Election Reaction - Statement from A Better Contract

Hey folks. I just want to thank all of you that chose to support this slate. Although we didn’t win, we knocked Unity down from 66% in 2022 to 54% this time around. We're chipping away at Unity's choke hold on UFT... Comment from an ABC candidate

Sunday June 1

For a brand new group of people getting a third of the vote is a decent showing. If not for some unforced errors we might have gotten close. 

But we will try to examine where we missed. But also examine the strengths. Building the plane while flying it is tough but also fun. What does this say about the caucuses and their outreach after decades of existence? But do watch the spin. I know there are demands to come together. Can you mix a caucus based group with the free-style ABC? I don't think easily but ABC always has a welcome mat out for anyone interested.

I left the count Friday night at 7:30 to catch the last ferry to Rockaway under the assumption they would count until 1-2AM to get it done, but when I got home there was a new plan- to stop and continue Saturday morning.  

So I shlepped back on the 8AM ferry, stayed until 1PM - and still no results until our intrepid reporters sent out the results around 2PM. Our crew to the right. 

UFT Election Results - 46% say NO to Unity (Slate only): Unity 54%, ABC 32%, ARISE 14%

We Are Down But Not Out: Unity wins again, but by the lowest margin in their history ---- Arthur reported on his experience on Saturday. 

Now, there's a lot to mull over but I admit to being somewhat surprised to see the positive reactions from so many ABCers who expected to win this election. I thought they might be crushed and disappear but holy cow, they seem rearing to go back to the fray - well, maybe take a week or so off. In the past, the usual suspects from the oppo - usually an alliance of caucuses, went their separate ways and let two years go by before realigning for the next election. Since ABC is an alliance of individuals, this separation may not happen and there's a lot of excited back room chatter on next steps. Hard to say, given the loose structure of ABC.

I loved the comment from one of our retirees who said on Friday that she loved running with ABC and felt so welcome and heard, unlike being associated with RA where she felt left out. 

There is a lot of hand wringing from the same people who wanted one slate and felt we could have beaten Mulgrew. They refuse to understand that the only way there could have been one slate would have been under the ARISE caucus driven formula -- how did that work out? Don't forget --- ABC always offered everyone the opportunity to run with ABC and will do so in the future. Those who want one slate go talk to the 14%ers.

Sorry, after all the scurrilous attacks by some ARISE leading lights, some just a few days ago, I'm not in the mood to be magnanimous.  

I can only say how happy I was to be involved with the people from ABC. We were serious about trying to win rather than running to try to make a point about where we stand politically but also had a lot of fun with each other. We were attacked for not talking about Trump enough -- like talking about para pay or how teachers were under attack or retiree healthcare were attempts to appeal to Trump supporters. Give me a break. I call bullshit in advance at what will be some of the bitter people in ARISE who will try to blame ABC as a way to cover for their failures.

Now let me point out, the bitter people in ARISE are the few. More than a few may seek to work with ABC but their caucus structures will be an obstacle. I will get more into those structures and delve into why two 30 and one 13 year old caucuses with all their supposed outreach could only muster 14% after spending a lot of money and energy on this campaign, while an ad hoc group of individuals that spent maybe 2 grand managed to get a third of the vote. What do these outcomes auger for the future? I will delve into these issues very soon. 

 

Statement from A Better Contract: This Campaign Changed the UFT

A Better Contract

May 31, 2025

The results are in. While our slate did not win this election, what we built together will outlast any ballot count.

From the beginning, we knew what we were up against: a well-funded machine with decades of institutional control. But we had something they couldn’t manufacture—member energy. Across chapters and titles, UFT members showed they were ready for change.

A Better Contract was never just a slate. It is a movement. And that movement has reshaped this union’s political landscape. Secretaries, paraprofessionals, school nurses, teachers, clinicians, retirees—thousands of members organized their schools, reignited chapters, and took ownership of our union’s future. For many, this was their first time participating. It won’t be their last.

We ran on the belief that this union belongs to its members. That leadership should be earned, not handed down. That our contracts should reflect the real value of our work—not serve as placeholders while our conditions erode. And that power grows through connection—not control. Our union isn’t a ladder with a few at the top—it’s a living network, strengthened by every relationship, every act of solidarity, every member who refuses to stand alone.

That belief is now shared by more members than ever before.

We are proud of what we’ve done. Proud to have shifted the narrative. Proud that demands for transparency, democratic reform, and member-led bargaining—once silenced or dismissed—were brought into the open, debated, and embraced by members hungry for a different kind of union.

So we’ll say this plainly: we’re watching. We all heard the promises Unity made during this campaign—for paras, for retirees, and for those working in Tier 6, to name just a few. Those promises were born of pressure from facing a viable challenge for the first time in UFT history, and they will be met with accountability. The membership demands that Unity now deliver.

This campaign has changed the UFT. It awakened members who had long been disengaged. It connected voices across boroughs, titles, and schools. It reminded all of us that organizing works and that no amount of money or messaging can stop a union whose members are ready to lead.

None of this would have been possible without our supporters, who have from the start been the heart of our efforts. “Member-driven” isn’t just a slogan for us, it’s an ethos. To everyone who voted for the change we offered, we offer you the sincerest and most heartfelt of thank yous.

We may not have won this round. But we’ve already won something bigger: a shift in what’s possible.

In Solidarity,
The A Better Contract Slate

Here is one other point of view:

I’m proud to have run with ABC. We stood for member driven democracy, transparency, honesty. We did change the narrative and hopefully more will be listening and waking up. Than you for all the hard work everyone put in! Let’s keep the message out there.

Win or lose,, you are the best. The fight persists.

This is not the result I wanted. Just know I promise to be here with you for the fight. I believe in ABC!

An abolitionist minister, Theodore Parker, stated that "[t]he arc of history is long, but it bends towards justice." Congratulations on taking the longer view, the unselfish road, the path toward justice for all members.

I'm very sad. Thank you for organizing. Thank you for running. When is the next election? In three years? There is time. There is hope. Always. Always. ABC!!!

We gave it our all. There’s always tomorrow. Never give up. Thank you

Live to fight another day. I find it hard to understand why we lost since Mulgrew clearly did not act in the best interest of the retirees and longterm he did not act in the best interest of the active members. This might have been the first but it will not be the last time Mulgrew makes a malevolent decision.

Well that means arise only got 14 percent. I don’t understand why Mulgrew got 54% of the votes. I wish people would come to their senses.

I hope the next election ABC and ARISE can unite against unity caucus.

I am very sad and thank you for your support.

