Monday Noon near City Hall: Media Advisory: Press conference to save Medicare for NYC Municipal workers

Join us Monday and make sure to vote RA in chapter election. The more people who are there the more impact.

VOTE NOW FOR RETIREE ADVOCATE/UFT SLATE IN RETIREE CHAPTER ELECTION

Yes, a vote for us is a vote for stopping some of the crap that is going on.

Monday will be a rare day where I will venture forth from my fortress to join other municipal retirees, many from the UFT, in a press conference to focus attention on the move toward moving us from public Medicare to privatized Medicare Advantage, the very wrong direction our union should be going in.

I helped write more detailed info piece. click here.

This advisory, which I helped put together (this entire process had been a real learning experience for this old dog)  is going out to the press.

From:  RetireeAdvocate/UFT   RetireeAdvocate@gmail.com  Visit us on Facebook

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

Media Advisory: Press conference to save Medicare for NYC Municipal workers

Press Contacts:

Bennett Fischer (tremblychap@gmail.com)

Prudence Hill (pruhill@yahoo.com)

Norm Scott (normsco@gmail.com)

WHAT: NYC municipal union retirees gather to save Medicare and protest Municipal Labor Committee/NYC attempt to force them out of Medicare into privatized Medicare Advantage plan.

WHEN:  Monday, May 24, 2021

TIME: 12 Noon

WHO: Retiree Advocate/UFT, a caucus of retirees in the United Federation of Teachers and allies in other municipal unions and supporters defend our ability to remain on Medicare and reject attempts to move us to a privatized plan.

WHERE: Park Row/Centre St. outside City Hall Park by the 4/5/6 City Hall/Brooklyn Bridge Subway Station

DEMANDS:

A moratorium on any change to existing Medicare plan

NO to privatization of government managed Medicare 

Transparency on all negotiations with decision-making from all members

The Metropolitan Labor Council (MLC), consisting of a number of unions, including the UFT, and the NYC Office of Labor Relations are in the final stages of negotiations to move 250,000 municipal workers currently enrolled in government-managed Medicare into privately-managed Medicare Advantage with inherent disadvantages:

·       High administrative costs

·       Profit motive

·       Excessive executive salaries

·       Restrictions on patient services

We condemn unions’ willingness to move away from public to privatization of government-manages Medicare. Supposed savings can only come on the backs of retirees. Stop the sell! Save traditional Medicare for NYC retirees!

For further information, click here.

=======

This is not going out to the press:

To clear up a bit of confusion for some. While we whistle while we work we are under a private plan which continues when we retire - until we reach 65 when we go onto Medicare for 80% of our health care - I haven't heard any complaints and 98% of doctors take it. The other 20% co-pay is still privately managed.

Before reaching 65 we generally had a choice of GHI where we have more freedom to choose our doctors and a more restricted HIP plan where your doctors have to be part of the network and you need permissions to go to specialists. Some are very happy with HIP.

And the UFT leadership has used the fact that we have had privately managed care as a way to attack us for making a mountain out of a molehill. We are not.

Neo-lib Dems like Clinton wanted to save money on our backs and in the 90s allowed private insurance to offer Medicare type plans on their own to compete with Medicare -- with the obvious aim of killing Medicare off altogether. This causes some confusion for people hitting 65 and I get calls all the time about what to do, upon with I ask my wife who managed medical billing in a large hospital for decades who then shouts - tell them NO - stick with Medicare.

Funny, but as recently as March when a Retiree Advocate member went for a meeting at the UFT they were being told the same thing -- stay away from Medicare Advantage plans. Some are scams in essence.

So low and behold as we are in the final stages of the UFT retiree chapter election, we begin to hear that the Municipal Labor Committee, where Mulgrew is VP, is about to announce a forced move out of Medicare into a MedADV plan and people are reprising our youth in the 60s:

HELL NO WE WON'T GO!!

A Sign of the Times? Unity Chapter Leaders Losing Elections

The administration at my school is livid that I won. They are punishing the staff with a lengthy sign out process and screwed up a lot of programs. Teachers were given classes outside of their license, grades they never taught before, removed from their positions etc. What can we do?

