FOLLOW THE MONEY: WHICH LEGISLATORS BENEFIT MOST FROM OUR UNIONS? – PART III (DAVID GINSBERG)

By David Ginsberg

This article is the third installment in a multi-part series. For the first installment, see here. For the second, see here.

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Every two weeks, union dues and voluntary COPE donations come out of the paychecks of more than 100,000 active UFT members. Millions upon millions of dollars of our hard earned money go to maintaining, strengthening, and empowering our union each year. Although the UFT  “does not use any union dues money for political action,” a sizable portion (over 25%, according to Americans for Fair Treatment) goes to affiliates such as New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT), who give money to legislators in order to lobby for our best interests. Throw in our COPE donations and some of these politicians are looking at quite a windfall. Hopefully, the breakdown below of the next 10 largest recipients of our various union funds alleviates some of the mystery as to who benefited most from our contributions from 2022 and 2023.

This article is not meant to be an exposé by any means; it is simply meant to help our membership see where our money is going because we deserve to know. We are in no way encouraging members to cancel their union dues and/or COPE donations. Our union needs our support in order to thrive.

It should be noted that some of the dollar amounts may not be exact. These are all minimum figures. All research was done through

https://publicreporting.elections.ny.gov

Each union donates money under several names (ex: NYSUT may be listed as New York State United Teachers, NYS United Teachers, NYSUT, etc.), making it extremely difficult to pin down exactly how much they donated. 

It should also be noted that NYSUT (600,000 members) and the AFT (1.7 million members) receive contributions from other teachers’ unions, so all money donated by them does not necessarily come directly from our pockets. However, it is safe to assume that some of it does. All that being said, we hope this article helps you gain some insight as to where our lobbying contributions go. Again, all dollar amounts are for 2022 and 2023, combined.

21. John W. Mannion: $19,400

Contributions: 2022 New York State United Teachers: $7,800   2022 American Federation of Teachers: $11,600

A former science teacher turned politician, Senator Mannion has represented the Syracuse area’s 50th district since 2021. Mannion recently won the Democratic primary in the 22nd Congressional district where he will take on incumbent Brandon Williams in November for a House seat in what promises to be a very close race. Mannion also currently sits on the Education Committee with 14 other senators. 

With less than four years under his belt, Mannion does not have an extensive history, but he has voiced his opposition against the expansion of charter schoolsand is co-sponsoring a bill that would “include school districts and community school districts in the approval process for the issuance of new charter schools in over enrolled districts,” which would force charter schools to get consent from the district before the application process takes place. 

Mannion was also one of the co-sponsors on Senator Robert Jackson’s bill that amended the calculation of our Final Average Salary (FAS), helping Tier VI members by decreasing the final average salary (FAS) calculation from our five highest consecutive years to our three highest, which will put more money into the pockets of future retirees. 

Mannion also obtained over $6 million for Universal Pre-K for his district in 2023 and co-sponsored the SAFE for Kids Act, which aims to thwart social media companies from pushing addictive feeds on anyone under 18..

22A. Philip Ramos: $19,300

Contributions: 2022 NYSUT: $19,300

Philip Ramos has served as an Assemblyman for the 6th district of New York State since 2003. Ramos has also been the Deputy Speaker of the New York State Assembly since 2023 and is a member of the Standing Committee on Education, a bipartisan commission consisting of 31 members of the Assembly. According to Ballotpedia, “Each standing committee shall propose legislative action and conduct such studies and investigations as may relate to matters within their jurisdiction.” The Standing Committee on Education analyzes and oversees various programs, departments, and agencies. 

As far as the issues go, Ramos has made impassioned speeches explaining why he is vehemently opposed to charters (you should give this a listen), while advocating for the funding of public schools. Ramos’s impassioned and thorough address to his constituents is eye-opening and offers us insight into how charters operate and how they siphon money away from public schools, against the good of the public .

A summary of Senator Ramos’s voting history in regards to public education can be found here. Over the years, Ramos has supported proposals that: prohibit test scores from teacher evaluations, increase funding for undocumented students who want to pursue higher education, and the class size bill. He has consistently voted against the expansion of charter schools.

22B. Brian Kavanagh: $19,300

Contributions: 2022 NYSUT: $19,300

Brian Kavanagh is a NYS senator that currently represents the 27th district in Lower Manhattan.

In 2010, as a member of the House, Kavanagh supported a bill that was a mixed bag for public school advocates. While the bill forbade “for-profit businesses or corporate entities from submitting an application to establish a charter school” and mandated that “in cases where charter schools are located in the same building as non-charter public schools, any capital improvements made to the charter school in excess of $5,000 must be matched to provide improvements to the traditional public school portion of a building,” it also more than doubled the charter school cap from 200 to 460, despite “major concerns about co-location, the state comptroller’s inability to audit the schools, and the number of charter schools that should be able to operate in a single district.” The bill, which looks like it was a compromise for both sides, eventually passed with overwhelming support from Democrats and a slight majority of Republicans, both in the House and in the Senate. 