 

UFT Election Results - 46% say NO to Unity (Slate only): Unity 54%, ABC 32%, ARISE 14%

 Lots to analyze and break down. We could have swamped the HS if we had run some joint candidates. ARISE might actually win a seat of two if individual votes come through. But overall, the ARISE coalition did very poorly. ABC which as a new group matched and in some areas exceeded what UFC did 3 years ago, had decisions to make as to whether to continue working together. Overall, I'd say people really had a good experience.

I'm planning an ICE forensic analysis in person on Juneteenth. We will also do a zoom. 

More later.  

 

Unity won the election. Here are the unofficial results. Certified results will be available later.

Overall ballots sent - 201,791

58,318 registered

413 voided/empty envelopes
57,905 valid ballots

1,946 booklets of individual votes still being counted

55,959 slate votes


ABC - 17,874 32%
Unity - 30,219 54%
Arise - 7,866 14%

Elementary:
ABC - 2,897
Arise - 1,241
Unity - 5,967

MS:
ABC - 619
Arise - 520
Unity - 1,536

HS:
ABC - 1,472
Arise - 1,769
Unity - 1,985

Functional:
ABC - 3,889
Arise - 1,305
Unity - 7,158

Retirees:
ABC - 8,997
Arise - 3,031
Unity - 13,573

 

UFT Election 2025: ARISE - A Forensic Analysis - Will ARISE Demise? And What About ABC?

Prediction from John Q. Teacher: ARISE will get about 20% of the vote. Unity will get 40% and ABC will get 30% of the vote. Thus, Unity still wins. I have been saying this for a while. Having two groups such as ARISE and ABC will cause a Unity victory and I am not happy to see that happening. Hope I am wrong..... 

Unity will break 60% closer 65%. .... Anon

Comments on "Proposal from MORE to ABC Coalition (Oct. 2024) - Why This Agreement Favors MORE Caucus and Hurts Broader Union Democracy ":

Friday, May 30, 2025

Yesterday, as predicted, was a dud in terms of election results - even worse than I predicted due to the expected complications of in-person, mail, dealing with the large number of booklets vs single slate voting. They did count the in-person with estimates that around 1200 voted, and from what I could see from the screens, Unity won that vote overwhelmingly - looked like 65-70% to me. But that was expected. I was in and out all day with a noon doc appt and then at 5 to the rally on immigration at Tweed where there was a big crowd.

 

But today they are ready to start the serious scanning of the mail ballots -- we have no number on returns - we were told north of 50K. But how far north is a key as 50K is still on a quarter of the 200k ballots.

 

I'm heading down soon for the day which may stretch into Saturday. We won't know official results until sometime next week. We can only detect trends.

 

Here are the scenarios and at this point I can't do much speculation other than to say ABC has a shot and ARISE will not win.

Unity wins with 60-65% along the lines of the 2022 UFC election.

Unity wins but with lower totals ever: low 50s%

Unity wins small: Under 49%

ABC wins - if so it will be small

ARISE wins - I see no path

 

If Unity hits over 60%, that is a tribute to the campaign they ran that was aimed at getting out their base. They were desperate, because, you know, going back to the classroom was possible of they lose. But if the win with under 50%, that is a major warning sign that the end is near - if the opposition can get their stuff together -- always problematical.

But before we know results, as ballots start flying through the scanners, we can't help but look to the future, which has many different possibilities depending on the outcome. I will address the future of ABC which could go from bye-bye to vibrancy after the results. One thing was proven - that an ad hoc group of individuals with a wide range of political views - with a "leave your personal politics at the door" attitude, showed they could put together a slate of 550 candidates and run a campaign, a campaign that annoyed the hell out of both Unity and the usual loyal opposition.

What about the future of ARISE? Let's look at the components of the ARISE coalition, which has some similarities to United for Change from 3 years ago, but also some differences. My premise is that each caucus has different interests and after the election will focus on pursuing those interests. And as long as there are multiple caucuses pursuing their interests, and only coming together every 3 years for elections, Unity will prevail. 

ARISE is smaller in size down from 7 voices to 3 and they have learned a few lessons from the mistakes of UFC. Three caucuses made for easier decision making than 7. Let's not forget - before ARISE arose, there was the bigger ABC in formation which I wrote about the other day: Proposal from MORE to ABC Coalition (Oct. 2024) - Why This Agreement Favors MORE Caucus and Hurts Broader Union Democracy

Before the split, the group that became ARISE pushed the idea of structure as a necessary precursor which to the ABC component, which was like a wild horse trying to break out of the barn, meant control. And limits on what type of campaign could be run. Even a modest proposal to allow committees to funtion somewhat autonomously led to a hysterical reaction with screams of "you are trying to gut the power of steering." That was the final straw when ABC found out that the major 4 page proposal from MORE was being given careful consideration by the very same people who attacked ABC for its modest offer.

Anyway, let's look at those components.

New Action was founded in 1995 in a merger of two long-time caucuses, Teachers Action Caucus (TAC) - late 60's and New Directions (1975) and through 2001 won the high school exec bd seats. C. 2002, NAC began to cooperate with Unity Caucus and worked in tandem for UFT elections through the 2013 elections before breaking with Unity in 2016. During that 12 year period, NAC lost the bulk of its support, especially from active members and became more and more of a retiree-laden group. They recouped some in-service support from the 2022 election but are still very retiree dependent.

New Action has the most to lose if ARISE finishes last as they have claimed that only the caucuses and with their history and experience, could run a campaign. Thus some of them have been the most vicious in attacking ABC, which presents an existential threat to them.

MORE: Due to the NAC deal with Unity, two new groups, ICE and TJC ran against them both from 2004-10 before coming together with other groups to form MORE in 2012. A faction in MORE pushed out the ICE people in 2018 and MORE slanted traditional left. MORE is the biggest opposition group and is very school based and can withstand any outcome in this election and still hold its own. A significant portion of MORE did not even want to run and if ARISE finishes a poor last, will become more ascendant in MORE. That will make MORE less likely to want to continue to work within the ARISE group after the election.

Retiree Advocate: A 30- year old group that was a spin-off of NAC but separated in order to attract new people -- I and some others from the ICE wing of MORE plus people picked up during the rallies against MedAdv. Currently around 12 people, of which I am one. We call ourselves the RA Organizing Committee. Last year's major victory over Unity in the RTC election gave people hope we could beat Unity this time, but for me has made some serious errors in how they decided to join the ARISE group without going outside the dozen. I was the lone dissenter, urging them to remain neutral and try to play the role of mediator to try to bring ABC and NAC/MORE together before ARISE even AROSE. 

RA is not really a caucus because it has no formal membership and we are talking about how to change that but bad feelings about this election will not go away very quickly. RTC CL Bennett Fischer, who I support, even when I disagree with him, has the potential to keep things together.

