Unity Caucus Threats Against ABC and its Members Continue - I Get Reported to HR for Fighting for the Right to Put Lit on the Table at the Delicate Assembly

“The delicate assembly.”  It sure is delicate.  A bunch of “snowflakes” in Unity Caucus.  Anyone who asks their dear leader a question is “rude.” Or a liar. That’s their favorite adjective. .. Comment of a not delicate Delegate

Is a cornered party as dangerous as a cornered rat? We should be sober: the political winds are blowing hard against the "ruling party". Unity is staring at a meltdown... defections may mount and internal chaos spreads throughout leadership. ... Tom Hartmann   

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

the attorney’s letter states they will sue each UFT member individually, for having publicly stated we are UFT members. 

Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025 -- Delicate Assembly Day - Ho Hum

Mulgrew and crew have been rehearsing, probably all day, for the DA so he knows where to point for the required sneak attack Unity reso to start the new motion period. But he has to act like this is all spontaneous, and he was absent for the acting lesson. One of the fun things is to pick out their reso from the stack. The goal is to waste as much of the 10 minute New Motion time as possible. And monitor how much speaking time goes to staff or Unity apparatchiks.

Frankly, I'm getting a bit bored by the DA, but the chance to engage with Unity slugs is too delicious to miss plus seeing lots of old and new friends. But I need an umbrella to keep from getting wet from the snowflakes. 

The answer by authoritarians when cornered is repression and increasing attacks to try to suppress voices of opposition. Or just put a photo of the leading oppo candidate for president in a urinal in the mens room at the UFT during a delicate assembly:   Misogyny at the UFT Delegate Assembly 

We are sure to hear bragging today on how effective they are on the para pay issue which has been locked up in the city council, thus forcing them to hold "massive" protests in front of the Adrienne Adams' office, who was scared to death at this turnout.

Now this is organizing.

PissGate Report

The union issued a report of its 6 month investigation of Piss Gate, (see here), that led to nothing. Apparently some strange guy they cannot identify was hanging around the men's room that day but the cameras can't seem to identify him. Probably just prostate problems. 

They are actually trying to pin it on me or someone from ABC - I think I was the only man from ABC there that day - because, you know, Unity people have such integrity.

I was told to go in and check the bathroom around 6PM after the first photo at 5:12 was found and I removed it so they can claim my fingerprints are on it. Like there's no Unity hack capable of doing this? There is video footage and there were only so many guys at the meeting. I shared my suspicions of the possible culprit with the lawyer.  

I entered the men's room to find the photo in the urinal, the second one that day and extracted it after taking a photo. I still have it and the investigator wanted me to turn it in so they could check for prints but I wasn't giving them the evidence unless I could observe the taking of the prints.

Unity motion to muzzle chapter leaders

Don't forget this gem from the Nov DA where they wanted to gag school chapter leaders like they gag CLs of functional chapters, notably Bennett Fischer of the RTC. This was their sneak attack reso. 

 

It was voted down by a slim margin, which means even some Unity CLs voted against it, which must really piss them off since the clicker we use allows for anonymity, something we didn't have in the past as the District reps had their CLs sit near them so they could monitor how they voted. 

Fighting for the right to put lit on the table 

I got a call from a union official that an HR complaint had been filed over my confrontation with a Unity hack over the restriction of needing LeRoy Barr's permission to put lit on the tables in. the lobby. She should have filed the HR complaint against LeRoy who gave her such a ridiculous assignment. 

Historical note: We had a table for non-official UFT lit for 25 years until the increasingly authoritarian LeRoy Barr barr-ed the oppo table and any lit he doesn't want displayed on the official table. When asked why, be first blamed Covid and then enemies of the UFT. You see, if you dare to criticize their worships you are an enemy -- Trumpism comes to 52 Broadway.
 

I posted a photo of the Barr henchwoman using our dues to guard the table in a recent post  Growing Authoritarianism at the UFT as Unity continues to take Lying shots at ABC 

 

Fact is she has been nasty and arrogant (confirmed by others in the UFT)  and she complains to UFT HR about me? As if I work for her and the UFT when in fact she works for me. But the UFT leadership act as if the membership works for them, so maybe they are confused. 

Talk about delicate snowflakes. She goes whining because an 80 year old 58 year member of the UFT spoke to her in a loud voice? If she can't deal with that she need to get a new job. These are the people who are supposed to defend us against Trumpism?  

