Medicare Dispute Sparks UFT Election Upset
A heated disagreement around forcing New York City’s retired municipal workers to switch to a private version of Medicare as their only healthcare option has led to an unforeseen shift in power within the influential United Federation of Teachers (UFT) union.
Early this week, for the first time in many years, an opposition group, the Retiree Advocate slate, is poised to take control of the Retiree Chapter from the long-standing UFT president, Michael Mulgrew’s group, the Unity caucus. This challenge has primarily been attributed to the disagreement over the healthcare policy.
Incoming leader, Bennett Fischer, running for the Retiree Advocate group, surpassed the incumbent Tom Murphy of Unity. “This vividly reflects the huge dissatisfaction around healthcare policies,” Fischer commented after the victory. “Despite the odds, we clinched the election, setting up a solid base to attempt changes to our union’s stance on this matter.”
Retired Teachers Send a Strong Message
In an impressive show of voter participation, over 17,200 former teachers cast their votes for the Retiree Advocate slate to lead the Retiree Chapter, far outstripping the approximate 10,100 who voted for the incumbent Unity caucus. Remaining ballots, standing at around 600, remain to be counted.
An early indication of the unity election upset was reported in an internal email to Unity candidates obtained by the Daily News, which confirmed that this election did not favor their faction.
Retirees Fight Back against Healthcare Change
The Retiree Advocate group has been a persistent voice within union politics for years. The campaigners found an issue as the city attempted to make Medicare Advantage the sole option for municipal retirees’ subsidised healthcare. This move would save an estimated $600 million annually for the city and was endorsed by the Municipal Labor Committee, including Mulgrew.
The reaction to this plan was not favorable, as retired city workers launched a class action lawsuit to halt the conversion to Medicare Advantage soon after the current NYC mayor took office. Backing the retired municipal employees, the state Supreme Court Appellate Division upheld a ruling that stopped this insurance shift last month. The mayor’s attorneys are expected to challenge this decision in the state’s highest court.
From Classrooms to Courtrooms – Retirees Fight for Rights
Fischer, who once taught art at P.S. 231 in Brooklyn, shared his criticism of the Advantage plan. He characterized it as a considerable reduction in the benefits that they had worked for, banked on, and structured their life plans around. Fischer put the blame squarely on Mulgrew’s shoulders, saying that unity leadership had not taken retirees’ opinions into consideration.
Union Elections Underway
Alongside this leadership election for the UFT’s retiree chapter, which boasts 70,000 members, votes for leadership positions within individual schools and specialized units like school counselors and social workers were also held.
“Final results will be verified on Tuesday,” said Alison Gendar, a UFT spokeswoman, offering her congratulations to all victorious candidates and expressing gratitude to all who have served. The upset sparked by issues around healthcare signifies a potential substantive change within union politics in the coming future. This unforgettable union election may go down in history as the one stirred by the contentious Medicare Advantage plan.