UFT Teacher Contract Passes 75-25, OT/PT, nurses, audiologists vote NO -

.... teachers overwhelmingly voted to ratify – albeit with a much smaller ‘yes’ margin (under 75%) than in 2018 (87%) and a smaller margin than 2014 (77%)..... Nick Notes at NAC...

New Action – UFT2022-2027 UFT Contract Approved: An Analysis 

 

Monday, July 10, 2023

I'm going to get to the healthcare news with another rally coming on Thursday. But the breaking news is the contract vote. 

As we reported earlier today with this account of the vote count. UFT Contract Vote Count: Report from the Front Lines - Judi C. the UFT released the outcomes of the contract vote. We were watching some ballots pass through the machines on Thursday and made rough estimates of 70-75%. We used batch counting where I counted yes votes up to 30 and someone else counted No votes and we saw numbers like 30-12 which gave us a clue. Despite being not happy with the way were kept from observing, we knew that it wasn't going to be close enough to raise any issues at this time but we want to ensure better observation in the future. We expect to hold a follow-up meeting to make recommendations since I have no doubt that if an important election looked close, Unity is not to be trusted. Think LukaMulgrew in Belarus.

There are multiple contracts and as they did last time, the OT/PT/Nurses voted no again. Here are some comments on Nick's post:

Teresa Maher July 10, 2023 at 1:33 pm

Please cover the story of why OT/PT’s and nurses voted down the contract. During COVID, nurses were in the field working long and late hours. OT/PT’s were live remotely way before teachers who just posted work in the google classrooms. PT’s are not compensated for their doctorate degrees. The DOE gets back millions for our services through the , but also fails to collect millions due to not following policy requirements. We still get a 30 min lunch and no sabbaticals……

Reply

• BaconUFT July 10, 2023 at 1:36 pm

  Absolutely, and I’ve seen a copy of the email UFT leadership sent to you all following the no vote. It looks like they’re blaming you, not recognizing that you voted no because you deserve better.

And here is the email sent to the chapter by the UFT, where Rich Mantel has regrets they voted down the contract, an act of militancy that should be celebrated:

I regret to inform you that the contract covering occupational and physical therapists, school nurses, audiologists and supervisors of nurses and therapists was the only DOE-UFT contract not ratified.

While we talk about one tentative contract agreement, it is, in fact, an amalgam of more than 12 separate contracts. The ratification of each contract requires the approval of more than 50% of the votes cast by members of that bargaining unit. Overall, three-quarters of the nearly 96,000 UFT members who cast ballots voted "yes" on the tentative agreement, according to the tally by the independent American Arbitration Association. But your contract was voted down by a vote of 1,129 against and 782 in favor.

As a result, all the new contractual benefits, including the pay increases and the $3,000 ratification bonus, will not be available for the therapists, school nurses, audiologists and supervisors of nurses and therapists covered by this contract. You will continue to work under the terms of the previous contract.

We will hold a virtual meeting for occupational and physical therapists, school nurses, audiologists and supervisors of nurses and therapists on Thursday, July 13, at 3 p.m., to discuss next steps in the difficult road ahead. You will receive an email invitation to register. We encourage you to attend. Sincerely,

Richard Mantell
UFT Vice President

There is almost glee in announcing they won't get the bonuses. Will the UFT drag its feet to teach them a lesson? Remember, Melissa Williams from the oppo was elected CL two years ago and Unity is not happy. With an election next year they may try to place blame for the vote --- but hell, this is a pretty big number and shows support for Melissa's fight with the leadership for better contracts.

Closing with Nick's comment:

while a number of irregularities characterized the voting/mailing process, thus prompting the High School Executive Board to pre-emptively seek out chapter-specific data, the surprising turnout numbers and margin of ‘victory’ were enough to suggest that the results (ratification) would not have been different. UFC affiliates were also present during day-time portions of the count to observe what they could of the process, but didn’t see any concrete malfeasance resembling what DC37 officials were caught doing to rig a ratification vote back in the 90s.

This contract, despite its faults, is now our contract. Indeed, it will be for some time.

 

Retiree Advocate Newsletter: Good News on UFT Retiree Healthcare: Judge Frank Grants TRO for Switch to MAP

I was going to post on some of these issues, so this is welcome relief from doing the work. Thanks RA. I will be back later today with more on the healthcare issue and the mystery of the missing contract outcome, probably buried in the catacombs.