 

Unity views ABC as the real threat, the legacy oppo as supplemental - but they need to find ways to stay relevant

 

I wrote about the increasing repression at the UFT the other day in this post: Growing Authoritarianism at the UFT as Unity continues to take Lying shots at ABC

 .... where I made the point that the biggest threat to Unity hegemony is coming from within the caucus, as the numerous defections to ABC in the last election proved. ABC only existed for months but garnered 32% of the vote while the 3 legacy caucuses, with 100 years of combined experience, of trying to organize in the UFT, got only14%, thus not constituting a threat to Unity, but a necessity for Unity to keep around as a counterweight to ABC. Thus, the "Unity light" label applied by some to elements of ARISE - remembering that for a dozen years, New Action was Unity light.

A key to the vast difference between ABC and ARISE was, I believe, the infusion of defecting Unity CLs who brought their staffs along to vote for ABC. Since the ARISE coalition will never get Unity defectors en masse, the demonstrated ability of ABC to do so is what makes ABC such a threat and has led to the constant attacks in Unity lit -- look for another one today at the DA.

 

Unity threatens to sue ABC and all its members individually

 
Thus, the latest round is threats and more threats for daring to say ABC is an active group in the UFT, while other groups that use the UFT logo are ignored. The geniuses at the UFT in full force where

the attorney’s letter states they will sue each UFT member individually, for having publicly stated we are UFT members. 

The letter from the lawyer also states:

“Further, throughout your website and on your social media, you refer to the A Better Contract organization as "A Better Contract - UFT" and "A Better Contract - UFT Members," signaling that the organization is a faction within the UFT when it is not.”

Mulgrew should look up the word faction - 

a small organized dissenting group within a larger one, especially in politics.

 

On the other hand, Unity Caucus using the UFT logo is fine:

 

And how about MORE?

Here is the ABC post where you can get details of the threats. 

Unity UFT Leadership Threatens to Sue ABC-UFT

And they're using your UFT dues to do it.

A Better Contract

Dec 09, 2025

 

https://abettercontract.org/p/unity-uft-leadership-threaten-to?

Michael Mulgrew and Unity UFT leadership, a political group that has controlled our union for more than sixty years and who continue to preside over diminishing returns for educators across the city, have hired the corporate law firm Norton Rose Fulbright to threaten legal action against A Better Contract (ABC-UFT). Their claim is that we, the committed educators and proud UFT members of ABC, do not have the right to refer to ourselves as UFT members.

This is not the first time Mulgrew and Unity UFT have used our dues money to threaten UFT members. In June 2025, Unity UFT hired the same law firm to file a complaint accusing A Better Contract of infringement for referring to themselves as UFT members. That complaint was rejected by an independent arbitrator, who determined that ABC-UFT’s statement of being UFT members, which we are, is legitimate and protected.

Rather than using dues to improve working conditions or strengthen our union, Mulgrew and Unity UFT leadership have chosen to use those dues to attack UFT members who are advocating for a more democratic and responsive union. 

Members can read more about that decision here: ABC Wins Arbitration

I will close with a comment on Arthur's substack:

When Mulgrew lays on his phony tough guy shtick, it does have an air of wannabe third-rate mob boss. It's pretty ineffective, though. I don't feel intimidated at all. Maybe it's working better with UFT staff at 52 Broadway. They all seem to be running scared.

Growing Authoritarianism at the UFT as Unity continues to take Lying shots at ABC

The more restrictive people in power get in an attempt to tamp down critics, the more likely their crackdowns spike greater opposition and more critics.

How do you distinguish between fascism and authoritarianism? And how do you fight fascism when you yourselves are authoritarians? 

Authoritarianism allows limited freedoms but maintains strict control over political processes. 

A Unity initiative to make chapter leaders sit down and shut up was voted down. This was remarkable—the exception that proves the rule. It would have mandated top-down messaging from UFT at all levels. -- Arthur Goldstein Notes on the Nov. DA 

Unity leaflet attacks DSA claiming they are infiltrating the UFT with MORE as an instrument but also attacking Marianne Pizzitola. Then months later they endorse the DSA candidate for mayor. 

Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025 

The line between fascist and authoritarian rule can be fuzzy, but there is a difference. 

 

I'm not referring here to the Trump MAGA crowd, which clearly leans fascist. I don't like to call people fascists and prefer the label of "fascistic-type behavior" but the MAGA crowd is clearly beyond wanna-be fascists. 

Is authoritarianism and fascism the same thing? 

