of Justice investigation of their Medicare Advantage billing practices. The probe focuses on allegations that the company manipulates patient diagnoses to receive higher payments from the federal government.

Finally, as the MLC barrels towards a vote, it can’t be ignored that their secretary, Teamsters 237 President Gregory Floyd, serves on the Board of EmblemHealth. 

In a perfect world, he would either step down from the board or recuse himself from the vote.

As he is in the running to succeed Harry Nespoli as chair of the MLC, it would definitely be the right thing to do, morally and politically.

Harry Weiner

The writer is a member of the Council of Municipal Retiree Organizations.

 And some pics from the City Hall event.

Retiree Chapter Leaders Offer Tentative Support for UFT Healthcare Changes - While Some aligned with ABC call for a Membership vote

The UFT Retired Teacher Chapter is supporting this rally organized by the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees and we hope you can make it! Spread the word. 

Tuesday September 2nd         

                                             11am at City Hall

It is  Mayor Eric Adams birthday, and guess what?  He turns 65 years old & is now eligible for Medicare!   The time is NOW!!   We have to highlight at this press conference/rally that this is the BEST way to protect our Medicare and earned and vested benefits.  He must tell the Speaker to get this bill to the floor so he can sign it.  It will be held on the STEPS OF CITY HALL. Arrive by 10:15am

Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025

I'm about to head over to the ferry to attend the rally but wanted to get this out. See Marianne Friday night video: 

Friday Night LiVE Special Update August 29th with the NEW Health plan info

I laughed out loud (with the mic off) numerous times when I attended an RTC Exec Bd zoom yesterday. Support for the rally by the RTC Exec Bd, loaded with ARISE people who despise Marianne, was a pleasant surprise. The 1096 city council law would protect retirees from evil mayors. (Mamdani won't sign on to that bill even though he indicates he would not put retirees into medicare advantage -he may not have to as Trump and fellow gangsters are going to take care of that.)

Other than support for the rally, I was not a happy camper at the general non-militant response from RTC EB and the Retiree Advocate crew that make up half the EB.  

When I saw this from Unity Caucus claiming unanimous support from the Mulgrew hand-picked healthcare committee and knowing that 4 RTC/RA officers had attended, I asked in an email if they all voted for it given the history of offering misleading and manaipulative information going back to the 2005 contract and getting the hand-picked so-called oppo people to vote for it and then using that fact to claim bi-partisan support when they mass sell it to the membership. There was no response - until yesterday's meeting when to my shock the attendees confirmed they had voted for it under the argument "We can't be opposed to them automatically. Union leaders are not the enemy." 

Holy shit. Some of these people have faced 50 years of Unity deception, manipulation and control and still don't get it. But then again, many of them have been part of New Action which made the dirty deal with Randi over 20 years ago and spent a dozen years finding excuses to stay in that coalition. I call that the New Action (or France's I surrender in WW2) mentality. Some call it a Vichy mentality.

I hung out with a prominent member of MORE last week who told me no one from MORE attended the meeting, so they are off the hook. But RA and NAC are mot. But still watch the Unity hacks praise the loyal ARISE oppo and slam the ABCs for not taking part in a farce.

The very same Unity people who told and sold us that their Medicate Adv plan was better than Medicare. Remember Mulgrew telling us this time and again - it's just a name, they are the same? At the very least, abstain while waiting for full information, a position Marianne seemed to take in her Friday video. (Of course Unity attacked her for that.)

A suggestion that we ask the lawyers Marianne uses to help us figure out what is happening was mocked. "We have UFT lawyers to do that for us. Let's write a letter to Mulgrew asking for UFT lawyers do the job." Yes, it's the "Let's Plead" strategy that's been so successful. 

Meanwhile, the ABC chats have been exploding.