 

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July, 2023 Join Retiree Advocate/UFT - Become a member: $20 annual fee Send check made out to Retiree Advocate/ UFT P.O. Box 22567, Brooklyn, NY 11201-2567 or click this link to pay with Paypal Retiree Advocate is a member of  UNITED FOR CHANGE https://retireeadvocate.org Good News on UFT Retiree Healthcare: Judge Frank Grants TRO for Switch to MAP Nick Bacon, New Action Caucus, July 7 Today, Judge Lyle Frank granted a TRO (temporary restraining Order) which will temporarily halt the City and the MLC from switching all retirees from GHI SeniorCare to a for-profit Aetna Medicare Advantage Plan. While the case is far from over, this is a very good omen. These excerpts in particular bode well:   “First, the Court finds that the petitioners have shown by clear and convincing evidence that there is a likelihood of success on the merits. The Court agrees that it is likely that this Court will ultimately find that the respondents are estopped from switching retirees into a Medicare Advantage Plan and that New York City Administrative Code section 12-126 does not permit the action that the City plans to take….The petitioners have shown that numerous promises were made by the City to then New York City employees and future retirees that they would receive a Medicare supplemental plan when they retired, and that their first level of coverage once that retired would by Medicare.” Make no mistake: the timing of this TRO decision alongside a new contract that is almost sure to be ratified within the next several days is meaningful. Mulgrew’s nightmare scenario of a ratified contract followed by the necessity of making major negative changes to in-service health care plans now seems more likely and more imminent than it did before. Mulgrew, after all, will still need to find savings to pay back the City for promised healthcare spending reductions. Now, however, he will have to pillage elsewhere than our retiree coverage. For those next steps, we must wait and see; against those next steps, we must be ready to fight. For more from the New Action / UFT Blog, check out the website here. More information From the PSC  The decision temporarily enjoins the City, until further order of the court, from requiring any City retirees and their dependents from being removed from their current health insurance plans and from being required to either enroll in an Aetna MA Plan or seek their own coverage.  The court said they plaintiffs met the standards for winning a preliminary injunction, as 1) they have a likelihood of succeeding on the merits of their first cause of action, which alleges the city made a  promise of future Medicare benefits that retirees relied on "to their detriment" (making a decision based on that promise that concretely affects them, such as not taking another job), 2) there would be "irreparable harm" if they have to wait to complete litigation before receiving a court decision, and 3) the "balance of equities" (is the harm greater from granting or not granting an injunction?) favor the plaintiffs.   It can be difficult to appeal from the issuance of an injunction, as normally appeals are heard only from final decisions. Nevertheless, it's fair to assume the City will appeal. Meanwhile, the judge will begin a process in which he requires the City to provide evidence that satisfies him that, for example, retirees won't be denied coverage/treatment they would have received under Medicare. More from the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees.  Please note that the good news is only temporary in that: There will be subsequent hearings in court to determine if the Temporary Restraining Order should become "permanent" or if it should be lifted, and if so, on what basis; The City still has pending before the state Court of Appeals the appeal it filed on last year's case (which had said that the City does have the right to offer the Medicare Advantage Plan (the one it had offered before) but that the City has no right to auto enroll us or to make us pay for our already-existing Medigap plan).  We do not yet know what the status of that Court of Appeals case is - whether the Court will allow it to continue, or dismiss it or what. The City still has an appeal pending on the 'co-pay' case. We still need the City Council to pass Int. 1099-2023 so that we can permanently secure our rights to our existing health insurance benefits without having to go back and forth to court - a very unaffordable and time/labor-intensive process. So the organization has asked that we continue to donate (details below) for the mounting legal expenses and try to get our friends and others impacted by the City retiree health insurance rules and policies to do the same. TO DONATE, HERE ARE SEVERAL SIMPLE WAYS! 1.  Make Your Check or Money Order payable to:        NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees       Mail to: NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees  c/o JSH Accounting Services, LLC         PO Box 143538        Fayetteville, GA 30214 For your convenience, you can set-up AutoPay with your banking institution so that you can determine an amount and date to have funds automatically transferred. 2.   PayPal (Click to link to their Secure Site, a PayPal Account is not required.  The organization is charged a fee)  3.   ZELLE: (Go to Your "On-Line" Banking Website) Locate the ZELLE service & use our email:       NYCOrgofpublicserviceretirees@gmail.com     Check with your Bank to understand how ZELLE works. It's usually a service on their website.  When you locate and fill out the form and you are asked for the email or phone number, use the email address, above. Make sure it's correct! No phone number is required. The next time you use Zelle, the email should pop into that field.  You can check your bank account to make  sure the transaction went through. It's Quick & Easy 4.   VENMO: We Now Accept Donations via VENMO (The Organization is charged a fee. VENMO is a Phone App or can be used on a PC or Tablet. You can download and install the Phone App from the Android Play Store or Apple App Store. Please follow the instructions to Sign Up. Please read and understand how VENMO works before you donate! There may be fees involved using this method. Our ID is: @NYCRetirees2 Here is a quick Venmo  Tutorial: Old News but Still Important News Why do we need a petition to request a member-wide referendum to vote on healthcare changes?   According to the UFT Constitution, members can demand a member-wide referendum vote on any issue other than a constitutional amendment or actions on the status of an individual member.  First, ten percent of the membership must petition the UFT executive board for a referendum, and then the executive board must bring the matter to the entire body for a member-wide vote.  Given the serious nature of the healthcare changes that have been made without member input or democratic decision-making, we must take this matter into our own hands. So sign this petition today. We deserve a say on healthcare. Quick Facts Mulgrew voted in the Municipal Labor Committee (MLC) to force retired City workers off of traditional Medicare and onto an Aetna-managed Medicare Advantage Plan (MAP). Despite knowing full well that there was significant opposition, Mulgrew denied membership the right to vote directly.  Major changes to our healthcare were made as part of our citywide contracts in 2014, and again in 2018.  Mulgrew was instrumental in negotiating both. In the last healthcare agreement, in 2018, he agreed to $600 million dollars in healthcare savings for the City for every year, in perpetuity. These changes and agreements were negotiated behind closed doors without member input. UFT chapter leaders and delegates were not given Appendix A to read beforehand which delineated the healthcare concessions when they voted in support of our 2018 contract.   UFT Leadership is currently working on a mysterious new health plan for in-service members that would replace GHI with something cheaper. As of now, membership will not have a say in this decision either, or given meaningful details about our potential options. Even without switching us off of GHI, UFT leadership has greenlit various new, significant healthcare expenses for in-service members without a membership vote.  For instance: ER visits now cost us triple digit copays, which are waived only if a patient is admitted, even if they are deemed to need emergency care.  Copays for most urgent care centers (including CityMD) have also risen to triple digits, from $15 to $100, since 2016. Major providers, such as CityMD, Montefiore, and almost all radiology centers, are no longer ‘preferred,’ leading to higher copays. Despite many healthcare expenses more than doubling, UFT leadership has not fought for fair increases in pay. Because we did not even attempt to stop DC37 from accepting a sub-inflation wage increase, UFT members will not only be seeing higher health costs – they’ll be taking a pay cut.

