Obfuscation, Resistance, Ignorance: UFT Retiree chronicles the winding path through the UFT maze to get a simple question answered

Direct our phone calls to the right department. Don't throw us off to an outside entity when a question about a UFT Zoom meeting has nothing to do with them. Put some more contact and program information on your website, or fix your search engine to be able to find things. Circulate your own notes from the meeting. And for heaven's sake, don't project on me the bad feelings you're harboring against us pesky retirees.-- JuliWoo at Under Assault, https://underassault.blogspot.com/2023/06/building-blocks.html

We do the work - badly: Unity Caucus slogan

Julie, My old pal at ICE called me yesterday with this story and I begged her to blog it. Tom Murphy's pathetic, snowflake response, "Sorry you see the worst motives rather than the best in people," is endemic to the Unity Caucus reaction to any criticism. Just trust us - after breaking trust numerous times. Remember how Mulgrew and Murphy tried to tell us the original Emblem retiree contract was awesome - only to tell us the new Aetna version is way more awesome. And Remember it was Murphy who went ballistic at recent Retiree meetings when we held up small signs:

• Retired Teacher Chapter Leader Tom Murphy Calls for Decorum - After screaming at people for posting signs in back of UFT meeting hall and calling security
  

Sorry, Tom, given the record of the leadership, I don't assume best intentions.

It's not all Tom's fault. The UFT brilliant leadership replaced people on the phones who actually knew what they were doing with Salesforce.

• UFT Outsourcing to Salesforce Update - Workers sue UFT over being replaced by Salesforce as they slam Mulgrew

• UFT Staffer - The face of the UFT is Salesforce - Calling the UFT is like calling Amazon (except the UFT is not as responsive as Amazon) 

• UFT Update: Unity Slogan #wedothework- badly - #WePutYouOnHoldWhenYouCall

 

June 14, 2023

Building blocks

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I never thought I’d come out of retirement to write another UA post, but here we are.

 

So I was trying to find out the name of the speaker at yesterday’s Zoom meeting for retirees on the new Aetna PPO. It had been mentioned early on, but I thought I wouldn't need it and hadn't written it down.  

But a question came up in the last half hour, and the speaker told us to contact her if we knew a case where a drug would cost more in the new SilverScript plan than what we pay for it now in Express Scripts. She would bring it up with the plan's actuaries, which was quite frankly more than I expected. 

As it happens, I did have a good example for her. A 60-day supply of the generic for Restasis eye drops cost me last week $7.50 – even cheaper than what I remembered from the last time I bought it. The same generic on the Aetna hotline (1-855-648-0389) was priced at $386.41 for a 90-day supply. Now, if only I could find that lady to let her know . . .

 

 

I called the UFT main switchboard, who put me through to someone who didn't know. I was transferred (or referred) to various other extensions in an order I can't remember now, but one was the retiree chapter (who told me specifically and unbelievably that the director "didn't know" who the speaker was), the automatic "forms" line of the Welfare Fund (idiotic), the Welfare Fund live person, the Aetna hotline (I knew that wouldn't work, because though the speaker was an Aetna rep, she was talking at a UFT meeting), and back to the UFT retiree programs.  From this last nice person, I did get the first name of the speaker, but that was it. Called Aetna again, and though they couldn't help me with finding the person I was looking for, the service person was equally shocked at the price discrepancy between the two companies and said she would escalate my question northward, someone would get back to me.

I then decided that the UFT needed to know about this unnecessary run-around, so I tried to find an email address for Tom Murphy, which is not on the website (or again: not obviously on the website) and the people at healthbenefithelp@uftwf.org. But I did find Tom's email in some old correspondence and wrote the following (some typos corrected):

Dear Mr. Murphy,

The retirees attended a Zoom meeting yesterday, June 13.

One of the two speakers on the new Aetna plan was Dr. Serrano.

There was another lady who did most of the explanations, worked for Aetna: I think her first name was Sabrina, but nobody at the UFT knew her last name when I called this morning.  Unbelievable.

She specifically said to contact her if we knew of drug that we cost MORE in SilverScript than it costs currently in Express Scripts. She would want to let their actuaries know if it needs a new pricing.

[gave them the pricing of the drug in both plans....]

My drug . . . will cost more in SilverScripts, but I don’t know how to tell her this because I’ve made 6 calls to the union today (kept being transferred, dead-end everywhere, and one to Aetna helpline) and nobody seems to know who the speaker was at yesterday’s general meeting — nor how to report this difference in pricing. 

I find this union obfuscation/resistance/ignorance pretty disgraceful, that no one could tell me who spoke at a Zoom meeting that you said had more than 3000 attendees.  