I Googled the question:

Authoritarianism is a general form of governance defined by the centralization of power and limited political freedoms. (A check for both Unity and other Caucuses in the UFT)

Fascism is a specific, far-right, and highly ideological form of authoritarianism that includes elements such as extreme nationalism and often racism. All fascist regimes are authoritarian, but not all authoritarian regimes are fascist. 

Authoritarianism is a form of government where power is concentrated in a single leader or small group, and there is little to no accountability to the public. It suppresses political freedoms, limits individual rights, and often uses control, fear, or violence to maintain power, with citizens expected to show blind submission to authority. (Check)

The theme here is UFT/Unity Caucus and authoritarianism. 

When people engage in authoritarian-like behavior it's OK to call then authoritarians, and that is an appropriate label for the UFT leadership, as I will offer examples below.

I would not term the behavior of our UFT/Unity Caucus leadership fascistic - that is pure hyperbole. But "increasingly authoritarian" is more apt. 

 

The prime directive of authoritarian led organizations is to maintain power - often at all costs and that fits the Unity machine perfectly.

 

Think of these characteristics of authoritarianism and compare them to the UFT/Unity crowd.

Has the UFT/Unity leadership shown indications of this behavior? Let me count the ways. Call them authoritarians. Just don't call them fascists.

Key characteristics of authoritarianism (as related to the UFT/Unity leadership):

Concentrated power:

A single person or a small group holds most of the power, with little to no accountability to the people.  

The UFT has had four presidents over 60 years. Just think of that. The faces may change, but the political machine remains the same. Thus, when people attack Mulgrew as the problem, I point out the problem is Unity - when Mulgrew goes, only the face of the machine will change. While the leadership often seems incompetent, they have proven very competent at keeping control, managing the membership and holding on to power, though recently they have been lucking out due to the lack of an effective opposition, a situation going back decades. 

 

Right now we see that even inside the Unity machine, whereas there may have been some sense of people being consulted in the past, we now have 3 Men in the room: Mulgrew, Barr, Sill - and at times a woman: Mary Vaccaro. But the ABC campaign with many Unity defectors indicated some cracks in the machine for the first time. One of their complaints was that there was a sense of being consulted in the Randi years - though not all that much but she knew how to play the game -- but now even the officers in Ad Com are ignored - other than the gang of 3+1. Below that level, there is some unrest and recent aggression has been aimed at tamping it down. A sinking ship may be kept afloat with vigorous pumping but ultimately that is a losing battle.

Suppressed freedoms:

Individual rights, such as freedom of speech and the press, are limited or denied to prevent opposition and maintain control. 

 

Limited political opposition:

Opposition parties are often discouraged, prohibited, or have their legitimacy attacked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look at the control of the DA. Barr must approve all leaflets put on the table at the DA, after cancelling the 25 year old history of having a table for non-official materials, granted by Randi Weingarten in 1998. We had a battle with a UFT employee guarding the table during DA to make sure no scurrilous lit goes on, violating decades of policy. That is her assignment at the DA. She and LeRoy claim Covid as an excuse. Jeez. I called them out on this policy at the November DA. 

 

Unity Attempts to Bennett Fischerize chapter leaders

A Nov. DA Unity backed reso, defeated, called for limits on free speech of chapter leaders and their freedom to communicate with their members, following the example of the suppression of RTC Chair Bennett Fischer's ability to communicate with RTC members. Many of us have urged Bennett to make a big deal of this censorship and in fact send in his report and if Mulgrew censors it make a big deal of it, but instead he is circumspect in those reports. The RTC leadership seems worried that Mulgrew will turn off their electricity if they push back too hard. The RTC leadership has already turned off any vestige of militant resistance. I get lectured all the time that UFT leadership are not enemies and we must stick together to fight fascism. Hard to fight fascism when you have to work with authoritarians who want to suppress democracy. Some in RTC argue that Unity is not an enemy but fellow UFT members and we have to work with them in a bipartisanship way. That's how the Democratic Party has operated while Republicans smash them to bits. 

 

Arthur in a recent post addresses the November DA and that ugly Unity reso.

Unity Fails to Erode Democracy (or Control Class Size): Then, they try to blame ABC for their shortcomings.

You won't find a Unity leaflet or social media post that doesn't try to slime ABC, demonstrating where they see the real threat to them. 

 

Every Unity leaflet and social media post attacks ABC and makes false claims ABC opposes increasing para pay or decreasing class size, false claims of course. They brand critical comments over the inept methods they use as an attack on the union. Recently they held a demo at the city council over the para reso - 3 staffers showed up and they considered that a success. Jeez.

Control and fear:

They may use various methods like corruption, misinformation, propaganda, or violence to ensure compliance and discourage dissent.  