Additionally, Kavanagh spoke up for PS 150 in Tribeca, which was at risk of closing in 2018. In 2022, PS 150 was relocated to a “brand new, 8-story $104 million building.” 

Most recently, Kavanagh was also one of the many co-sponsors of the SAFE for Kids Act, which “prohibits social media companies from pushing ‘addictive’ algorithm-driven feeds to anyone under 18 without parental consent” (source: uft.org), along with John Mannion (above), Robert Jackson (previous article), and others.

22C. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton: $19,300

Contributions: 2022 NYSUT: $19,300

In her short time as senator of the 23rd district, representing the North Shore of Staten Island, Scarcella-Spanton has sponsored two noteworthy bills favoring public school teachers. One of the bills aims to extend student loan forgiveness to SUNY and CUNY graduates that go into the public sector. The bill would grant qualified applicants $5,000 per year to pay off their student loans. Like many bills, it is still in committee, so it may be some time before we get wind of any progress.

Scarcella-Spanton is also one of many co-sponsors on a bill that would “amend the education law in New York State to include arts and music education as necessary components of the public school curriculum.” While the bill is still in the early stages, it would really help out teachers of the arts, who often find themselves first on the chopping block when schools do not have sufficient funding.

22D. Elizabeth Crowley: $19,300

Contributions: 2022 VOTE COPE (NYSUT): $19,300

Crowley is a former councilwoman out of the 30th district in Queens. NYSUT contributed big money to Crowley’s unsuccessful democratic primary campaign in 2022. Crowley received about 33% of the vote while her opponent, Kristen Gonzalez, received nearly 58%, defeating Crowley by nearly 6,000 votes. NYSUT, through its Voice of Teachers for Education (VOTE) arm, also contributed $11,800 to Gonzalez’s campaign in 2022.

26. Toby Ann Stavisky: $18,550

Contributions: 2022 VOTE COPE (NYSUT): $17,800  2023 VOTE COPE (NYSUT): $750

Senator Stavisky has been in office since 1999. She currently serves the 11th district in Queens and is the Chair of the Committee on Higher Education. During the 2021-2022 legislative season, Stavisky also served on the Senate Education Committee.

Stavisky has co-sponsored several bills impacting educators and students alike. Stavisky is one of the co-sponsors on the aforementioned bill that would make art and music courses compulsory (see Jessica Scarcella-Spanton above for more info). Stavisky has also co-sponsored bills that recognize Lunar New Year, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, and Diwali as school holidays in districts with significant populations of students and families that celebrate those holidays.

Additionally, Stavisky lent her support to a bill that “aims to reform the processes of performance reviews, probationary terms, tenure assignments, and removal protocols for educators in the state of New York.” The bill, which is still in committee, would place less emphasis on performance reviews for teachers and principals and focus more on educators “maintaining proper certification and effective overall service.” 

27. Sean Ryan: $18,404

Contributions: 2022 Voice of Teachers for Education (NYSUT): $9,154  2022 Voices of Teachers for Education (NYSUT): $7,750 2023 Voices for Teachers for Education (NYSUT): $1,500

Sean Ryan represents the 61st senate district which spans from Buffalo all the way to parts of Rochester and Monroe County. Ryan has co-sponsored a couple of bills that were previously discussed in this article. Ryan co-sponsored the bill that seeks to reform teacher and principal evaluations and removal procedures (see Toby Ann Stavitsky above for more info). Ryan also supported the SAFE for Kids Act (see Brian Kavanagh for more info).

Ryan is a co-sponsor on a bipartisan bill that would “provide all students with free breakfast and lunch meals in public, charter, and participating non-public schools in the state of New York.” Although the bill is still in committee, it is encouraging to know that there are people on both sides who can occasionally work towards the greater good.

Lastly, Ryan is also the primary sponsor on a bill that ensures school districts receive their fair share of tax dollars from industrial development agencies. According to Ryan in this op-ed piece, “industrial development agencies throughout New York provide corporations with tax subsidies that come at the direct expense of New York’s school districts. In 2021 alone, New York schools missed out on nearly $2 billion because of these corporate handouts.”

28. Thomas DiNapoli: $17,566

Contributions: 2022 VOTECOPE (NYSUT): $15,066  2023 VOTECOPE (NYSUT): $2,500

Thomas DiNapoli has served as Comptroller of New York State since 2007. According to the State Comptroller government website, DiNapoli’s responsibilities include: “protecting taxpayer funds by uncovering waste, fraud and abuse;  managing the State pension fund; administering the State retirement system; returning millions in unclaimed funds; providing independent fiscal oversight on State, New York City and local finances; providing technical assistance and training to local government officials and school districts; and reviewing State contracts and payments, maintaining the State’s accounting system and administering the State payroll.” In short, DiNapoli is the overseer of New York’s finances. 

