Op Ed: Michael Mulgrew Gets a Black Eye
There is a lot of confusion on social media- especially on the Facebook group NYC DOE Teachers and Other UFT Members and the Unity Facebook page (we cannot tag these groups because we are BLOCKED from them)- regarding Mulgrew’s actions.
“Mulgrew, only wants what is best for us [union members].”
“The City is crying poverty!”
“What does the union have to do with healthcare?”
We want to make it plain. Our Union has everything to do with our benefits, including our healthcare. Michael Mulgrew is a player in the plan to end premium-free healthcare for retirees who worked in the Board of Education with the promise of having free healthcare. Mulgrew’s perception of retirees is disturbing and ageist.
Arthur Goldstein states it plainly, “UFT President Michael Mulgrew says if we don’t throw retirees into the water, in service members will pay. I don’t know who Michael Mulgrew listens to, but someone needs to tell him union doesn’t do that. Like family, we protect and support one another.”
Real union leadership takes swings at City government, not grovel at the feet of Mayor Adams.
Michael Mulgrew grovels.
Mulgrew and his Unity caucus bully membership who question the ways things are done. (Don’t believe us? Look at what happened at the latest Executive Board meeting!)
There was never a vote to change Administrative Code 12-126. Er, isn’t our union supposed to be a democracy? Should we be able to vote on decisions that impact us?
Many informed members strongly disagree with the UFT leadership’s move here. Indeed, Administrative Code 12-126 protects both in-service and retired members from paying premiums on healthcare that we and our families need.
Changing the code would lead the awful changes down the road. Changes that will hurt current retirees, future retirees, and in-service members.
This is from James Eterno’s ICE UFT Blog:
After the totally successful retiree showing at the City Council on Monday, 1/9 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 and they won an injunction to stop the copays. Mulgrew has reacted with a strange email that he and Retired Teachers Chapter Leader Tom Murphy sent.
Mulgrew negotiated the copays that he now wants to be refunded based on 12-126 which he is trying to get the City Council to weaken. Does he have a clue?
Mulgrew negotiated the copays that he now wants to be refunded based on 12-126 which he is trying to get the City Council to weaken. Does he have a clue?
Marianne slams him in her latest video.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=eOeEnmricjQ&feature=shares
The email Marianne is referring to was send to all retirees by Tom Murphy and Mulgrew. Tom Murphy is the head of the Retiree Chapter.
Here is the email:
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
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If you want to ask Marianne a question, you can! She will be a guest on the TALK OUT OF SCHOOL radio show in WBAI on SUNDAY, 1/15 (THAT’S TOMORROW) at 7pm.
Call in with your questions to Marianne using this number: 212-209-2877 tomorrow at the 7pm hour.
PS: If you are a young UFT member and you are wondering why you should care about a “retiree issue” please read this article. Healthcare is a human right. Our free healthcare is in jeopardy because of our union leadership’s complicity with the City leadership.
