Healthcare Updates: Retiree Advocate Sunday Night Zoom, An instructive video, Does UFT/Unity Team Up with Private Insurer Lobby And Dem Party Central to Kill Medicare for All Proposals?

Last night RA Zoom. 

We expected maybe 50 - we had over 120 and had to buy more space. It was recorded and we will share the link when it is out.

 My recent posts:

A Cynical Mulgrew Abandons MulgrewCare - If he can't gouge retirees out of 2K a year he's not interested - Plus Satire alert 

Birthday Present for me -- NYC Municipal Retirees Claim Victory over MulgrewCare While Mulgew will declare victory for UFT -- Devil may be in details - Press Conf at 2PM - Don't count those chickens yst

 

Video: Here is a sweet and simple explanation of how we got to MAP from the legal team. Well worth a half hour of your time.

https://youtu.be/JITVzU3xS34
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In other news: Exploring UFT/Unity Caucus links to Big  Pharm and Healthcare giants trying to kill public options for their own profit

If it looks like a duck, etc. The outcome of all Mulgrew policy is to kill Medicare and support the industry in partnerships. 

 

Think of MulgrewDoubleSpeak - He not only supported the MedAdv, but bragged about designing it. Then after the judge ruled he said he was no longer supporting it because if the opt-outers don't have to pay it is no longer worth it. Thus he reveled the intentions all along --- to make us pay for the savings along with the future denials of service for those who didn't opt out.

You might wonder why the UFT/Unity/Mulgrew team is so much against medicare for all and pro-privatized healthcare. 

 

Evil Anthem - Mulgrew Partner

• NYC selects Anthem for retirees’ coverage — after feds sue over alleged Medicare fraud - NY Post

Links between the UFT and  privatizing scuzballs are being explored. As we know the Unity/UFT leaderhsip is an outpost of the center right corporate Democrats so search there.  Here's one potential connectionThe Partnership for America’s Health Care Future (PAHCF) from a few years ago. Remember, Mulgrew raided the stabilization fund in 2014 and made the deal to screw us on healthcare in 2018 to replace that fund.

Top Democratic Consultants Have Worked for Anti-Medicare for All Campaign

“The Partnership for America’s Health Care Future (PAHCF), a nonprofit created  to oppose plans to create a comprehensive, universal health care system, paid almost $760,000 to Bully Pulpit Interactive, a communications and digital marketing firm that has worked with the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC).”

 

Their reasoning: “The government would be expected to set premiums for the public option approximately 25 percent below market value for comparable private insurance plans.”  

 

Remember - Mulgrew says he wants to save us money - by opposing Medicare for all. 

Do you know who the UFT uses for its digital media?

• Bully Pulpit Interactive

Our old ICEUFT pal wrote this blog post:

 

https://underassault.blogspot.com/2020/11/dogs-sheep-wolves.html?m=1

Dogs, Sheep, Wolves

 

https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/03/big-pharma-insurers-hospitals-team-up-to-kill-medicare-for-all/

Big Pharma, insurers, hospitals team up to kill Medicare for All

Biggest donor to this dark money outfit … Blue Cross who runs Mulgrew fave Anthem.

=======

Can the city force us into medicare Adv? Senior Care would have to reach an extremely high dollar threshold for that to happen.

Some people are reading the judge as giving the OK for the city to offer no options and force us into MedAdv.

Here is an explanation of what the judge said.

Yes, we won the case, but of course the City can appeal. 

Don’t be confused by the terms “threshold” or “statutory cap”.  They are effectively irrelevant because the statutory cap which the City is not obligated to exceed paying is $776 per person per month. Senior Care is $191 per month per person so we are nowhere near the cap or threshold. For now we are in the cat bird seat.

 I feel catbird seat may be the optimistic view. What I do know is that I was expecting to start paying almost $400 starting April 1 and now I don't. And I blew that money at my birthday dinner last Thursday. Parteeeeee every month.

A Cynical Mulgrew Abandons MulgrewCare - If he can't gouge retirees out of 2K a year he's not interested - Plus Satire alert

I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog too! ----Mulgrew threat to Retirees

Read between the lines and the wicked witch of 52 Broadway will get even with those opt-outers.

MULGREW JUST KILLED MAP!!!  HE THINKS THIS WILL WIN HIM THE ELECTION!!  NO WAY!! VOTE FOR UNITED FOR CHANGE!! ..... A Retiree in Florida

By the way -- this retiree has often been critical of me for being too left and would never vote for the left wing in a UFT election. Which shows the real threat to Unity from a center/left coalition that UFC is. 