According to votesmart.org, DiNapoli has a history of supporting public education. DiNapoli has increased funding for school capital improvements, hiring additional teachers, upping teachers’ salaries, Head Start programs, and provided state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to make college more affordable. 

29. Gustavo Rivera: $17,300

Contributions: 2022 Voice of Teachers for Education (NYSUT): $13,800  2023 Voice of Teachers for Education (NYSUT): $1,000 2023 VOTECOPE: $2,500

Gustavo Rivera has represented the 33rd Senate district in the Bronx for the last 13 years. Senator Rivera has also served as the Chair of the Senate Health Committee since 2018. With retirees and in-service employees facing potentially catastrophic changes to their healthcare thanks to Michael Mulgrew (you should watch Marianne Pizzitola’s brilliant videos on YouTube exposing Mulgrew’s lies), Rivera looms large as a person of tremendous importance. 

Rivera is the sponsor of the New York Health Act (NYHA), a bill that twice has been approved by the Delegate Assembly (DA). Mulgrew and Unity leadership have fought tooth and nail against Rivera’s bill (and democracy), as they disregard the DA, which is supposedly the “UFT’s highest decision-making body,” not to protect its members, but more than likely to preserve jobs and some extra pocket money for Mulgrew and his handpicked sycophants. While there are still some questions and moving parts that must be pinned down before unconditional support can be given, as long as NYHA offers all members – active and retirees, in-state and out-of-state – equal or better healthcare without an increase in cost, it should receive the support of union leadership.

In addition, Senator Rivera has co-sponsored three previously mentioned bills that benefit educators and students. Rivera supported the class size bill intended to reduce the maximum number of students per class. He also co-sponsored the SAFE for Kids Act, focused on limiting addictive social media feeds to students under 18 without parental consent (see Brian Kavanagh above for more details). Finally, Rivera also advocated for the bill that would reform teacher and principal evaluations and removal procedures (see Toby Ann Stavisky above).

Rivera is also an ardent supporter of public schools. Rivera opposes the expansion of charters and pushes for increased funding to public schools. In 2022, New Yorkers for a Balanced Albany, a pro-charter super PAC, spent well over $100,000 to try to unseat Rivera in his bid for re-election. Rivera still defeated his opponent, Miguelina Camilo, despite the super PAC’s best efforts. 

30. Joseph P. Addabbo: $16,800

Contributions: 2022 Voice of Teachers for Education (NYSUT): $7,500   2022 VOTE COPE: $9,300

Joseph Addabbo is a NYS senator from the 15th district in Queens where he has served since 2009. Addabbo has co-sponsored many bills over the years. Three of the bills have already been mentioned earlier in this article: the bill that would make art and music necessary to public schools (see Scarcella-Spanton above), the bill that would grant student loan forgiveness in the amount of $5,000 per year for public sector employees who graduated from CUNY or SUNY schools (see Scarcella-Spanton above), and the bill that would reform teacher and principal evaluations and removal procedures (see Toby Ann Stavisky above).

In addition, Addabbo is sponsoring a number of bills helping students, two of which focus on teaching students about finances. The first bill, which is still in committee, would “provide instruction in financial management to pupils in grades four through eight.” Similarly, the second bill would make financial literacy classes a requirement for high schoolers. Although there are many more student-centric bills co-sponsored by Addabbo (you can view them here), the one that seems most urgent would “mandate annual screenings for depression among students in grades seven through twelve.” A proactive bill such as this could help many students. Hopefully, it passes quickly so it can be implemented sooner rather than later. 

One bill that Addabbo (and many others) have co-sponsored is well-meaning, but a bit more divisive. NY S00899, also known as the Teachers’ Fossil Fuel Divestment Act, would “require the New York State Teachers’ Retirement System to divest from any companies involved in the production of coal or oil and gas. The retirement system would create an exclusion list of these companies and would no longer be able to invest in their stocks, securities, equities, assets, or other obligations.” Regardless of the intentions of the legislators behind this bill, there will likely be many public employees who not only disagree with this stance politically, but monetarily. If this bill harms the retirement funds of the hundreds of thousands of members enrolled in TRS in any way, shape, or form, there could be quite a bit of backlash. In a world where practically everything is seen as a political act, a bill such as this has the potential to become a tremendously heated issue, if it passes.

Two more things of note that deserve mentioning. In 2022, Addabbo secured $2.75 million in funding for schools in need of improvement in his district. The money was divided evenly amongst 11 schools, allocating $250,000 to each for renovation projects. 

The final note is that Addabbo was one of a few senators mentioned in this article from 2022 by Jeff Coltin of City & State, as having received donations from New Yorkers for Putting Students First, a pro-charter super PAC. This could be nothing but it should still warrant our attention.

Please check back for our next (and last) installment in this series where we will provide a complete list of those who received political donations during fiscal years 2022 and 2023.

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More articles will be forthcoming naming other large recipients of our unions’ lobbying efforts.

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David Ginsberg is a NYC high school teacher, UFT chapter delegate and also a proud member of New Action caucus.

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