In the meantime, RA is very tied in with running the RTC --- 8 of the ten officers are RA and I am on the RTC Exec Bd.  

Well, time to go off to get the results and look for a follow-up to this post once we know more.

 

UFT Election 2025: The Final Countdown - Come on Down - Plenty of Seating

Thursday, May 29, 2025

 

So it's the middle of the night and I have to be at UFT at 9 AM but I wanted to get this out  in advance. I want to get upstairs to the gym before I leave so this is a rush job. 

 

Expect all the groups running to have reps there along with any others who are interested in the process. Food will be served by GES, the vendor, which is catering from the UFT 3rd floor restaurant. For some a lot is at stake so expect some anxious looks. Let's hope there will be no food fights. Generally, I've found in the past that even people who have fought hard in an election don't bring animosity when observing. We all try to be nice. I will do my best, though I know a lot of people from some caucuses who seem pretty mad at me. (I will address the other caucuses in a follow-up post - maybe tonight.)

 

The ABC crew, on the other hand, seem to be happy campers, having had fun along the way. One of the officer candidates was given release from school today so I will have good company - I expect her to shield me from some of the very angry people who tend to blame me for the existence of ABC. (I have not played a major role other than in running the petition campaign through late March.)

 

I dropped by Shanker Hall yesterday to get the lay of the land for the count. I reported on my conversation with Kathryn Weisbeck, president of Global Election Services, the company running the election, when I voted in person last week. She was very helpful and yesterday she was at Shanker Hall along with the Chairman of GES, John S. Matthews, who gave me a guided tour of the entire process. Though I was initially skeptical, my hopes were raised that the process would run smoothly - but talk is cheap. Today we will see if the proof is in the pudding. John said they hired and trained 75 people in 3 shifts. Two security guards, moonlighting NYC police I believe, will be guarding the ballots from 8PM last night until 8 AM this morning.

 

Unlike AAA, GES did not touch the ballots until Wednesday morning when they picked ten boxes (about 3-4 feet high) up from the post office and delivered them to Shanker Hall. In addition, there are 34 locked in-person ballot boxes. Thus, unlike AAA which used to scan the envelopes as they came in - something none of us were able to see, GES is more open to us observing that process which will begin at 9 AM and last 8 hours. Thus no counting until that is done. But even before the count can begin, the envelops have to be slit open which will also take hours. So I imagine we might see some counting tonight.

Yasmin Colon, who handles elections for the UFT was there with me and I always rely on Yasmin and promised I would try to be nice - this time. There is plenty of seating for observers and there will be 3 TV screens for the scanners. Up to ten observers at a time will be allowed to watch up close if they like.

 

Yasmin has arranged plenty of seating for observers so no need to call in advance but you will need your UFT id to check in with her assistants. 

Security guards will also be on duty tonight from 8 PM to Friday morning at 7 when count sill resume. If necessary, the count will continue into Saturday. Expect full results to be tabulated by Monday or Tuesday. 

One other major change is that the ballots will not be separated by colors and counted division by division but all mixed in together -- there is a code on each color ballot that the software can pick up - but we won't be able to easily monitor the divisional vote until it's over. What we will do is take sample batches throughout the process over a period of hours and average those results. Bennet Fischer reported he did that in the RTC election last year and when he averaged about 15 samples he hit the exact number - 63% - that we won by. So if you come down join me in doing sampling. Expect the bulk of counting to be Friday.

 

As a member of the UFT Election Committee, I should be able to get some updates along the way. 

Below is the bulletin to the election committee from GES:

Proposal from MORE to ABC Coalition (Oct. 2024) - Why This Agreement Favors MORE Caucus and Hurts Broader Union Democracy

This is not coalition-building; it’s institutional dominance under the guise of “consensus.” -- response to MORE plan

If ARISE were to win, which of the 3 caucuses would have the major influence in running the UFT?

 

Tuesday, May 27, 2025 - 

 

Today is the last day to vote in person. There are lots of complaints from people who did not receive ballots and it it discriminatory to offer in person voting when there are so many out of town retirees or some who can't travel. But it sure gives an advantage to Unity Caucus members who work in or near borough offices. The other day only 21 people voted in the Bronx office. I could support in-person voting if there was an electronic voting alternative, which Unity views as not to its advantage. But apparently they do view in- person to their advantage. It will take a month after the election to find out how many late ballots came in, a number that may be in the thousands.

It is UFT election history time here at Ed Notes and with the end of the election and people looking ahead to what has become a somewhat toxic relationship between ABC and ARISE. In order to move forward we cannot bury the past. So I will post a series based on my view of the history since I've been there from day 1. I'm sure people will disagree and they are welcome to do so - no comments will be suppressed. 

Both sides have been accused of not coming together due to egos, past slights, and personalities. I push back on that. There were real differences on ideology, organizing principles, and the kind of audience a campaign was aiming to reach - irreconcilable differences at the time - and possibly going forward. Of course the election outcomes will determine the future. As I began pointing out almost a year ago, a key to defeating Unity would be, not retirees, but rousing enough of a segment of former non-voting in-service to go beyond 25%.

 

Assume all 3 components of ARISE will continue on their individual paths no matter the election outcome, though RA is under the major influence of NAC and not totally independent. For ABC, since it is not a caucus, the votes will determine its future. The attacks on ABC from both Unity and ARISE are aimed at diminishing the ABC votes to a point where ABC will just go away.

To set the groundwork, here is a  response to a proposal from MORE when ABC was one group to modify an original proposal from NAC to divide a future steering committee into four parts -- NAC, MORE, RA and everyone else (which became ABC). Behind the scenes the NAC group that designed their proposal to include MORE but limit their ability to take control of the UFT, which was a real concern, if we were to win the election. 

 

We began to meet in March 2024 - with independents and people from almost all caucuses and continued in August through early November. We were at first held up in moving ahead by MORE's internal system of deciding whether to join the coalition which lasted from August through mid-September. At all meetings until the vote was complete, MORE announced they were there only as observers, which led some to question whether they should be in the room given there was a chance they might not join and even run their own campaign. But most people, including many of the ex-Unity future leaders of ABC seemed to be catering to MORE. 

MORE had an internal split, with 35 out of about 170 voters who were opposed to joining the coalition - a position I can respect as fitting to MORE ideologists who claimed they shouldn't run with groups that didn't share their values, especially when it came to Palestine. (MORE's largest demo at a UFT DA had been a pro-Palestinian event where their CL and Delegates walked out to join). This group was very vocal with a lot of influence and there were internal concerns about them leaving the caucus unless some of their demands were met -- which created complications.

