Mulgrew's Admin Unity Caucus Tries to Hide Their Years of Diminishing Our Healthcare
As the 2025 UFT election ramps up, Unity desperately seeks to take the focus off what they did to our healthcare and refusal to atone. They've enlisted Leo and Lynne to deny, defend and distract.
As UFT President Mulgrew promised, the union election year shenanigans have begun. And his Unity caucus hasn’t disappointed with its latest disinformation campaign to deflect and distract us from their past few years of gutting of our union healthcare benefits for active workers and retirees.
Arthur Goldstein of Union Matters describes their latest tact, here, in his most recent blog post.
Arthur writes:
Unity’s new pet talking point is the New York Health Act. NYHA has been kicking around for 30 years and has gone nowhere. It’s not going anyplace any time soon either. Unity would like to nail RTC leadership for daring even to mention it.
Here’s former UFT VP Leo Casey:
It’s borderline preposterous to see Leo talk of what we made clear. As far as I know, he played no part whatsoever in our protests or demands (let alone voting out Unity).
Still, there is some truth here. For example, out of state retirees are not covered by NYHA. Supposedly, they are covered by whatever their employers have provided. Senator Rivera freely admitted that there were things he could not yet promise.
These holes in the act are unacceptable, but knowing about them is important.
Lynne Winderbaum has indeed been vocal in criticizing NYHA. It’s an odd position, since the UFT Delegate Assembly has endorsed NYHA not once, but twice. However, Mulgrew unilaterally reversed that position, so Winderbaum’s free to trash it as much as she pleases. And, of course, rather than blame Unity for endorsing it, Leo blames RTC for allowing it to be discussed.
Perhaps trashing NYHA when RTC discusses it is Winderbaum’s way of thanking Bennett for allowing her to address us last month. True, we’re not certain doctors in Florida would take it. That’s a valid point. Yet when Winderbaum was aggressively peddling Medicare Advantage for Mulgrew, the fact that doctors in Florida, New York, and elsewhere wouldn’t take it did not deter her at all. Nor did I see Leo Casey raise a whisper of objection, ever.
Basically, if Unity supports it, it’s fine and ought not to be questioned. But Bennett Fischer and RTC ought not to even discuss NYHA.
The biggest flaw in Leo’s logic is the implication that we’ve settled anything at all. A resolution is a statement of intent. It’s a statement of union policy (for Mulgrew to ignore as he sees fit). It is not, however, a reversal of what Unity has actually done. Though Leo and Winderbaum would like you to forget, their caucus initiated the Medicare Advantage sellout. Unity never, ever admits wrongdoing.
Being Unity means never having to say you’re sorry.
In fact, we have no assurance we will retain traditional Medicare. The Bentkowski case, currently pending in the NY State Court of Appeals, will dump every one of us into Aetna MA if they mayor wins. There is an amicus brief by MLC supporting this move, and Unity is part of MLC.
Leo and Winderbaum can speak until they’re blue in the face, but the fact is Unity still refuses to acknowledge what was plainly established in NY State Supreme Court—that it could cause irreparable harm to retirees. Some doctors don’t take Medicare Advantage, and Aetna admitted in court it would deny doctor-recommended procedures. For goodness sake, that’s how they make money (now that they no longer sell slave insurance).
Unity, because they still maintain the MA plan we rejected is the bestest thing ever, refuses to support our court cases. They refuse to donate to NYC Retirees (which I just did—join me).
Here is what we can count on Unity to do—we can count on them to support whatever they’re told to support. We can count on them to not lift a finger to help as we are forced to battle in court. We can count on them obstructing things that would actually ensure our success—like the resolution I brought to support and pass Intro 1096-2024 in the City Council.
If Leo Casey, Lynne Winderbaum and all their Unity BFFs want to help us, they’ll insist that UFT bosses support our efforts to legislate this both at city and state levels. They’ll make sure Unity finds a lawyer who actually knows how to file an amicus brief in Bentkowski, rather than just sending letters that are rejected.
They can jump up and down crying about the New York Health Act. Maybe that will make people forget it’s their fault we’re in this position. Maybe it will make people forget that as far as helping us, all they offer is lip service. But the fact is, as far as our ongoing battle is concerned, Unity isn’t helping UFT, or any NYC Retirees at all.
Marianne Pizzitola, President of The NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees also fact checked, Lynne Winderbaum, a Mulgrew Unity acolyte and coordinator of a RTC Florida section, who has been tasked to propagate this latest distraction.
Marianne writes:
Over the last few days, many of you who subscribe to the "UFT RTC Tampa Newsletter" or were sent it by a friend were victims of fear mongering once again over losing Medicare this time to the NY Health Act. We have received hundreds of emails regarding this newsletter in fear. The author of these newsletters is the same woman who did this during the Medicare Advantage implementation.
This is NOT an official newsletter as it is not from the Official Chapter UFT RTC Chair Bennett Fischer, and she is a Unity Caucus member so she is basically sharing disinformation. Don't get sucked back in — again.
The NY Health Act, sponsored by Senator Gustavo Rivera has been a bill since about 1991 when first introduced by Assemblyman Richard Gottfried. The proposal was to offer a single payer plan by NYS with NO networks, no referrals, no prior authorizations, and even comes with a long term care policy which is amazing. If your parents have one — or you followed our Retiree John Blau's story, his premiums skyrocketed. So free, is great.