How about the June massacre firings and more that came in September?

See every Unity leaflet and social media post attack ABC and make false claims they oppose increasing para pay or decreasing class size. Have you checked their propaganda machine where everything they do is wonderful? -- Trump uses their bragging playbook.

Undemocratic practices:

Authoritarian systems often ignore or subvert democratic processes, sometimes even while holding elections.

 

Yes Virginia, there was some playing around during the elections but not enough to make them lose --- they were confident of winning due to the two oppositions running against them but if the day comes when and if there is one strong opposition, watch for the dirty tricks. The 54% they got is a big threat to them and they need ARISE to stay alive to make sure ABC doesn't win.

 

Remember electronic voting? They formed a committee to study it that has started meeting with ABC and ARISE reps - naturally the committee is packed with Unity. Do you want to wager on Polymarket whether the committee will vote for electronic voting at future elections? 

Emphasis on obedience: Members

 are expected to show obedience to authority, sometimes referred to as "blind submission".  

                                                                                                   

The 54% Unity got in the election plus the losses in the RTC and para chapter are warning signs. They are lucky so far due to the divisions in the opposition, and I will get into these divisions in upcoming posts. 

 

But expect further crackdowns on democracy, which often has the opposite effect of spurring open and hidden opposition. (Think of the fall of the Soviet block, which lasted 70 years as Unity control of the UFT approaches that number.)

Is a cornered party as dangerous as a cornered rat? We should be sober: the political winds are blowing hard against the "ruling party". (Your favorite group in power)______ are staring at a meltdown... defections mount and internal chaos spreads throughout leadership. ... Tom Hartmann   

Gee, ya think?  

 

District 30 Cls Revolt

The big firings were meant to send a message to the Unity rank and file. From what I'm hearing, there is fear - but also resentment. The firing of D. 30 rep Ashley Rzonca who was loyal to Unity but fired for perceived friendship with Amy Arundell, is having repercussions. A batch D. 30 CL are refusing to attend district rep meetings and are meeting on their own at the same time. The union went whining to the Dist Supt about these alt meetings in the schools. Perfect behavior of a cornered party. Go ask the boss to help you beat down a revolt.

 

So far internal chaos has not spread and they have weathered the threat to the Delegate Assembly they were facing from the 300 delegates from retirees plus the 100 MORE delegates. We've seen a withering away of the retiree delegate impact, due to the incompetence of the Retiree Advocate/RTC leadership, as we will see in upcoming posts and the work Arthur has been doing to expose them. And the MORE 100 have had zero impact and have not shown much interest in the DA. And so far the ABC crowd has gotten off to a slow start this year and also has not organized at the DA. Some on all sides are talking about giving up at organizing at the DA. I think the DA for at least through next year has potential if all the delegates from RA, MORE and ABC managed to put something together. Go bet on Polymarket if you think that is possible. 

 

I'd sooner bet on a meteor like the one that wiped out the dinosaurs.

But change might come from another direction outside the caucus structure.

 

District 30 Cls Revolt

The big firings were meant to send a message to the Unity rank and file. From what I'm hearing, there is fear - but also resentment. The firing of D. 30 rep Ashley Rzonca who was loyal to Unity but fired for perceived friendship with Amy Arundell, is having repercussions. A batch D. 30 CL are refusing to attend district rep meetings and are meeting on their own at the same time. The union went whining to the Dist Supt about these alt meetings in the schools. Perfect behavior of a cornered party. Go ask the boss to help you beat down a revolt.

 

Unity's best chance of maintaining power is the divisions in the opposition. I think ABC has the most potential but don't expect the legacy caucus driven groups to join the party as the same principle of oligarchy driven organizations operates with them as it does with Unity: 

 

The prime directive of authoritarian led organizations is to maintain power - often at all costs.

 

Retiree Advocate has become the power in the Retiree Chapter - at least until the next election in May 2027 and has been losing its way, which Arthur has been chronicling.                                                                                                                                       

Beware of old boss becoming the new boss - the dangers of a loyal opposition seeking alliances with authoritarians in power.

 

A Mayoral Mess: Is Mamdani Support Fading Despite Cuomo Massive Transgressions, Sliwa Hangs In, UFT Retirees Battle Each Other

Which is the bigger threat to Mamdani's winning? Cuomo/Bloomberg/Trump - an unholy alliance -  or the UFT's perpetual loser mayoral endorsement? 