 

Actually I don't buy that he killed MAP -- I think he will work to kill off retirees behind the scenes to force everyone into MAP.  

His statement calls for satirical treatment.

 

Satire Alert:

For Immediate Release – Thursday, March 3, 2022

 

UFT President Michael Mulgrew on NYC Medicare Advantage Plus Plan:

We believe in the NYC Medicare Advantage Plus plan and the excellent range of benefits it would have provided our retirees. However, the judge’s recent decision will effectively eliminate the savings the plan would have produced and that would have been re-invested in health benefits for our members. That is because anyone with half a brain and the economic ability to opt-out would have done so but we expected those who did opt out to be gouged out of $191 a month and double to include spouses, almost 5K a year, for the same services they have been getting for free. Now that the bastard judge has screwed us we are dumping our support of MAP, a plan I  just spent almost a year bragging about how I created it. But the judge did give me an out by telling the city if they don't even offer an opt out they can force everyone into the wonderful plan with silver sneakers. I will sit idly by and  cheer - or more probably work behind the scenes - to make sure everyone is screwed.

 

While the NYC Medicare Advantage Plus plan is sound, the program has suffered from serious implementation problems and poor legal arguments, particularly on the part of the city. Don't blame me; I only control the UFT and the MLC.

 

Now that I feel compelled to say this, I suppose Our retirees deserve better. Given the judge’s order, the UFT is withdrawing its support for starting the NYC Medicare Advantage Plus plan on April 1, 2022, and will urge the Municipal Labor Committee to suspend its efforts to begin the program until all the implementation and legal issues are resolved. Then we will really screw the retirees, but at least that will happen after this UFT election is over and I can continue to gaslight and pull the wool over their eyes.

Yes, if this plan was as good as I've pretended it was all these many months we would simply keep it in place as an option and retirees would flock to it, but no, not happening. As I write, the city's servers are crashing with all the opt-out requests. Sorry for all the, how do I say it - tsuris? We'll regroup and try to screw our awesome seniors better next time. (Geof, sorry bro, you're fired.) Peace out!

The real Mulgrew

We believe in the NYC Medicare Advantage Plus plan and the excellent range of benefits it would have provided our retirees. However, the judge’s recent decision will effectively eliminate the savings the plan would have produced and that would have been re-invested in health benefits for our members.

 As one retiree put it to me, if everyone opted out and paid the $191 a month, it would bring in $600 million. But they couldn't charge people without a flim flam.

I have read the decision and the way I read it is the city can go ahead and have only 1 plan and that being the Medicare advantage plan and if they did so that would be legally okay. They just can't charge a premium if they give retirees a choice of plans. This to me is going to be the worst of all worlds. I guess the question is what are the unions going to do now to stop them.

Manhattan judge strikes down NYC's plan to force retired city workers to pay to keep insurance they were promised for life

By Marcia Kramer

March 3, 2022 / 5:02 PM / CBS New York

https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/manhattan-judge-strikes-down-nycs-plan-to-force-retired-city-workers-to-pay-to-keep-insurance-they-were-promised-for-life/

NEW YORK -- There was a major victory Thursday for 250,000 retired city workers.

A Manhattan judge struck down New York City's plan to alter their health benefits and make them pay to keep the the insurance they were promised for life. CBS2's Marcia Kramer first exposed the city's efforts to disenfranchise its workers last year.

A handful of retired workers stood outside the gates of City Hall to bask in the glow of a hard won, David-over-Goliath victory over former Mayor Bill de Blasio and his successor Eric Adams.

"You know, there's an expression that you can't fight city hall. They did and they won," retirees' lawyer Steve Cohen said.

Cohen was referring to a decision by Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Lyle Frank that prevents the city from pulling a bait and switch with the health insurance of 250,000 retirees. The city wanted to switch them to a less expensive program or force them to pay nearly $1,200 a year to keep their old insurance.

The judge said that while the city could offer the less expensive program, it couldn't charge people to stay in the old program because they were promised health benefits for life.

In his ruling, the judge said the city "is permanently enjoined from passing along any costs of the New York City retirees' current plan to the retirees."

"New York City cannot take away their health insurance in retirement. They are allowed to keep the subsidy that the city has paid for the last 40 years and keep their doctors and their medical care that they've earned over their many years of service," Cohen said.

