RETIREE LEADER MARIANNE PIZZITOLA DIRECTLY ADDRESSES MULGREW AFTER HIS LATEST EMAIL: YOU NEED A COME TO JESUS MOMENT

Following Monday's completely successful retiree showing at the City Council, the Council would be ignoring the will of the retirees if they were to change Administrative Code 12-126. Marianne Pizzitola and her New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees completely outorganized the UFT and DC 37. Opposition to Medicare Advantage (Mulgrewcare) is strong. 

The Retirees also sued to stop the copayments Michael Mulgrew and the Municipal Labor Committee agreed to that started last year. Marianne's lawyers were ready and they, not Mulgrew, sued. The retirees have won an injunction to stop the copays. Mulgrew has reacted with a strange email that he and Retired Teachers Chapter Leader Tom Murphy sent:

Dear James,

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Lyle Frank on Jan. 11 issued a preliminary injunction against the city, EmblemHealth and GHI that temporarily bars them from charging any of the co-payments in the GHI Senior Care plan that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2022. 

We told the city, the Municipal Labor Committee and EmblemHealth that we are informing our retirees that they don’t need to pay those co-pays as of today, pending a final decision in the lawsuit or other court rulings. 

If your doctor’s office or medical provider still requires you to pay this co-pay because they are not yet aware of the court ruling, you should pay the co-pay and keep the receipt. 

If this preliminary injunction becomes a final ruling upheld on appeal, we will work to recoup every penny that our retirees have spent on these co-pays since they went into effect on Jan. 1, 2022.

Sincerely,

Michael Mulgrew, UFT President

Tom Murphy, Retired Teachers Chapter Chair

The implication is that the UFT had something to do with this lawsuit. They had nothing to do with it. It was filed by Marianne's lawyers. Mulgrew was a major player in agreeing to the copayments.

This is from 2021 from the Professional Staff Congress (CUNY professors union that I am honored to be part of):

The NYC Office of Labor Relations (OLR) and the Municipal Labor Committee (MLC) negotiated the copays PRIOR to their agreement to move most NYC retirees from traditional Medicare to the privatized Medicare Advantage plan. The copays were scheduled to go into effect much earlier, but implementation was delayed until 1/1/22. We alerted members at our December chapter meeting of the impending copays. Advance notice, however, doesn’t make them more palatable.

Mulgrew negotiated the copays that he now wants to be refunded because of 12-126 which he is trying to get the City Council to weaken. Does he have a clue?

Marianne slams him much better than I ever could in her latest video. Mulgrew does need a "Come to Jesus" moment.

I think the members of Unity Caucus and the wider UFT need to have that come to Jesus moment too.

NYSNA NURSES END STRIKE AFTER WINNING CONCRETE ENFORCABLE SAFE STAFFING RATIOS

This is from the New York City Central Labor Council. You don't want to strike but unions must have the weapon of withholding labor available if necessary.

COURT GRANTS RETIREES INJUNCTION TO STOP SENIOR CARE COPAYMENTS

Judge Lyle Frank has granted Medicare eligible City retirees an injunction to halt the GHI Senior Care  copays that the City imposed in 2021 and the unions agreed to. This is another defeat for Michael Mulgrew. The new copays violate Administrative Code 12-126 which says the City has to pay the full cost of healthcare for City retirees, active employees and our dependents.

Don't change 12-126, City Council!

We understand the City has already appealed but their record against the retiree's lawyers is not good. The legal outlook is positive the way I read the decision based on 12-126.

That leads to two important questions:

1-If copays are not legal for Medicare eligible retirees, how are they legal for non Medicare eligible retirees and active City employees?

2-Aren't all of us covered by 12-126? My non lawyer guess is we have accepted the copays for so long the City will say they are now the staus quo. That was their argument with the retirees but the judge rejected it. The rest of us have accepted the copays for years and years. The moral is to never give the City an inch for a second.

As for City Medicare eligible retirees only, this is from Marianne on Facebook:

Marianne is advising you to bring a copy of the injunction with you to the doctor if asked for a copay.

MULGREWCARE FALLS FLAT AT CITY COUNCIL HEARING; NURSES STRIKE IN NYC; UNITY HELPS ELECT ICE-SOLIDARITY'S LULI RODRIGUEZ TO VACANT HS EXEC BD SEAT

It was quite an eventful day. 

I watched the City Council hearings on changing Administrative Code 12-126 all day and into the evening. I testified on paper but couldn't get to a computer when I had a chance to go live but I did see and  heard Norm Scott, Bennett Fisher, Ibeth Mejia, and many others testify live. The overwhelming majority of retirees and active city workers at the hearing told the City Council to leave Administrative Code 12-126 alone and not allow the City and the Municipal Labor Committee to force retirees onto Medicare Advantage or face premiums. 

From the Daily Neww coverage:

Members of Mayor Adams’ administration faced jeers and hours of critical questioning during a Monday City Council hearing on his controversial attempt to make retired municipal workers pay for some forms of health insurance.

The complicated matter before the Council centers on an insurance plan called Medicare Advantage that Adams wants to enroll the municipal government’s roughly 250,000 retired workers in because he says it could save the city hundreds of millions of dollars per year.

Courts have for over a year blocked the administration from implementing the plan due to a provision that would slap $191 monthly premiums on retirees who want to stay on traditional Medicare instead of accepting the free Advantage coverage. As a result, Adams has turned to the Council, asking its members to pass a bill that would roll back the underlying law that prompted courts to block the plan’s financial penalty in the first place.

But the proposal did not get a warm reception at a marathon Council Labor Committee hearing Monday.

Dozens of retired workers — who have maintained that Advantage would dilute their benefits and put them at risk of being denied care — packed into the chamber for the session and repeatedly interrupted City Hall officials during their testimony.

When Claire Levitt, Adams’ deputy commissioner of labor relations, said retirees do not “need to be concerned about” Advantage plans requiring some medical procedures to be preauthorized by a private health insurance provider, retirees in the room burst out in derisive laughter.

Michael Mulgrew showed up on Zoom.

The only other UFTers I heard testify were two retired officers and two other Unity stalwarts. Norm, Bennett, Ibeth, Marianne Pizzitola, Professional Staff Congress President James Davis, and so many others made the best presentations in urging the City Council to find savings outside of Medicare Advantage. Retirees want to keep traditional public Medicare.  That was made abundantly clear.