 

And nobody can tell me how to report this pricing discrepancy to this lady?

His pretty quick response was nevertheless strange:

Sorry you see the worst motives rather than the best in people. Her name was announced several times and her contact information was posted there and on our website. 

I am forwarding your messages to her.

In solidarity,

Tom Murphy

Anyone who knows me knows I couldn’t let this go unanswered. 

Explaining in my next email that the speaker's name was not mentioned in the last half hour of the meeting when I needed it, that I had made many phone calls and checked several webpages on the UFT site to find it, and that my purpose – and here's the main thing – was not only to have her look into the pricing of that popular drug, but to circulate my notes from the meeting to my union friends and the Medicare counselors I work with through Westchester County and the library system (see https://seniors.westchesterlibraries.org/senior-benefits/ and http://seniors.westchesterlibraries.org/demystifyingmedicare/), I concluded the exact opposite and told him so: 

It is YOU who were looking for bad motives, not me. My question for the speaker (which nobody on the 6 phone calls could help me with) and the hours I put into getting these updates to people who need them are signs of dedication and helpfulness. Not a bad motive in sight. 

If union leadership objects to the words "obfuscation," "resistance," and "ignorance," they can do something about it. 

Direct our phone calls to the right department. Don't throw us off to an outside entity when a question about a UFT Zoom meeting has nothing to do with them. Put some more contact and program information on your website, or fix your search engine to be able to find things. Circulate your own notes from the meeting. And for heaven's sake, don't project on me the bad feelings you're harboring against us pesky retirees.

The building blocks are in your hands, not ours. 

 

Retired Teacher Chapter Leader Tom Murphy Calls for Decorum - After screaming at people for posting signs in back of UFT meeting hall and calling security

You use decorum to silence people who hold you accountable. All you are doing is using decorum as a means of oppression..... Montana House of Representatives Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr on being banned for voicing opposition to transgender legislation

Decorum, it seems, is honored lately more as an ideal than a practice. Outbursts at our December RTC membership meeting come to mind.... Tom Murphy, UFT Retired Teacher Chapter Chair

Give us liberty or give us decorum

You hear calls for civility - assume best intentions - even when there are no best intentions. Shutting out voices is itself uncivil. I've known the feeling over the decades of being a minority voice in many organizations. 

But oppression can lead to greater activism against the voices of oppression. Mulgrew and crew try to brand all dissidents as fear mongerers and liers, which is itself fear mongering and lying.

• Rosa Parks was not civil
  

Just like in Tennessee and Montana, the outcome at the April Retired Teacher meeting, where few even noticed the signs, was that Murphy's outburst called attention to them - I was outside the room and rushed in when I heard the ruckus - and have some audio of Murphy screaming but am too inept technology wise to share it. 

• Teacher unions in LA and Chicago have not been civil and have won big victories
• The latest news has been big losses for the UFT on charters and school budgets and an upcoming contract that the union will try to put lipstick on the pig. Maybe it's time for the UFT/Unity cowering hordes to be uncivil. But wait -- they are uncivil to those who stand up to them in the opposition.
• ICEUFT Blog
  UFT SETBACK ON ZOMBIE CHARTER SCHOOL REVIVAL -
  
• UFT Loses Big on Budget - New Action blog
   
  • Diane Ravitch's blog

  New York: Governor Hochul Caves to Billionaire Charter Lobby  
   
  

The late, great George Schmidt of Chicago, told me back when the caucus he helped found tried to purge him, partly over his gruffness framed as lack of civility. (It didn't work and the vote was heavily in his favor). I and a few others know the feeling as we faced similar attacks here in NYC. I'm not uncivil - just a loud-mouthed Jew from Brooklyn. Some Jews learned a long time ago about the consequences of being civil in the face of oppression. Not all unfortunately. In Israel, they are doing bad shit unto others as was done unto them and that can lead to uncivil reactions, which leads to further oppression because authoritarians have no other mechanisms to use.

So, it was an LOL moment to see Mr. Civility and Decorum, Tom Murphy, screaming "Put down those signs" at the bold, energetic retirees who use the pronouns she/her standing proudly in the back of the room and not only calling security, but threatening to close down the meeting if the signs were not removed. Watching the video of Zooey Zephyr being censured by right wing anti-democracy forces, along with the Tennessee banning of black legislators over a faux decorum issue, is beautifully ironic. (Murphy once accused me of antisemitism because my Ed Notes cartoonist made Randi's nose look too big.)

By the way, where does it say in by-laws or constitution that there are  no signs allowed? 

