ABC-UFT Media - Mulgrew’s Election Tactics Spark Legal Consequences

For Immediate Release

Press contact: Mike Schirtzer

(917)683-7014

(New York, N.Y.) The "A Better Contract" slate is sounding the alarm on a desperate, undemocratic move by United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew and his Unity Caucus in the upcoming UFT union-wide officer elections. Despite paper ballots being mailed out to members on May 1st, Mulgrew has decided to add his own election rules and block several attempts to increase voter participation.

After years of rejecting electronic voting—even though our sister AFT union, PSC-CUNY, already uses it successfully—and watching turnout plummet, Unity is now pushing a last-minute in-person voting plan at select, controlled locations. Meanwhile, they’re rejecting the one solution that would actually boost turnout and empower members: in-person voting at our own schools and worksites, the same way we vote for our union contract, Chapter Leaders, Delegates, and Paraprofessional Representatives. The fact we elect our building representatives in school, but not who leads our union is absurd.

Online voting would also allow for members with disabilities, such as those who are visually impaired, to cast their votes independently. This would be considered a “Reasonable Accommodation” under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).

“They had no interest in increasing participation when members demanded real reform,” said Amy Arundell, UFT Presidential challenger. “Now that they’re losing their grip, they want to stage controlled, in-person voting sites where they can feed you, give you a gift—and convince you to vote again.”

Here’s the catch: if a member votes again in person, that vote overrides their mail-in ballot. That means your original vote—already cast —gets thrown out and replaced. It’s double voting with a twist: only the second vote counts.

Even more concerning, many of these in-person voting events are being held at special dinners and award ceremonies—mixing voting with celebrations in a way that creates the appearance of impropriety. This raises serious ethical concerns and calls into question the legitimacy of the entire process.

“They won’t let us vote at school or online—but they’ll hand out dinners, awards, and gift bags, then tell members to vote again. First vote tossed. That’s not democracy—it’s a scam,” said Daniel Alicea, candidate for UFT Vice President of Middle Schools.

“This is about one thing: control,” said Arundell. “Unity knows the only way they can hold onto power is by stacking the deck—selecting who votes where, while their loyal insiders run the show.”

To make matters worse, the so-called “nonpartisan” election committee is anything but. It’s filled with Unity Caucus members and paid union staffers, making this entire process biased from the top down.

The A Better Contract slate has filed a lawsuit to stop this manipulation and is demanding a fair election—where every vote counts, no matter how or where it’s cast.

“This union belongs to the educators in our classrooms—not to a political machine clinging to power,” said Arundell. “We’re not backing down.”

Link to full lawsuit here

verified petition2.pdf drive.google.com

A Better Contract is an independent slate of over 550 UFT members that will challenge the over six

 

ARISE Pro-Unity Positions Proves ARISE never AROSE: Don't Waste A Vote That Helps Unity Win - VOTE ABC

Saturday, April 19, 2025 - ARISE SINKS!

Proof is in the pudding. ARISE is not running against Unity but against ABC. 

Holy Cow - ARISE's Bacon increasingly takes the same line as Unity - this time on the Intro 1096 City Council law that so many retirees want to see passed to protect their Medicare. And engages in an attack on Marianne Pizzitola and her enormously successful organizing of retirees to battle for their medicare. 

Of course the motivation is that Marianne is supporting ABC and only wishes she would back ARISE and if she did you would never see him writing these comments. Even more interesting to me is that 2 of the 3 legs of ARISE - Retiree Advocate, and his own caucus New Action, are loaded with retirees - in fact 25% (140) of their candidates are retirees, many of them elected to the DA in the massive retiree win in last year's retiree chapter election, which they won with what Nick Bacon would call a "myopic" focus on the healthcare issue - and they won due to the massive support Marianne and her troops gave them. That election and the 75% win by Fix Para Pay are amongst the main forces driving the possibility of defeating Mulgrew -- note there are 70k retirees and 27k paras -- about half the total voting UFT membership. 

That FPP is aligned with ABC -- with 120 paras running with ABC - over 20% of the 560 candidates - unprecedented in the history of the UFT - irks ARISE which had reached out to FPP to ask them to run with ARISE, especially since ARISE does not seem to have many - or any - paras on their slate.  