We will see where this goes next but we didn't lose a thing today or this evening in our battle to preserve traditional public medicare.

Back to the Daily News piece:

Eight hours into the hearing, a senior Democratic Council member told the Daily News it’d be surprising for Speaker Adrienne Adams (D-Queens) to even schedule a vote on the bill, considering the internal pushback. “I’d be shocked if there was a vote,” the member said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Even AARP NY is against changing 12-126:

NEW YORK, N.Y. – AARP New York State Director Beth Finkel issued the following statement today ahead of AARP New York’s testimony to the New York City Council Committee on Civil Service and Labor in opposition to Intro 0874, which would weaken health insurance coverage for city employees, city retirees, and their dependents:

“Retired City workers are the very people who built this city and made it great. They deserve what they were promised, and, above all, they deserve the assurance of good health care in their later years. 

“These retirees were promised solid health plans at no cost, and that is what they should be guaranteed. 

“The City’s Medicare Advantage scheme could instead saddle retirees with higher costs, smaller networks, and greater administrative obstacles to accessing health care and preferred doctors. No retiree should be forced to pay more to get the same coverage or to lose the coverage they currently have. A promise made should be a promise kept.”

Meanwhile, uptown the New York State Nurses Association is on strike.

From NBC4:

 Thousands of nurses at two of New York City's largest hospitals went on strike Monday morning after a weekend of negotiations over pay and staffing failed to produce a deal for a new contract.

More than 7,000 nurses at the Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx and at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan were expected to participate in the walkout, the New York State Nurses Association, the largest union representing registered nurses in the state, said in a news release Monday.

Nurses at two facilities within Mount Sinai's health care system tentatively agreed to contracts Sunday, according to an announcement from the union, but negotiations continued at its flagship hospital.

“Nurses don’t want to strike," the union said in a statement late Sunday. "Bosses have pushed us to strike by refusing to seriously consider our proposals to address the desperate crisis of unsafe staffing that harms our patients."

Montefiore and Mount Sinai were among a number of hospitals with contracts with the union that expired. The New York State Nurses Association had threatened to strike at all of the affected hospitals at the same time, but other hospitals reached agreements with the union ahead of the deadline.

We fully support the strike.

Back downtown, the UFT Executive Board met. While Unity turned down a resolution calling for time to read agreements before they are voted on, they also surprised me as Unity did not oppose United for Change's candidate to fill a vacant high school seat, ICE-Solidarity's Luli Rodriguez.

Here is Aviation High School Chapter Leader and High School Executive Board member Ibeth Mejia's speech nominating Luli:

I nominate Luli Rodriguez from the High School for Economics and Finance for the vacant High School Executive Board position. 

Luli is a leader who received the votes of the majority of high school teachers who voted in the 2022 UFT election in her campaign for UFT Treasurer. Luli was tapped to run for Treasurer in part because of her extensive experience in accounting. She is known for her detail-oriented analytical skills when examining school budgets. She can follow the money. Luli was working in accounting at the World Trade Center on 9-11. As a fire warden, she helped lead the successful evacuation of her office on that tragic day. 

Luli has not shied away from leading when she became a special education teacher in NYC. She is a staunch advocate for students with disabilities. We used to call her the IEP maven when we worked together. Because she worked so diligently to make sure every student with disabilities received all of the services they were entitled to, Luli ended up battling two abusive principals who were more interested in dumping students into the mainstream to save money than educating students with disabilities. Luli would not allow any administrator to change IEPs in any unwarranted way so students, teachers, and parents have the utmost respect for her.

Luli fought back and in the process became a UFT activist. She was subsequently elected as a UFT Delegate and in her current school she is actively involved with the union chapter. Her experience and advocacy make her the ideal candidate to sit on this Executive Board to represent the high schools. It is an honor and privilege to nominate Luli Rodriguez for the High School Executive Board position.

Luli ran unopposed so it was a bit ironic when Leroy Barr, the head of Unity Caucus, cast the sole vote in the election making Luli the winner.

Credit to Janella Hinds and Leroy Barr for listening to our six reps and giving the seat opposition rightfully won in the election back to us.

Congratulations Luli! 

CITY COUNCIL HEARINGS ON MULGREWCARE MONDAY MORNING

The City Council has scheduled committee hearings for Monday morning to hear testimony on changing Administrative Code 12-126 which would make it easier to impose Medicare Advantage (Mulgrewcare) on Medicare-eligible City worker retirees.

Michael Mulgrew will most likely be there with his paid staffers who all should be testifying live while the rank and file who oppose this change will be working. 

You can testify in-person or on Zoom. Sign up here, please.

The New York City Organization of Public Sector Retirees is organizing and along with other groups will be there at Monday's Civil Service and Labor Committee hearing. 

Here is Marianne Pizzitola's latest email:

