On October 31, we wrote about a teacher on Paid Parental Leave who had more than double their usual union dues taken out of the UFT Welfare Fund Paid Parental Leave payment. It came to over $400 in dues for six weeks worth of pay. We were a bit surprised about this but not at all shocked as the UFT took a nice chunk out of the lump sum payments from the 2009-11 interest free loan we made to the city that we are finally getting back in dribs and drabs through 2020. It was not impossible to think they would double union dues on Paid Parental Leave payments.
We were pleasantly surprised that a UFT official reached out to us to ask the parent to get in touch with the Union on the excessive dues coming out of the Paid Parental Leave check. Today, we are happy to report that the parent received a dues refund check for the excessive dues payment in the mail. Nice job UFT recognizing the error and making the parent whole!
For those of you who ask why I continue to do this work when it seems so futile so often, it's because when we can help and obtain real results for UFT members, it certainly feels good.
18 comments:
This is the first positive post I've seen on this website in a while. Its about time.
Got so used to seeing the usual James Eterno, "everybody is misguided except for him" rant. And the usual celebrate the demise of any supervisor blog.
One love!
James, the retiree prescription Rider is a rip-off. I pay $2800 for the family plan. There are excessive co-pays and deductables. I often buy my prescription s using a GoodRx coupon because it's cheaper than the insurance. My total prescription Rider, co-pays and coinsurance is much more than my actual drug costs. Can you investigate this.
What's to investigate? The plan is what it is.
It sucks,
What happened to the welfare fund?
Thousands of retiree s are being ripp-off by Emblem GHI. This seems like an issue that the opposion caucuses should raise with the UFT
If the NYS "Healthcare for All" bill becomes law, all active and retired employees will be placed on to the state health care plan. No copays or deductables. With the new democratic majority, it looks more likely to become law.
Anonymous Unity Apologists: If you want nothing but good news-- true or not, read whatever the UFT prints. I read James' blog and am grateful he exposes the UFT for the comapny union they truly are. Roseanne McCosh
Hey Mike, the law firm Randi came from gets millions of dollars of OUR dues. Now I hear you also get a piece. Corrupt, useless, pieces of shit - you and Randi.
The only good thing upcoming is the fact that I can start maxing out the 2019 TDA, 457B and Roth IRA.
I know off topic, but I am a HS teacher. Students cannot write a proper 5 word sentence...about anything. What am I to do? Go to the NY Post?
NYC teachers-union chief Michael Mulgrew accepted $8,250 in US Open tennis tickets from a law firm the union uses, records show.
Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, received the pricey “benefit” five years in a row between 2012 and 2016 from Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, a firm that collected $15.5 million in fees from the UFT in that time.
According to filings with the US Labor Department, the union chief took two tickets worth a total of $1,250 in 2012, and two tickets worth $1,300 in 2013. In 2014, he received $2,700 in tickets. In 2015 and 2016, he got tickets worth $1,500 each year.
The Labor Department requires union officials to “disclose any benefits that you have received (or your spouse or minor child has received).”
UFT spokeswoman Alison Gendar refused to answer questions about the gifts, saying only they were “publicly reported” in forms posted on the Labor Department website.
But some rank-and-file members objected.
“It doesn’t pass the smell test,” said retired social-studies teacher James Eterno. “Your average teacher isn’t getting these kinds of perks — and nor should our union leaders.”
Another retiree, Norm Scott, suggested Mulgrew hold a fund-raising raffle for the tickets. “The UFT runs an annual winter-coat drive. Here’s a way to add some money to that pot,” he said.
Mulgrew, who is not on the city payroll, got $334,737 in UFT salary and benefits in 2016, filings show.
His wife Emma Camacho-Mendez, a Department of Education guidance counselor, also has a paid union post.
The city forbids employees to accept gifts worth more than over $50 — including tickets to sporting events — from any person or firm doing business with the city.
Stroock & Stroock & Lavan formerly included Randi Weingarten, president of the national union American Federation of Teachers, and Mulgrew’s predecessor at the UFT. The firm represents the UFT and other city unions in litigation. In 2017, it collected $2.9 million in legal fees from the UFT.
Charles Moerdler, a partner who handles UFT lawsuits, said Friday he was unaware that Mulgrew took the tickets, but added, “We have season tickets to a whole variety of sporting events, and we give them to clients who ask...
UFT Welfare Fund dental plan doesn't cover dental implants. But the much smaller union PSC-CUNY welfare fund dental fund does. PSC CUNY RETIREES HAVE PRESCRIPTION COVERAGE while UFT Retirees only get reimbursed $760 per year. THIS SHOULD BE EXPOSED. WHERE ARE OUR WELFARE FUND CITY CONTRIBUTIONS GOING TO??? City should investigate this.
To 12:46
You don't contribute to the welfare fund. You get reimbursed 780. Get you facts straight before you rant.
To Caprice
Compare your prescription rate to others in private or public industry before you complain. We have one of the best programs in the country
The UFT continues to double-dip on retirees who go back to work after retirement. The UFT takes dues from the retiree's pension and also takes dues from the DOE check for subbing. The UFT used to refund some of the double dipped dues, but now they will refund only the part if a retiree pays that is more than the dues of a full-time employee. The UFT claims the DOE doesn't know that a person is retired. What a crock of shit. A retiree has to pay monthly from their pension for prescription coverage. The UFT does reimburse 760.00 once a year but they continue to double-dip.
Hey James, maybe you’ll have success in getting the money back the DOE stole from my retro.
Rofl
I'm not afraid to use my real name Anonymous. Try using the GoodRx app and compare how much you are actually spending for your retiree prescription plan. $2800(Family plan) minus $780(UFT rebate) plus $200 deductible per family member plus copays. I'm currently on 5 medications and I'm still paying more than if I bought them with a GoodRx discount. WTF!
Post a Comment