Yet, ARISE continues to join in the Unity attacks on ABC for focusing on the issues of most concern to UFT members and attempting to create a broad-based non-sectatarian inclusive movement. Shame, shame, shame.

How does the position of ARISE on intro 1096 - which many of the 300 elected RTC delegates and Exec Bd members support - play out with them or even with the 140 retiree candidates?

This was posted by Dan Alicea on FB:

Whether fueled by political/personal vendettas, unabated paranoia or Mulgrew’s Unity talking points, Nick Bacon, the caucus boss of New Action, now believes full support for Intro 1096 is short-sighted and could adversely hurt active members. 

 

This despite an overwhelming majority of UFT retirees voting in favor of a reso in full support of Intro 1096 and their calls for our union to lobby and commit its resources to it.

 

This is strange since many of those who support the bill and the RTC resolution are RA, and even New Action (NAC) UFT retirees.

 

https://arthurgoldstein.substack.com/.../uft-retired...

 

Bacon thinks that we need a task force of UFT labor lawyers to decide our futures. Despite, MLC/UFT lawyer, Alan Klinger, on an audio recording not willing to call 1096 illegal but rather that he worries it would impact future options of the MLC to negotiate retiree benefits for active service benefits and wages.

 

UFT retirees, a vote for ARISE is a wasted vote. 

 

ARISE never AROSE. 

 

Nick has shown his MORE-led, caucus-first coalition is willing to ignore the will of UFT retirees. They are willing to bow to Mulgrew for political gain and election season posturing by pitting actives against retirees.

 

If you think it’s time to replace Mulgrew because our healthcare, pensions and benefits are too important to risk, only ABC offers a steady hand of seasoned union leaders and the unwavering commitment to support the issues that matter to retirees. 

 

On May 1st ballots will be mailed to our homes. In May, we take back our union and make MEMBERS FIRST, again! 

 

Vote for A Better Contract (ABC)

Learn more: http://abettercontract.org

 

 

The NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees are having an in person mayoral forum on April 17th at CUNY, 6PM

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

ABC, A Better Contract, will have a bunch of people there.

The NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees are having an in person mayoral forum on April 17th. Many retirees live out of state and cannot attend. Retiree healthcare is not just an issue for those who are retired. This issue is important to us all, for our future. We need to demonstrate people power so that mayoral candidates know that we are paying attention. Candidates need to see we can deliver numbers. So, let’s stand in solidarity with all public service retirees and exercise power.

Of all the candidates that were invited, Curtis is attending as well as Jim Walden, Scott Stringer, Brad Lander, Zellnor Myrie , Michael Blake, Whitney Tilson, and Jessica Ramos. 

Zohran Mamdani backed out after agreeing, Adrienne Adams said no, Eric Adams ignored us, and Andrew Como said no. 

Attending is not an endorsement of any candidate. It’s demonstrating to all candidates that they must address the issues that are important to the constituencies they want to endorse and vote for them. 

Here’s the registration link

https://forms.gle/JHQAVPe8oVLz7K1N8

The NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees are having an in person mayoral forum on April 17th. Many retirees live out of state and cannot attend. Retiree healthcare is not just an issue for those who are retired. This issue is important to us all, for our future. We need to demonstrate people power so that mayoral candidates know that we are paying attention. Candidates need to see we can deliver numbers. So, let’s stand in solidarity with all public service retirees and exercise power.

Of all the candidates that were invited, Curtis is attending as well as Jim Walden, Scott Stringer, Brad Lander, Zellnor Myrie , Michael Blake, Whitney Tilson, and Jessica Ramos. 

Zohran Mamdani backed out after agreeing, Adrienne Adams said no, Eric Adams ignored us, and Andrew Como said no. 

Attending is not an endorsement of any candidate. It’s demonstrating to all candidates that they must address the issues that are important to the constituencies they want to endorse and vote for them. 

Here’s the registration link

https://forms.gle/JHQAVPe8oVLz7K1N8

 

 

Ben For Teacher Retirement System - Still Time to Help with Petitions

Did you know?