Attention all EMPLOYEES/In-Service workers and RETIREES!   UPDATED CALL TO ACTION!!   #protect12dash126  Updated Video Message from Marianne Is attached, PLEASE WATCH! & We attached a historic video documentary on Victor Gotbaum in 1965 at the bargaining table. Watch!   Its exciting!   Near the end he explains why it is healthy to have dissenting opinions in the union.  I say this all the time...   Do your kids listen to you?   Let me help you here...  NO, they don't.   And so these kids today, who don't knw the difference between Medicare Advantage and Traditional Medicare with a Supplement are not listening to us tell them this is not the way.   It's like asking them to tell you the difference between a Cadillac and a Studbaker, and they tell you they are both the same.  *******************   Monday we will all meet at City Hall by about 830AM to go through security and hold a press conference at 9 am.  We will proceed to City Hall and get ready for the hearing.   This will be an ALL DAY affair.   You may leave after you testify.   Please register here to to let us KNOW you will be there and also click the City Council link to register to testify  Be prepared to be there all day.  Bring a snacks, water and a small pillow if needed.  There are bathrooms and the building is handicap accessible.  Bring 20 copies of your testimony for the council and have one for you to read.   Your spoken testimony will most likely be limited to 2 minutes, but your written testimony can be longer.   Make sure you register with the City Council in the above link we provided and also on our link to tell us us you are coming.  Both links are in the Testimony Pledge. Reserve your calendar for January 19th as well, as this will be the day the Council Votes if this passes the Committee.  You will need to be there as well.  ******************************************** Target Dates January 9th @ 830 AM to clear Security for the 9 AM press conference. 9:30 AM City Hall: Civil Service and Labor Committee Meeting **JOIN US AT THIS HEARING!!! January 19th @ 1:30pm City Hall: Stated Meeting and Vote on the Bill **JOIN US AT THE VOTE   If you are on Twitter and Instagram, please comment and share our messages. We also created an OPEN FaceBook Page https://www.facebook.com/NYCRetirees And Please send your donations in to continue this fight!   URGENT MESSAGE!!  YOU NEED TO ACT! Listen to Victor Gotbaum debate the City in bargaining, and talk about dissenting opinion in the union as being NEEDED.   Just because you disagree with your union, doesn't make you anti union like they are trying to portray us.    *************************** Your friends, and retirees in SOLIDARITY... The NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees The latest from CUNY Professional Staff Congress President James Davis concerning Monday: The New York City Council needs to hear from you! As I wrote earlier in the week, the proposed Administrative Code change that would clear the path for the City to implement a Medicare Advantage plan and to charge monthly premiums of roughly $200/month to retirees who opt to remain enrolled in Senior Care was introduced this week. The City Council Civil Service and Labor Committee will hold a public hearing this Monday, January 9 starting at 9:30 AM.  Please click this link and register if you can join us in person or give in-person testimony. Turning out to this hearing in force will demonstrate the breadth of opposition to this change. There are also options for remote participation if you are not able to attend in person. The PSC continues to push for an alternative solution to the problem of rising health care costs, and the City Council needs to hear from PSC members that our proposal is worth supporting. It is important for City Council Members of the Civil Service and Labor Committee to hear from you on Monday, January 9, 2023. Lastly, please click this link to send the updated Act Now letter to your Council Member and please click here for a script you can use to call your Council Member! In solidarity,  James Davis PSC President

TEACHER'S CHOICE SPENDING DEADLINE IS JANUARY 13

 From UFT CL Update:

Last chance to make Teacher’s Choice purchases

Remind your members that the Teacher’s Choice purchasing window, which began on Aug. 1, closes on Friday, Jan. 13. The receipts for those purchases must be submitted with a Statement of Purpose/Accountability form, by Friday, Jan. 20, to your school’s payroll secretary. Members who received Teacher’s Choice funds in their November 2022 paycheck but don’t file an accountability form with required receipts by the deadline must return the money to the DOE. For more information, go to the Teacher’s Choice section of the UFT website. Absent Teacher Reserve (ATR) members who are assigned to your school the week of Jan. 16 must submit proof of eligible purchases on the DOE’s accountability form to your school’s principal by Friday, Jan. 20.

COUNCIL MEMBER SHAHANA HANIF OPPOSES MULGREWCARE AT CITY COUNCIL

Council Member Shahana Hanif opposes the bill to change Administrative Code 12-126 with an impassioned speech at the City Council. This lupus survivor's story is truly inspiring. She calls privatized healthcare for city retirees "an abject failure."

You can watch her on Twitter or below.

Council Member Shahana Hanif

@CMShahanaHanif

Over the last year, I have heard from thousands of City retirees asking me to protect their hard-earned healthcare. Today, I voiced my firm opposition to any changes to admin code 12-126 and the privatization of the healthcare for our City's retirees. My full remarks

Meanwhile, UFT President Michael Mulgrew continues to lead the push to privatize retiree healthcare starting by attempting to lobby and asking us to lobby to get the Council to change 12-126. We are hearing rumors that there are those in Unity who have had enough.

CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER AND CIVIL SERVICE AND LABOR COMMITTEE CHAIR JOINT STATEMENT ON AMENDING 12-126

The statement below does not look very hopeful but retirees are still fighting back against Medicare privatization.

Joint Statement by Speaker Adams & Civil Service and Labor Committee Chair De La Rosa on Council Holding a Hearing to Consider Legislation Amending Administrative Code to Preserve Health Care Choice for Retirees

January 3, 2023

“Given that the Administration and the Municipal Labor Committee are moving forward to implement Medicare Advantage in alignment with the courts and arbitrator’s decisions, the Council is formally considering legislation to preserve retirees’ choice of health insurance rather than have them automatically enrolled in Medicare Advantage as the sole plan on January 29. We are deeply concerned with the challenges in our health care program for municipal retirees and employees. While many of the underlying problems that created this situation require comprehensive solutions from all levels of government, the City must confront this dilemma to the maximum extent possible within its own authority. This must include support for low-income retirees to truly access choice in their healthcare coverage, reigning in the runaway costs of care that created this crisis, and guaranteeing an insurance program that benefits all of our dedicated public servants.

“The Council will consider the proposed legislation to preserve healthcare coverage choice for retirees at a Civil Service and Labor Committee hearing next week that is open to the public and all stakeholders. We are working to examine the major outstanding questions, the details of the Medicare Advantage plan that is moving forward regardless of any potential Council action, and how the City fulfills its health care commitments to all employees and retirees.”

###

UFT INCONSISTENCY ON PRIVATIZING SCHOOLS VS HEALTHCARE COULD COME BACK TO BITE US

The UFT is rallying us to fight against new Success Academy charter school colocations in NYC public school buildings. It is a worthy battle. We support the union's efforts to oppose charter colocations. We can stop Eva's expansion.

Charter schools are not public schools. This is from Forbes:

Charter schools could be operated by a locally elected board, but they almost never are. Instead, charter schools are owned and operated by private individuals or boards, sometimes located far away from the school itself. Sometimes control of the charter is separated from the community by a series of managerial handoffs–Group X technically owns and operates the charter, but they hire Corporation Y to actually run the school.

When municipal assets like water systems and parking facilities are handed off to private companies to run, we call it by its name–privatization. Turning a school over to a private company to own and operate is no different.

Charters are privately run. The UFT opposes their expansion into public school buildings where they take space away from public schools. This makes sense. So why not have the same policy when it comes to privatizing healthcare?