When CBS2 first broke the story, Kramer reported on the difficult choice faced by people like former NYCHA employee Bill Shenton and his wife, Susan, who said they would be forced to pay money they can ill-afford to stay in the old plan because the new one would cover only a fraction of the medicine Susan takes for chronic lung disease. One drug alone costs $130,000 a year.

"I feel like it's a betrayal. We were told we'd have the same insurance that we had when we were working and it would cover our family," Shenton said.

"We are so grateful that we will not have to pay the $192 penalty every month, which we cannot afford," retiree Sarah Shapiro said.

"Good, quality, free medical insurance is a human right for everyone," retiree Gloria Bram said.

The retirees called on Mayor Adams not to appeal the judge's ruling, but it's not clear what the city will do. A spokesman for the mayor said the city is reviewing the decision and "evaluating our options."

In a surprise development, the United Federation of Teachers, which had enthusiastically supported moving retirees to a new, cheaper plan, withdrew its support for the move. Union President Michael Mulgrew called on the Municipal Labor Council to suspend efforts to start the new program until all implementation and legal issues are resolved.

Birthday Present for me -- NYC Municipal Retirees Claim Victory over MulgrewCare While Mulgew will declare victory for UFT -- Devil may be in details - Press Conf at 2PM - Don't count those chickens yst

Well this Unity Caucus attack on UFC over MulgrewCare didn't age well. 

What a way to celebrate my 77th birthday and 12th year on Medicare. I still am not 100% sure I won't start paying an extra $400 a month (for me and my wife) starting April 1 to keep my seniorcare. Lots of legalese to wade through.

I'm going to spend the money anyway on Beef Wellington tonight at One if By Land, Two if By Sea.

This is not a slam dunk win for us. The judge offers the city the choice to offer no options and toss everyone into a medicare advantage plan. So if they can't get $200 out of us now they can only save money but eliminating the opt out option. Adams may still do it and Mulgrew won't say boo.  

So we may just yet be forced into a MEDAV without the choice other than to leave the senior care altogether and buy an AARP type plan for $200.

A real issue for me is the UFT/Mulgrew backing of privatized healthcare profit making slimebags in the healthcare industry while undermining public option of Medicare. But I'm not shocked at Unity backing naked unfettered capitalism.

• That the unions are siding with profit making privatized healthcare over the public options.
• They say they are saving money but are opposed to universal care which will be the money saver.
• They are contributing to the long-time decline of medicare which has to pay a higher premium to MedAdv to cover higher admin costs.
• Upcoding is harmful to our health and that is how they squeeze more money out of Medicare.
  

Expect Mulgew and Unity hacks to declare this a victory for them after attacking the people filing the suit for months. "We intended this all the time."

While happy at the possibilities of victory, it may not be a total one as city and union may still have options. I'm also looking at spin from our side too.  

Manhattan judge strikes down NYC's plan to force retired city workers to pay to keep insurance they were promised for life - CBS News

Court doc: https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=dRipd9Zx30t7/KdICQrtbQ==

From the decision: ...states unequivocally that “[t]he City will pay the entire cost of health insurance coverage for city employees, city retirees and their dependents, not to exceed one hundred percent of the full cost of H.I.P.-H.M.O. on a category basis. 2 ” Respondent and nominal respondent aver that the definition of “health insurance coverage”, as defined in Admin. Code§ 12-126 (a), stating “a program” as opposed to “any program” means that the City of New York need only pay for the entire cost of one program. This Court respectfully disagrees. NYC Admin. Code § 12-126 (b)(1) is simply unequivocal and does not use terms like “provide” or “offer”; rather it uses the term will pay and it provides parameters of such payment. The definition in NYC Admin. Code § 12-126 (a)(iv) simply provides what constitutes a program or plan that the City of New York is required by law to pay for, by defining the contents of such a plan. This Court holds that this is the only reasonable way of interpreting this section. Of course, none of this is to say that the respondent must give retirees an option of plans, nor that if the plan goes above the threshold discussed in NYC Admin. Code § 12-126 (b)(1) that the respondent could not pass along the cost above the threshold to the retiree; only that if there is to be an option of more than one plan, that the respondent may not pass any cost of the prior plan to the retirees, as it is the Court’s understanding that the threshold is not crossed by the cost of the retirees’ current health insurance plan. This is buoyed by the fact that the current plan has been paid for by the respondent in full to this point.