• In 2009, the TDA rate of return was reduced to 7% for UFT titles, an effective cut of $2.3 million per teacher in retirement benefits.
• All non-UFT titles, including administrators, still receive the full 8.25% TDA.
• Tier 6 members receive less than half the benefits of Tier 4 members who make equal retirement contributions, and must work up to 15 years longer to receive a full pension.

Ultimate irony - retirees can't vote, nor run, not sign the petitions.

 

In last year's election, Unity hacks attacked Ben's petitions with a vengeance but we had almost double the number needed - so help out in the final days of petitioning.

 

Saturday, April 5, 2025

I wanted to post this before I head into Manhattan for the big rally today -- I will have some petitions for Ben with me for an in-service people I run into to sign. 

 

Here is Ben's campaign poster from last year.

With the recent State re-amortization budget proposal, now, more than ever, it is important to protect our pension against further cuts, and reverse the most recent ones.

Ben Morgenroth ran in the election last year against a no-nothing Unity shill as Ed Notes reported:  

• ICE Endorses in TRS, 
• Teacher Retiree System (TRS) Pension Election 
• Vote for Ben to End Unity Monopoly of Pension reps.

The UFT has 3 pension reps who serve 3-year terms that are staggered, thus triggering an election every year and they are all Unity Caucus reps who take their orders from the union leadership, which dovetails so closely to the center/right Democratic Party line and also is so cozy with the financial industry. I have advocated for years that the oppo should challenge Unity in every venue, including the TRS election.

 

Ben is back and he got 33% of the vote despite a massive Unity campaign against him and a boycott by MORE to support him because of an ugly false rumor spread by a current prominent member of ARISE. Irony: Ben is running with ARISE for the Exec Bd. Will the same forces aligned with ARISE refuse to back him this time and help the Unity candidate win?

 

Many ABC candidates are helping Ben with the petitions despite his running with ARISE and also will organize voters for him in their schools. 

 

Teacher Mike Schirtzer Celebrates Paraprofessional Day

For Unity, MORE, and New Action, this is an election gimmick...Mike S.

April 2, 2025

Mike, a candidate for HS Ex bd on the ABC slate, didn't mention that over 100 paras are running with A Better Contract through the Fix Para Pay group. This is the first time in UFT general election history that paras have joined groups running against Unity and Mike points out the failures of the past and even some current caucuses in their failures to work with paras - certainly United for Change in the 2022 election, of which I was involved, failed in this regard. I always wonder about all those teachers in the caucuses  and whether they talk to paras at all in their schools. Retiree Advocate has few if any paras associated with it and I'm trying to come up with paras who ran for the 300 delegates to the RTC. Note: This is also a failure on my part and had been for decades so I don't take myself off the blame list.

 

 

There is no bill yet and the 10K bonus is non-pensionable and looks like an election bribe but we still support them getting that money and despite Unity attacks, ABC has supported the 10K and signed the petitions while also being critical of the tactic of using bonuses that are not pensionable.

 

Some schools are holding celebrations:

Holy Paraprofessional Day! by Mike Schirtzer

As an ICT teacher for almost 20 years, I can’t even begin to tell you how incredible it has been to work with so many amazing paras. Every single one I’ve worked with has made my students’ days brighter and better. They’ve helped me become a better teacher. They are the backbone of our schools.

And let’s be clear—the foundation of any union is negotiating strong contracts. That’s why we pay dues. It’s so our union leadership can sit across from the DOE and fight for real raises, benefits, and protections. That’s how it’s supposed to work.

But what are we being told now? That we have to beg City Council for a raise because our union leadership can’t get it done at the bargaining table? That’s an admission of failure. You’re telling me that every other union in this city negotiates raises for its members, but for paraprofessionals, the best we can do is hope and pray politicians throw them some crumbs?

Crumbs in our weekly paycheck—and we’re supposed to be thankful? We’re supposed to rally and wear blue, but whatever you do, don’t bring up the shady backroom political deal. Don’t bring up that it’s not pensionable. Don’t mention that we’re not doing this for school aides and parent coordinators in DC 37. Just smile, say thank you, and keep paying your damn dues.