The vast majority of NYC public sector retirees age 65 and over get the bulk of their health insurance from federally administered public Medicare. However, Mayor Eric Adams and the Municipal Labor Committee (umbrella group of City worker unions) want to save money by privatizing Medicare where they would push public sector retirees  in NYC into a privately managed Medicare Advantage plan. 

Privatizing Medicare has been tried in the past but the UFT and AFT successfully opposed privatization. Here is something from 2004 written by the one time head of Unity Caucus Tom Pappas:

We’re pulling out all the stops. This Medicare legislative disaster about to happen in Washington is too important for us to just hope it goes away.

We need to do all we can — and we can do plenty — to save Medicare from the privateers.

The same is true in 2023. The battle now is in NYC. The New York City Council will decide this month if Mayor Adams and the MLC will be able to make private-for profit Aetna the default plan for NYC public sector retirees. Retirees would need to pay premiums to stay in traditional public Medicare. 250,000 retirees pushed into privatized Medicare would be a body blow for public Medicare.

Unity people today may tell you the current privatization plan is different from past schemes. The main difference looks to be that Medicare privatization is now favored by a Democratic administration in DC. Republican President Trump and Democrat Biden both support expanding privatized Medicare. That bipartisan DC consensus will not be easy to defeat but we must do all we can to save traditional Medicare.

Doctor James Fieseher summarizes how privatizing Medicare will end:

From its inception, Medicare has managed the health of seniors more effectively and efficiently than private insurers. Corporate greed and private investor are trying to sell us on the idea that inserting a middleman between the medical system and the government would somehow save taxpayer money.

There is no business model to support that idea and for good reason, adding more layers of administration adds costs, especially in health care. Don’t let Joe Namath and William Shatner tell you otherwise. Keep Medicare the way it was designed and don’t enroll in Advantage Plans, or we will lose Medicare altogether.

Don't let Michael Mulgrew or AFT President Randi Weingarten fool you either. Privatizing retiree healthcare in NYC is a terrible idea. It will most likely occur if Administrative Code 12-126 is changed by the City Council this month. We have to fight the change with everything we have.

The UFT now supports privatization of Medicare but not schools. 

Mulgrew's hypocrisy will make opposing charter school expansion that much more difficult under charter friendly Mayor Adams. The inconsistency will be thrown in our faces.

Don't let it happen.

Keep public schools public; keep public Medicare public.

Eva continues to privatize schools while Mike tries to privatize retiree healthcare. Stop them!

URGENT CALL TO ACTION, TO SAVE NYC RETIREE PREMIUM FREE PUBLIC MEDICARE

This email from the NYC Organization of Public Sector Retirees came late last night. It looks like the battle to stop Mulgrewcare will take place quickly at the City Council in January.

Hello Everyone!   It appears the MLC has been working overtime like the Grinch.     This is a call to arms. Please reserve on your calendar the FOLLOWING dates:  January 4, 9, 10, 19th. YOU MAY BE ASKED  TO CONVENE AT CITY HALL ON EVERY ONE OF THOSE DATES. We will update you next week. PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO IN THIS EMAIL. It explains that Council Member Carmen DeLaRosa, Chair of Civil Service & Labor and Speaker Adrienne Adams will bring the MLC Admin Code amendment to the floor on Wednesday January 4th.  YOU MUST ACT NOW and tell them NOT to amend the Administrative code and remind them the Scheinman paper they all think is arbitration is NOT.   It was paid propaganda and his OPINION,  and it is NOT legally binding.   EMAIL EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER, a sample script is below! This is the list of Council Members. Click to open!  Make sure you send emails to CM Carmen DeLa Rosa and Speaker Adrienne Adams when you email all the others! If you are on Twitter or Instagram find us and share our message. @NYCRETIREES Next week we will advise you the next steps. SHARE THIS MESSAGE! Yours in TRUE Solidarity,  The NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees PS:   In addition to our private FaceBook Group, we created a PUBLIC Page so you can share our messages! https://www.facebook.com/NYCRetirees  If you need a sample script when emailing or calling the Council. We have been advised that Civil Service and Labor Chair Carmen DeLaRosa and Speaker Adrienne Adams will be bringing the MLC Administrative Code Modification to the City Council floor on Wednesday January 4th at NOON. YOU HAVE HOMEWORK EMAIL City COUNCIL, especially CM DeLaRosa and Speaker Adrienne Adams (the Full list is here: https://mcusercontent.com/036ef3a3db4831f1dc593990d/files/df85df38-69ff-72b6-9621-fe82156dc2d4/Council_Member_List.pdf ) A sample Email:  Hi! My name is_____________ and I am a retiree/ (if you are active/in-service say that!).  We want you to know the Scheinman report is NOT a “ruling”, it’s an opinion and IS NOT BINDING! It’s paid propaganda and they’re hoping the city council falls for it… it is not a decision, it is not a ruling, it is not an award!! The retirees have identified at least $300 million in savings. OMB knows about some of these savings options, and has NOT implemented them NOR informed the city council… and OMB is unaware of others! Which is worse? HOW CAN THE MAYOR OR THE COUNCIL MAKE A DECISION IF THEY ARE NOT BEING PROPERLY INFORMED BY OMB? DO NOT MAKE ANY CHANGE TO THE AMINISTRATIVE CODE!  Please reach out to the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees for real facts! The MLC doesn't want you to know they sold off ALL of our healthcare for raises! Yes, that includes you! Please remember this as we go into the New Year.  Happy New Year! AND DO NOT AMEND THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE 12-126! Signed,  YOUR NAME AND YEAR/AGENCY YOU RETIRED or Where you work

URGENT MESSAGE!!  YOU NEED TO ACT!   *************************** Your friends, and retirees in SOLIDARITY... The NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees

99% NURSES VOTE TO AUTHORIZE STRIKE AT MANY NYC PRIVATE HOSPITALS

This is from the New York City Central Labor Council. We support the nurses.

Nearly 99% of NYC RNs Vote to Authorize Strike

NYSNA nurses have announced the outcome of strike authorization votes at NYC private sector hospitals with union contracts expiring Dec. 31. More than 16,000 out of 17,000 nurses at NYC private sector hospitals have now completed their strike authorization votes, with 98.8 percent citywide voting in support of authorizing a strike.