I just got a call from some of the few liberals in Breezy Point asking my advice on the propositions and I informed them on what an awful person Cuomo is -- I put him in Trump personality territory and may have won two votes for Mamdani. 

 Who knew, that Orthodox rabbis support and defend Mamdani for speaking truth to power? Their defense is so very smart and compassionate. https://youtu.be/7NmGPStXWl0?si=enDu0QNRIEphOZUU

While Mamdani has some big enthusiasm but there is not a lot of enthusiasm among some voters for either candidate - who do you hate more - Cuomo or Mamdani? No one really hates Sliwa.

NY Daily News: Trump backs Cuomo for mayor, says NYC must vote for him and stop Mamdani

President Trump urged Republican voters in New York City late Monday to cross party lines and support Andrew Cuomo for mayor as part of an 11th hour bid to stop Democratic front-runner Zohran Mamdani from taking over the reins at City Hall. 

Wow - looks like Trump is getting desperate - why is he threatened by Mamdani? My guess he fears his ability to mobilize people - imagine if he has 90K volunteers, imagine a million people on the street. Oh, and Eli Musk just joined the anti-Mamdani crowd. Even Trump backers admit Mamdani has run a disciplined effective campaign. That scares them.

Monday, Nov. 3 - Election Eve

I wanted to get this out before tomorrow and I hope to have a follow-up by tomorrow night. Surprise, surprise - It might be rambling just a bit.

Even as I finish this up, polls show the election tightening to 4 points and tomorrow it could be 2 points. Bloomberg has tossed millions joined by other billionaires in a desperate attempt to stop Mamdani -- thus joining Trump who endorsed Cuomo. The negative ads seem to be working. I hope he not only wins but wins big. 45% to 40% with Sliwa dropping to 15%. 

Yet another poll shows: The most recent polls place Mamdani 14.7 points ahead of Cuomo, according to a RealClearPolitics poll average. 

The voting so far looks good for him -- especially this weekend's young people turnout, while last weekend it was the older folks which might favor Cuomo.

Given the attacks on Zohran, ask yourself why Trump is so desperate for him to lose? One would think he would be happy to have a foil. To me that is the best sign of the threat Mamdani represents ideologically to Republicans and the corporate Dems who run the party. And to the billionaires. Just looking at the line-up against him should get him votes.

The joy Mamdani's backers felt in June, though, has been morphing into some jitters, as his machine begs his 90k volunteers to go out and canvass to the last minute. (I hate canvasing but forced myself to do some.)

Today's NYT takes one more swipe at Mandani with this headline: 

Questions of Readiness Persists for Mamdani: Even some of his backers worry about his thin resume.  "He is not ready," said Maria Fattore (from his Astoria territory), saying she had unhappily switcher her vote from Mamdani to Cuomo. And in Manhattan, an old hippy who was leaning Mamdani, admitted to misgivings. I'm not sure he has the experience to deal with what's going on in this city..."

I'll admit to some worries, especially based on my conversations with liberals who are voting for Cuomo - mostly non-Jews by the way, so Israel is not a factor, though one close Jewish friend from Long Island is very concerned and told me Rabbis in many synagogues are railing against him. 

Some people just don't care for him - they see phony charm and a child of privilege - intellectual privilege for sure but also economic - if he hadn't been accepted to Bronx Science, he would have never gone to a public school - and a college few could afford. While he is adored by many, we need to keep some level of skepticism. 

I have fallen for his charm and love his interactions on long interviews - see the one he did with John Steward on The Daily Show last Monday. He was also on Sam Seder's Majority Report last Wednesday - he has no fear of talking to anyone. 

I voted Brad Lander #1 and Mamdani 2 in the primary, though my left-leaning instincts pushed me towards the latter and still does. But if it were Lander running instead of Cuomo at this point, I think he might win.

Even some leftists see Zohran as a privileged scion, reaching above his head, as we see in this comment from a mid-career NYC teacher:

I say this as someone who voted for Mamdani twice; with all due respect, I think he’s an arrogant little prick who thinks really highly of himself for little reason.  But, given the alternative, he’s got my vote. My frustration with Mamdani is that he has accomplished almost nothing in his life.  But, he talks big.  That’s all fine.  But, when he’s finally at the moment of actually accomplishing something big (for himself), he turns his back on pretty much one of the only people (Marianne Pizzitola) I’ve seen in this city who has actually done something for working people. [I will delve deeper into the Zohran/Marianne controversy in a follow-up).

I don't agree with his assessment but it shows how some of his voters are thinking. 

On the other hand, much of the left is still glowing, as this In These Times Oct. 31 piece indicates where so much of his support is coming from.