 

So there was push back from everyone when MORE came back with modifications of the NAC proposal and asked for more representation based on claims they were bigger, did more work and were harmed in the past in coalitions and wanted redress for these harms, even hinting that past criticisms on blogs like Ed Notes should be removed or censored. (They had made similar demands back in the 2022 UFC election with James Eterno being the fiercest opponent).

 

A vote was taken - 16-3 against MORE, with the 3 MORE reps voting yes and all the NAC, Unity defectors and independents voting NO. That led to all 9 MORE reps withdrawing from the coalition. 

 

Then NAC got cold feet over not being able to rely on MORE to do the bulk of the in-service election vote and secretly met with them and reversed themselves, agreeing to accept many of the MORE demands but not informing the others in ABC. At that point NAC members stopped attending the ABC meetings. A week later, what was left of ABC had clearly given up on working with the caucuses and declared they were going to run a slate in the UFT elections, inviting any individual, in a caucus or not, to run.

 

Before the final break occurred, there was an attempt to hold all the non-MORE elements together in ABC and approach them with a united front. One sidelight were hints from some leading MOREs behind the scenes that there were people in MORE willing to run as individuals with the ABC slate. This broke down with the NAC reversal and also the inordinate influence they had with Retiree Advocate. The secret meeting they held on Nov. 5 with MORE to renegotiate their demands was a final straw. Really, if you are looking for root caucus, check the actions of NAC then and through some of the insane attacks on ABC. NAC has the most to lose if ARISE does poorly since they were selling their decades of organizing experience. Assuming ARISE doesn't win - a good bet to make - can that coalition continue to function post-election? Another good bet to make.  As for ABC -- a collection of individuals, expect some relationships forged in the election to continue. Of course if ABC wins, that is another story.

 

But let me say --- things in the past will not always be that way in the future, but relationships between people on both sides will continue to be forged and out of that some sense of working together can come. 

Here is an analysis of the flaws in the MORE demands from October, 2024, followed by the MORE document.

Why This Agreement Favors MORE Caucus and Hurts Broader Union Democracy:  While framed as a compromise, this agreement disproportionately benefits MORE and imposes structural disadvantages on the rest of the coalition and membership:

⸻

1. “Chapter Leaders First” Locks In MORE’s Influence
    •    MORE has more active chapter leaders than many smaller caucuses.
    •    Prioritizing current chapter leaders ensures MORE dominates e-board seats before any proportional division, undermining equal representation.
    •    This rewards current power structures instead of reflecting membership-wide support or building broader coalition capacity.

2. Platform Pre-Vetting by MORE Imposes an Ideological Gate
    •    MORE demands the coalition agree to MORE’s platform priorities upfront, including controversial or highly specific planks (like strike-readiness and New York Health Act).
    •    This creates an ideological litmus test that other groups must pass before decisions are even shared—undermining a true consensus approach.

3. Maintains MORE’s Autonomy but Limits Others’ Influence
    •    MORE retains the right to speak independently on any issue—even contentious ones like Palestine—but other groups must accept that without reciprocal control or shared standards.
    •    This opens the door to confusion, factionalism, and public messaging conflicts, which can harm the coalition’s credibility and unity during the campaign.

4. MORE Locks In Officer Representation
    •    By demanding 3 of the top 12 officer spots, including a top position, MORE secures disproportionate visibility and power relative to other caucuses, even if the electoral base is not equally strong.

5. Imposes MORE’s Governance Style on the Whole Coalition
    •    Requiring the use of MORE’s meeting norms and a community care-based accountability model forces other caucuses to adopt their internal culture.
    •    This is not coalition-building; it’s institutional dominance under the guise of “consensus.”

6. Undermines Long-Term Coalition Stability
    •    The proposal makes the temporary leadership body explicitly short-term, requiring a total renegotiation after the election—this benefits the strongest player now (MORE) and leaves others insecure in the long run.

⸻

Conclusion:

This proposal allows MORE to:
    •    Consolidate more seats through chapter leader preference.
    •    Dictate platform content.
    •    Retain full ideological independence.
    •    Secure a top leadership position.
    •    Control internal processes.

Other caucuses get equal officer seats only after concessions, limited say on platform, and no autonomy protections of their own. Rather than a power-sharing agreement, this is a strategic entrenchment of MORE’s influence at the expense of true democratic coalition-building—and by extension, a less representative, less inclusive vision for the broader UFT membership.

 

And here is the MORE proposal coming in mid-late October - 4 pages - after months of meeting and itching to get a campaign started. While I don't know for sure, I'm betting NAC caved to many if not all the demands. Note only 72 out of 500 members voted. I and most of ABC can actually agree with many of the platform ideas and in fact has a similar platform other than a few points.

 

MORE/Coalition Proposal: Goal and Summary
The goal here is to present what MORE wants out of this coalition all at once in order to avoid endless back-and-forth horse-trading. To this end, MORE undertook a weeklong survey of its dues-paying members over the course of a week. 

 

72 members responded. 

 

Based on those responses MORE has crafted the following proposal. We believe this is a significant compromise from MORE and should be broadly acceptable to all our potential coalition partners and we hope this can end the back-and-forth negotiation and allow us to
begin campaigning in earnest.
 

As a topline summary: 

 

MORE is willing to trade away proportional representation among the officer seats and the election coalition leadership body in favor of a “Chapter Leaders First” system for allocating the e-board seats. We believe this will improve the coalition’s chance of winning (because Chapter Leaders have natural and proven constituencies within schools) and prioritize expertise and experience as workplace organizers and union activists. Once every chapter leader represented by all of the groups has an opportunity to say yes to being a part of an e-board slate, the remaining spots will go to the four groups/constituencies as proposed by NAC according to equal representation and the groups can choose members to fill the remaining spots allocated to them as they see fit.
 

MORE would also like to see a small number of things added to the platform before seating the coalition leadership body to avoid any individual or caucus vetoing some of MORE’s priorities. We believe these additions are in keeping with the general spirit of the coalition and are not major asks, though we recognize some of these are areas where there may be disagreement among coalition members. We hope that other groups will accept these proposals in the spirit of compromise. 

 

Those are detailed below.

In exchange, MORE will agree to equal representation on the coalition leadership body and only 3 seats among the officer slate, including one of the top spots. We feel that this is a significant concession given our caucus’s size and the resources we will be bringing to the coalition. The coalition leadership body will run by consensus and will not make decisions likely to be deeply controversial without first going back to the caucuses that make up the coalition. The groups will decide by consensus for the top 12 officer spots.