Voting has completed at BronxCare, Montefiore, Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Morningside and West, NewYork-Presbyterian, Richmond University Medical Center, Maimonides, and Flushing Hospital Medical Center. Voting is in progress at the remaining facilities, and NYSNA expects all 17,000 nurses to vote overwhelmingly in favor of authorizing a strike.

Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN, NYSNA President and frontline nurse at Maimonides Medical Center, said: “We don’t take striking lightly. Striking is always a last resort. But we are prepared to strike if our bosses give us no other option. Nurses have been to hell and back, risking our lives to save our patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, sometimes without the PPE we needed to keep ourselves safe, and too often without enough staff for safe patient care. Instead of supporting us and acknowledging our work, hospital executives have been fighting against COVID nurse heroes. They’ve left us with no other choice but to move forward with voting to authorize a strike for better patient care.”

RNs have been speaking out and sounding the alarm about the short-staffing crisis puts patients at risk, especially during a tripledemic of COVID, RSV and flu. Nurses say hospitals aren’t doing enough to keep caregivers at the bedside, and instead of working with COVID nurse heroes, in some cases, are even threatening to cut their healthcare benefits. Learn more here, at PIX11, CBS New York, the Chief, and follow the Nurses on Twitter for more updates.

TEEN SUICIDES RISE WHEN IN-PERSON SCHOOLING IS IN SESSION

This study concerns me as a parent, a teacher, and human being. 

I am not advocating ending or limiting in-person schooling but this is worrying.

CONNECTING THE DOTS ON WHY MULGREW IS NOT BACKING OFF ON UNPOPULAR, ILLEGAL MEDICARE ADVANTAGE FOR NYC RETIREES

It seems strange that Michael Mulgrew continues to attempt to ram through Medicare Advantage (Mulgrewcare) after two courts with six judges ruled that it is illegal to charge premiums to NYC municipal retirees who want to stay on traditional public Medicare. Daniel Alicea over at Educators of NYC has done some research along with Illinois retired teacher unionist Fred Klonsky to show that privatizing Medicare to get the insurance companies richer is not just a local issue but NYC is up against a huge, national Medicare privatization push that the AFT endorses.

From Fred's Substack:

Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers is among those pushing for New York public employees, including retired public school teachers, into the for-profit private insurance plan that is supposed to cover what regular Medicare does not.

Medicare Advantage plans have come under greater scrutiny and criticism in recent years for over-charging the government and denying coverage for medically necessary treatments.

When MA programs came on the market they were sold as a way to save government money. Now they do just the opposite.

But is Mulgrew and the UFT leadership acting alone or are they pursuing a large agenda of their parent union, the American Federation of Teachers and its president, Randi Weingarten?

Daniel Alicea has looked up Randi's 2019 position and noticed a change came about by 2020.

Randi in Politico, August 2019 endorsing single-payer Medicare for All:

“Wouldn’t it be great if we had a single, universal access point for health care and we could instead spend our time bargaining for lower class sizes and wrap around services and increases to people’s pay?” said Randi Weingarten, president of the 1.7 million-member American Federation of Teachers, which endorsed Medicare for All earlier this year. “Wouldn’t it be great it if it wasn’t always dominated by health care fights?”

Randi then flip-flops and this is the AFT's 2020 position:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers will work to achieve universal coverage by the year 2025, whether through single payer or private insurance with a public option, so that all patients have coverage for timely access to the care they need, treating healthcare as a public good, and will consider a different payment system model that promotes value and coordination in care delivery; and...

Notice how private insurance is part of the AFT mix now.  I don't think Randi was ever passionate about Medicare for All but the 2020 resolution mixing in public and private fits right in with what the Municipal Labor Committee is attempting to do here in NYC by privatizing retiree Medicare.

To move this up two years, this is from libertarian Mike Antonucci's report on the 2022 AFT Convention:

A committee did not concur with a resolution to oppose the privatization of Medicare, for reasons I can only assume are related to the UFT’s involvement in moving retired New York City teachers into Medicare Advantage plans.

It is clear that the UFT-AFT are as usual loyal appendages of the Democratic Party where it is donor's first and traditional Medicare is now projected to become a minority plan for seniors by 2025.

A major problem with this policy is there is a major inconsistency when it comes to privatizing healthcare but not schools. How are the unions going to oppose the privatization of public education through charter schools and vouchers when we are supporting privatization in retiree healthcare through Medicare Advantage?

MICHAEL MULGREW:THE UFT DECIDER; WHY NOT LET MEMBERS DECIDE ON MEDICARE ADVANTAGE?

UFTers have been asked by President Michael Mulgrew to pressure the City Council to change Administrative Code 12-126. The change would permit the Municipal Labor Committee (umbrella group of municipal unions) and Mayor Adams to privatize Medicare for retirees age 65 and above by lowering the benchmark rate the City has to pay for healthcare so retirees would have to pay premiums for GHI Senior Care that is now premium free if they don't want privatized Aetna Medicare Advantage (Mulgrewcare).

Below is part of a question and answer from High School Executive Board member Nick Bacon and President Mulgrew from Wednesday's Delegate Assembly concerning healthcare changes.

Question: Nick Bacon: Why didn't we vote on such a big campaign here at DA and at exec bd?

Answer: You elect me to make decisions. We will be here 15 years without a contract if we adopted such a practice of voting on everything.

We also elect Delegates and Chapter Leaders to represent members in making UFT policy. I guess what often is just a rubber stamp Delegate Assembly might not be so eager to put their stamp of approval on privatized Medicare for our retirees (Mulgrewcare) so Mulgrew has just decreed UFT policy the last few months. He decided by fiat that we are going to try to push the City Council to change Administrative Code 12-126 which has protected our premium free health benefits for over fifty years. 

The attempt to privatize Medicare again illustrates how there are no functioning checks or balances in the UFT presidential system. Mulgrew is just getting away with more of his long-time practice of bullying democracy into oblivion in this union. 

Mulgrew seems to fancy himself as the next George W Bush: "The Decider".

I still wonder why the ruling Unity caucus allows this one-person rule of the UFT to continue. Retirees, traditionally Unity's most loyal constituency, are not happy as they showed at a meeting last week. 