​“Why are you so excited to show him to everyone?” 

“Because we love him,” says Alam, who works the night shift from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.

It’s a sentiment I hear from taxi drivers, nurses and restaurant workers.

Zohran Mamdani on the Night Shift for Mayor: As Election Day nears, the Democratic mayoral candidate returns to his base among New York City’s multiracial working class.

The article points to how many city unions support him, including our own beloved UFT - and that has caused more than a little rancor in the ranks -- but that gets complicated, which I will try to untangle further down. 

Based on my political instincts, conversations with liberals, and my usual pessimistic outlook, I'm worried. The continuous fear-mongering attacks on him with the influx of billionaire money has had an impact - their goal is not just to make him lose, but to weaken him and make him ineffectual to prove socialist thinking doesn't work is their goal. 

Last weekend most voters were on the plus side of 50, which did not look good. But this past weekend the younger people came out -- so maybe it's a wash. 

Warning signs ahead. 

I will feel more nervous than elated if he wins.

I see him as a unique political talent - his thoughtfulness in interviews even as he duck some issues and his likeability and sense of humor will carry him - but only so far. Thought and ideas are good, but as John Stewart pointed out to him last week: If you fail to deliver on the basics of running the city, there will be a harsh reaction -- remember Mayor Lindsay and the Feb. 1969 snow storm. 

I believe that the honchos in both parties have a big stake in seeing a socialist failure as a way to put a stake into the heart of any progressive move to take over the Dem Party. That is what makes me nervous --- he will turn into Hope and NO CHANGE. Or worse, will be as unpopular as Chicago left wing mayor Brandon Johnson - though I don't follow Chicago very much nowadays and was proud when a Chicago union teacher was elected - but some of his speeches turn me off.

I've been working on a piece on this election for over a week and the more I talk to people the more confused I get. I voted and canvased for Mamdani, but I go from enthusiastic support to questions. What keeps me in line are his opponents - the awful Cuomo and the Republican Sliwa, who I would actually prefer to Cuomo, who is an awful human being and not to be trusted, especially around women.  

I found the attacks on Zohran over the Medicare issue coming from retirees disconcerting because those attacks pointed us to Cuomo.

Can I make a guess based on my own personal contacts or my own "feelings"? 

For instance, my sense of the Jersey gov race is that the Dem is an awful candidate and may lose - today's polls show a dead heat -- in some ways I think a loss for a center/right corporate anti- progressive Dem would not be the worst thing, though the Virginia gov candidate seems much better and will win. But I think Trump's cancellation of the Hudson tunnel helps the Dem.

In my circle of liberal friends I see danger signs. Last night I ran into a liberal friend (not many in my area), who is a neighbor. I reminded her of election night 2008 when she invited us over to celebrate the Obama victory. She is voting for Cuomo because she doesn't trust a guy as young as Mamdani. Another Rockaway liberal friend has mocked Mamdani and a couple we know from Brooklyn feel the same way -- even having a level of disgust towards him. None of these people are Jewish, so Israel is not a factor. My sense it is more about how young he is, their feelings he hasn't done much and is arrogant for running. In other words, his age and lack of a resume are resonating as much as the issues.

I get this from people -- they view Mamdani as a rich kid playing politics. So, how many people are voting for Mamdani or against Cuomo? 

If Brad Lander has run as an independent instead of Cuomo, I'd give him an even chance -- he would gather votes from the Cuomo haters and more Republican votes.

Last week, in conversations with people I met in some of my classes and tours I gave, including some UFT retirees, there was clear support and even enthusiasm for Mamdani. But I had lunch last week with a guy who was on my Murray Hill tour -- from Riverdale with an 11 year old daughter - not a teacher but a businessman running his own business in the city -- and he brought it up - he was excited at Mamdani -- he looked to be in his early 50s.

So, personal conversations are a mixed bag -- and I have to adhere to this dictum: judgments based on snippets of conversation may not reflect a person's considered, complete, or public stance, leading to misrepresentation.

NYC Retirees attack retirees who back Mamdani. 

Zohran Mamdani & his followers disrespect Retirees -- headline on NYC retirees

WTF - I'm a Mamdani follower, so I, who have fought for retirees from the day the attack on Medicare began in April 2020, before the NYC Retirees even existed, am now someone who disrespects retirees? That's so fucked up.