NYC Retiree Health Plan Update - The Mulgrewcare sellout continues, Amazon joins the feeding frenzy to kill Medicare

• Anthem Withdraws from MulgrewCare -- Boo Hoo -  ednotes.

Michael and Tom's email yesterday sum(s) up what needs to be done.....continue the process with the City to find and win a well-crafted premium free Medicare Advantage plan in what has become an increasingly expensive healthcare environment.... Vinny Gaglione, UFT Retiree chapter

A Retiree Advocate member responds:

Hi Vinny,

I couldn't disagree with you more. Michael and Tom's email does not sum up what needs to be done, it merely sums up what they want to be done. The way forward is not through Medicare Advantage, but by exploring other options. Besides, the city already offers two premium-free Medicare Advantage plans: Aetna Medicare Plan (PPO) and Empire MediBlue PPO. As a matter of fact, several knowledgeable people I spoke with over the past year feel that the existing Aetna plan is superior to the proposed Alliance MAPP plan (and it has always been offered without coercive penalties for not opting into it). We need a restart, not a rebrand. And retirees need to be part of the process, not part of the rubber stamp.

Cheers, 

NY Focus: Health Insurers Just Killed The Medicare Plan City Retirees Railed Against

 

Mellins S. Health Insurers Just Killed The Medicare Plan City Retirees Railed Against. NY Focus. July 19 2022. https://www.nysfocus.com/2022/07/19/city-retirees-medicare-insurers-pull-out/

Let's understand exactly what this means. The UFT is trying to find a good Medicare Adv Plan (MAP) - a profit-making, high admin cost, high exec salary, high ad cost plan to replace a lower cost, non-profit, low admin cost current traditional Medicare plan. 

In other words - let's insert a middleman between us and the government plan. -- MulgrewCare indeed.

For a great discussion on the negative impact of middlemen - watch this video on Majority Report -- Emma at one point brings up private health insurance as raising the costs of healthcare -- not make it cheaper as Vinny claims.

https://youtu.be/sq1TRdd1WfY

- 

A retiree wrote -- If you read this article carefully it spells big trouble on the horizon for working staff and retirees. The UFT clearly will support a monthly premium for our insurance.

Here is Vinny's full email to a Retiree health care committee - dominated by Unity Caucus and fundamentally, non-functioning.

From UFT: Good Evening Retirees,

A lot of press articles came out today. Two had some errors in the reporting that are being corrected. Press can be found in the NY Focus, Craine's ad NY Daily News.

You will read that this organization was having a meeting with the Mayor. That is true. What's NOT true is that we were going to discuss the possibility of supporting a MAP plan. That was NEVER on the agenda.

The City of NY may have to re-bid out the plan, but we WOULD NEVER, EVER agree to be forced into a MAPP. EVER.

We advocate for Traditional Medicare and Supplemental AND CHOICE. MAP plans have existed in the City offering since about 1993. They were always a CHOICE, and they should REMAIN THAT WAY!

Please allow for the errors in reporting to be corrected and share this message with anyone that thinks otherwise of our message! You have heard it DIRECTLY FROM US THAT IS NOT WHAT WE STAND FOR.

On Tue, Jul 19, 2022 at 2:39 PM VINCENT GAGLIONE <uftrtchealthchair@gmail.com> wrote:

DEAR COMMITTEE MEMBERS,

So the operating principle for the committee, ALWAYS SUBJECT TO CHANGE BECAUSE NOTHING IN THIS DAMNED WORLD IS ROUTINE ANYMORE, is that we convene on Zoom monthly on the third Thursday of the month at 4:00 PM.

Thanks for reminding me that I forgot to note the time on the link that I sent out.

Some have asked for an explanation of the effects of the Alliance pullout from Medicare Advantage Plus. Michael and Tom's email yesterday sum up what needs to be done.....continue the process with the City to find and win a well-crafted premium free Medicare Advantage plan in what has become an increasingly expensive healthcare environment.