Just a thought, if the Delegates and Executive Board can't vote on Mulgrewcare, would UFTers favor putting privatized Mulgrewcare up for a vote in a member referendum? We have that right if 10% of the membership asks for it.

Article V, SECTION 10 of the UFT Constitution: At the written request of one-third (1/3) of the entire membership of the Executive Board or of ten percent (10%) of the membership of this organization, the Executive Board shall submit to a referendum vote any matter except a proposed amendment to this Constitution and matters relating to the admission, suspension or expulsion of members.

We really should take our union democracy back, somehow.

LIVE BLOGGING DECEMBER 2022 DA, INCLUDING RETIREE RALLY IN FRONT OF 52 BROADWAY FOR PUBLIC MEDICARE, AGAINST PRIVATIZED MEDICARE ADVANTAGE

We are starting a little early this month as we are hearing there are over 100 retirees  making noise outside of 52 Broadway. Lawyer Steve Cohen, who won the case to protect our healtcare, just spoke.

I got on the call at around 4:18. Michael Mulgrew had already started his report.

National

The federal government wants to do a massive increase in Title I, Pell Grants, and Career and Technical Education. Mulgrew in DC last week with Randi and other advocates talking about expanding CTE. Putting forward a plan. NYC has the most quality and CTE programs. NYS opening up large chip facility in Syracuse. Projected to need 50,000 workers. Need 15,000 engineers. Happy about this advocacy. Thanks Secretary of Commerce, Education and Labor. Over 10,000 migrant children in our school system. We don't have enough support for them. Need guidance counselors, social workers, and people with bilingual certificates. School system is suffering from national school staff shortage. Poll to ask if schools have sufficient substitutes?  We don't have enough people even if DOE fixed everything. Locals nationally have class sizes of 60 because they don't have teachers. We must work with national government, state level and city level. We need housing in the city. We need a contract. 

State Level

CTE plan. Utilize $50 million a year for the next two years. We get it done but it shouldn't be this hard with SED

Contract Negotiations

Groups of teacher subcommittees have been formed. We may need to reach out on certain issues. DOE moving forward on general provisions. Need to have the whole negotiating committee in on February 1. DOE needs to respond to demands of 28 subcommittees from functional chapters. We need to build momentum to get this contract. DC 37, Sanitation, and UFT actively negotiating. PBA arbitration also going on. Colocation fight in D 22. Success is the only charter chain looking for space all over the system. DOE says hands are tied. This didn't happen in de Blasio years. Someone is working with Eva Moskowitz to get space in our schools. First 100 speakers at Queens meeting were from Success. We had many there. We are fighting with Ms. Moskowitz. One school up for colocation has only 1 extra room now. Large d75 site in one building. We may be at war footing with mayor over charters when a pattern is set. We have to educate members in the school on how we arrive at a contract. We will do teach-ins on January 30. We have to educate members on what we want. Stop micromanagement, etc. We have been left out of a round of negotiations with Michael Bloomberg. We have to prepare. We will work with parents. We must educate our own folks. Negotiating committee wants to get this done. We need the chapter leaders. 800 members on the list to do this. We need more. Get on there if you are a chapter leader. We need everyone to be part of this. We have to do the hard work to get to a contract. Training virtually on Jan 17 and 19 and an in-person training after DA on January 18 for CLs and Delegates. We need to prepare but this could be getting ugly with the City Hall because of the charter schools. We will get to a contract one way or another. Are you ready to get this done? (Chants of Yes.)

Migrant children

We are getting migrants children from Texas. Federal and state governments sending money. DOE says everything is fine. Number of children is growing. Must make sure these kids get supports.

Member hub

It is a hub for every one of our members. Must have a UFT account. Member hub will go live in January. 10,000 batches at a time for UFTers who already have accounts online. This will be the first iteration. We will be putting in more as this goes on. The 10,000 are randomly selected. Chapters outside of DOE and retirees will be included. Big piece.

Healthcare

Arbitrator came out with award. Two things are happening simultaneously. Arbitration on Medicare Advantage and RFP for in-service members. Arbitrator gave MLC 25 days to negotiate with Aetna. If there is no agreement, then arbitrator will find a remedy for monies that are owed. Premiums will be on the table. We don't pit members against each other at UFT. No retirees against active members. We have always been a target of other unions. We won't agree to anything unless it meets our criteria. Mulgrew has had many conversations with Aetna. We are in a different position. We embrace people who retire. Most unions should model this. Arbitrator said do this or this might happen. We want everything we had plus more. Must have accountability to see that it is real and enforceable. We want language that no insurance company has ever agreed to. No loopholes. Contract has to be adhered to. MLC people including us must see the data. Want expedited outside arbitration. The second piece is prior authorizations. Guidelines on what is appropriate and must have 1-2 days to get to arbitration. Data looks fine on prior authorizations. We don't trust data or insurance companies. If we don't get what we want, we don't move foward. Mulgrew can take attacks. He is confident in work he is doing. Bills in NYC and Albany on transparency in hospital billing. We have a right to know what hospitals are charging. Hospitals ripping us off. We jack up copays to stop overcharging. This will continue over the holidays. This is something that has never been done before.

Tier VI reform

7,000 members have contribution level going down because of the law we got through. Some are getting refunds. This is step 1 of Tier VI reform. 

2022 a little better than 2021. It's a D that got to E with MOSL. Two years before this were horrible. 

Wishes all a happy holiday and happy new year

ILLNESS

Recommend people wear a mask. Cases of RSV and COVID have leveled this week. Flu is a nasty strain. In January it can get sticky. Leroy Barr is out ill. DA wishes him well. Mike Sill gives Secretary's Report.

Secretary's report

We gave out many coats, particularly for migrant children. Teacher training Jan 17 19 virtually, Jan 18 in-person for delegates and chapter leaders. Jan 28 CL training number 2. Nominations for academic high school awards. Award is 5-5-23. Registration open for early childhood conference April 1. Middle School Scavenger Hunt at Grand Central. Al Shanker scholarship link available. Next DA is January 18. Wishes all happy holidays.

Question period

Question: Phone calls on administrative code, what is the status?