They say politics is local and when it comes to school politics it certainly is. But are we trending here given the anecdotes coming in about Unity Caucus chapter leaders who have defended the UFT hierarchy in their policies losing elections? Or are these just little molehills? Sure, local school issues are the dominating force. But remember that many Unity people follow the mantra of the union about being "partners" and all too many are with their principals.

Unity's Richard Candia from IS 49SI who sold out Portelos and the rest of his colleagues while the UFT Staten Island office looked the other way may be the poster boy of a Unity sell-out. So Portelos wins the election out of the rubber room and the principal responds by retaliating against the entire staff -- and certainly hurting children in the process.

Imagine trying to defend the UFT position on judging teachers by data --- even 20%, or 40%. Or whatever line they are selling?

Just the other day the DA passed a resolution reaffirming the protection of chapter leaders. Ha, go ask Peter Lamphere. (By the way, Dave Pecoraro who is CL of Beach Channel HS and currently in the rubber room called the question on the debate on this issue so Mulgrew could get out early -- Dave calls the question on some issue almost every meeting --- as does Nina Tribble --- these two are the designated killers of debate).

I and the late Paul Baizerman put up a reso on protecting chapter leaders in 2001 and it was turned down overwhelmingly by Unity with Tom Pappas speaking against it and saying chapter leaders have enough protections. How's that been working out Tom that you all have to REAFFIRM YOUR SUPPORT FOR CHAPTER LEADERS? [I have to dig up that reso from the archives for my report on the DA where even 5 minutes of Mulgrew's lame attempts at being cute make me wish for the ghost of Weingarten.]

Principals are also using the "excess the new chapter leader" approach if they don't like the way the election came out. Here is a note from a school in Queens where the favored Unity candidate lost the election:

Norm

We just had a chapter leader vote and the person who won is pretty militant. The principal does not like this person because he defends teachers. So the principal placed him on the excess list. If he becomes excessed who becomes our chapter leader?

I suggested calling the UFT Queens office but then asked if it was a Unity chapter leader the principal favored. Sure enough it was. Thus forget the UFT borough office which has proven time and again it prefers a suck-up Unity CL to an independent or opposition person who fights for the rights of teachers.

And so it goes.

Are you an independent? Come hang out with the crew from MORE tomorrow at 5pm. Join me in a toast to the future endeavors of Leo Casey in Washington, as Randi put it, an "exquisite choice." For us here in NYC.

TODAY! Join MORE June 16th for Happy Hour and Great Conversations

Running for Chapter Leader? (Updated)

*Navigating the Minefield of Internal School Politics*

Keeping chapter leaders in line is the key to control of the UFT. It makes sense since through the CL the leadership can reach out to every member. They use the District reps as the key overseers to make the CL dependent on the union and also to keep them isolated.

Chapter leader and school delegate elections take place every three years and we are now in the midst of the election season.

Many people think the important elections are the election for president and officers (coming next year). But Unity has so manipulated the process that there is no chance of overturning the power structure no matter what the opposition does. Thus, Unity is guaranteed control of the AdCom (officers) and Executive Board in perpetuity (I'll go into the details another time) – at least until there is enough pressure from the bottom to force changes.

Thus, the school elections are ultimately more important in terms of the ability to reach the membership. If the opposition had hundreds of chapter leaders, we would begin to see changes in the union.

Unity Caucus is not stupid and pays strict attention since the constitution of the delegate assembly for the next 3 years will be determined in the next few weeks. Most Unity Caucus members are expected to run for chapter leader or delegate. The rank and file in many schools doesn't even know their CL is in Unity and more beholden to the leadership than to the membership.

Aside from the many Unity candidates, they also coopt new chapter leaders through the union's training program, which often function as Unity recruiting operations. In the last cycle (2006) Unity added over 700 new members drawn from the pool of new chapter leaders and delegate, thus insuring absolute control over the delegate assembly.

Many novice (and even experienced) chapter leaders are concerned with the level of support they will receive from the UFT, especially if they voice criticism of the leadership. This fear is a powerful tool in the hands of Unity. Some join Unity out of this fear, but in most cases, new chapter leaders have no idea what Unity is and figure, "Why not?" Then there are the perks - the after school jobs (why work in the school with kids if you don't have to), the all expense paid trips to conventions, the double pensions. And the big enchilada - a full-time union job if you play ball.