District 30 CLs Boycott UFT CL Training, Inside Unity Complaints

Nothing says "We don't value you or your time" like summoning chapter leaders to an all-day, unpaid training during their vacation, where 95-99% of what's presented is the same info that's been presented for the last 5-10 years. The training could be useful for first-year chapter leaders or someone who hasn't attended in years. For everyone else, it should be a "Here's what's new" email or 15-30 minute asynchronous video presentation. -- former Unity member

I was fired too in June from being a UFT Teacher Center district coach for absolutely no reason. Directly by racist VP Mary Vaccaro As was one of my district coach colleagues. So there are probably more firings than you are aware....anon comment

 

 Thursday Aug. 28, 2025

The NYT had an article about Washington residents responding to the Trump takeover by jeering federal agents. The guy who threw that sandwich is a hero to people.

With Trump’s Takeover, Washington Finds a Mission to Resist: Known more for their museums, monuments and government buildings than their culture, Washingtonians are showing a spirit of dissent as protesters dog federal agents in their streets.

And also note the people at CDC who quit in protest of the firing. Enough is enough is a sign.

 

I bring this story up in the context of the Mulgrew firings having a similar impact on people  - instead of it's intended attempt to scare people. Certainly many full-time employees are frightened. But that won't keep them from being resentful and acting in ways that will not help the Mulgrew gang. 

Last week I wrote about the revolt in District 30 over the firing of Dist Rep Ashley Rzonca that has gotten more views than I've had in years:

• More Mulgrew Purges as District 30 Parents, Teachers, and Local Politicians Rally to Defend Fired UFT District Rep As Internal Resistance Grows 

Tuesday night I attended a NY Public Library comedy night for teachers with some D. 30 folks and heard about this boycott. (The four comedians were very funny.)

Many D30 CLs decided to take an action and not show up. We registered and cancelled and when asked why we were cancelling we wrote our thoughts.... 

Leah, who was also fired in June and has led the resistance has a video:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DN2x3YtYtXu/?igsh=Y3Vrb3o2cmg5dTVv 

Think about it. If she hadn't been fired she might have not felt as free to do this level of organizing. A smart leadership would realize that. I hear that a few D. 30 CLs did show up but the vast majority did not. Imagine what the chosen replacement for Ashley Rzonca will be facing. The part-time job holders inside Unity may be feeling it just ain't worth it to work in a toxic environment. 

Don't forget that the ABC coalition included a number of Unity people who had had enough. Keep an eye on how the Mulgrew gang see keeping the 14%ers in ARISE alive as the standard opposition to counter the rise of ABC. (I will have more to say about that growing alliance - NAC/Unity alliance 2.0? Fact is the Unity defectors will head to ABC before setting foot in ARISE.)

I cam across this anonymous post (we think we have guessed the author) from inside the caucus. While some of my colleagues mock anonymity, I do not. Stay inside the tent publicly but back ABC privately. There's a home for you. I'll let that person do the speaking here to give you a sense of internal disaffection as he/she focuses on the hypocrisy of attacking DSA in January as an enemy within the UFT - and exposing the attack was more about fear of Marianne.

The Future of Unity

Even My Students Would Have Seen Through This

The Future of Unity

Aug 20, 2025

---

Before I ever worked for the UFT, I was teaching in a NYC school and I’ll tell you this much, even my students back then would have seen through what’s happening right now.

In January, Unity leadership told us that Arise was basically DSA/MORE with a new name. They handed out a flyer at the Delegate Assembly warning members about “outside agendas,” saying Arise was nothing more than DSA and MORE rebranded, and that we had to protect the union from infiltration. That was supposed to be the line, protect Unity, protect the union, don’t let outsiders run the show. Unity writes on the issue here DSA=MORE=ARISE?

Fast forward six months, and what do we see? Unity leadership looking like it is cutting deals with the very same people we told members to stay away from. This “Educators for Zohran” group is stacked with Arise folks who already lost in the UFT elections. Zohran himself hardly ever shows up. Instead, it is Jamaal Bowman hogging the spotlight, turning the whole thing into his personal comeback tour.

And right in the middle of it all? Briget Rein. Our own City Council liaison. The same Briget Rein who lobbied against the retiree bill and half ass pushed the para bill, fully knowing it never would happen. The same Briget Rein who is supposed to be safeguarding UFT’s political interests at City Hall is now shoulder to shoulder with Arise at their events. How does that square with what we told members in January?