A wise sage says:

As I read this, the city if it gives a choice, must pay for it fully unless it costs more than HIP. If they take the choice away and truly throw all retirees into MAP, that would be a bad political move for unions.

Here is Daily News -- called us David -- funny but talks about city but not getting screwed by union. After all, if unions didn't agree there would be no deal.

Judge rules Adams admin cannot financially penalize NYC retirees who reject controversial Medicare plan

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/new-york-elections-government/ny-judge-rules-nyc-mayor-adams-cant-penalize-city-workers-medicare-plan-20220303-hyvzsazfqnd7fkijenskrurf5a-story.html?fbclid=IwAR2oFqAjhzskYkRgKOv2KG2rMdp3po61_Vgh_bWfINLBhSzF9-wAAe70Qxk

A Manhattan judge ruled Thursday that Mayor Adams’ administration cannot slap a financial penalty on retired municipal workers who opt out of the city’s controversial new Medicare plan, marking a significant win for a group of retirees who fought the health insurance switch in court for months.

The effort by the administration to levy a $191 monthly fee on retirees who want to keep their current coverage instead of enrolling in the new Medicare Advantage Plan runs counter to longstanding local administrative law, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Lyle Frank wrote in a decision.

The law in question, Frank continued, requires the city to “pay the entire cost of health insurance coverage for city employees, city retirees and their dependents.” Any attempt to impose a premium or other cost for coverage is thereby illegal, he added.

“This Court holds that this is the only reasonable way of interpreting this section,” the judge wrote.

Frank’s decision caps a court battle between the city and a group of retired city workers that began last year under former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration.

In announcing the plan last fall, de Blasio’s administration presented Medicare Advantage as a boon to the city and save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars every year because it is subsidized by the federal government at a higher rate. At the same time, the administration maintained the new plan would provide the city’s roughly 250,000 Medicare-aged retirees with health coverage that’s comparable to what they’re currently receiving.

But the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees sued over the move, charging that the new plan would result in inferior coverage, including by imposing complex new preauthorization procedures for specific medical procedures.

After vowing on the campaign trail to make sure the new Medicare plan wouldn’t be a “bait and switch” for retired workers, Adams announced last month that he would move ahead with implementing it as envisioned by de Blasio, angering retirees who said he was going back on his promise by keeping the $191 penalty intact.

Retired New York City municipal workers are pictured marching near Brooklyn Borough Hall to call on Mayor-elect Adams to preserve their Medicare coverage last December. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/for New York Daily News)

A spokesman for Adams did not immediately return a request for comment after Frank’s ruling.

Steve Cohen, a lawyer for the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees, said the judge’s order validates the concerns of his clients and amounts to an “incredible victory” for them.

“The city got greedy, and held a sword over the head of retirees and said, ‘If you don’t accept your new plan, we’re not going to pay for your health care,’” Cohen said. “The judge saw right through that and said, ‘No way, you can’t do that.’”

According to data reviewed by the Daily News, more than 45,000 retired city workers had opted out of Medicare Advantage Plan as of mid-February despite the now-rescinded financial penalty they would face.

The Adams administration can still offer the Advantage plan to retirees on a voluntary basis, starting April 1, under Frank’s ruling. It was not immediately clear Thursday afternoon how the administration will proceed.

Here is the presser announcement going on now.

NYC Municipal Retirees to Celebrate Court Victory on Healthcare Coverage

Scores of retirees will gather near City Hall at 2:00 p.m. today (3-3-22) to celebrate a court ruling that will let them keep their health benefits without paying punishing premiums.

In a David-over-Goliath victory, a Manhattan judge ruled this morning against the city's plan to move a quarter-million retirees off their current coverage, traditional Medicare and a supplement, into a controversial new Medicare Advantage plan. 

A retiree group had sued the city, saying the proposed plan would limit their access to doctors and services. Today Justice Lyle E. Frank of state supreme court in Manhattan prohibited the city from imposing stiff new premiums, $191 per covered person, on retirees wishing to opt out of the premium-free new plan. Roughly 47,000 retirees and dependents have already opted out despite the proposed penalty, which will no longer be imposed. 

The city can still implement its new Medicare Advantage plan on April 1, with many retirees expected to be enrolled in it -- not necessarily with their active consent -- but the ruling gives them three months to switch out of it.