And even if this raise, bonus, City Council gift, or whatever we’re supposed to call it actually happens—it’s not pensionable. So when paras retire, they’re left high and dry. This is the same scam they pulled on teachers with those garbage bonuses that don’t count toward pensions. Who in God’s name gave Michael Mulgrew the power to hand out non-pensionable “bonuses” like some Wall Street CEO, while refusing to fight for real raises?

And one more thing—because my brothers and sisters in A Better Contract (ABC) have been too kind about this: Let’s talk about New Action and MORE, running under their front group Arise.

New Action has been around for 40 years. MORE for over a dozen years. And now they’re running around pretending to care about para pay? Have they ever made fixing para pay a priority? Hell no. For Unity, MORE, and New Action, this is an election gimmick. For us, it’s about a union doing what it’s supposed to do—fighting for real raises and making our paras’ lives better.

We have worked alongside the leaders of Fix Para Pay—not only including them, but taking our lead from them. Isn’t that how a real union works? A real union listens to its members and fights for their needs. Unlike Unity, MORE, and New Action, who treat para pay as a political prop, we believe in doing the real work to make our paras’ lives better.

This isn’t about political maneuvering—it’s about securing fair, pensionable wages through proper collective bargaining, not backroom deals or non-pensionable bonuses. Our paras deserve respect and real compensation, not empty promises.

Meanwhile, ABC has been fighting to fix para pay from day one. We’re running actual paras for the Executive Board because we believe they should have a real voice in this union.

Unity, MORE, and New Action haven’t cared about para pay—yesterday, today, or tomorrow. Don’t be fooled.

 

Beware of Unity & MORE, UFT! They ALL claim to be 'member-driven'. Part 1 - UFT Proud

An ABC supporter opines on this anonymous blog. (It's not me writing this stuff - too much research work for lazy me to do.)

Tuesday April 1 - and this post is not an April Fool Joke

I am tired of the caucus control of our union. This is our union. We need a better contract.

They ALL claim to be 'member-driven'. But can you truly be member-driven while forcing your own personal politics and personal agendas on union members? - Part 1

Do Mulgrew, Weingarten, and their Unity caucus really think they speak for us all? Who do they represent and speak for? Doesn't member-driven mean we have a say?

 

Beware of Unity & MORE, UFT!

Mar 18, 2025

 

https://uftproud.substack.com/p/they-all-claim-to-be-member-driven 

---

Can Michael Mulgrew, Randi Weingarten and their Unity caucus separate personal politics and personal agendas with leading our union?

Do they even bother to ask us what we think when they act on our behalf?

Umm. No.

Here are just some recent examples that they don’t give a darn about our diverse views, nor do they bother to get our input before they act on our behalf.

---

1. Congestion Pricing - Mulgrew decided he’s against congestion pricing, therefore, the UFT is against it. He never polled us. We never spoke about or debated this issue at a UFT delegate assembly or UFT executive board. Like the dictator he is, he used our dues to file a lawsuit without our consent.

   Maybe he has a point about how it affects working class folks? Maybe he’s ignoring the body of environmental studies that prove him wrong? Maybe some of us agreed with him regarding congestion pricing. Yet, we also know just as many of us didn’t. Either way, he didn’t care to ask because he doesn’t think he has to.

   

2. ---

3. Israel/Gaza - This is an issue that has many strong, passionate, polarizing and personal positions among Americans and our union members, alike. Despite the inherent dissension this issue inevitably brings, Unity decided they would pass several geopolitical resolutions locally and nationally without speaking to members, first. Why bother, right?

   Even when some in Unity pushed back behind closed doors about the need to make sure that any stated position included our union’s diversity of voices, or that perhaps a press statement might be better, they didn’t care to ask or include members in the discussion before writing and forcing through geo-political resolutions with limited debate.

   As some know, Unity doesn’t just control our local union but Randi Weingarten leads Unity’s equivalent in our national union, the American Federation of Teachers.

   Did Randi or Unity poll teachers on a national level if the union should have a “Ceasefire Resolution”, condemn Netanyahu, or that the union must support a “two-state solution”? Nope.

