UFT RTC election race launches with Retiree Advocate/UFT slate announced at UFT HQ

This spring, UFT retirees vote for their chapter leadership. Many see it as a referendum on embattled UFT President, Michael Mulgrew's unilateral, undemocratic decisions on their healthcare.

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Yesterday, Retiree Advocate/UFT officially announced their spring 2024 slate for the UFT Retired Teachers Chapter (RTC) election, with a press event outside of UFT headquarters. RA-UFT will run a full slate of officers and 300 delegate seats to challenge the union establishment of Mulgrew and his Unity caucus.

Many see it as a referendum on embattled UFT President, Michael Mulgrew's unilateral, undemocratic decisions on their healthcare.

Here is the RA-UFT press release:

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Retiree Advocate/UFT seeks leadership of the UFT Retired Teachers Chapter — fighting to preserve Medicare benefits

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Retiree Advocate/UFT is a political caucus in the Retired Teachers Chapter (RTC) of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT).

We will challenge the Unity caucus with a full slate of three-hundred retired educators - teachers, paraprofessionals, therapists, counselors, nurses, secretaries and other UFT titles - in the triennial chapter elections this spring.

For nearly three years Retiree Advocate/UFT, and our allies from across the spectrum of NYC municipal unions, have been fighting to preserve our traditional Medicare benefits, as they face attacks from the mayor's office, the Municipal Labor Committee, and our own UFT leadership. Health care decisions should be between us and our doctors. Private insurance corporations should not profit at the expense of our health. We will work to preserve and strengthen NYC laws that protect our benefits.

Retiree Advocate's team of officer candidates:

• Bennett Fischer: RTC Chapter Leader candidate • 29 years of service as teacher and UFT chapter leader at PS231K • RTC Healthcare Committee • UFT Department of Contract Empowerment 2019 - 2023.

• Gloria Brandman: 45-year UFT member • organized members in the UFT, NYSUT, and AFT • UFT chapter leader and delegate for eight years • has led Retiree Advocate's campaign against Medicare Advantage.

• Gregory Di Stefano: 55-year UFT member • 3 terms on the UFT Executive Board • veteran of numerous UFT political campaigns.

• Ellen Fox: 4 consecutive terms UFT Executive Board • devotee of UFT politics • deeply committed to expanding democracy in our union and in our chapter.

• Arthur Goldstein: 39 years teaching • 12-year Chapter Leader, Francis Lewis HS • fought for class size enforcement and for resources for ELL students • 2 term UFT Executive Board member • frequent editorials in New York press. • authored NYC Educator blog • now writes Union Matters on Substack.

• Bobby Greenberg: UFT member since 1966 • worked on national labor campaigns with the AFT dating back to 1970's. • UFT chapter leader at JHS22M • delegate, Bronx Regional HS • member RTC Healthcare and RTC Election committees.

• Jonathan Halabi: Math teacher, 20-year UFT chapter leader, HS of American Studies at Lehman College • 11 years UFT Executive Board • author of education blog, JD2718.

• Michele Rayvid: District 15 ELL educator • CUNY adjunct • member RTC Healthcare Committee • member Cross-union Retirees Organizing Committee

• Michael Shulman: co-chair of the New Action Caucus of the UFT • UFT Chapter Leader and delegate for 20 years at Bushwick HS and Fort Hamilton HS • many terms on the UFT Executive Board • UFT Vice-President of Academic High Schools, 1985-1988

• Sheila Zukowsky: chapter leader, Harbor Heights Middle School • UFT delegate at PS61M • member of the RTC Healthcare Committee.

Bennett Fischer said that "First and foremost, I intend to be an attentive, meticulous, and empathetic chapter leader; one who will listen, allow real debate, and involve RTC members in the chapter's decision-making process. No more rubber stamps for Michael Mulgrew. Retiree Advocate will work arm-in-arm with UFT leadership when we can, and we will stand up to them when we must. We will never, ever, support city or union policies that undermine the health benefits we earned over the course of our careers."

Asked about the campaign, Gloria Brandman said, "No more of Mulgrew and Murphy's 'we know what's best for you' approach. No changes to our healthcare without members’ input! #NoMedicareAdvantage."

Arthur Goldstein added, "We will work with NYC Retirees to retain our health benefits and preserve the real Medicare we’ve been promised all our careers. We won’t worry about how it makes Michael Mulgrew feel, and we won’t be beholden to him or his elite, invitation-only caucus."

Jonathan Halabi emphasized, “The job of the leadership is to protect our pension and our healthcare; Unity and Tom Murphy have not protected our healthcare.”

Sheila Zukowsky pointed out, "The UFT Retired Teachers Chapter needs a new broom to restore democracy and member welfare to the forefront. Retiree Advocate is that new broom."

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The following is the statement delivered by Bennett Fischer, Retiree Advocate/UFT's candidate for chapter leader of the UFT Retired Teachers Chapter, at the campaign kick-off press conference in front of the UFT, at 52 Broadway, February 16, 2024

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For nearly three years Retiree Advocate/UFT, and our allies from other NYC municipal unions, have been fighting to preserve our traditional Medicare benefits. Those benefits have been put up for sale to private insurance corporations who would profit at the expense of our health, by limiting our care and denying us services.

We cannot allow the Medicare Advantage industry to make our healthcare decisions for us with computer algorithms and their shareholders’ profits in mind.  Our healthcare decisions must remain between us and our doctors.

The mayor's office, the private insurance industry, and the current UFT leadership - including the Retired Teachers Chapter leadership - are threatening our Medicare. This needs to change. Our leadership needs to change.

I am Bennett Fischer, and I am running for Chapter Leader of the Retired Teachers Chapter, but I'm not running alone. Retiree Advocate's slate of three-hundred delegates have thousands of collective years of UFT experience. Many are former chapter leaders, executive board members, and even UFT vice presidents. And, like most of us here today, we all spent our careers in NYC classrooms rather than in the UFT offices that you see behind me.

I intend to listen. I intend to allow real debate. I intend to involve members in making decisions. We're going to put member interests first. There will be no more rubber stamps. No one will force Medicare Advantage down our throats. We will be a real union chapter.

Our current chapter leader, Tom Murphy, is fond of calling us "Michaels's Army." It always galls me when I hear that because we're not Michael's army; we're not any individual man's army. We're the UFT’s army. We fight for union values and union ideals, not for a man. Under Retiree Advocate leadership, our delegation will vote their conscience. The RTC will work with our union president, but not for our union president. We will be partners, not servants.

And we will continue to do all the great things our chapter does now. We will continue to provide information to members about retirement, pensions, and important union issues. We'll continue to engage retirees in the union's political activity. We'll continue to provide Welfare Fund and SHIP benefits, to have a Member Assistance Program, and to have our beloved Si Beagle learning courses. But we will do so while protecting our health -- including, protecting our Medicare.

We can have an independent, healthcare-protecting RTC - if we vote for Retiree Advocate/UFT in the spring chapter elections.

— Bennet Fischer

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Jonathan Halabi, Bennett Fischer and Gloria Brandman are among the seasoned, union leaders and activists running on the Retiree Advocate/UFT slate.

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