Structure proposals:

The coalition will adopt a 12-person steering committee that will be run by consensus involving 3 Unity breakers/independents, 3 members of RA, 3 members of NAC, and 3 members of MORE. The primary task of the group will be to prepare and propose an officer slate and facilitate subcommittees of the coalition. MORE agrees not to seek more than 3 seats (including one top spot) on the officer slate. All parties agree that there
needs to be a consensus on the 12 officer spots. This body is intended as temporary and will cease to exist after the election and any further collaboration between the parties will need to be renegotiated (this is not to say that MORE wouldn’t want to continue collaborating after the elections but we are wary about signing onto a decision-making body under a time crunch that winds up becoming permanent).

The coalition will adopt a "chapter leader first" policy for the remaining 90 e-board seats. This will increase our chances of winning since chapter leaders have proven constituencies. It will also prioritize giving leadership of the union to rank-and-file organizers. We will open up a period of time where each group solicits chapter leaders from their groups to run on the e-board slate. After that period closes and all current CLs are seated
the remaining seats will go 25-25-25-25 as proposed in Nick Bacon's proposal.

The coalition agrees to use MORE's meeting norms, including a cedar to assess and intervene when those norms aren't followed. The coalition also agrees to create an accountability committee to address past harms between people involved in the coalition and any harms that may come up in the campaign. Individuals with a community care background will assist in developing this accountability committee so it can be as effective as possible in resolving harm between the parties involved.

The coalition will agree that MORE and all other groups will be able to continue their work around areas that are not covered in the coalition platform, including Palestinian liberation, as long as our messaging around non-covered issues does not imply coalition support for those issues. No censorship will be applied to MORE’s social media accounts, literature shared with other union members, or events that MORE holds such as rallies, town halls, etc.

Platform proposals:

The coalition will agree to leave geopolitical issues off of the table in exchange for including language about defending members' right to free speech and protecting teachers who are targeted by media attacks and right-wing harassment campaigns.

The coalition will include on their platform to redirect UFT resources towards organizing at the chapter and district levels. Provide all chapter leaders, delegates, and chapter activists with organizer training, not just instruction on contractual minutia. Organize and empower strong chapters to take action at the school level and to educate and activate members to build up to being strike-ready by the next contract negotiations so we don't preemptively take our strongest weapon off the table during negotiations with the city.

The coalition will include on their platform to advocate for legislation like the New York Health Act, already approved by the UFT delegate assembly, that will permanently solve our union's healthcare crisis and allow contract negotiations to focus on wages and working conditions. Ensure that all members, including members who move out of state after retirement, have guaranteed access to high-quality healthcare and not a cut-rate Medicare Advantage plan.

The coalition will advocate for an end to the mayoral control system that has led to chaos and uncertainty at the individual school level. We will work with community and parent allies to establish a replacement system that will not resemble Unity’s short-sighted and incomplete plan to add one additional PEP member. The coalition will promise to defend curricular autonomy that has come under attack during the current mayor and
current chancellor's administration.

The coalition will advocate for a financial investment and commitment from the Department of Education to implement comprehensive restorative justice and conflict resolution programs in all schools. This will address disparities in discipline and the school-to-prison pipeline.

The coalition will advocate for wage increases that represent a real and significant raise over inflation and focus on sharply raising paraprofessional pay to ensure a living wage for all UFT members. The coalition will advocate for across-the-board increases to the FSF formula or other school funding mechanisms to ensure that schools are fully funded and to avoid any excessing associated with wage increases. The coalition will include in their literature and messaging a particular focus on fighting for significant increases for
paraprofessional wages and equivalent benefits such as LODI.

The coalition will commit to significantly reforming UFT leadership structures.
● Replace winner-take-all elections with proportional representation.
● Adopt level-based elections for level-based VPs.
● Adopt election by chapter leaders and delegates for district and borough reps.
● Adopt an open bargaining system for future contract campaigns.
The coalition will commit to adopting permanent reforms to the DA. This will need to be fleshed out but should
include things like:
● Creating a process where any DA proposal that meets a certain threshold of co-sponsors will be agendized in the order it was received.
● Limiting officer's reports to a total of 30 minutes and Q&A to a total of 15 minutes to ensure at least an hour for discussion and voting on all proposals and resolutions.
● Adopt a "consent agenda" for all non-controversial proposals to avoid wasting time.
● Adopting and strictly adhering to an alternating 1-for, 1-against system for all internal debate and restricting calling the question until after at least 4 members have gotten the chance to speak.
● Preventing the e-board or ad-com from unilaterally blocking the consideration of political issues and allowing the delegate assembly to have meaningful debate and take binding votes on controversial political issues.

 

 

UFT Election Update: Where the ballots are - My Conversation with GES President When I voted In person

I mailed in a ballot last week but before the RTC meeting on Tuesday,  as a member of the UFT election committee, I decided to vote in person to get an understanding of the process. I was thinking of doing the same again to test if their system is working until I heard Unity got hysterical when someone in ABC tried to do the same. The in-person vote will invalidate the mailed ballot and I thought if you try it again that would invalidate the last time you voted but when I saw how things works it made sense why we can't vote twice in person. I wanted to know... Exactly how this process works.

The voting took place in an empty space on the corner of Exchange Pl. and New St. Three ladies were behind a desk and all I had to do was show them my UFT ID. No picture ID to show it was really me. 

I asked the woman in charge a number of questions which she answered very openly. She is the President of Global Election Services. Ahhh, I wanted to know  --- the chain of custody of the ballots and she filled me in.

I asked if she could tell me if my ballot had been received and she had a lengthy explanation why she couldn't. In other words, GES does not scan the ballots as they come in like AAA did daily. She claims this is a more secure system. So how does this work?

Ballots currently reside in a post office locker until the morning of May 28 - the day before the count - when GES has a truck pick them up and deliver them to Shanker Hall at 52 Broadway. What? The ballot will be sitting at 52 overnight until the count begins at 9 AM on May 29? (They hire security - Look for Mulgrew and Ellie Engler in security uniforms.)

At 9 AM on the morning of Thursday May 29, the outside envelopes will be scanned, which should take hours. Then run through machines that slit the envelopes open - more hours. The fact they used an open sleeve inside saves some time - in the past the second envelope had to be run through slitters to open it. But in reality, the actual count won't begin until afternoon - maybe late afternoon.

I asked about how many scanners and she said 3. I said AAA had 4 and they jammed often. She said they were brand new. And also said we would be free to roam as observers and see the machines work unlike in recent elections.

I asked about the chain of custody for in person ballots. She said they were all in locked boxes and stored on Long Island. She said these ballots -- all in booklets even if only a slate vote -- would be counted first.

