It does not appear that COPE went to Charles Barron who sponsored the NYC council bill to preserve traditional Medicare and Medicare supplement at no cost to retirees and their dependents. Now that Mulgrew opposes Medicare Advantage will the UFT contribute to council members who will support traditional Medicare and Medicare supplement at no cost?!
There were no donations from any of the teachers' unions to Charles Barron in 2022 or 2023. In fact, the last time he received any donation was 2014, when VOTE COPE (NYSUT) gave him $4,100. In fact, the last time Barron received any type of donations from anyone, according to the public reporting site, was 2018.
We can all hope Mulgrew will do the right thing, but I don't think any of us are gullible to believe he will follow through.
There are some donations that are specifically labeled "UFT COPE" or "United Federation of Teachers COPE," so those are easy enough to trace. Other than that, I have been unable to figure out exactly where our COPE donations go.
There was a total of $137,025 in donations made under UFT COPE and United Federation of Teachers COPE in FY 2022 and 2023. The totals are below:
Kathy Hochul: $47,100
New York Women Lead: $25,000
New York League of Conservation Voters PAC: $25,000
Hochul’s opponent, Lee Zeldin is a MAGA Trumper favoring charter schools, vouchers, his election would have disastrous, Hochul only won by 5%, we agree on some issues, oppose on others, the legislative leaders, Heastie and Stewart-Cousins are the gatekeepers, nothing passes without their support. NYSUT and the UFT don’t “own” electeds, you influence decisions, and avoid alienating leadership. Aside from COPE the unions provide “feet on the ground,” phone banks, knocking on doors.
We are highly effective in the myriad world of politics, not perfect.
There is no way anyone even had time to read it! That's what really concerns me. I used the icons at the end of the story to access Facebook and then went to FB and then back to original story and received the notice that it was being removed. I wonder if it's a "Substack" issue? If so, the is definitely a violation of 1st amendment don't you think?
I'm not sure if it's a Substack issue because Arthur Goldstein posts his informative and wonderful articles frequently on Facebook, and they're never taken down. I'm stumped.
Thank you for your column. My concern is the use of COPE to lobby against traditional Medicare and Medicare supplement at no cost for NYC retirees and their dependents.
I think that is a concern that should be shared by ALL union members, retirees and in-service alike. We need to spread the word so more of our colleagues understand what's actually happening.
It does not appear that COPE went to Charles Barron who sponsored the NYC council bill to preserve traditional Medicare and Medicare supplement at no cost to retirees and their dependents. Now that Mulgrew opposes Medicare Advantage will the UFT contribute to council members who will support traditional Medicare and Medicare supplement at no cost?!
There were no donations from any of the teachers' unions to Charles Barron in 2022 or 2023. In fact, the last time he received any donation was 2014, when VOTE COPE (NYSUT) gave him $4,100. In fact, the last time Barron received any type of donations from anyone, according to the public reporting site, was 2018.
We can all hope Mulgrew will do the right thing, but I don't think any of us are gullible to believe he will follow through.
Thank you.
Can you find out who receives COPE funds?
There are some donations that are specifically labeled "UFT COPE" or "United Federation of Teachers COPE," so those are easy enough to trace. Other than that, I have been unable to figure out exactly where our COPE donations go.
There was a total of $137,025 in donations made under UFT COPE and United Federation of Teachers COPE in FY 2022 and 2023. The totals are below:
Kathy Hochul: $47,100
New York Women Lead: $25,000
New York League of Conservation Voters PAC: $25,000
Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club: $11,000
Kings County Democratic County Committee: $10,250
Eric Gonzalez (Brooklyn DA): $5,000
Michael McMahon (DA): $5,000
Your Vote Counts: $3,200
Democratic Committee of Richmond County: $3,000
Yudelka Tapia: $1,000
Democratic Organization of Queens County: $700
Charles Fall: $700
Erik M. Dilan: $75
Interesting! Heastie, the gatekeeper of which bills go onto the floor for a vote.
Thank you!
Heastie is a big fish and his support is definitely vital.
Hochul’s opponent, Lee Zeldin is a MAGA Trumper favoring charter schools, vouchers, his election would have disastrous, Hochul only won by 5%, we agree on some issues, oppose on others, the legislative leaders, Heastie and Stewart-Cousins are the gatekeepers, nothing passes without their support. NYSUT and the UFT don’t “own” electeds, you influence decisions, and avoid alienating leadership. Aside from COPE the unions provide “feet on the ground,” phone banks, knocking on doors.
We are highly effective in the myriad world of politics, not perfect.
Zeldin was definitely an ardent supporter of charter schools, but Hochul is no saint in that regard, either. Lesser of two evils, I suppose.
Highly effective in the world of politics is a stretch. Promising the City 10% healthcare givebacks in perpetuity probably curries some favor, though.
I just tried to post this on my own facebook page and it was INSTANTLY removed by META ! It wasn't even 5 seconds!!!!
I appreciate you trying to post it. I have no idea why META would remove the article since it only has to do with education policies. Interesting.
There is no way anyone even had time to read it! That's what really concerns me. I used the icons at the end of the story to access Facebook and then went to FB and then back to original story and received the notice that it was being removed. I wonder if it's a "Substack" issue? If so, the is definitely a violation of 1st amendment don't you think?
Do you know of anyone who has questioned FB? I thinking I might file an appeal. The message to me included directions on how to do that.
That is definitely concerning.
I'm not sure if it's a Substack issue because Arthur Goldstein posts his informative and wonderful articles frequently on Facebook, and they're never taken down. I'm stumped.
Thank you for your column. My concern is the use of COPE to lobby against traditional Medicare and Medicare supplement at no cost for NYC retirees and their dependents.
I think that is a concern that should be shared by ALL union members, retirees and in-service alike. We need to spread the word so more of our colleagues understand what's actually happening.