Meanwhile, inside the union, leadership is losing its grip. Members are frustrated, angry, and demanding more. Instead of listening, leadership responded by axing a bunch of people tied to ABC, people who, like it or not, had respect in the schools. A couple are even what I would call friends. We were told this was about “unity and discipline,” but to the rank and file it looks like fear and desperation, cleaning house because Unity no longer knows how to hold the membership together.

And then there is the endorsement. In July, the DA voted to endorse Zohran Mamdani. Anyone who has ever sat in a DA run-through with Mulgrew beforehand knows he never wanted Mamdani. So what changed? Mamdani’s campaign did not even bother to put UFT on their endorsement page for almost six weeks, which tells you everything about where we really stand.

So what are we left with? A union leadership that tells us one thing in January, does another in July, and by August has Briget Rein smiling alongside Arise like nothing ever happened. It feels like some bargain was struck somewhere, and the cost was our credibility.

I have been Unity my whole career. But this does not feel like leadership anymore. It feels like scrambling, cutting deals, and abandoning our own principles. And members in schools see it, they see the contradictions the same way my NYC students would have.

If Unity keeps going down this road, it will not be Arise or ABC that brings us down. We will do it to ourselves.

 

 

More Mulgrew Purges as District 30 Parents, Teachers, and Local Politicians Rally to Defend Fired UFT District Rep As Internal Resistance Grows

Monday, August 18, 2025

You probably haven't noticed. I am not doing too much writing lately. Damn cell phone and internet distractions. I seem to do anything to avoid sitting down and writing. Is it the sitting down or the writing? I can't stand and write. Or I can't stand writing. 

My recent writer's block has delayed my commenting on the firings, a cleansing by Unity Caucus of its perceived dis-loyalists. Mulgrew and crew, when faced with waning popularity, instead of trying to fix it, resort to fear and loathing tactics to try to cow potential opposition into silence and obedience. It might work for some but over time these tactics alienate people in and outside the club. The attacks on Amy Arundell, going back years, brought enough people into ABC to make it a viable opposition. The Pissgate story (I hold the actual proof and when I next get back to writing will cover it as the hired lawyer has been asking me for it) has spread far and wide -- even a DOE guy I know with no interest in the union brought it up to me. 

As with all authoritarian entities, whether on a national or union level, loyalty becomes more obsessive as the pitchforks coming for the leadership multiply. 

A 54% "victory" is getting dangerously close. Rather than look to the reasons for losses of support, authoritarians put the blame on disloyal insiders. Oh, if only they had stuffed more mail boxes with Unity leaflets. Or browbeat people to vote Unity. People who just do their jobs without emphasizing their loyalty become suspect. The most partisan people are the least competent. And incompetents just turn more people off. In the campaign I worked with current and former Unity people who were attacked viciously by certain union officials, which just energized them for the ABC campaign.

Over the years I've joked that Putin uses Unity Caucus as a model for authoritarianism. And Trump certainly seems to be following the same path of loyalty above all over competence - taking it to an extreme. Arthur's latest goes into some detail in comparing Mulgrew/Unity to Trump: Separated at Birth: Mulgrew and Trump--the GOP and Unity .

I always include "Unity" tied to Mulgrew because I think some people make the mistake as seeing the problem mainly as Mulgrew and if there would be a different leader it would be Ok for Unity to control the UFT for over 60 years. And not just to control the UFT, but to fundamentally shut out all opposing voices. Unity with 54% of the vote controls 100% of the Exec Bd and uses its staff to pack the Delegate Assemblies and dominate the amount of time alternate voices get raised. Even at the July 9 Mamdani endorsement, the officers and Mulgrew got to dominate the time, with a few known supportive "oppo" voices included. I think only one or two people were allowed to voice disagreement. This situation has existed in my 58 years of UFT membership through 4 presidents. (Think of that for a minute).

But one area Unity has never seemed to go, at least publicly, has been public mass firings over perceived disloyalty. The recent firings of 6 and then we hear 2 or more and the demotions and warnings issued is a new wrinkle designed to inspire fear (and I bet more than a bit of loathing) inside the Unity tent. Not only won't it work, but it will inspire more internal resentment and opposition. 

