UFT Leadership Chooses Sacred Cows Over Member Health

It’s been a incredibly tough calendar year for Michael Mulgrew and all the individuals sitting down around 52 Broadway. This is mainly due to the shitstorm they stirred up when they tried using to dump all our retirees into an inferior health and fitness system (apart from all those sufficiently privileged to obtain their way out). 

They believed it would be a cakewalk. They failed to anticipate the backlash, the losing lawsuits, or the Town Council stepping up to shield individuals who served this town. 

They are not employed to getting rid of, and smelling decline, Mulgrew threatened rank and file with a $1500 top quality if we failed to screw the retirees. That is nonetheless a probability if they will not obtain another remedy.

They have to have to satisfy the financial debt they incurred in 2018, when they made an idiotic offer with MLC guiding our backs to reduce wellness treatment. And there are ways to do that devoid of tossing retirees into the briny deep. A person way would be to consolidate metropolis welfare resources. Why do we want a different organization for each individual union, in particular when each and every is in the similar small business, delivering the identical advantages?

An argument I get is that the UFT Welfare Fund does a good job. They administrate, overseeing reimbursement for eyeglasses and dental work. As much as I can convey to, although, considerably of this get the job done is outsourced. There is an real insurance policy enterprise negotiating our dental insurance, and some on-line entity now undertaking eyeglasses. I’m however awaiting reimbursement for eyeglasses I obtained in January. I am also ready for the 50 bucks I overpaid when taking an MRI at a supposedly much less expensive provider. These are small issues.

But how fantastic is the Welfare Fund if you have a key issue? My daughter went to an orthodontist who recommended evening braces, for months, that she did not need. I went for a 2nd feeling, and the other orthodontist stated it was a waste of time and vitality. (And income.) I went to the next a single. The to start with then put in a declare that the evening braces ended up the precise braces. I complained to the Welfare Fund. They mentioned they were being sorry, did absolutely nothing, gave the to start with orthodontist full payment, and I experienced to fork out the total charge of actual braces, thousands of bucks out of pocket, for my daughter. 

I had an oral most cancers, and my mouth was taken care of with radiation. As a result, I have dire dental troubles. A short while ago a UFT periodontist prescribed a cleaning treatment that was intended to cost me $70 per quadrant. I went to get the 1st half my mouth completed, and they charged me $300, 160 more than UFT agreed upon. The added cost, they said, was for an oral rinse. I said if I would required an oral rinse, I’d have gone to CVS and bought a bottle of Scope for 10 dollars. 

I named the Welfare Fund, who reported they’d give this dentist a potent chatting-to. The dental place of work was unmoved. I was able to protest this fee through my credit card, and was profitable. (Thanks for practically nothing, UFT Welfare Fund.) The periodontist billed for 3 quadrants instead than two, and I did not bother contacting my good friends at the Welfare Fund yet again. How lots of robust talkings-to could this periodontist choose? And whose welfare, precisely, is our Welfare Fund symbolizing?

I do not believe a consolidated Welfare Fund would be any much less successful than the just one we previously have. It would definitely be a hell of an improvement in excess of screwing our retirees. Having said that, patronage is what keeps UFT leadership ticking. It is, in reality, what keeps their Unity Caucus in perpetual command. They usually are not going to give up a bunch of higher-spending union jobs, and what ever electricity they deem connected with them. The very-paid out, dual-pensioned elites who run the welfare fund contend normally, and recommend consolidation would result in mismanagement.

The truth is we have by now consolidated health and fitness care, through the MLC, which negotiates it for us. Now on this stage I concur they’re performing a horrible work, but that’s only mainly because they make dumbass selections with out consulting rank and file. That can and need to be mounted.  That will not feel to cross the minds of individuals in management. Of course, who wishes to surrender highly-paid out, dual-pensioned gigs just
to shield the well being care of hundreds upon countless numbers of gentlemen and gals
who used their lives functioning for New York Town?

This could pretty properly be why Michael Mulgrew, despite a UFT resolution proclaiming otherwise, virulently opposes the New York Overall health Act, which would grant all New Yorkers high quality-free of charge well being care, preserve Medicare for all our retirees, and basically get rid of the will need for the GHI senior treatment strategy that has Mulgrew and Adams freaking out all in excess of creation. 

If Michael Mulgrew would like to characterize the pursuits of operating academics, he needs to embrace value-slicing measures that really don’t debase the health and fitness treatment of retired or operating lecturers. At the quite the very least, he demands to give up our proprietary Welfare Fund. At greatest, he’d not only do that, but also embrace the wellness and effectively-becoming of all our NY State brothers and sisters by a. negotiating with the sponsors of the NY Overall health Act, and b. publicly supporting and embracing it.

Thanks to Daniel Alicea.