Lawyers for the retiree groups will address the rally this afternoon to give more details.

WHEN: Today, Thursday March 3, 2022, 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: Broadway and Murray St., near City Hall

Contact: Sarah Shapiro, sarahmorah@gmail.com

President Lauds Democracy in Face of Unity Caucus Autocracy - AFT’s Weingarten on President Biden’s State of the Union Address

Biden's speech almost as long as Mulgrew DA President reports.

AFT’s Weingarten on President State of the Union Address....
 [SATIRE WARNING]

...he made the case against the threat posed by autocrats and those who excuse them, both here and abroad. Democracy and freedom are worth fighting for—as the Ukrainian people are showing us every day.

How we wish the autocrats in Unity Caucus would show the same spine as the Ukranian President who does not wear people out with long filibustering speeches.

UFT Executive Board Minutes - Mulgrew speaks for 15 minutes - 2-28-2022 - Nick Bacon, New Action

See Mikey - you can do it. 

Meeting ended at 6:45, which means Mulgrew didn't spend an hour giving a pres report. It was maybe 15 minutes.

Note comments from Schirtzer and Mindy -- formerly associated with opposition. I'm still proud of them for giving some life to a fairly dead ex bd.

I agree with George Geiss on a reso for Ukraine- but George, how about a reso for Yemen and condemning Saudi Arabia?

Report from CL Nick Bacon who is running for HS Ex Bd on the UFC slate.

2-28-2022 UFT Executive Board Minutes

 https://newaction.org/2022/02/28/2-28-2022-executive-board-minutes

Nick Bacon (open mic): Seeks support from and consultation with UFT leadership for his school. Speaks on the need for a robust PINI program and organizing committee, so that schools in need can rely on a real targeted response from the UFT when chapter organizing or district/borough conversations fall short. This is important for morale in chapters that have done everything but seen no results. If we do the work to build–really rebuild–our city-wide organizing infrastructure, we can co-organize with schools in need and show solidarity. Says he would sign up to picket with another school in need any day, and knows other members across the city would do the same. Also speaks on the importance of giving real say to teachers in the C30 process to prevent foreseeable issues. Thanks executive board for hosting him.

Leroy Barr: Thanks Bacon for coming and notes that staff will be in contact for next steps for school issues. 

Motions to approve adcom minutes are approved unanimously. 

Michael Mulgrew: (president’s report): Says he hopes everyone took advantage of the break. Says March is the busiest month in terms of union activity, as every weekend is full of events. 

Masks: working closely with the AFT to push the CDC to come out with some sort of criteria with areas to look at for schools. We’re in NYC, but imagine at the AFT level where some parts of the country are all political. It gets ugly. That’s the reality for AFT work. Thankfully, the CDC listened and came up with a color coding. If you’re green, you may start looking at lessening restrictions on masks. Important because we plummeted in positivity in New York. 

We decided before the break that we wanted everyone to have test kits, then continue to do the surveillance program. We’re going to take this week and see if the numbers continue to get lower than look at possibly lessening some of the restrictions. 

Brings up graph: discusses the omicron spike, which turned out to be less serious (but is still serious), then we had a much more rapid decline than expected. It was like we ‘stepped off a cliff.’ But are there other variants? The variants out there of omicron are less serious than omicron, so our doctors are telling us that we can start looking at loosening restrictions – that’s how we get out of a pandemic. Keep your monitoring in place, but you can start loosening your restrictions. So we’ll do the testing – another 85,000 tests done in schools this week – people can still report the at-home tests.

To be clear, if that decision is made, it’s not our decision, but our doctors have said that if that data remains steady, if there’s no spike after break, then we can loosen restrictions. All of our other safeguards will stay in place (masks, testing, etc) if that happens. If we loosen up restrictions and we get to Spring Break and see nothing in our surveillance, we could maybe–cross your fingers–be getting there. But if something happens, you’re gonna have to move in a different direction. Our doctors are telling us we should not fight the administration if the city decides to unmask. But you should be able to wear a mask if you have a situation. We had teachers being disciplined for wearing masks before the March shutdown. We’re not in that situation anymore.

The state mandate will be lifted on Wednesday, after which we’ll be talking to our mayoral administration. We have members who like masks and don’t like masks. The majority of members who communicate with me tell me as long as the data is there and the doctors are ok with it, they just want to know about the particulars. 