   Ask most on the various sides of the Israel-Gaza issue and sufficed to say that the majority these days may likely not support a “two-state” solution. Some of us are not even sure our unions need to have a union position on geopolitical issues.

   One AFT delegate, Amy Lesser, from Los Angeles, holds a view many others in our union have expressed. She stated in a recent interview:

   “We are not international politicians,” she said. “And there is no foreign government that has any interest in what the teachers union or any labor union has to say about how they should function. . . . So the entire purpose behind these motions and these resolutions is that they generate a hostile teaching environment and learning environment for students.”

   Nonetheless, Unity didn’t bother to ask you or me, once again. They voted as a bloc in Houston, Texas, in the summer of 2024, for a “two-state solution” because of their oath that binds Unity delegates to vote for whatever the caucus leadership decides.

   

   ---

4. Divesting our pensions and union assets from Musk’s Tesla? - We all know that Randi and Unity are tied to the hip of the establishment Democrat machine. They may try to appear to be neutral but those of us who attend delegate assemblies heard when Mulgrew included us as part of the DNC’s operations. He blurred the lines with the DNC when he spoke about ‘WE’ will be door knocking and campaigning for the Harris for President campaign in Pennsylvania.

    
   Who can forget Randi and the UFT making public endorsements of Kamala Harris the minute front page news shared that Biden would no longer be running and Kamala had declared her candidacy before rank and file AFT delegates voted on the matter? They boasted about being the first union to endorse Kamala while unions like the Teamsters deliberated and polled all of their members. Teamsters did the unimaginable in Unity circles these days — they made no endorsement.

   Now that Harris lost the presidential election handily and Trump has included Elon Musk in his administration, Randi is really mad and obsessed about losing to the will of the American people, Trump and Musk. She dedicates a lot of her time and effort these days in a Twitter/X war with Elon and has gone as far as asking that pension and asset managers divest from Musk’s Tesla company.

   It seems that her personal politics and petty partisan online bickering now affect our financial bottom lines, too? Randi, have you reflected about why so much of the working class isn’t voting for your side these days?

   

5. The New York Health Act - Here’s a little secret Unity doesn’t want you to know. Retirees, take heed. Our union’s official position according to our highest-deliberative body is that the UFT SUPPORTS of the New York Health Act.

   
   Did you know that Unity is actually behind writing, motivating and passing the two UFT resolutions that affirm the union’s official support for the New York Health Act? They have a really crazy way of gaslighting us to deflect from their own deeds.

   In 2015, most of the left and even centrist Democrats were staunchly behind Bernie’s Medicare for All. For a season, it was politically cool and fashionable to support single-payer universal healthcare. Following the political headwinds of the day, Unity wrote and passed a resolution in support of NYHA that seeks to a create a single payer healthcare system for all in New York.

   In May of 2015, the former Unity-UFT Secretary, Emil Pietromonaco, can be found here motivating the Unity crafted UFT resolution in support of the New York Health Act. It passed overwhelmingly by the Unity dominated executive board. Shortly after, it passed overwhelmingly in their rubber stamp, Unity dominated delegate assembly.

Another Unity inspired reso in 2017 that affirmed our union stance on the New York Health Act was motivated by current UFT secretary, LeRoy Barr. It too passed overwhelmingly in the Unity-dominated exec board and delegate assembly.

So what changed? Why did Unity waffle on its own stance on the New York Health Act? Did they see the light? Did they finally realize it may affect retiree Medicare? Or did they have a “come to Jesus'“ moment as to how to fund it? No, the Biden-Harris campaign for President in 2020 changed the DNC’s views on single-payer universal healthcare, at least for now.

The 2020 Biden campaign may have still supported a path to universal healthcare but it also believed it could become a reality through privatization — rejecting a single payer option exclusively. We see this in his stated campaign positions.

We also see the AFT and Randi abandon its hardline single payer stance from the Bernie days and fall in line with the Biden-Harris privatized insurance plus public option view.

The Uniry-led AFT passed a resolution during the pandemic changing labor’s long held position regarding univeral healthcare with a single payer option to supporting the possibility of achieving it with “private insurance with a public option.”

