Divisible by Thirteen
Just a little math puzzle.
86 is not divisible by 13. But turn the 8 into a 2, and now it is (26).
62 is not divisible by 13. But change the 2 to a 5, and now it is (65).
Is every 2-digit number divisible by 13, or a number that can be made divisible by 13 by changing one digit?
If yes – explain why (and the explanation should be good enough to convince a high school freshman).
If no – show a 2-digit number that is not divisible by 13 and cannot be made divisible by 13 by changing one digit.
NYC Mayors Race and UFT Slates – who is in the shadows?
Copied (with some light editing) from my substack:
Where do they stand? In the shadows? Why? What are they not saying?
New York City Mayors Race. United Federation of Teachers (UFT) election. Federal budget + weaponization of Federal government against unions, immigrants, poor people, and working people.
All connected? Of course. Let’s look at the first two: NYC mayors race and UFT elections.
ARISE!
I’m running with ARISE – the Alliance of Retired and In-Service Educators. We have not endorsed a candidate, as far as I know none of the caucuses have. But we talk. And I have heard about the mayor’s race from many ARISE activists. The two names that come up the most: Zohran Mamdani and Brad Lander. Is that who ARISE will endorse? No, ARISE will not endorse a mayoral candidate. But it gives you a sense who some of us are.
Unity
Unity has controlled mayoral endorsements since I was a brand new teacher, and decades before.
Unity usually gets it wrong. Last election they passed on rank choice, and stuck with Stringer even after his campaign imploded. Decades earlier they picked three losers in one race: 2001 with Hevesi in the primary then Ferrer in the run-off, then Green in the general. Maybe the worst was 2009. Bloomberg was going for a third term. He clearly had a lead over Bill Thompson. I tried to move Thompson’s endorsement, but LeRoy Barr and Paul Egan spoke against and carried the day. And Thompson lost narrowly – our non-endorsement hurt. And Bloomberg did more damage to our schools in that third term than in the first two, combined. Paul implied that Bloomberg would give us a contract if we stayed out of the raise (spoiler alert – no contract from Bloomberg, and within a month he came after tenure. Paul got that one 100% wrong.) LeRoy is the current UFT Secretary and the leader of Unity caucus. Paul was a Unity leader and the UFT’s political action director when he cowered in the face of Bloomberg, and today he is the other group’s silent and hidden candidate for UFT secretary.
This time might be better? Mulgrew hinted they would use ranked choice, but no commitment. There is some sense of getting member input. But frankly, I’m not at all convinced. I think the recommendation to the Delegate Assembly (which will certainly pass, unless, see below) will be worked out behind closed doors.
Even more concerning? The Unity invite to Andrew Cuomo to address the Spring Conference, Unity faithful saying it is “only fair” that he gets to speak, and anger from some Unity retirees that Bennett Fischer in his report at the last Retired Teachers Chapter meeting, warned about the need to stop Cuomo.
I’d feel much better if Mulgrew would say about Cuomo what all of us know. He’s the author of Tier VI. He’s a creep. And our enemies are backing him, with cash. We should just say no. But we have not. I am concerned.
ACB
But I’m most concerned about the last ‘caucus.’ Their “leave your politics at the door” makes you wonder what their real politics are. I know some of the individuals, individually, are ok. But “leave your politics at the door” as a guideline opens up some ugliness. And the whole group has taken on that character.
We’ve already seen some of it. What do they say about immigrants? About racism? Why don’t they criticize Trump? Why don’t they support the Federal workers (except to feel bad for them). You also probably know that they have largely boycotted the Hands Off, No Cuts, and May Day rallies, and have been mostly absent from RTC picket lines in support of other unions.
They’ve promised to send UFT money (presumably COPE money) to Marianne Pizzitola and the NYCOPSR. Does that mean they support her candidates? I’m not thinking about her support for City Council rabid rightwingers Vernikov and Paladino, not today. Today is about the Mayor’s race.
In the Mayor’s Race the NYCOPSR supports technocrat Jim Walden. Bloomberg light. Running independent. Is that where Paul Egan wants to send our cope money?
Could it be worse? Sure. Look at these “like”s on one of Marianne’s recent endorsements of ABC… Bottom of the list is one of the anti-Vax leaders. And the first ‘like’? Birds of a feather. Or something foul.
Fractions at the Delegate Assembly
Some teachers tell kids “fractions are your friends” but in the United States that’s often not the case. We end up with a lot of adults who feel uncertain around them. How many jokes do we have? ” 
Lots of people, kids and adults, learn to avoid fractions. One trick is to ask someone else to handle them. Another is to work in percentages instead. Calculators give percents. Their form, a two-digit number, makes them easier to compare than fractions. How many of our neighbors are unsure which of 
Most elections work with the idea of “majority” – and there can be fuzziness about what that means. I have heard “51%” which is not right. A majority means more than 
Even simpler are up or down votes. These typically require a majority. Exactly half the votes are not enough. (But don’t say “half plus one” – as you can see above, a majority of 25 is not 
But 
If 30 people vote, 20 are
| Votes | Yes | No |
| 30 | 20 | 10 |
| 12 | 8 | 4 |
| 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 600 | 400 | 200 |
| 3n | 2n | 1n |
Can you figure out why twice as many yes votes as no votes makes exactly
This also gets to the heart of “Why
Last Wednesday at the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) Delegate Assembly, fractions became an issue. Unity, the caucus that controls the union, has had to navigate carefully to get resolutions passed this year – usually getting just one through each Delegate Assembly. And last Wednesday their focus was likely going to be the two endorsement resolutions, for City Council, and for Borough Presidents. You’d think they would have made those resolutions #1 and #2 so they could get to them. Nope. They had something else in mind.
rds the length of the other.Unity managed back in January to place an “outside interference” resolution on the agenda. It’s classic, disgusting redbaiting. But in this election, Unity was also aiming it at the leader of the NYCOPSR who has been backing the acb group in the election. Unity wanted this. Desperately. But Unity has not been winning all the votes… Most contested votes have been won with less than 60%, in either direction. And so Unity has avoided letting the “outside interference” reso come up. They weren’t sure they had the numbers.