She said the entire process was open for observers - Can I ride on the pickup truck? No. she said. I did intend to go to the post office to see the loading process and then onto 52 but now have a dental emergency for next Wednesday but will go in right after.

Booklets will slow up the count

They handed me the ballot book and there were voting booths behind a curtain. A word of warning was to not tear off the front page even if voting for a slate -- which you can do if voting by mail. I asked why and she said they had to maintain the integrity of the entire ballot and not have the rest of the booklets floating around. I don't quite get that point -- they could just shred the rest of the booklet. I warned her that all these booklets will delay the count because even if no marks on them, they still had to be scanned. She responded that in the last election only 10% of the voters sent in the booklet. I told her this time there will be a lot more booklets and by having the in-person booklets even if voting slate, we may be at the count over the weekend of May 31.

Some ABC people may be voting for their friends on the other slates. For instance, both ARISE and ABC are only running 550-560 AFT/NYSUT candidates and Unity is running 750, so they are voting ABC slate on the first page and then going into the booklet to vote for about 150 in ARISE and some in Unity they know.

Unity Attacks on ABC Verge on Hysteria, ABC Revs up GOTV

After 20 years of Honda CRVs - the current one from 2013 after we lost two cars in the hurricane, I'm trying something new. Today I pick up my new Subaru Forester hybrid - I took a chance on a brand new model just released but I wanted a hybrid and the Forester rates so well and everyone who drives one raves about it - also the first car that is keyless -- I hate that idea -- but that's "progress." I only have 66k mileage on my 12 year old CRV so I'm getting a nice trade-in on a slightly battered car. 

 

Monday, May 12

 

I checked out the interview Marianne Pizzitola did with most of the ABC officer slate last night and expected it to last an hour. Two and a half hours later I was still engrossed in just how rich this discussion was. Anyone who says this group is not ready for leadership of the UFT is an idiot.

 

Check it out and leave a comment: 

https://www.youtube.com/live/L2Ay78AwuUA?si=BxipgAeZF-xTykBa 

 

Also sign up for the ABC GOTV Rally Tuesday 5/13 at 8PM. Sign up at tinyurl.com/abcgotv

 

 

 

And check out this ABC ad: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Abtud1cE8/?mibextid=wwXIfr

 

I won't give details of the insane accusations coming out of Unity attacking ABC -- they seem to think ABC actually has a chance to win. Which of course means some of them may face the dreary prospect of having to go back to the classrooms they have allowed to deteriorate.

 

I generally do not leaflet mail boxes in this election but I decided to do the two schools on my corner, one a D.75 school. I was turned away on Thursday and told to come back Friday and was chatting with the secretary and teacher in charge in the office as I stuffed boxes. They knew little or nothing about the election or who was running and I tried to explain when a para came into the office who was totally up on the election and an ABC supporter. She is a Marianne fan and knew so much about the election and even said she was going to bring her daughter, an Occupation Therapist to the afternoon ABC Rockaway meetup to meet Amy and the crew - and she did.

 

I've been busy with so many ABC events and the constant chats going on. We had a zoom last Thursday night and people I don't know were saying some amazing things. And then we had a Brooklyn meetup on Thursday and Rockaway meetup on Friday and same thing. I have never met or heard of most of them. 

 

This is my first election experience where this has happened but then again the very idea of ABC from the beginning was to reach new people and schools. Will it go deep enough to win this election? Even if not, we have broken new ground in the UFT and the attacks on ABC by both Unity and some ARISE people are indications of the threat ABC poses to both the people in power and to the old legacy caucuses in the oppo. 

 

How could a group of ad hoc individuals from a wide range of ideologies manage to come together, often as strangers, and build a 560 member slate and run an effective campaign when we were lectured ad infinitem that the only way was through the caucus infrasture? 

The very idea for people who believe in "structure" is a threat to their way of thinking -- and I often find this need for strucure is very prevalent with the leftists I have worked with who view me as an anarchist with libertarian tendencies. At the root I find that they and the union leadership just don't trust the rank and file to emerge as leaders which is exactly the opposite of what we've seen with ABC, which is also a threat to their way of thinking.

 

What an interesting UFT election cycle, with all its permutations. I'm looking forward to the May 29 - through "whenever they finish" count, which could take days due to the delays from split ballots -- see my post - UFT Election W25 Splitters: Signs of Unity Desertions to ABC but How Far Will it Go?. Maybe we will know the outcome by July.

Also check out my ruminations on Amy-Gate from Oct. 23, 2023 - where I speculated on splits in Unity Caucus - which came to pass, though I never expected Amy to take her bold step of challenging Mulgrew.

Unity Caucus and Amy-Gate -Reasons for Arundell removal as UFT Queens Borough Rep

The results will check the pulse of UFT members - and the current leadership - and also the legacy caucuses' ability to pull out votes.

 

Will the votes of in service go beyond the usual 25%? ABC predicated its run on increasing that number. Or will the 40% retiree return keep dominating UFT elections? Will the massive shift in retiree votes away from Unity continue? Will some of the votes Unity lost come back to them? Will ARISE and ABC split the anti-Unity retiree vote? What impact will Marianne's support for ABC have? Will paras come out in force for the first time in UFT elections and how would that affect the prospects of ABC? What about the.... Oy - the few hairs I have left are hurting.

 

I am getting blamed by all sorts of people for the existence of ABC who claim if we were one slate we would beat Mulgrew. I never believed one slate under the management of the 3 caucuses that make up ARISE, even with the sliver they offered ABC, would have won and in fact posited that two slates that ran independent campaigns but with enough common candidates was the better option to defeat Unity. I wrote in December -  UFT Elections: The Two Slate Solution - Keep Calm.

 

ABC is a new entity that has never existed in the UFT before due to the influx of Unity people, the first break in Unity probably since the late 60s.

 

ABC is aiming at winning while I see ARISE at aiming at beating ABC. They know they can't win - you know why? Because their leading lights kept saying two slates cannot win. One of their leaders actually said in urging ABC to come to ARISE (when it was ARISE who left ABC) "Do you want this to be your legacy when you die -- you helped Mulgrew win?"

 

Unity clearly doesn't see ARISE as a threat and has worked with all of three caucuses in ARISE over the decades -- NAC, RA and MORE. ABC, with its ex-Unity contingent plus an ad hoc collection of independents and with its more aggressive assault on the Unity machine clearly is viewed as the bigger threat.

 

Even Mulgrew has jumped into the ABC bashing while ignoring ARISE:

 ..the most dangerous thing about them (ABC)? The company they keep. They’re working closely with non UFT organizations–outsiders– who are trying to use our election process to gain control of our union for their own political schemes. Do your research to see who they are backed by.