The plan is generous but has some flaws.
The bill currently does not cover retirees living outside NYS. They would stay on their current employer plan until they can figure out how to cover them. So, you would not be losing anything.
I urge you to unsubscribe to people fear mongering — and stop sharing their diatribes. We choose to work smarter, not harder. Replying to weekly UFT Unity Fear campaigns is not on our agenda.
I have had conversations with Senator Rivera multiple times on this issue and our team helped him understand the complex issues we face and our needs. We have been on the forefront of this, unlike those using the issue to hide their actions.
We’ve been unequivocal that his current proposed legislation must satisfactorily answer the questions retirees have. It cannot be “pass it , now, and answer the retiree questions, later”. Unacceptable.
Still, we have been speaking with his team for two years on various other issues regarding retiree healthcare, as we do with all elected. Senator Rivera supports our state legislation, by the way, S8388/A7866 that protects municipal workers from being forced into Medicare Advantage and protects retiree benefits from being diminished in retirement. Right now, that is more than UFT Unity.
While Winderbaum's questions for Senator Rivera were fair, we find it ironic that this time around she is worried about 'losing her traditional Medicare’. She uses the same talking points we have used trying to educate her and the rest of the Unity Caucus/UFT about the ills of MA, and now all of a sudden she is worried about not having access to her doctor!
Shocker.
I am willing to accept that she had some epiphany, but unless they get behind what we have been doing - our litigation and both our legislations, they are not protecting anything but themselves. Imagine the speed in getting our bills passed and the court cases supported if they all just supported our efforts! If not, it's lip service.
Fear mongering Alert!
Senator Rivera answered her questions. Will she answer ours?
Please click this link. Read the email we drafted and send her the email campaign to ask HER some tough questions about where she stands on the CURRENT RETIREE HEALTHCARE ISSUES and if she is so worried about preserving Traditional Medicare, will she be supporting our efforts any time soon?
The UFT Unity must stop fear mongering - it is childish, unprofessional, and unproductive. NYCOPSR has worked very hard to protect your benefits, and we did that without their help - and in the case of UFT/Unity - they contributed to this.
Maybe instead of worrying about hypotheticals regarding the latest proposed iteration of the NY Health Act, a bill repeatedly introduced since 1991— that in its current form would not include retirees who do not reside in NYS — we should be asking YOU the following questions on more pressing issues:
Why are you against the NY Health Act because it may not be accepted by doctors in Florida, when you full throated supported the Medicare Advantage plan that had the same problem?
Why did you support MA for so long?
Why haven't you or the UFT supported retiree litigation or submitted an amicus?
Where are all your articles on how retirees on fixed incomes would not be able to pay for Senior Care when they were trying to force us to pay premium for it for the first time?
Did you ever consider how Paras and DC37’s low income retirees would not be able to afford the premium on Senior Care she supported that would amount to $2500 per person or $5000 per couple per year to retain their Medicare?
Where are your articles on how retirees on small pensions would experience copays that would amount to a car payment just so active teachers could get a raise? This is basically penalizing the elderly and infirm to finance raises.
Are you going to help fight the copays?
We heard Unity testify that MA was not good enough for them, they wanted Senior Care. If it isn’t good enough for you, why would it be good for the rest of us? Or anyone?
Will you or the UFT be writing an amicus now to submit into the Bentkowski case since it is going back to court in spring and you and the UFT appear to be against MA now and want to preserve traditional Medicare?
Why was the Florida RTC and Unity opposed Intro 1099 , that would preserve a floor that has been in place for 60 years and allows the unions to build on it if desired? (just like 1096)
Unity staffers wrongly testified to change 12-126 and support the Mayors Intro 874. Knowing now that was a mistake, rather than fixating on the NY Health Act which has not passed since its introduction in 1991, why aren’t you getting behind protecting our benefits today? Intro 1096 and the S8388/A7866?
Why were UFT COPE dollars being used to lobby against retirees?
Why didn’t you join us on the bus to Albany in April to support the state legislation? Will you join us this year?
Maybe this is a diversion. You think we might forget how ready and willing you were to sell us out last time?
Our healthcare is on fire here and now, and you want to change the subject.
We need to concentrate on educating failed union leadership selling off healthcare for raises.
Finally, Mr. Mulgrew, Leo, Lynne, LeRoy, and Unity … there’s no hiding. WE KNOW WHAT YOU DID!
You busted and broke our healthcare. So we’re taking back our union.
It’s TIME FOR A BETTER CONTRACT!
Add Rodney Grubiak to the list of Unity cohorts whose purpose for the last three years was to push us into MA whose purpose now is to get us to turn against the RTC leadership.
I am anti-Unity and Mulgrew but I am very disappointed with our group for inviting Rivera to discuss the MY Health Act. It gives the perception of us considering it as a possibility. It should never have been something we considered at all. I thought the purpose of our group was to 100% KEEP OUR MEDICARE. Why would we even seek to look for information on an alternative?
In addition, I think we would have been up in arms, had Unity brought this up!