Health Insurers Just Killed The Medicare Plan City Retirees Railed Against With the plan tied up in court, Anthem and Empire BlueCross pulled out of a controversial deal to switch retired city workers to privately run health insurance. Sam Mellins / July 19, 2022 New York City’s years-long effort to shift retired city workers to a cost-cutting health care plan was dealt a major blow Monday when the insurer in charge of running the plan announced that it is withdrawing from the deal. The plan — which the city and municipal unions hoped would save $600 million a year in health care costs — would have been run by the Retiree Health Alliance, a partnership between health insurance companies Anthem and Empire BlueCross BlueShield. The effort, part of a bigger cost-savings package negotiated with labor unions, involved switching retired city employees from their current coverage, which is traditional federal government-run Medicare plus supplemental insurance paid for by the city and the unions, to a privatized Medicare Advantage program.  The plan’s implementation has been on hold since March, when a state Supreme Court ruling  barred the city from charging retirees for their current health coverage. Before the ruling, retirees who opted out of the switch would have been required to pay $191 per month to maintain their current coverage. The city had appealed the ruling, and that process was ongoing. The Alliance had requested that the city provide them with an exact start date for the plan by July 15. Likely because of the ongoing lawsuit, the city was not able to do so. In a statement, Harry Nespoli, chair of the Municipal Labor Committee, a coalition of city unions that negotiated the cost-savings deal, said that the Alliance had demanded an unconditional guarantee that the program would start on January 1, 2023, no matter what happened in court. When the city and unions declined to make this guarantee, the Alliance withdrew from the plan, Nespoli said. On Monday, a notice on the Alliance’s website read: “Given the level of uncertainty at this time, we informed the city that Empire BlueCross BlueShield is not able to participate in offering the NYC Medicare Advantage Plus Plan.”  Asked for comment, Mayor Eric Adams spokesperson Jonah Allon said: “The City and the Municipal Labor Committee continue to believe that a customized Medicare Advantage Plan provides the retirees, the City and its taxpayers with the best opportunity for high quality healthcare. We remain committed to moving forward with the program and are exploring alternative options.”  The Adams administration is considering whether to continue with its appeal of the court ruling. Union leaders said Tuesday that they still intend to pursue a switch to a Medicare Advantage plan. “We still believe in a Medicare Advantage Plus plan and we’ll just figure out how to get that done,” Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers and vice-chair of the Municipal Labor Committee, told New York Focus. Waiting Room  The news of the withdrawal was a win for the groups that have been organizing against the change. “This is yet another victory for the retirees, ensuring that for now, they are guaranteed their health care,” said Steve Cohen, the lawyer representing the New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees, which sued in September to block the switch. Retirees — who for months have warned that the new plan could cover fewer treatments and lead to higher costs — also celebrated the development. “I think Anthem is wise to back away from this hot mess, and I think that the city has wasted enough of my money and other taxpayers’ money on legal action,” said Marcia Biederman, a retired Brooklyn public school teacher. “We have been promised good, reliable healthcare in our retirement, and Medicare Advantage would break that promise.” Mulgrew said that any future Medicare Advantage plan will be premium-free for retirees — as their current insurance is, and as the Alliance’s Medicare Advantage plan would have been. The next step in the process is likely to be reaching out to other insurers that demonstrated interest in providing a Medicare Advantage plan. “There were multiple people who bid on it. So I’m assuming what we’ll do is contact those folks,” Mulgrew said.  The two finalists for the original contract were the Alliance and Aetna, according to court documents. Aetna, which unsuccessfully sued the city after it was not awarded the original Medicare Advantage contract, did not respond to questions on whether it is still interested. The Organization of Public Service Retirees might support a future Medicare Advantage plan, Cohen said, noting that the group was planning to mention the possibility to Mayor Eric Adams at a meeting scheduled for Monday that was canceled. “We were going to suggest that he goes back and put out a new bid for a better and different Medicare Advantage plan that really works,” he said.  But the organization’s support would depend on whether they feel that the program meets retirees’ needs, the plan being opt-in, rather than opt-out, and with the option of allowing retirees to maintain their current coverage free of charge, he insisted. “Is it going to be the same pig with lipstick? Or are you going to actually try to come up with something that is as good as, or close to, the Senior Care plan?” Cohen said, referring to retirees’ current health insurance plan. The United Federation of Teachers is committed to keeping Senior Care open as an option for retirees, Mulgrew said. If the city’s appeal is successful, Mulgrew said the unions might support requiring retirees to start paying a monthly premium for Senior Care, which the lower court’s ruling currently bars them from doing.  “Since that is one decision we made at that point in time, we would probably make it again,” he said. The city is also currently seeking a cheaper option for the health plan that it provides to active employees and retirees who are not yet 65 and eligible for Medicare, New York Focus reported last month, but Mulgrew said that wouldn’t affect retirees’ health care.  “It would not affect Senior Care at all. Senior Care is a separate entity completely,” he said. The group fighting on the law suit is still raising funds.     And to make matters worse -  Amazon to acquire One Medical clinics in latest push into health care. The $3.9 billion deal is Amazon’s latest acquisition in the health care industry. In 2018, it acquired PillPack, an online pharmacy. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/21/business/amazon-one-medical-deal.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes

Retiree Advocate will continue to fight for UFT retirees.