Circa 2020, the current union leadership pulled back on its own single-payer healthcare position, despite their own resolutions in support of NYHA, and they began to publish contradictory anti-NYHA messaging on our union web pages. Mulgrew openly attacked the will of the union’s deliberative bodies and blamed union activists, except it strangely was their own Unity caucus machinations.

In this insider, establishment political see-saw game, they didn’t ask you or me. Their flip-flop regarding the New York Health Act wasn’t because they sought input from the membership. It had more to do with the Big Healthcare lobbyists having the ear of the Biden Administration while it fiercely lobbied in states that were considering a single-payer option or a public option.

So maybe they just changed their minds? So why not use the executive board and delegate assembly to change the union stance on NYHA?

These days they have no guarantees in ramming things through the DA because of their shrinking majority and why should they if Mulgrew can do whatever he wants without consent, even if the consent is performative.

Did they realize how it would impact their control of the Welfare Fund? Maybe. We also can’t discount Mulgrew’s dance with the City to achieve health care cost savings in exchange for retro raises and the bill that came due in 2018 . Or that he created a Medicare Advantage plan that sought to force Medicare eligible retirees into it to pay for his givebacks.

To Cuomo or Not to Cuomo?

A test of Unity’s disdain and mistrust of members will be on display during this pivotal upcoming mayoral election. Will Unity actually poll us for our desired endorsement picks as to who should be the next mayor of NYC? Would they bother to share the poll results with us? Already Unity apologists are making a case for disgraced, former Governor Andrew Cuomo who has a marred history steeped in anti public education and anti-union policies, creating Tier 6, and multiple allegations of sexual harassment of 13 women. Mulgrew already has shown his cards and thinks Cuomo is worthy of our consideration.

And still our voices and input don’t matter to Unity in our union’s political decisions. Member-driven? Not in 60 years. Not ever.

Member-divisive. Yes.

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Up next: If a MORE-dominated ARISE coalition is elected, can it genuinely be MEMBER-DRIVEN?

Can MORE caucus and its political front groups, like Educators for Palestine, separate their own personal politics and personal agendas from leading our union?

---

We need new leadership that’s committed to being member-led, member-centered and MEMBERS FIRST. That’s why I’m voting for the A Better Contract slate. Caucuses like Unity and MORE only pursue their own self-preservation. While ABC believes in genuine member voice and referenda — no more decisions on big issues like political endorsements without bringing it to the membership, first.

---

A Casino in Queens or Time Square? - Most of us still don’t understand why he used the weight of the union or had union officers at public hearings fighting in this casino bidding war among the city’s billionaires as to whose project should be approved by the City. Mulgrew decided that he was firmly with Team Billionaire Steve Cohen and that Queens residents deserve a new casino in their backyard— not in a business district like Time Square. Mulgrew’s close ties to chief lobbyist, Louis Cholden-Brown, for Cohen’s casino empire bidding operation raises a lot of eyebrows. Should our union be involved in this? Were we consulted or briefed? Ha!

Why Won't ARISE Consent to Allow Candidates to Run on ABC? Unity Caucus and ARISE Unite to Help Unity Win AFT Delegates

NOTE - this blog post represents only my views and not those of ABC. But I am pissed off!

It's very simple and we can still do this: All ARISE has to do is say YES to allowing its AFT candidates to run with ABC.

So, why did ARISE put a roadblock on its candidates who want to run on the ABC slate, giving the Unity leadership an excuse to prevent these candidates from winning? Why did Unity agree with ARISE? ABC has agreed publicly to allow ARISE candidates to run. Why won't ARISE do the same? The say they want a formal agreement as New Action had with Unity for over a decade. Should we wear tuxedos?

New Action/Unity sign agreement for 2007, 2010 and 2013 elections

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 22, 2025

I've been too busy the past week to address the important issue of how Unity and ARISE united to keep people from running on multiple slates, an increasing level of ARISE focusing its attacks on ABC.  Petitions were due last Monday, RTC Meeting Tuesday, DA Wednesday, R&R Thursday. Finally, I've had room to breathe. 