That’s it on the masks. I’m apprehensive and optimistic at the same time. I have way too many conversations in my life about this – takes up a lot of my work time. Two other times before we thought we’d be leading our way out of this, and that didn’t turn out to happen. So we’ll do the surveillance and look at the data and go from there. Possible that on March 7th we’ll have an optional mask program in the schools. But you can see the drop there on the graph. 

Negotiating committee, first meeting is on March 30th.

No one is talking about the socio-emotional problems that came out of the pandemic, but I keep talking about masks. Reality is there was a lot of damage. As a workforce we’ve also been damaged, and if they would listen we’d love X, Y, and Z so we can ‘do the work.’

Ugliest negotiations we’ve ever had with NYU. A lot of work went into it and we were highly active throughout the entire practice. Last Thursday, they were able to get their contract ratified, but it was a difficult negotiation.

Mulgrew – Question Period:

Mike Schirtzer: (1) We passed the resolution at EBoard and it never made the floor at the DA, the resolution on distributive scoring being kept in home schools. Need to move that up because it’s about to happen. What’s the protocol, can we move that up here at Eboard?

Mike Mulgrew: Not sure, might be called out of order, which seems to happen a lot lately. But, assuming we as an executive board – we can make a motion to move that up the agenda at the next DA. 

Schirtzer: Makes motion to move up the aforementioned resolution at the next DA. Seconded, no debate, question called, motion passes.

Mulgrew: this is how the agenda gets set, so it was appropriate to do it that way. 

Schirtzer: (2) Speaking as a social studies teacher, social studies is under attack all over the USA. We have great committees here. How do we go about making a resolution to teach history as it already happened, especially with all the laws being passed across the country to the contrary?

Mulgrew: That resolution was already passed at the AFT level, but we can take that resolution and go from there.

Janella Hinds: Happy to work with Mike. We love writing resolutions so let’s make it happen. 

Mindy Rosier-Rayburn: Vacation days and 683. Can they be used during 683?

Mulgrew: Think so. The arbitration says we can, so don’t as questions for things we think we already have. 

(Missed name): On masks, hearing diverse opinions, but in schools where vaccine rates are low and maybe a teacher has an immune problem, nervous about this. 

Mulgrew: That’s one of the conversations I’m having. But this decision will not take away your ability to wear a KN95 mask. Vaccination rates are highest in Manhattan, there’s a map out there, it’s public now. So let’s have a campaign to get rates up, because some schools have extremely low vaccine rates (which tend to mirror the neighborhoods they’re in). But, NYC has reached the threshold for herd immunity. But your ability to wear your mask and get your test is still there.

Rashad Brown: Does AFT have a resolution yet on the Florida Parental Rights and Education Bill

Mulgrew: There’ll be some debate at the AFT, but we’ll make sure we put in our own input, but we can do it the opposite way – do our own resolution and bring it to the AFT.

George Geiss: ENL coordinator – any numbers citywide for students who are Ukranian? Can we pass a resolution in solidarity with Ukraine?

Mulgrew: Don’t have that data at this time. Assuming we’ll get an influx of Ukranian students rather quickly. Will work with you.

Camille Edy: Teachers in district 16 are worried about masking. We have low vaccination rates. We’re wondering what the relaxation of the masking guidelines will have on encouraging vaccines. We think the opposite will happen – if they see masking relaxation, parents won’t think there’s a need to get students vaccines. 

Mulgrew: Hear that fear. But there’s a lot of misinformation about the vaccine that you hear in the AFT debates. I’m concerned about 7 districts, including District 16, but remember – members, wear the masks – the 95s. 

Camille Edy: CLs are brainstorming ways to get the students vaccinated. 

Mulgrew: Thanks everyone and closes. 

Leroy Barr: asks for reports from districts. 

Janella Hinds: 4th Herstory celebration this Friday, 4-5:30 – theme is strength, courage, and women. Virtual event. 

Karen Alford: March 19th (saturday) early childhood conference, first time in person in a few years (hybrid event). CTLE hours offered and ask your school for a purchase order if you don’t want to pay for it. 

Leo Gordon: March 15th, CTE awards. First time in person in a while.

Rashad Brown: March 3rd at 4:00 PM, Dr. Monique Morris ‘Pushout’ documentary about criminalization of black girls. 

Motion to adjourn carries. 

RA NEWSLETTER, Feb. 28, 2022 : Vote for United for Change!