In particular, the firing of popular District 30 rep Ashley Rzonca has led to a mini - and maybe a soon to be major - revolt of chapter leaders, parent groups, and even politicians. And we might see this revolt spread deeper into schools beyond the chapter leaders. 

I attended two events this summer for Ashley, a rally in July attended by over 50 supporters and one last week (Justice for Ashley) as a number of chapter leaders and supporters attended the event organized and sponsored by the Community Education Parents, which is striking to see this level of support for a union rep. I'd bet most CEC's have no contact or idea who the District Rep is. Ashley apparently threw herself into all aspects of what a district rep should be doing. 

Attendees, at a bar on restaurant row on Ditmars Blvd, were asked to write letters of support to local politicians and UFT officials. Imagine city council people calling for the reinstatement of a UFT district rep. Unheard of. 

I had some interesting conversations. 

A chapter leader leans over and whispers, "I voted for ABC." A colleague sitting at the same table later tells me if he had spoken to her before the election he wouldn't have voted for Mulgrew. 

The CL told me she did not want to influence her chapter on how to vote. Too bad. Unity people do that all the time. It was great that she voted for ABC but if she had shared the reasons with her staff, I'd bet the school would have gone ABC. Next time I bet she will be more active. And therein lies the major error Mulgrew is making in firing competent and popular staff.

There were a number of chapter leaders at this event who have the capability of bringing their schools into the battle. Now what if Mulgrew changed his mind and rehired Ashley? Would all be forgotten? I'd bet the damage to Unity, in what was a loyal Unity district, will not go away. There are over 40 elementary and middle schools in D. 30.

I do want to make it clear that these people are fired from the UFT  jobs and have the right to return to their old school and those not eligible for retirement are doing so. And guess what they will do when they return? Hide in fear of Mulgrew? Or organize - and hopefully with ABC.  

Of course the big enchilada in the original June 27th firings was Amy Arundell who ran against Mulgrew. It is not clear what Amy will do now - go back to a school or retire. Either way, she seems up for the coming battles. Would Amy be a force in the retired teacher chapter? 

 Arthur wrote about the initial firings in June:

Michael Mulgrew went on a revenge spree last week, and his Unity ducklings got in line right behind him. He fired a bunch of people who supported ABC. The most egregious of these firings, for my money, was that of Migda Rodriquez. Migda won office by a 3-1 margin, and paraprofessionals expressed overwhelming support for her. ... Unity to Paras--Go Screw Yourselves, Arthur Goldstein, Posting after the June 26 firings.

We heard of more (unnamed) firings at the UFT late last week, more examples of the panic at 52 Broadway over the rise of ABC and the fall of ARISE, the traditional and favored opposition. You'll note that there has been little or no support for the fired Unity people coming out of ARISE, some of whom attacked ABC for even aligning with ex-Unity, even claiming that ABC was on the Mulgrew payroll as a way to split the opposition. Purity over Trying to Win. 

 

My recent writers block has delayed my commenting on the firings, a cleansing by Unity Caucus of its perceived dis-loyalists. Mulgrew and crew, when faced with waning popularity, instead of trying to fix it, resort to fear and loathing tactics to try to cow potential internal opposition into silence and obedience. It might work for most in Unity but over time these tactics alienate people inside the club. The attacks on Amy, going back years, brought enough people into ABC to make it a viable opposition. Look for more to come, either openly or surrepticiously. Depends on how badly they need to hold onto their part time job.

 

Arthur commented again recently on the initial firings: 

On June 27th, King Mulgrew and company relieved five full-time employees of their duties: Amy Arundell, Ashley Rzonca, Migda Rodriguez, Hector Ruiz, and, we have learned, the 5th staffer is David Kazansky.... 

The Continuing Purge by UFT Leadership: (From the Union Matters mail bag) Arthur Goldstein: Aug 14, 2025

WTF! David Kazansky? David was pushed out of his Teacher Retirement System job after 9 years. Many of us considered him the best of the 3 TRS reps -- a good reason for Mulgrew to dump him. Too competent. Did he ask too many questions? Or question private equity? One day we have to get the real story.