Back in December I offered a leader of MORE an idea of how to run two slates and win a control of the exec bd and adcom. Cross endorse enough candidates (not all so as to leave room for organizing new people) - all AFT, 3 each for Adcom which would give us 6 out of 12, a majority of the divisional and at large exec bd. The idea was turned down because if we won how would we govern the UFT? I said we'd figure it out -- let's win first. But I question whether elements of the ARISE coalition really want to win and are focused on not letting ABC win. 

My backup plan was to encourage AFT candidates to run on both slates. 

I spoke to a few candidates who did sign up for both slates and if forced to choose they say they will choose ABC.

Here is a detailed account on how Unity Caucus and ARISE united in a way to help Unity maintain their monopoly of AFT delegate seats. 

First a brief date by date summary:

How ‘A Better Contract’ Candidates Delivered for NYC Math Teachers: Racquel Blair McPherson, UFT Vice President of Education Candidate – A Better Contract!

 I met Rachel a few weeks ago and she has been a delight. A chapter leader in a large school building with multiple schools, she has been a tiger with the petitioning campaign.

 

 

 

Real Change Comes from Real Organizing: How ‘A Better Contract’ Candidates Delivered for NYC Math Teachers

By Racquel Blair McPherson, UFT Vice President of Education Candidate – A Better Contract!

Mar 13, 2025

 

https://open.substack.com/pub/uftmembers/p/real-change-comes-from-real-organizing?r=hbbt4&utm_medium=ios 

 

 

This school year, NYC’s high school math teachers have been forced to implement the DOE’s citywide rollout of Illustrative Math Algebra I — a rigid, scripted program that strips educators of autonomy and deprives students of meaningful instruction.

Let’s begin with a distinction that matters: this is not a curriculum.

Curriculum is adaptable, aligned to standards, and developed with students and educators in mind. What the DOE has forced into classrooms is a purchased program — scripted, inflexible, fundamentally out of sync with the needs of our students, and costing millions of dollars. Yet, despite repeated concerns from educators and school communities, the DOE didn’t pause to listen or adjust.

They didn’t have to. To my knowledge, the UFT wasn’t paying much attention.

Last year’s pilot revealed glaring problems:

• Misalignment to Regents

• Impossible pacing that left no room for remediation

• Assessment overload

• A top-down approach that prohibited teacher judgment or supplementation

Instead of using this feedback to rework the approach, the DOE doubled down — expanding IM citywide, even as student performance fell. Meanwhile, UFT leadership stood by while teachers were micromanaged, frustrated, and actively seeking support. Members weren’t just raising concerns — they were looking for their union to fight back.

That work wasn’t initiated by leadership. It was wrested from inaction by rank-and-file organizing. I was one of the educators asked to participate, as was Katie Anskat, our candidate for Treasurer. Alongside full-time classroom teachers from across the city, all of us currently teaching IM Algebra I, we spent a week reworking the scope and sequence for Units 5–8. With support from the highly skilled professionals at the UFT Teacher Center, we created Regents-aligned guidance, realistic pacing, and tools grounded in classroom realities.

And when the DOE ignored the work? When UFT leadership refused to share the letter we wrote to accompany it — a professional, student-centered statement outlining the necessary instructional flexibility? We kept pushing.

💥 Today, that advocacy forced a breakthrough.

On March 12, 2025, the DOE released updated NYC Solves Algebra I materials. And make no mistake: they reflect the very work we created and fought to have recognized.

Included in the update:

• ✅ A “Pacing at a Glance” document that frames the pacing guide as support, not mandate

• ✅ Deprioritized lessons to allow time for reinforcement and Regents alignment

• ✅ A full-course mapping to NY Next Gen and Regents standards

• ✅ Revised unit overviews including “Misconceptions” and “Things to Remember” — drawn directly from our work

• ✅ Focus activities recommended by the UFT now built into the guides

• ✅ Updated implementation guidance that finally acknowledges teachers as decision-makers in instruction

This didn’t happen because the DOE had a change of heart. It happened because we didn’t stop. It happened because educators — including candidates running with A Better Contract! — pushed relentlessly for the DOE to recognize our professional expertise and the UFT to fight for it to be respected and implemented.