Feb. 28, 2022

View this email in your browser

Join Retiree Advocate/UFT - Become a member: yearly dues: $20. 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 Come and work with us on this historic election campaign! To Register: click on the invitation or here, https://bit.ly/3I7YLZz "We do the Work" 2022 Unity Caucus campaign slogan. from New Action Caucus, an open letter to Mulgrew. Dear Michael Mulgrew, Unity Caucus claims “[they] do the work.” But over the last several decades, they’ve allowed the DOE to pile on extra responsibilities for all UFT members. In essence, under Unity, we’re overworked. Let’s take a look at an example. The other day, I was logged in for some mandatory per session. After a long day, I was ready to go home. But, this year, whenever a student quarantines, teachers are obligated to do remote office hours. In many schools, COVID rates are so high that teachers find themselves doing these office hours many times a month if not every week. Yes, teachers can pick which days they work the extra hours or forego their lunch breaks. But this extra work is compulsory. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize what’s happened here – our work days have been extended, and undemocratically at that. Had I had a seat at the table, I would have argued to replace Monday PD time with this new task. (After all, there’s precedent for this – we did something similar last year with ‘office hours’ and ‘co-planning time’ in lieu of long weekly PDs). I also would have pushed for better remote infrastructure in the first place. But, I didn’t get a vote. You’d think the DA would have been consulted, but we weren’t. As usual, you and the rest of the Unity leadership pushed the forced overtime on teachers without consulting us. So, inspired by Norm Scott’s excellent piece detailing the ways that Unity has ‘not done the work,’ I decided to put together an incomplete list of the ways they’ve also pushed more work onto the rank and file.  We are overworked, because Unity Caucus: -Negotiated endless PD Mondays and OPW time on Tuesdays in exchange for one-time wage increases. Years later, our wages have not kept up with inflation, but the extended days remain. -Let the DOE enforce mandatory per session for office hours (as well as special education recovery services) rather than repurpose already existing extended days. -Is committed to healthcare givebacks, making us work harder to find providers or get affordable necessary care.  -Gave the greenlight for tenure to be extended from three to four years minimum, which is now routinely denied or extended by principals and superintendents, even after teachers put in the work to create expansive portfolios that were never required previously. - Has failed to reduce class sizes or caseload caps in 60 years, even as the instructional techniques mandated by the Danielson rubric (e.g. differentiation, collaborative learning strategies) essentially require small class sizes. -Stripped us of many of our protections against abusive administrators, such as the PINI program, and the right to grieve letters in the file.  - Allowed the discipline code to deteriorate, without building up the functioning restorative justice programs we were promised would fill the void. Without any disciplinary infrastructure, teachers have significantly more draining experiences managing their classrooms, and to the detriment of all students (many of whom are traumatized by witnessing fight after fight). -Let schools reopen at full capacity, without a remote option, during Omicron, leading to thousands of student and teacher infections. As misinterpretations of the new CDC guidance flourish, many of these teachers have been harassed by administrators to come back only five days after testing positive, despite maintaining symptoms. Many others have contracted long-COVID in the unsafe classrooms that Unity rubber stamped, and now must grapple with whether they even have the energy left to continue their teaching careers. I for one am sick of being over-worked because Unity fails to deliver. Next election, I’ll be voting United for Change. They’ll actually do the work. 45,000 NYC retirees have rejected the MAPP to stay in their traditional free Medicare Plan in spite of the fact that they will have to pay a $200 a month premium.  Why?   -Prior Authorizations  (an AMA report) delay treatments -Private Insurance Plans are  more expensive Elizabeth Fowler, Biden's pick to head the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI)  used to work for insurance company Wellpoint which later became Anthem.  She has always looked after the interests of Private Insurance.  When PNHP launched this campaign three months ago, the Direct Contracting (DC) program was flying under the radar of both seniors and Congress. But through our tireless advocacy, organizing, and media outreach, we’ve succeeded in making Direct Contracting a toxic name. CMS had to respond. But instead of rejecting this backdoor privatization model, they tried to push it back under the radar with a new name — “ACO REACH.” Just like it’s evil twin, Direct Contracting, the proposed REACH program would:  -Pay third-party middlemen a flat fee to "manage" seniors' health, allowing them to keep up to 40% of what they don’t spend on health care as profit and overhead. -Automatically enroll Traditional Medicare beneficiaries into REACH without their full understanding or consent.  -Require beneficiaries to change primary care providers if they wish to opt out of the program. -Allow virtually any type of company to be a REACH middleman, including those owned by commercial insurers and private equity investors, as well as every company currently participating in the DC program.  Wall Street is betting on Medicare privatization as their next big score, and it will take a movement to stop.  PNHP More about ACO REACH  - Accountable Care Organization From Bloomberg News a brief example of how Wall Street is closely aligned with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Clover Health at More Risk on Rollback of Trump Medicare Program OKA "Direct Contracting" Concerns over CMS policy changes threaten Medicare-tied stocks Clover Health shares slide 90% from June peak, Cano down 60% By Cristin Flanagan, Bloomberg News, February 17, 2022   A potential rollback of a Trump administration Medicare program could threaten a handful of recently listed stocks from the past two years including Clover Health Investments Corp. Clover, which went public in a blank-check merger backed by Chamath Palihapitiya, has already seen its stock drop 90% from a June peak. But the stock could take another leg downward if a program known as direct contracting -- a payment model that allows private companies to take part in Medicare -- is ended or scaled back, as it accounts for roughly 60% of its sales, according to Citigroup. Clover is one of several health-care technology and service upstarts that have come to the market with big-name backers and heady valuations recently. But a broad market rotation away from high-growth names in the face of rising interest rates, as well as cooling daytrader interest, has reined in stock prices. Now, potential Medicare changes could further pressure the stock and others, with little room to reverse course.  Citigroup analyst Jason Cassorla has opened a 30-day negative catalyst watch on a trio of health companies including Clover saying there is “limited upside” from any decision by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The list also includes Cano Health Inc., a medical provider backed by billionaire Barry Sternlicht that gets about 16% of its sales from the Medicare program, and health insurer Bright Health Group Inc., which earns roughly 5% from the program. Both Cano and Bright Health shares are down more than 50% since June. Additionally, clinic operators Oak Street Health Inc. and 1Life Healthcare Inc. -- both trading below their 2020 IPO prices -- could be impacted, according SVB Leerink analysts. All the Medicare-levered names tumbled Thursday amid a broader geopolitically driven selloff; 1Life closed down 12% while Clover tumbled 11% and Cano Health slid 9.3%. Want Answers? More on the name switch from Direct Contracting to ACO REACH PSC CUNY - What's happening with retiree healthcare FAQs from the NYC Retirees Organization Updated MLC FAQs Evidence of Coverage UFT Welfare Fund Prior Authorizations Dark History of Medicare Privatization- article Court Documents  Message from United for Change We will fight to remove private greed from our profession, our livelihood, and our schools.  Reverse privatization of Medicare for NYC municipal retirees. No in-service healthcare givebacks. Support single payer public healthcare.  Rescind mandatory HMO enrollment for new UFT members. Bring back choice. End high-stakes testing. Replace with fairer forms of student assessment Fight the privatization of public education. Reverse the spread of charter schools in public education.                Retiree Advocate is a member of UNITED FOR CHANGE

