Are there health care cuts in this contract?

Several groups and blogs have made health care a primary reason for opposing this contract. They include Nick Bacon writing for New Action (my former caucus), Arthur Goldstein aka NYC Educator – Arthur was the long-term chapter leader at Francis Lewis HS, and the MORE Caucus – another left-leaning teachers group.

UFT reps, even officers, have been running around telling everyone they can that there are no health care cuts in this contract.

So let’s look.

1. There is no language about health care cuts in the MOA (memorandum of agreement). That’s true.

2. There was no language about health care cuts in the 2018 contract – but there actually were cuts – big cuts – added copays – and this whole move to dump retirees into privatized Aetna Medicare Advantage

3. The 2018 health care cuts were hidden in a side agreement, called at the time “Appendix B” – which the leadership did not share with the members.

4. There was a health care section in the 2014 UFT fact sheet, but the MOA was vague, and the actual cuts were more serious. I now have prior authorizations for cancer screening (necessitated by my genes) that I did not previously have. For example.

5. In 2018 Mulgrew specifically said “no new copays” – later he clarified that he meant that existing copays could go up (which they did

6. – but that there would be no brand new copays. Which was a lie. Those of you who use Montefiore know that we now face copays on every visit, and that just started in October

7. The Appendix B from 2018 set up health care cuts of $600million, that need to be repeated annually – we have no idea what additional cuts the UFT is planning to meet next year’s goals – or the year after.

8. Appendix B also sets up a Labor-Management-Management committee to recommend future cuts. To my knowledge that committee (The Tripartite Committee) still meets, and still has the power to recommend more cuts.

Short version – UFT leadership has not been forthcoming about health care cuts. They have not told us what cuts are in store. They are perfectly capable of hiding cuts in the contract without telling us (they did that in 2018). And even if there are no new provisions, they have not shared what cuts they have already agreed to that have not yet taken effect.

I’d say this stuff is a big deal. I would not trust the leadership’s answers. And on a contract that is otherwise just barely okay – this makes my recommendation to vote No.