I was about to get into the retiree battles in the UFT over the anti-Mamdani position Marianne Pizzitola has taken and the reaction to it, but let's wait until tomorrow or the next day -- but I will say, she has taken a risk in dipping too deep into divisive politics and even some her most loyal supporters are disturbed -- Did she fail to follow her own advice she gave to UFT retirees to stick to the issue? Well, in some ways she did and in some ways she did not. I may even dip into my changing views on Israel -- which reflects growing feelings in the Jewish community, 30 or more % going for Mamdani.

I will attempt to untangle it all tomorrow - or maybe never.

Meanwhile check out these NYT articles:

Mamdani’s Candidacy Roils Jewish Communities Across the Country

Who Should Be Mayor of New York City?

Trump’s Greatest Ally is The Democratic Party - The Chris Hedges Report

The Democratic Party and its liberal allies refuse to call for mass mobilization and strikes — the only tools that can thwart Trump’s emergent authoritarianism — fearing they too will be swept aside.

The 1975 NY Teacher Strike: Its History and Impact - Norm on Talk Out of School Tonight at 7PM

I spoke to Daniel this morning for almost 2 hours that he has to squeeze into one hour. His questions had me going deep, not only into the history -- I actually got up early this morning to visit the archives in my basement and discovered new information on the organizing efforts in the years before - and after. I have an engagement at 7 so can't listen but when I have a link I will elaborate further.

 

 

Tuesday Musings: A Film on Medicare, Retired Teacher Chapter Exec Bd, Plus a Drawing Class

Boy I had a busy day on Tuesday, taking an 8:15 AM ferry to get to my drawing class at the Manhattan UFT, followed by an RTC Ex Bd meeting and then off to view "The Power to Heal" sponsored by NYC Retirees with Marianne Pizzitola at the Tribeca Viewing room with some city officials and some fellow retirees.

Wednesday, October 22, 2025

 

NOTE: Tomorrow is the ABC Big, Beautiful Mass Meeting, with Over 800 registered so far. ABC retirees will be doing a brief (very brief) presentation. A bunch of us attended the film yesterday.

 

I've been too busy to blog. I'm doing the BBG tour guide training which lasts until the end of March. Saturdays have been tied up and I actually have homework.  So I missed the massive No Kings rallies on Saturday which I hear had 400 people in Rockaway. I joined 40 people in Edgemere on Sunday to canvas for Mamdani. Luckily I was teamed with a young lady I know from the Rockaway Theatre Company who is an experiened DSA canvasser and led me through the process.

 

The RTC Ex bd meeting had a number of interesting elements but I am in a rush as I have to get to MSK for a vaccine shot for Meningitis which I need because I no longer have my spleen. So I will deal with the RTC situation, which I am not happy with, another time and will focus a bit on the film and discussion afterwards.

 

Listen, I have been involved in the fight over Medicare and the attempt to push us into Medicare Advantage, the movie and discussion afterwards made things clearer than every. I can't remember some of the people on the panel and Marianne was on target as usual but they all made so many great points. Medicare is social insurance while Medicare Advantage is corporate for profit insurance, which led me to think back to the Mulgrew arguments that they were the same. Was Mulgrew duplicitous or just plain stupid? You chose.

 

We saw only the sort version of the movie and Marianne will arrange a showing of the full version of The Power to Heal, the essence of which was that many hospitals, especially in the South, either banned or minimized care for Black people and it was the new Medicare program in 1966 that forced them to integrate in order to be eligible for the federal funds. 

I had never made the connection before.

 

It was pointed out in the discussion that Medicare is not an entitlement - we pay for it throughout our working and retirement lives. It is never free and then we have to over for the 20% not covered and while most people have to pay for that, NYC retirees were guaranteed free coverage, which Mulgrew and Co tried to take away.

 

Of course now we face the biggest threat to Medicare from the Trump administration, not that the Dems had no role in promoting the privatized MedAdv programs, which by the way are dropping people who might get older and sicker. Risk pools without younger and healthier people will leave Medicare in an untenable situation and healthcare in this nation will get worse and worser, a reason I know people who are seeking dual citizenship if they can. I have one Japanese friend who travel back to Japan every 3 months for treatments she cannot afford here.

 

It was pointed out that the badly managed MedAdv plans cost many lives through denials of service and nit-picking, often now being done by AI. Under Medicare, doctors make decisions while under MedAdv doctors are second guessed. And MedAdv plans cost the governement a lot more money, especially due to the 15% paperwork charges vs. 3% for Medicare.

We also talked about the NYC Health Act and flaws were pointed out. A retiree said that some younger teachers are yelling at her for fighting for Medicare instead of for the NY Health Act but it was pointed out that out of state retirees would not get the same coverage and since they make up a significant portion of retirees, their being cut out would raise prices.