Retiree Advocate Platform SAVE RETIREE BENEFIT Protect our Healthcare from being privatized Expand our Social Security benefits and ensure that they are not diminished or removed Win a (single payer) universal health program, support and organize for the NYHealth Care Act Increase our COLA (cost of living adjustments) PROTECT WORKING EDUCATORS and SAVE PUBLIC SCHOOLS WITH FULL FUNDING•UFT Take immediate steps to support teachers working under abusive administrators Fight for Pension Equity- tier 1 for all. Equal work deserves equal pensions Restore the Retiree Organizing Committee. Defend our public schools and take a more active role in preventing them from being privatized Say No to Charters, vouchers and any system that creates unequal worker tiers Reduce Class Size! Cut administrator costs EXPAND UNION DEMOCRACY Working members should have greater voting weight when electing union leadership Change the current “winner take all” election system using proportional representation for union slate Represent a variety of views and interests in our chapter. Diversity of ideas leads to better decision making (which results in a stronger union) FIGHT FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE FOR ALL We support The Black Lives Matter movement. End systemic racism and oppression We call for an end to police brutality, real police reform and the end of the militarization of police departments We support raising the minimum wage to at least $15 an hour. The federal government should institute a massive jobs program to address racial and economic disparity. Support economic and health victims of the pandemic Work to cut the excesses in the military budget and redirect monies to expand social services and benefits in local communities.

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