Imagine the sophistry needed to compare the job a pm pension service rep who primarily gives individual consultations to members about the benefits payouts is the unique qualification for oversight of a multi-billion dollar investment fund.
It’s like saying an oil lube tech is uniquely qualified to be an auto engineer or be on the board of directors for Ford or Tesla.
The analogy of doctor to hs student is trite and inane.
All while defending a patronage system that excludes most members who don’t sign the Unity oath as why a person is qualified to serve on this board. Cant even get a union job in pension department without loyalty oath, in 99% of cases.
Ben’s credentials and experience in finance and economics make him hands down the most qualified .
Only after losing in the primary for the last four decades or something. That's really an incredible achievement. They should've bought lottery tickets with those odds.
1. Ben Morgenroth worked in risk analysis for a hedge fund before becoming a teacher and has two degrees in relevant math fields.
2. Nearly every single (or every single) UFT staffer is Unity, so by this logic only Unity members will ever be qualified.
3. Teachers are really smart and talented people and there may be many qualified candidates. Some may not be as well known to the Delegate Assembly. Why not let membership vote?
Because Retirees derive benefits from same NYC TRS Pension, TDA and quality, contractual health benefits that Ben wants to screw around with, for one reason. 2nd reason is Mulgrew has gotta go!
Mulgrew and Murphy and the UFT leadership are trying to dump retirees and their dependents into a for-profit, non-union Medicare Advantage plan. If the Medicare Advantage plan is so great why not provide a choice between Medicare Advantage and Medicare, Medicare supplement at no cost and reimbursement of Medicare Part B premium? Because Mulgrew made a deal to save the City 600 million dollars a year in health care savings in the 2018 contract. in perpetuity. That was a horrible and harmful deal at the expense of retirees and their dependents.
The UFT leadership MUST GO and reformers (including a TRS trustee independent of Unity) must be elected in their place.
You think Mulgrewsome is doing a great job? What planet have you been living on? We have been fighting to keep our traditional Medicare in the courts for 3 years. Mulgrew & the rest of the MLC side with the Mayor.
Ben’s Town Hall Zoom performance last night clearly demonstrated his naivety, inexperience, anger, jealousy, autocratic thinking, inability to synthesize and inform and failure to build confidence he is even capable of systematically building bridges for litigation and legislation required to reform Tier 6. He also alienated Retirees!
Sorry! Anyone who has been following Mulgrew’s 1Billion $ swindle from the welfare fund Stabilization Fund, his disgusting auto enrollment Medicare Advantage bait and switch tactics and pronounced lies and demeaning discourse knows not to trust someone like Ben to balance even a checkbook, no less a pension and TDA account. He’s a teacher, like all teachers, who commit to do the best job possible for CHILDREN FIRST with prior written notice for clearly informed health benefits and Tier 6 pension expectations. However, Ben acts like a Fire department inspector with 25 years tenure who just won Yahtzee! Not happening. Give it a rest, Ben!
Annie, thanks so much for attending the town hall. I have two degrees in math and economics and experience in the financial services sector. My opponent, Christina, has experience as an elementary school teacher and part-time union staffer. I encourage everyone to vote for whomever they think is the best candidate. My immediate family includes current and future TRS retirees and ensuring retirees receive all the benefits they are entitled to is among my top priorities. Thank you for your comments and engaging in the discussion.
So basically, what you are saying Ben, is that Tom Brown and Victoria Lee are just teachers as well and should not have their seats on the board? Considering the fact that they're managing BILLIONS of dollars pretty well, I don't have a problem with Christina (who IS a FULL-TIME rep) over seeing my money
Irrelevant Chad as she was a consultant and is a full time rep. Please tell me how much pension experience Ben has. Can he complete a consultation with a member and answer all the questions they may have? Can he deal with dying members who want to make sure their families will be covered? Has he ever sat with members and explained in laymen’s terms what they were entitled to? Yes, trustees are in charge of our pensions and it is a multi billion dollar industry, but I want someone who knows how to deal with our members and doesn’t spout theory.
Ben has been a high school math teacher and mathematics professor for 10 years, right here in NYC. Before that, he managed billions of dollars in the private sector. He's a lot more than book smart, although he's certainly that as well. It's so discouraging when Unity caucus members push the false narrative that rank and file UFT members working in classrooms full-time are somehow less than Unity caucus members. That doesn't strengthen our union.
Not sure why you claim Christina's full-time experience is irrelevant when your earlier post promoted her full-time experience. In addition to all of Ben's experience managing billions of dollars in the private sector, he is a 10-year high school math teacher and college professor. As you know firsthand; being able to relate to people, meet them where they're at, and provide them with the information and support they need is a prerequisite of any successful educator. As a classroom teacher and college professor, Ben certainly meets those criteria.
Your question is irrelevant because working at pension full time or part time gives you experience and you're claiming that Ben(who I have never heard of or seen at any TRS or UFT pension related meeting) is better qualified.
At the end of the day, she still has more hands on experience full and part time than Ben does. Every teacher member has had that on the job training which is way more valuable than book knowledge. Book smart is not necessarily job smart.
Our pension fund is a multi billion dollar fund and doing well thanks to those TEACHERS.
Imagine the sophistry needed to compare the job a pm pension service rep who primarily gives individual consultations to members about the benefits payouts is the unique qualification for oversight of a multi-billion dollar investment fund.
It’s like saying an oil lube tech is uniquely qualified to be an auto engineer or be on the board of directors for Ford or Tesla.
The analogy of doctor to hs student is trite and inane.
All while defending a patronage system that excludes most members who don’t sign the Unity oath as why a person is qualified to serve on this board. Cant even get a union job in pension department without loyalty oath, in 99% of cases.