Mulgrew answer: Much misinformation around from other unions. Should read award. We are creating savings with healthcare. The arbitrator pointed out that if an agreement is reached with Aetna and there is no change in administrative code, first deal lets us pay a premium to keep Senior Care. Retirees wanted that option. Original lawsuit was about the RFP process. Judge found that was okay but litigants put in other issues. City had the ability to move forward. He also said that any plan under the HIP rate had to be offered for free. Judge said those plans couldn't go forward. Judge said we couldn't pay for those plans. Asked City Council to change the Administrative code. City council members are afraid. Allowed fear to take away their choice. Want option in final plan. City Council is looking at it differently. Enough with the politics. We need the administrative code changed. Meeting with council members again. Thank you for doing that work. 

Question: D 75 CL, Major para shortage. Can we convince DOE to have hiring fairs? 

Answer: DOE had to fix glitch in hiring system. We should be reaching out to CUNY. DOE needs to figure out how to nominate subs even if they didn't go through sub central. On paras, we have to reinvigorate to get people inside the para position. We have more paras than ever in the system but not enough. Meetings on Friday. We were out of compliance before we had a para shortage. DOE using this as a shield. Saying there is nobody out there. We have to do something.

Question: Nick Bacon: Read Sheinman recommendation. It is non-binding. Campaign on 12-126, other unions like PSC oppose this. Why didn't we vote on such a big campaign here at DA and at exec bd?

Answer: It is nonbinding. We can say no to a lot of things. We have to discuss ramifications of not changing 12-126. Understand the emotion of just saying no. We can stop harm by being smart. Responsibly reporting on what is going on. Never seen a union saying no to taking away 50 years of collective bargaining rights. You elect me to make decisions. We will be here 15 years without a contract if we adopted such a practice of voting on everything.

From Nick's own account:

(1) Martin Scheinman phrases his so-called ‘award’ not as a ‘decision’ but as a ‘recommendation.’ He calls other awards ‘decisions.’ Councilwoman Gale Brewer also commented that the arbitrator decision is non-binding. Why are you calling it a decision? To this question, Michael Mulgrew admitted that the decision is not binding, despite having spoken about it as if it was before my question. Of course, if it’s non-binding, that begs the question of why we’re even talking about it. It literally can’t be enforced.

(2) There’s been a lot of talk tonight about our fight to change 12-126. You called it ‘our opinion’ that it should be changed. But there was never a decision by the Executive Board or the Delegate Assembly that this was our point of view. Shouldn’t we have been consulted for a vote before we as a union decided it was our decision to invest in resources and campaign to literally change city law? Other unions, don’t even agree with that move. PSC (the CUNY professors union) for instance is campaigning to NOT change the code. Mulgrew’s response was long here. He gaslit a bit about how we ‘can’t vote on EVERYTHING.’ But more importantly he noted that ‘he was voted in’ and thus ‘has the right to make decisions.’ What does that say about our democracy?

Question: Contract is confusing if we don't know what we are asking the city for the next contract. Can more be made public?

Answer: Did you click on QR code? Answer was no. Looking forward to you coming on down to work on educating members. Negotiating committee voted on this. We can talk about getting a significant raise. Things like lack of support are important. Get involved in teach-ins.

New Motion period

Motion for next month: 

Motion to oppose Success Academy colocations for next month. 

Success trying to get into DOE schools. DOE underestimates building utilizations and class size law means we will need more rooms in campus schools. Put this on next month's agenda.

Nobody wishes to speak against.

569 Vote Yes on line- 33 Vote No; live it is 141-2. It is on next month's agenda.

Motion in support of Railway workers in UK who have been engaging in a series of strikes. They deserve our support.

Nobody speaks against.

Online, 445 yes to 86 no online; 127-9 live. It has 86% approval overall.

Point of information: Jeff Andrusin. 732 for quorum. 667 votes altogether. Do we have a quorum?

936 online. Jeff asks why people aren't voting? Mulgrew supports people voting but they don't have to.

Resolutions

Endorse Victoria Lee for Teachers Retirement Board. Mulgrew takes a point of personal privilege to compliement Debra Penny who will stay as UFT treasurer but is leaving TRS Board. She dealt personally with people who we lost during COVID.

Debra Penny speaks in favor of Victoria Lee. Victoria Lee is up to position. When pandemic came, she came up with Zooms to still educate members. Thanks delegates for support and endorses Victoria.

Tom Brown who is on TRS Board supports Victoria Lee. Wishes Deb Penny good luck. Says Victoria is a defender of defined benefits. She understands fiduciary responsibility to earn the most money possible in system.

David Kazansky, another trustee on the TRS Board speaks next. Deb did a great job. Victoria is a great follow-up. 

485 yes to 25 no online to end debate. In room it is 118-3

Vote to endorse Victoria Lee is 538 Yes - 15 no online; it is 123-7 in-person. It carries.

Tier VI benefits resolution:

Amy Bernstein speaks in favor. 51,000 Tier VI members have to work 41 years to age 63 to get an unreduced pension. Members need enhanced benefits. Contribution rates changed to only base pay. We need to continue to make changes to Tier VI law.

Motion to amend: Nick Bacon wants to add a resolved that says the UFT will start an aggressive lobby campaign to get Tier VI equal to Tier IV including having a 25-55 option for Tier VI and UFT will lobby against any future pension tiers that will reduce benefits.

Someone calls a point of order saying it was three amendments but Nick says it is one amendment with 3 resolveds.

David Kazinsky speaks against saying it is too specific and we need leeway. 

Point of information on amendment not being more than three lines so it violates the rules that something more than three lines has to be in writing. The amendment is invalid.

Travis from Cardozo speaks in favor of resolution.

Then Victoria Lee rises in support. 9 reforms of Tier IV. Tier VI still in beginning stages. It took 15 years to make improvements to Tier IV.

Motion to call the question

493 Yes to 29 no online, overall it is 612 to 32 to close debate.

Resolution to improve Tier VI has 530 Yes to 22 No online in the room I can't hear but it is 667- to 25 so the resolution passes.

Rich Mantell motivates resolution on social-emotional screening test. 43-question test and services weren't offered after it. Get rid of this DESSA test.

Nobody wants to debate.

Delgates vote to close debate 631-18.

Resolution passes 676-12, it passes.

