The number one issue in the UFT Retired Teachers Chapter election is healthcare.

How do you know?

• Health care is probably the issue YOU care about the most.
• Health care is the issue you have heard the most about
• Unity still supports Medicare Advantage (see their flyer with the ballot, notes below), supports forcing you out of traditional Medicare
• Retiree Advocate / UFT still supports keeping your current health care (see our flyer, below)

Unity – Still wants to force you into Medicare Advantage

This is too easy. Look what Unity sent you (you will receive this with your ballot):

Need to pause for a second. They included Mulgrew – which is an interesting choice. Many retirees are furious at Mulgrew, at how sneaky he was trying to get rid of Medicare, how deceptive he was when confronted about Medicare, how he talked down to retirees who were far more experienced and knowledgeable than he is. People don’t like being lied to. Putting Mulgrew’s face on the flyer is a strange choice.

But let’s get back to the text of their flyer, to the bottom of the column. Unity tells anyone who will listen that this election is not about health care, but what are they writing about? Healthcare. And what do they say?

The new health coverage plan negotiated by the Municipal Labor Committee is currently in litigation, and we await its outcome.

Folks – that would be the MLC which is 50% controlled by Mulgrew…Mulgrew negotiated this. No fair putting on a hat and saying “blame him, the guy without the hat!”.

And then:

Such a plan [Unity’s Medicare Advantage] would have features far superior to any current existing coverage.

They don’t get it. They are still in favor of Medicare Advantage. They are still trying to sell Medicare Advantage. They still want you to be forced out of traditional Medicare. We need to tell them no. And the way you can tell them no is by voting for the RETIREE ADVOCATE slate.

And Retiree Advocate? Wants to protect your current health care

Other issues?

Retiree Advocate has a full platform (here).

Unity never issues a platform. In fact, it’s impossible to tell where they stand on issues. Except retaining power and retaining their jobs.

Anything else on healthcare?

Interestingly, there are some internal Unity letters about the election. Which contradict each other on healthcare. They know they are in trouble, but cannot agree on what to say. Maybe there is nothing that will help. One Unity delegate tries to wriggle out of responsibility for Medicare Advantage:

the City and Municipal Labor Committee (the MLC) generated the plans through their mutually-agreed propositioning and selection process.

Another Unity spin-doctor confesses:

this has been a challenging year for many of us, especially in terms of the issues related to healthcare

while the first whines:

 their agenda is NOT healthcare; they full-well know that their input can’t change the health plans;

Sorry, Charlie

Electing Retiree Advocate will absolutely help the movement to defeat Medicare Advantage.

And our agenda is a full platform (see here) but the central point is:

Protect and Preserve Our Healthcare

And that’s what Retirees need to do. And we do it by voting for the Retiree Advocate slate.

Check “Retiree Advocate” and mail in your ballot, as soon as it arrives.