Ben’s credentials and experience in finance and economics make him hands down the most qualified .
Another awful take from Peter Goodman, who thinks that asking for a union to be a democracy is being NASTY.
Didn't the uft endorse the Mayor and Governor? And how are consistent bad deals helping the union members?
Only after losing in the primary for the last four decades or something. That's really an incredible achievement. They should've bought lottery tickets with those odds.
1. Ben Morgenroth worked in risk analysis for a hedge fund before becoming a teacher and has two degrees in relevant math fields.
2. Nearly every single (or every single) UFT staffer is Unity, so by this logic only Unity members will ever be qualified.
3. Teachers are really smart and talented people and there may be many qualified candidates. Some may not be as well known to the Delegate Assembly. Why not let membership vote?
Because Retirees derive benefits from same NYC TRS Pension, TDA and quality, contractual health benefits that Ben wants to screw around with, for one reason. 2nd reason is Mulgrew has gotta go!
Michael Mulgrew is literally the chair of McGrath’s campaign. She would make 3 of 6 TRS board members part of his Unity caucus.
Then move the chair.
McGrath was hand picked by the Mulgrew machine that erodes our benefits. Make it make sense. But you want a rubber stamp. Got it.
Mulgrew and Murphy and the UFT leadership are trying to dump retirees and their dependents into a for-profit, non-union Medicare Advantage plan. If the Medicare Advantage plan is so great why not provide a choice between Medicare Advantage and Medicare, Medicare supplement at no cost and reimbursement of Medicare Part B premium? Because Mulgrew made a deal to save the City 600 million dollars a year in health care savings in the 2018 contract. in perpetuity. That was a horrible and harmful deal at the expense of retirees and their dependents.
The UFT leadership MUST GO and reformers (including a TRS trustee independent of Unity) must be elected in their place.
You think Mulgrewsome is doing a great job? What planet have you been living on? We have been fighting to keep our traditional Medicare in the courts for 3 years. Mulgrew & the rest of the MLC side with the Mayor.
"nimble and wiley" wily? How about adept at kissing backsides and claiming its a secret tactic?
Ben’s Town Hall Zoom performance last night clearly demonstrated his naivety, inexperience, anger, jealousy, autocratic thinking, inability to synthesize and inform and failure to build confidence he is even capable of systematically building bridges for litigation and legislation required to reform Tier 6. He also alienated Retirees!
Sorry! Anyone who has been following Mulgrew’s 1Billion $ swindle from the welfare fund Stabilization Fund, his disgusting auto enrollment Medicare Advantage bait and switch tactics and pronounced lies and demeaning discourse knows not to trust someone like Ben to balance even a checkbook, no less a pension and TDA account. He’s a teacher, like all teachers, who commit to do the best job possible for CHILDREN FIRST with prior written notice for clearly informed health benefits and Tier 6 pension expectations. However, Ben acts like a Fire department inspector with 25 years tenure who just won Yahtzee! Not happening. Give it a rest, Ben!
Annie, thanks so much for attending the town hall. I have two degrees in math and economics and experience in the financial services sector. My opponent, Christina, has experience as an elementary school teacher and part-time union staffer. I encourage everyone to vote for whomever they think is the best candidate. My immediate family includes current and future TRS retirees and ensuring retirees receive all the benefits they are entitled to is among my top priorities. Thank you for your comments and engaging in the discussion.
So basically, what you are saying Ben, is that Tom Brown and Victoria Lee are just teachers as well and should not have their seats on the board? Considering the fact that they're managing BILLIONS of dollars pretty well, I don't have a problem with Christina (who IS a FULL-TIME rep) over seeing my money
How long has Christina been a full-time rep in the pension department?
Irrelevant Chad as she was a consultant and is a full time rep. Please tell me how much pension experience Ben has. Can he complete a consultation with a member and answer all the questions they may have? Can he deal with dying members who want to make sure their families will be covered? Has he ever sat with members and explained in laymen’s terms what they were entitled to? Yes, trustees are in charge of our pensions and it is a multi billion dollar industry, but I want someone who knows how to deal with our members and doesn’t spout theory.
Ben has been a high school math teacher and mathematics professor for 10 years, right here in NYC. Before that, he managed billions of dollars in the private sector. He's a lot more than book smart, although he's certainly that as well. It's so discouraging when Unity caucus members push the false narrative that rank and file UFT members working in classrooms full-time are somehow less than Unity caucus members. That doesn't strengthen our union.
Not sure why you claim Christina's full-time experience is irrelevant when your earlier post promoted her full-time experience. In addition to all of Ben's experience managing billions of dollars in the private sector, he is a 10-year high school math teacher and college professor. As you know firsthand; being able to relate to people, meet them where they're at, and provide them with the information and support they need is a prerequisite of any successful educator. As a classroom teacher and college professor, Ben certainly meets those criteria.
Your question is irrelevant because working at pension full time or part time gives you experience and you're claiming that Ben(who I have never heard of or seen at any TRS or UFT pension related meeting) is better qualified.
I take this to mean Christina McGrath has been a full-time pension consultant for a very short period of time.
At the end of the day, she still has more hands on experience full and part time than Ben does. Every teacher member has had that on the job training which is way more valuable than book knowledge. Book smart is not necessarily job smart.
Our pension fund is a multi billion dollar fund and doing well thanks to those TEACHERS.
When I joined UFT in 1979, there were prior written notices, both perks and shortcomings.
I was aware of that.
And I quickly became even more aware of my career choices moving forward. I left UFT in 1991 and never looked back. Life is about options.