May 8, Vote for Ben to End Unity Monopoly of Pension Reps, Join Election TOWN HALL - Thursday May 2, 5:30 PM

...most of those leaders are hired staffers, who, through a Tammany-like patronage system, are selected and kept primarily based on their loyalty to top brass. If UFT’s officers had something to show for this – raises that met inflation, healthcare that wasn’t deteriorating and on the verge of collapse, or a pension system that wasn’t profoundly unequal for union members, that would be one thing. Instead, we have a record of losing, at least where everyday members are concerned. (Union officials who play ball, it turns out, are doing just fine.)... New Action

...if Ben wins, watch the UFT/Unity gang complain and call for a redo.

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

 

In case you hadn't noticed, there is an historic election for one of the three Teacher Retirement System (TRS) reps for the first time in almost 40 years as Ben Morgenroth challenges the total Unity Caucus control over how decisions about our pensions are made. 

Elections will be in the schools on May 8, run by the incompetent DOE. I'd bet many schools don't even hold an election, a violation of the law that will be ignored - if the Unity candidate wins -- but if Ben wins, watch the UFT/Unity gang complain and call for a redo.

 

There will be a town hall this Thursday, May 2 to discuss the election. The Unity candidate has been invited to show up, but don't hold your breath. If Ben wins, Unity will still have the two other reps and thus still a majority rule. So even if you are a Unity supporter, a vote for Ben offers some range of conversations instead of Mulgrew dictating decisions. Frankly, I no longer trust the decision making at the top, which seems to operate like a bug business and has ties to certain companies that might affect decision making on our pensions. We want some independent thinking even if only one voice who would open up what goes on there to more scrutiny. 

 

Ben has helped lead the battle for changing Tier 6 and would use his voice if elected to advocate for change.

UFT Ex Bd HS rep Nick Bacon posted on the New Action site:

On May 8, YOU decide who represents UFT Members on the pension board. I hope you choose Ben. 

 

Teacher Retiree System (TRS) Pension Election - Why You Should Care and Vote for Ben

Friday, April 5, 2024

 

Teacher Pension Election - Why You Should Care

by Norm Scott

There is an upcoming election for one of the three teacher trustees of our pension system (TRS) where working TRS members will have the chance to choose between the two candidates who are running (retirees can't vote). The election will be held in the schools on May 8, 2024.

Why should you care? 

Because the health and longevity of your pension relies on three teacher trustees along with two mayoral appointees, the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) president, and the NYC Comptroller overseeing all our investments. These seven officials are supposed to ensure that our pension is sound and investments are thriving far into the future.

Over the past decades, all trustees, most without a degree in finance or economics or any relevant private sector investment experience, have acted under the instructions of the UFT/Unity Caucus leadership and fundamentally continue to rubber stamp the decisions made by Wall Street investors who earn significant fees that are not always transparent. They are pressured to vote as a bloc and not to ask questions of the TRS investors. 

Now we have the chance to vote for Brooklyn Tech Advanced Placement math teacher Ben Morgenroth in the TRS election on May 8. He brings with him actual classroom experience with degrees in mathematics and economics, along with private sector financial and investment experience. He will ask informed questions to those tasked with securing our pensions and will act independently of the dictums of Michael Mulgrew — who has been at the helm as our healthcare and pension benefits have diminished. 

Morgenroth’s membership on the Board will ensure we have the professional and knowledgeable oversight we need to protect our pensions.

Note: Candidates need one thousand signatures to get on the ballot and the petitioning will be wrapping up in a week. You can still get signatures at your school by downloading the petition here. Make sure to sign off at the bottom to certify the signature.