But let’s not confuse this with a full fix.

Here’s what’s still missing:

🟡 No clear directive to principals requiring them to implement these changes

🟡 No removal of outdated implementation checklists still being used in classroom walkthroughs

🟡 No public acknowledgment or accountability for the DOE’s original rollout failures

🟡 And still, no recognition from UFT leadership of the teachers who made this progress possible

This was a step forward — but only because educators kept the pressure on. Without enforcement and clear messaging, these new materials risk becoming another optional PDF that gets ignored while rigid compliance continues in schools.

As your next UFT Vice President of Education, I will:

• 🧭 Demand that the DOE provide real curriculum — a coherent, flexible scope and sequence, not just a contract with a vendor

• 🚦 Ensure that teachers are in the driver’s seat, making the professional decisions that impact student learning

• 📢 Elevate and defend member-created solutions

• 💥 Back the UFT Teacher Center with organizing strength — so their work isn’t undermined, buried, or ignored

Katie Anskat and I joined with our math colleagues to get this work done. We stepped up because our students and our colleagues needed us to. When educators come together, they make an impact.

And that’s exactly how we’ll lead.

Let’s win a better contract — and a better union.

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Milestones: I Made it to 80 - And What A Ride the Past 9 months have been

 

 

March 12, 2025

 

This post is delayed due to a very busy schedule managing the petition campaign for A Better Contract. Petitions are due March 17 so it's almost over.

 

So as you can see I have the bald look due to the chemo - my last treatment was Feb. 11-13. And I got to bang the gong at MSK after they disconnected the contraption from my port. 

 

If you had asked me if I would make it to 80 when I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on May 24, 2024 or when I got out of MSK 15 days after my June 26 operation- I'm Baaaack - Norm Almost breaks Medicare after 15 days in hospital - I would have had doubts. And having completed 6 months of chemo on Feb. 12 in relatively good shape, I am looking at things 3 months at a time between scans. The one two weeks ago showed a lesion in my stomach and I also have an abdominal hernia, so you may see me protruding. Pancreatic cancer is probably the worst in terms of coming back and the oncologist told me if it does come back he cannot cure it but manage it - with more chemo. Oh, goodie, something to look forward to. In the meantime I intend to enjoy the next 3 months before the next scan. As the oncologist said about the lesion. If it is cancer what would be do about it now since you just finished 6 months of chemo.

Anyway, I seem to have come out the other end of the chemo in fairly decent shape, other than my feet are often numb and I drool a bit. And I am gaining back weight but also the diabetes may be my biggest issue for now. But No worries.

 

My wife took me out to our usual birthday spot at One of By Land Two if By Sea for my beef wellington.

 

Last Friday night at the Rockaway Theatre yearly gala, I was complimented by people who thought I was shaving my head for my new look. But on the bright side, I was invited to join the RTC bald guy group - young guys who choose that look and are trying to convince me to keep it despite my hair beginning to grow back.

 

Nothing wrong with a beautiful woman blocking me out. I'll take her hair anytime.

By the way,  I mentioned my last chemo lasted from Feb. 11-13. And Feb. 12, while still on my chemo pack, was a DA and the beginning of the petitioning and I was not sure if I could manage it but I had no loss of energy and organized a group of retirees to work that day to get the petitions ready for pickup by many ABC candidates and we pulled it off and it took the crew at ABC the shortest time to get all the sigs we needed and then went out and started signing up more people to run for AFT. I was contacted by someone who lives in Africa and a couple in Portugal who want to run with us. Just today I hear of 20 people who signed up to run for AFT. They are coming in from Florida too. We are taking new people right through Friday and even some late comers on Saturday. People are mailing me their wet signatures - a new wrinkle by the Unity elites to make it tougher to run.

You can still sign up if you are willing to drop off your signed petition by Saturday.

 

Download this form from the UFT site: Nominating petition (individual candidates) 

Fill it out and sign it and contact me on getting it to me at normsco@gmail.com.

Even if you are running with another group, ABC welcomes you to the slate. So yes run on multiple slates. If interested contact me asap -- if you can't get your signed petition to me we can try to arrange a pickup.

 

Have a great rest of the week.