People I talk to thinking of running who have expressed criticisms of the UFT leadership, are not aware of the extent to which Unity will go to keep them from winning. And they play dirty.

With a large turnover in chapter leaders expected this spring, I've been working with Sally Lee of Teachers Unite to set up a session for prospective chapter leaders (and delegates) to help them lay the groundwork for a run for chapter leader and a follow-up support group to help them strategize methods of dealing with the school admins and the central and district union structure. ICE and TJC members are involved.

We are holding a meeting on Monday, May 18 at 5 pm to cover a bunch of issues. We have invited Michael Fiorillo of ICE and Megan Behrent of TJC to join us. And maybe some other experienced union people to provide advice and encouragement. Can't make this meeting? We can also take the show on the road. Just let us know.

Teachers Unite has put out the following announcement:

-Should you run for UFT CL or Delegate?
-Are there risks to your career?
-How can you be part of building a more democratic UFT?
-What can you accomplish as a rank-and-file leader?
-What does any of this have to do with social justice activism?


If you're considering becoming a UFT representative at your school, join Teachers Unite, veteran and new teachers, and members of opposition caucuses in the UFT to discuss the process and significance of becoming a union leader. If elections already happened in your school, but you're interested in these questions, please feel free to join us.

Snacks provided

Please RSVP

Monday, May 18, 2009
Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Location: Brecht Forum
Street: 451 West St. New York, NY
Phone: 2126754790
Email: info@teachersunite.net
Description: A Teachers Unite program:

Directions:
A,C,E, or L to 14th St & 8th Ave., walk down 8th Ave to Bethune, turn right, walk west to
the River, turn left

1,2,3 or 9 to 14th St. & 7th Ave. Get off at south end of station, walk west on 12th St.
to 8th Ave. left to Bethune, turn right, walk west to the River, turn left.

Related:
Today, ICE meeting at Murray Bergtraum HS at 4:30
Pearl St right behind police plaza.

"Now I see what merit pay can do"

"Now I see what merit pay can do. I am ever so resentful to think that some of these people are getting merit pay for being rats. They do not work. BSA is a hired lunch duty man. That is his job, two lunch duties, three preps, and one gym class. What the fuck does he need a prep for?"

From a chapter leader who supported merit pay last year. The principal has tabbed someone to run against this chapter leader who stands up for the members. That someone barely teaches and is already spending the day campaigning for the elections in June. This chapter leader is fighting not just for the chapter leadership but for life as a teacher as you know what will happen if BSA wins. You know something? If BSA joins up with Unity Caucus, as I bet he will since people like him who know which side their bread is buttered, the UFT leadership will be perfectly happy to lose a thorn in their side even if that thorn is a vigorous defender of the members.

The entire rant is here: http://terry-proofoflife.blogspot.com/

Important Chapter Leader Election

Marjorie Stamberg is running for Chapter leader against a Unity Clone/hack Michael Friedman who has supported every act of the union leadership and has engaged in personal attacks on Marjorie. I think he is the same guy who opposed just about anything I ever proposed at the Delegate Assembly. Unity is desperate to keep Marjorie from representing the interests of the teachers. That should be a good enough reason to get anyone you know in that chapter to support her.

Jeff Kaufman has posted Marjorie's full statement on the ICE blog, which I urge you to read.

Here are a few excerpts:

Underlying the current election for chapter officers in GED-Plus are some important issues of broader significance. A crisis was opened by the “reorganization” of District 79, announced last May, in which more than 300 teaching positions were eliminated. The fact that hundreds of teachers were then thrown into Absent Teacher Reserve, instead of having the right to transfer to other positions, is a direct result of the union leadership’s giving up of seniority transfers in the 2005 contract.

"Mr. Friedman has waged a vindictive personal attack on me, releasing a stream of frantic e-mails in which he accuses me of being “ignorant,” “angry,” “negative”, a “demagogue,” someone who “rants” and “raves.” (Where have we heard that before?) He wrote: “Her platform is anger and negativism…” “Do we want to be represented by someone so negative and angry…” “a one note, negative campaign; a call to just say no.” “Ms. Stamberg, like so many demagogues who want to rant…” “angry people who rant and rave…” Ask yourselves, who is ranting and raving here?"