Want More Answers? From the PSC.  A very thorough list of questions and answers Medicare Rights- Medicare Interactive Choosing a Medigap Policy - 2023 Medicare Consumer reports choosing a drug plan UFT Retiree Health Care Update May 16 Advocacy and phone counselors from Medicare Rights Retiree Advocate Links NYC Retirees Homework until new litigation check regularly with them PSC Plan to solve the problem https://nycretirees.org/  The group behind the legal challenges Wendell Potter - corporate health insurance whistle blower Evidence of Coverage UFT Welfare Fund Court Documents Petition to stop the new Federal Government plan, REACH, a direct contracting program that will automatically enroll new retirees into a privatized version of Medicare aka Medicare Advantage. What is REACH? What's happening on the Federal Level More from the federal level See also PSC retirees Len Rodberg on how Medicare Advantage shortchanges patients while lining its own pockets and Bonnie Nelson on what it will cost us to waive the Aetna plan and buy our own insurance

Follow Us On Social Media Copyright © 2023 Retiree Advocate/UFT, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

 

EONYC - UFT Contract Town Hall - Wed, 6/21 at 7:30 PM: Why Voting 'No' Gets Us a Better Contract

What better way to spend the summer solstice?

 

 

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Disclaimer

The views expressed by our individual authors are their own and may not reflect the views of the EONYC community. Just as we may not all agree with the editorial views expressed as the collective Educators of NYC community.

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UFT Contract Town Hall - Wed, 6/21 at 7:30 PM: Why Voting 'No' Gets Us a Better Contract

UFT Executive Board high school members will share a rank and file vision for a better UFT contract. Learn more about the new proposed tentative agreement -- its perks and its drawbacks.

Jun 19

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Join the UFT Executive Board high school members, this Wednesday evening, June 21st, at 7:30 pm for a UFT contract town hall.

At this important meeting, you’ll learn more about the newly proposed tentative contract. Our panel will also share a rank and file vision and in-classroom perspectives from union members, like you, fighting for a better contract.

There is a lot to talk about. In 2018, major healthcare givebacks were not fully disclosed. Simply put, we can’t afford to be fooled again. It’s why we all need to really look at what is at stake.

We’ll discuss the perks found this 2023 tentative agreement but also the major drawbacks, such as — the lasting impact of sub-inflation raises, implicit major healthcare givebacks, low wages for paraprofessionals and occupational & physical therapists, more micromanagement, no clear plan for virtual schools & much, much more.

So, what happens if we vote this TA down for a better contract? Join us to find out.

To RSVP go to: http://no.unitedforchange.vote

Also read more about our Big 5 Demands: http://big5.unitedforchange.vote

Our panel of HS Executive board members are: Ronnie Almonte, Nick Bacon, Ed Calamia , Alex Jallot, Ibeth Mejia, Ilona Nanay And Luli Rodriguez.

This team was elected by our union at large as part of the United for Change coalition slate.

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