This is an attack on Marianne but he is afraid to name her here because she is more popular with UFTers than he is. 

They shout over and over: “Members first” but reject plans that address members' needs, like the class size law and para legislation (yes, ABC slate fought back against both.) They throw slogans like “we need change” but offer no policy.

Thus, he accuses ABC of not supporting paras and class size reductions because we were critical of the half-assed way Unity goes about it, like supporting the 10k para bonus while being critical that it is non-pensionable and not trying to make class size reductions more bullet proof through the contract.

 

From the earliest days of this election going back a year, I took a position that the caucus alliance that became ARISE is similar to the UFC alliance from 3 years ago, though with the added imprimatur of the retiree win, along with the para win.

 

Someone made this comment - I forget where:

Their (ARISE) priorities are backwards. Number one priority should be to oust Mulgrew. The rest could be discussed later after getting him out so we could finally effect real change instead of just complaining. Speaks volumes that you (ARISE) are more interested in social justice than doing what is necessary to oust Mulgrew. Protests appeal to you more than petitions. Both are necessary where we are right now as a union, and as a nation. Discord will not help us to carry the day.

I knew Marianne would not support ARISE and told people in RA repeatedly that she would back ABC - and ABC and the ARISE people were at meetings together from March through late October/early November when it was clear Amy was seriously considering running against Mulgrew. ABC offered a plan where everyone could run as individuals from all the caucuses without branding ABC as caucus driven. The caucuses wouldn't accept that even though they had enough people to flood ABC with candidates. First MORE pulled out and then NAC and RA followed. They viewed what was left of ABC as inept and only a few people with a bunch of ex-Unity and felt they would drop out and leave the field for ARISE which offered what was then ABC, a sliver. No one expected ABC to be able to form a massive slate of people to run which exceeded ARISE. Even I was shocked and as the petition coordinator begged them to stop getting people to run since I was drowning in paperwork. I had to lug a massive suitcase full of petitions the day it was due.

 

A lot of the 300 delegates felt they ran under the RA banner but were not included in the decision to run with ARISE plus the group has been kept small and also does not put out minutes of its meetings. Bennett has been the best of them so far - fair-minded but he also needs the support of the other RA people who make up the RTF officer slate and do work for RTC. The problem is that New Action occupies 4 of the 12 slots on RA so their interests take precedence over the interests of RA. Bennett is caught in the middle but goes with the majority, which I get. 

Anyway -- a long election cycle that for many of us began with the meeting at Amy's apartment last March is coming to an end in two weeks. The count is at 52 May 29 and probably May 30 and maybe into June. Any UFT member can observe but if they are overloaded they will use a waiting list. I will be there all the way as an election committee member.

 

Here are some photos from the Rockaway ABC meetup on Friday.

 

 

UFT Election 25 Splitters: Signs of Unity Desertions to ABC but How Far Will it Go?

 

Gene Mann. the well-known and well-read former Unity Caucus Organizer

Tuesday May 6, 2025

If you watch the Unity election reaction you can see some level of panic and hysteria and how much they are focused on attacking ABC and if not ignoring, actually pushing ARISE. But underneath the sturm and drang, we hear lots of whispers about Unity ballot splitters which means instead of voting the Unity slate, they will be picking and choosing a select list of people to vote for, with some (or more than some) favoring Amy Arundell over the unpopular Mulgrew. Which leads to some interesting conjectures: 

Can people win from both ABC and Unity? Or is it even possible for ARISE to sneak in with a 3 way race? I doubt that ARISE has any chance to win while ABC has a path if the retiree and para vote and the breakaway Unity vote come in strong, but I have to say unity is still the favorite - and to those who continue to harange and blame me for two slates I say that if we ran one slate that was dominated and controlled by the 3 members of the ARISE coalition with the ABCs given a slim sliver, we would not have 120 paras running, doubtful backing by Marianne and no Unity split offs voting for such a slate. One slate configured and controlled by ARISE would have had as little chance of winning, so get over it. ABC being freed from the ARISE controls has flourished and brought new blood into the battle.

There are whispers and secret pats on the back coming from a silent minority or maybe majority  of Unity people at all levels in messages to ABC candidates they've known and worked with. Some ABCs have been surprised at the friendliness toward them, given the vicious attacks coming from Unity slugs, some anonymous. 

I DON'T RECOMMEND IT

Clearly, there is worry about their jobs and the prospect of going back to the classroom if Unity loses. So it could be a game of mirrors where they figure they have everything to gain in making nice just in case while maintaining the loyalty oath.

Gene goes on where he points out he's not voting for Amy to send Mulgrew a message but to actually make Amy president.

 

Here's the problem Gene with split ballots: Imagine if you vote for Amy and LeRoy and and other Unity people on adcom and they all win. Amy would be hindered from making needed changes. So vote A Better Contract straight up -- and the people in Unity who do good work will be recognized. A massive ship like the UFT needs a little time to be turned.

But, yes, look for a lot more ballot splitters in this election than in the past, though I tell people that if they don't vote for one slate, these ballot splitter votes are the last to be counted, and often discounted in reported totals because they generally have no real impact on the election as the different totals for candidates come to a few hundred at most.  

But if this is a close race, these split ballot votes may determine some winners. Imagine people in Unity decide to vote for Amy and also their friends in Unity they respect. She could win and be saddled with a Unity dominated adcom and executive board. Real change won't come if that happens - so vote ABC slate.

Some Unity were reassured when Amy has said that there are staffers who are capable and would be needed to help keep the wheels on the union if there was an overturn of the leadership. 

Let's face it. Amy is the wildcard. Insiders know she is smart and competent and capable of running the UFT, probably the most competent opponent Unity has had (I'd exempt James Eterno and possibly Julie Cavanagh). 

The big question is how deep into the schools do people know Amy? I met a guidance counselor in a k-8 school today when I was putting leaflets in the mail boxes (something I swore I would not do but Amy asked me to do this school and a few others) and she knew little about the election (other than two of her colleagues whose photos were over the time clock running with Unity - probably a violation of DOE election rules) but did know about Amy. So the difference between this and other elections is that knowledge about the ABC presidential candidate extends deeper into the schools, especially in Queens, than any other candidate in the past. 

Let's face it -- no matter who is on the slate, people vote based on the president. That was certainly a strategy behind ABC - for better or worse, Amy Arundell is a magnet for matter and some anti-matter - she gives ABC the best chance to win, while also probably costing ABC some votes.