 

He was replaced by someone who rose to a new level of Unity incompetence, as we witnessed at an RTC meeting where she refused to answer questions and then refused to give up the mic. David landed on his feet by being given a job with the AFT working out of the UFT offices. That was the job he was fired from. Randi Weingarten was technically his boss. The UFT paid his salary. But Randi cannot escape her complicity in the firing.

 

Caucuses Purge 

If anyone in Unity didn't notice the drop to 54% and the energized ABC campaign infused with Unity refugees, they are fooling themselves. Repression, fear-mongering and cleansing engenders resistance. As someone "cleansed" from MORE, I know all about purges. The election proved that purity-based caucuses tend to stagnate. 

 

There are many angles to this Unity purge - a few who ran with ABC and a few who ran with Unity. Arthur in his post addressed the outrageous firing of para Migda Ridriguez, who did run with ABC. Another para, Hector Diaz, Jr who ran with Unity and won an exec bd and AFT/NYSUT rep seat was also fired. Of the original 6 who were fired in June, 3 ran with ABC and 3 ran with Unity. But none of them tried to pee on Amy's photo in a urinal. 

 

The brewing revolt inside UFT District 30 in Astoria is being led by Rzonca supporters with social media influencer and D30 CL Leah Lin, who ran for elementary VP on the ABC slate. Now here is an interesting fact. Rzonca ran on the Unity slate and was elected to the UFT Exec Bd as well as an AFT/NYSUT rep. (Fired para Hector Ruiz, JR also ran on the Unity slate for ex bd and AFT/NYSUT. Kazansky also ran and won for AFT/NYSUT).

 

What is the common thread in the firings? Certainly not doing a bad job. How about some level of proximity to Amy Arundell?

 

Leah Lin, as a Unity CL in Ashley's D. 30, defected to ABC and might be one reason Rzonca was fired for failing to use the Unity Caucus whip to keep Leah in line. A district rep who would have tried to scare Leah would be the Mulgrew ideal.  Scare Leah? In the roughly 7 months I've known her, no one scares Leah.

 

So the result of the firings is that Ashley and Leah, two top-level organizers, have teamed up with other D. 30 CL and other teachers to fight back. 

 

One of the most interesting angles in this battle is the involvement of parents through the D 30 Education council. There were officers of the CEC and other parents at the event on Tuesday as they wrote letters to local officials while teachers wrote letters to union officials. 

Check out this article on the July 22 rally for Ashley.

Queens’ CEC 30 calls for dismissed union rep to be reinstated, accuses UFT of ‘political retaliation’

Community Education Council 30 (CEC 30) has called on the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) to reinstate Ashley Rzonca after the union representative for Community School District 30 was dismissed from her position earlier in the year for what the CEC describes as “political” reasons.

CEC 30, which represents dozens of schools across western Queens, has launched a petition calling for Rzonca to be reinstated, drawing more than 570 signature from local teachers and parents. The Council also staged a rally on July 22 calling on UFT to reinstate both Rzonca to her previous position. 

Note: DOZENS OF SCHOOLS.

 

The UFT has issued a call for a new district rep -- I hope Ashley applied and a smart UFT leadership would reverse itself but Smart and Mulgrew are antonyms. I pity the next District rep. 

====  

I began to write up the July 22 demo.

Impressive turnout at the July 22 demo at UFT Queens office.

They came by Ubbas, Subways, Automobiles and even AirTrain from JFK. I was very impressed by the turnout and the impending revolt inside District 30 (Astoria, Jackson Hts). I saw some Unity people there who I never would have expected to see. Many are chapter leaders.

 

I schlepped to the Queens UFT office on July 22 and wrote about going that morning: The Friday Night Unity Purge/Massacre: Rally for Leah and Ashley @Queens UFT HQ at 6PM Today.

 

I enjoy taking public transportation more than driving at this point and enjoyed the trip with the Airtrain to Jamaica where I changed to the E for a few stops. 

I gave up at that point since Arthur covered it so well.

As USA Flirts with Fascism, UFT Unity Embraces It:  In Queens, we stand up to Unity's unilateral actions. Arthur Goldstein Jul 23, 2025

 

Here are some pics:

 

 

 

 

 

A CREW FROM ABC 

 

 

Ashley Rzonca

I think this is a city councilwoman