 Resolution to support migrant families, CL from Sunnyside school speaks in favor.

Nobody speaks against. 

Resolution passes 559-48.

Mulgrew thanks delegates again and wishes all happy holidays and happy new year.

BACKLASH AGAINST PROPAGANDA ARBITRATION PUSHING MULGREWCARE GROWS; REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN ELECT TOTAL FRAUD; NHS STRIKES IN UK

So much to write about today. 

The momentum against Mulgrewcare is starting to make me feel cautiously optimistic. The opposition to forcing retirees into a privatized Medicare Advantage plan (Mulgrewcare) is growing. 

UFT President Michael Mulgrew claimed he had an arbitrator's ruling on his side last week. Mulgrew, other union leaders in the Municipal Labor Committee, and the City's Office of Labor Relations paid their favorite arbitrator, Martin Scheinman, to write a  "ruling" that upon close scrutiny turned out wasn't a ruling at all but merely an opinion pushing Mulgrewcare.

Mulgrew said this in his last email:

Dear James,

As we expected, an independent arbitrator today ruled that the city and the Municipal Labor Committee should create a new Medicare Advantage plan for Medicare-eligible city retirees. The ruling stated that the unions have 25 days to negotiate with Aetna to make sure the plan is the best it can be.

Mulgrew thought he really pulled a fast one with this "ruling" he could blame on Scheinman. Mulgrew still doesn't understand that in the battle over retiree healthcare, it is not just United for Change, MORE, ICE-UFT, or some other UFT opposition group or independents. It is well-organized retirees. His mendacity often works on internal critics but Mulgrew is now up against the New York City Organization of Public Sector Retirees, whose leader Marianne Pizzitola, is a one-person rapid response army ready to immediately fact-check every piece of bullshit put out by union leaders, not just Mulgrew.

This video is a brief response to Scheinman's propaganda, where Marianne notes how Scheinman isn't neutral; he is paid by the Municipal Labor Committee and the City. His paid opinion could be used to "line your birdcage" for all that it is worth, according to Marianne.

The good news is that Marianne and others are gaining real momentum. Norm at EdNotes points out some of the most recent reactions to Scheinman from our side, the side that wants to preserve Administrative Code 12-126 which has protected City worker and retiree healthcare rights since 1967.

This is part of a piece from retiree Evie Rich in the Amsterdam News:

It’s time for us — Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) — to stop staying back and to stand up joining our white allies in opposing Mayor Adams and his administration’s efforts to transfer 260,000 municipal retirees (and our dependents) to a privately administered Medicare Advantage Plus program that have been in the works for more than two years now.

Further down, Ms. Rich declares we must oppose changing Administrative Code 12-126. She gives multiple reasons. One of them:

Too many of us accept rejection — in any form. We do not fight back when we’re told “No.” Higher income and higher pensioned retirees and current employees (mostly white) will opt out. We cannot afford to create or sustain such a system, and the times will not tolerate it.

Pensioners with low incomes are being defended by Marianne's retirees who sued to stop copays in Senior Care which is a supplemental Medigap plan that pays only 20% of doctor's office expenses. Mulgrew has defended the copays. 

The City Council looks to be sticking with the retirees too. This is from Manhattan Councilmember Gale Brewer:

Republicans and conservacrats oppose Sheinman too.

Mulgrew can only throw so much bullshit out there. At some point, he may have to retreat.

Retirees will be protesting at the Delegate Assembly tomorrow.

Speaking of bullshit, I live in NY Congressional District 3 where apparently no Democrat bothered to do any opposition research on our Republican super-MAGA Congressman-Elect George Santos.

This is from Forbes:

Republican Rep.-Elect George Santos (N.Y.) may have fabricated nearly his entire resume, according to a New York Times investigation that found no records to support Santos’ claims about his education, finance career, real estate properties and a charity he said he owns, among other inconsistencies on his congressional financial disclosure forms that could amount to ethics violations or a federal crime.

From CNN:

Santos’ biography has at times listed an education at Baruch College and New York University, earning degrees in finance and economics. A NYU spokesperson, John Beckman, told CNN, “the University’s records do not reflect anyone with that name [George Anthony Devolder-Santos] having attended NYU.” A spokesperson for Baruch College told CNN it could not find a record of anyone with his name or birthday ever attending the school.

There's more but even if there are federal crimes, the Democrats would appear not to be too eager to push this too far right away according to Politico. As for the Republicans:

The imperatives for the GOP generally and McCarthy specifically are not difficult to parse, as the Times notes: “With a razor-thin majority, Republicans have few reasons for challenging or investigating Mr. Santos, and many for defending him. If Mr. Santos were to resign, there is no guarantee that a Republican would win a special election to fill his seat.”

Santos is no dummy. On Sunday night, after the Times told him they were about to publish, he tweeted his support for McCarthy’s speaker bid for the first time.

Santos is my soon-to-be representative in the House of Representatives. USA democracy at its finest! 

Meanwhile, in the UK, the workers are fighting back with a wave of strikes. The National Health Service is their government run universal healthcare system. 

From NPR:

LONDON — Across the River Thames from Big Ben last Thursday morning, a couple hundred nurses formed a picket line in front of St. Thomas' Hospital. One waved a sign that read, "Can anyone find my friends? They all quit."

"Currently nursing my inadequate pay," read another.

As cars rode past, drivers honked their support.

"I think that nurses need to be given a pay rise that matches inflation because the cost of living [has] shot up so much," said nurse Rosie Woods, referring to the United Kingdom's inflation rate, which is near 11%, its highest level in four decades. "You've literally got nurses visiting food banks."

Woods and tens of thousands of other nurses staged a one-day walkout Thursday, the biggest nursing strike in the history of Britain's National Health Service.

And they're not the only ones walking out. Joining them this month are employees from other essential services including rail workers, mail carriers and airport immigration officers. It's the largest series of labor actions in the United Kingdom in more than a decade, and presents a major challenge to the new government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

But does the public support nurses on strike you ask?

Three fifths (60%) of voters said they support nurses going on strike for two days in December, up three points on the last poll a fortnight ago. Some 29% were opposed, down one point.

Ambulance workers will be next to engage in industrial action.

Labor militancy is so needed in NYC.