TRS Election Update from Candidate Ben Morgenroth - Election is May 14

UPDATE - May 8 - THE DOE HAS CANCELLED THE TRS ELECTION BY DISQUALIFYING BEN OVER SOME MINOR IRREGULARITY AND DECLARED THE UNITY CANDIDATE THE WINNER

Tuesday May 6, 2025 - 

Congrats to Ben for getting the signatures he needed to run. Unity has controlled the 3 pension reps forever and we need another voice. They serve 3 year terms so there is an election every year. Ben ran last year and got one third of the vote. The election is in the schools on May 14 - retirees, ironically, can't run or vote. I know some people in ABC helped get signatures even though Ben is running with ARISE. It's too bad both campaigns didn't make this an issue to tie into the campaigns but I understand how busy people have been.

Here is Ben's missive:

Hi everyone, A couple of quick updates: First and foremost, congratulations! We collected well over the requisite 1,000 signature to get onto the ballot for the TRS election. This accomplishment is thanks to all of YOU and your hard work! Ours is one of two names that will appear on the ballot in May. I would like to ask everyone to please submit the Google Form below after May 14 to indicate whether the election protocols were properly followed in your school. I may not re-send this form link, so please save a copy of it. Please encourage your colleagues to fill it out as well: www.tinyurl.com/trselection25 Important Election Information: Principals are supposed to provide a copy of the notice of the election, including the names of both candidates, by Wednesday, May 7. Principals are required to hold an election in each school or worksite on Wednesday, May 14. If requested by at least 10% of the staff, the principal must call a meeting between May 2 and May 5 to hold a meeting to discuss the merits of each candidate. Once called to order, the contributors present must elect a chairperson and secretary for the discussion meeting. The election on May 14 shall be held at an in-person, called by the principal. A chairperson and secretary shall be elected at the start of the meeting. At the May 14 meeting: the chairperson shall appoint at least one teller for each of the two candidates, and at least 3 tellers in total. The tellers must be an acknowledged supporter of the particular candidate. Each member receives a ballot and signs a list of contributors (provided by the principal) to indicate they received a ballot. If an error is made, a new ballot shall be provided, and the original ballot shall be indicated as a VOID. No electioneering or discussion of candidates is permissible during the election meeting. For members who are off-site, an alternative voting location is to be provided. After each member has deposited their ballot in the box, the tellers publicly count the ballots and post and announce the results. One copy of the results is to be posted on the official site bulletin board. The ballots are returned to the box, the box is sealed and delivered to the principal, who keeps all ballots in a sealed box for at least 6 months. Note: At CUNY campuses, balloting is to remain open from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM on Wednesday, May 14 and Thursday, May 16. Ballots are counted and tallied at the end of each day (publicly per the procedure above), but not posted until the end of the second day. Please encourage your colleagues to participate in the election on May 14. Thank you again, everyone for all the hard work! Looking forward to the election. Did you know? In 2009, the TDA rate of return was reduced to 7% for UFT titles, an effective cut of $2.3 million per teacher in retirement benefits. All non-UFT titles, including administrators, still receive the full 8.25% TDA. Tier 6 members receive less than half the benefits of Tier 4 members who make equal retirement contributions, and must work up to 15 years longer to receive a full pension. With the recent State re-amortization budget proposal, now, more than ever, it is important to protect our pension against further cuts, and reverse the most recent ones. Candidate statement: www.tinyurl.com/benfortrs2025statement   Committee for the election of  BENJAMIN MORGENROTH AS TEACHER-MEMBER OF THE RETIREMENT BOARD  Co-Chairs  Andrea Kung, Teacher  Urban Academy Laboratory High School 02M565, Manhattan  Aziz Jumash, Teacher  Stuyvesant High School 02M475, Manhattan  TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE TEACHERS RETIREMENT SYSTEM  Dear Colleagues: We are pleased to announce that  Benjamin Morgenroth  will be a candidate for election to the Teachers Retirement Board.  Ben Morgenroth has a strong financial background, expertise, a decade of service in the classroom, and is dedicated to sound investments and member education. Ben is the most qualified candidate for election to the Teachers Retirement board and is the only person running with the financial expertise necessary for the position.  Board trustees are fiduciaries responsible to protect the long-term value of the pension’s investment portfolio and provide benefit security for members. They are entrusted to oversee the investment of our funds and achieve the highest possible long-term rate of return consistent with appropriate levels of diversity and risk.  Ben teaches AP Calculus and Algebra II at Brooklyn Technical High School and has served as a passionate teacher in the New York City public schools for the past decade. He also serves as an adjunct lecturer in Mathematics at Hunter College, City University of New York. He is a life-long New Yorker and a graduate of New York City public schools. He comes from a family of educators and TRS members. Ben holds a BA in Applied Math-Economics from Brown University and a MA in Applied Mathematics from Hunter College. Prior to teaching, Ben served as a business technology consultant and hedge fund risk analyst, helping to manage $3 billion in client investments.  In addition to his investment knowledge and financial expertise, Ben has intimate knowledge of the pension, including the nuances of individual Tiers. Ben is experienced at sharing his extensive pension knowledge with individual members and large groups, including the webinar he hosted focused on understanding and improving pension benefits, options, and Tier 6 reform.  Ben is running as an independent-thinking, union-proud, classroom educator who will serve with the best interests of everyday educators, like you, in mind. He is not beholden to the investors from TRS or any DOE official. This Trustee position will be the third to change hands in as many years. We need to keep our billions of dollars of investments safe and only someone with a strong investment background can be trusted to keep our pension stable, solvent, and ensure that it continues to grow. Ben’s classroom and financial experience make him the best qualified candidate for teacher trustee of TRS.  Ben’s top priorities for our pension:  1. Ensure financial stability and fund solvency to secure financial futures for retirees. 2. Aggressively and judiciously pursue investments that maximize returns while minimizing risk. 3. Continue to hold webinars and workshops in schools to ensure members understand our pension including benefits, investment, and retirement options.  Reverse pension cuts through advocacy to:  ● Improve pension and disability benefits, and pension flexibility, for members in all tiers. ● Restore the 8.25% TDA rate still received by all TRS members except UFT titles, and reverse the 30% reduction (approximately, with compounding) in our TDA benefits instituted in 2009. ● Reduce pension contributions for all tiers and restore the end of pension contributions after 10 years of service.  ● Restore retirement age to 55 for Tier 6 members.  ● Reverse the over 50% reduction in benefits for Tier 6 (compared to Tier 4 with equal contributions) instituted in 2010-2012.  ● Improve Final Average Salary calculation for pension benefits that better reflect real earnings. ● Update COLA law for benefit increases that keep pace with inflation.  ● Offer swifter movement of funds between TDA investment options (reduce time lag from 30-120 days to 1 day)