 

There's a lot more to say about the film and the discussion which went so deep and I didn't get back to my apartment until after 8PM. Keep an eye out for Marianne's notice to post the full film and I hope the political people in the room get fully invested in the battle. 

 

From the website:

ABOUT THE FILM

POWER TO HEAL is an hour-long public television documentary that tells a poignant chapter in the historic struggle to secure equal and adequate access to healthcare for all Americans. Central to the story is the tale of how a new national program, Medicare, was used to mount a dramatic, coordinated effort that desegregated thousands of hospitals across the country in a matter of months.  Before Medicare, disparities in access to hospital care were dramatic. Less than half the nation's hospitals served black and white patients equally, and in the South, 1/3 of hospitals would not admit African-Americans even for emergencies.  Using the carrot of Medicare dollars, the federal government virtually ended the practice of racially segregating patients, doctors, medical staffs, blood supplies and linens. POWER TO HEAL illustrates how Movement leaders and grass-roots volunteers pressed and worked with the federal government to achieve justice and fairness for African-Americans.   Through the voices of the men and women who experienced disparities and fought against them, POWER TO HEAL will introduce a broad, prime-time national audience on PBS to a missing link in the Civil Rights Movement -- a struggle over healthcare from a half-century ago, that raises questions that resonate today: is healthcare a human right? Must the federal government intervene to ensure equality?

 

Labor Day Parade Notes

 

 

Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025

I'm heading over to 52 for my first drawing class at Sy Beagle classes. I have a drawing/painting class on Thursdays. I have no talent at all so expect scribbles. But one day I want to draw or paint parts of my garden.

 

Bennett Fischer and RTC banner

 

 

The crowd on Saturday at the parade was mostly Unity with the non-Unity groups from various caucuses. Retirees had a nice group and I saw some people from MORE and Educators for Mamdani. Everyone is very friendly on this day - a sense of union unity (small u). 

One thing I noticed later on when I watched other unions. Many had signs with elements of class struggle - against billionaires, bosses, etc. (see some pics I took below -- burly teamsters smoking stogies). I note that in the UFT you do not see those types of signs. We saw fight fascism signs but not fight billionaires. I think that stems from UFT historic anti-left ideology (I know, they endorsed Mamdani, but that is only because he looked like a clear winner -- like they endorsed Adams last time because he looked like a winner - and never forget the Mulgrew/Adams alliance to take away our Medicare.

 

Watching the fervor of many unions, the UFT crew looked passive. 

 

I never saw Mamdani or Bernie, who both appeared at Brooklyn College that evening. I wanted to attend but the logistics of doing that were too complex. I marched with the UFT uptown and ran into a number of people I knew from throughout the union. 

 

After we got past the viewing stand, I walked back down and watched and took photos of the later unions marching. So I missed the ones that left before us. But I headed back to 48th St to hopefully march with Marianne and the NYC Retirees on their amazing SI ferry float. (Note for Mamdani critics of his free buses - SI ferry is free)  

 

 

I got there and they still hadn't left yet and the weather was turning ominous and my knee ached so I couldn't wait around to march with them but took some pics. I walked back to my apartment on 38th and reached Grand Central with it started to rain buckets - even with my umbrella I got soaked.

 

 

 

 

A new feature in these bleak times - 

Jokes of the day:

 

 

 

 

I had walked uptown with one of my faves over the years, great CL for years, Yelena S., who worked with our ICE-UFT crew since 2005, who was just fired by the Mulgrew crowd.

 

 

 

Yelena has worked as a part-timer for the union for over a decade back to before she retired and always ran with us against Unity, including as elementary VP. But until she ran with ABC they did not seem to have a problem with her. By the way, Yelena wanted to run with both ABC and ARISE but an RA's and ARISE steering committee member forced her to choose and she chose ABC because she felt they had a better chance to win with Amy running. She was right. We clearly had a better chance. For months I had proposed that we run some joint candidates but that same person told people the reason we wanted joint was because we could not fill our slate (ABC got 560 candidates, ARISE 490). 

 

That was what he kept selling the ARISE people - at one point saying ABC was only 7 people and would have to come back to ARISE. When people ask why ABC and ARISE did not work together, look no further.

 

Yelena and I had a great talk as we walked and found our views dovetailed on the type of group we feel ABC could be -- more open to all types of views even those we may not agree with. One of her daughters owns a book store in Brooklyn and I have to post the name as my memory is a bit faulty.