But May was different. For the May DA Unity did a hard push to get their delegates to attend. And knowing that they had mobilized and had the numbers, they wanted to pass their contentious redbaiting resolution, and also get both of their endorsement resolutions up for votes, and passed. So Mulgrew shortened his report. That’s a big deal. He usually takes a report that he delivers in 15 minutes at the UFT Executive Board and extends it to an hour at the Delegate Assembly, to eat up time, and to keep motions and debate from occurring. It’s a control mechanism.
So Mulgrew’s report was done in 29 minutes – to leave time for the “outsiders” resolution and both the endorsement resolutions. But they weren’t certain that was enough. So during “Motions Directed to the Agenda” (sometimes incorrectly called “the new motion period” because that’s mostly what comes up), Academic HS VP Janella Hinds was recognized, and moved to extend the meeting until those 3 resolutions were completed.
Now, a motion directed to this month’s agenda takes a
Not me. Those opposed numbers, 279 and 120, sweet. Easy to add (no carries). That’s 399. And I know (and if you were reading closely above, you do too) that for it to be
The numbers announcer declared “67 percent, it passes” but I already knew it didn’t and objected “that’s not two-thirds. It’s like 66.5 percent rounded up.” My voice was heard by enough people. It could not be ignored. But really, it was the math talking.
There was a hubbub. Someone (was it Mulgrew?) stated that 66.5% is exactly
We are ARISE!
Your UFT ballot just arrived, or will shortly. Check off the box for ARISE!, place it in the security sleeve, place that in the envelope, and mail it in.
Spring
Did Spring come early this year? Or late?
For me, I don’t know. My mom got sick, diagnosed in January, and that’s been hard. I’ve been up a few times. We’ve been on the phone every day, longer when she wasn’t making much sense, when the only reason for the call was for her to hear my voice, and me hers. I’ve spent hours and hours reading charts, doctors notes, researching what particular words mean, what medical abbreviations stand for. I have also learned to read therapists reports, and dietitians’ reports, and how to cut through the boilerplate to find what’s new. Or what’s not new. I’ve learned about side-effects and drug interactions. And about biopsies, and blood counts. And a little about insurance. I’ve been to meetings with doctors, and prepared good questions in advance. And I translate all of this for people who depend on me to do exactly that. FWIW, I’m a much better explainer today than I used to be.
At the same time I’ve been an officer of the Retired Teachers Chapter of the UFT (I’m the Assistant Secretary). I like working with Bennett Fischer… but there’s a lot going on… and I’ve been having trouble keeping up. There’s an RTC meeting tomorrow – I’ll be there – but for the first time I didn’t contribute in any way to the planning.
I’m also working with student teachers at Queens College. Same. I’ve been having trouble keeping up. But I did get back on top of it, and it is a pleasure to be able to be visit classrooms, and to be encouraging, and to be helpful. Watching teachers get better, seemingly in front of your eyes, wow.
And then there’s the UFT election campaign. I’m working with ARISE! – an amazing slate – a coalition of New Action, MORE, and Retiree Advocate. Olivia Swisher is our presidential candidate, and Michael Shulman our Secretary, and Aixa Rodriguez our Assistant Secretary. It’s going to take our political outlook, our organizing approach, and our commitment to mobilizing members to beat Unity, push back on the DoE and NYC (healthcare, mandated curricula, etc), and build and organize the alliances that it will take to fight off Trump. And I’ve been doing a lot, but I am also overwhelmed. We have a vote-mobilization-kick-off-I’m-not-sure-what event this coming Sunday. I will be there, but happy not to be involved in organizing it. (It’s 2:30 – 5:00 on Sunday April 27 in midtown. Details to follow.)
So barely keeping afloat through the second half of January, February, March… and now it is April. I’ve started to stretch. I’m back walking in the garden and the park (the New York Botanical Garden and Van Cortlandt Park) most days. Last week I got in my first real hike since January (Carras Hill in Norvin Green State Forest, in northern New Jersey, south and a bit west of Sterling Forest). I have a pile of magazines, I’ve just started opening (and I forgot to renew the New Yorker, and honestly, I wasn’t getting to it even before January). I’ve cracked a book – it’s been months. I solved a good math problem over the weekend. I’ll write about that. I planned for some formal culture (ballet tickets. rehearsals, because they are free. but still. it counts.)
And as I am waking up, stretching my body and my mind, I just noticed, Spring is here.
ARISE!
Standing with Federal Workers? Or backing Trump?
The ABC group shows a dangerous side.
“Leaving politics at the door” apparently means not taking on Trump when he denies rights to workers. Focusing on “Bread and Butter” turns out to mean prioritizing Trump’s border wall. And “Standing with” apparently means asking others to retrain fired workers.
Workers Should Not Have Been Fired
First, these workers should not have been fired. Look for that simple statement of principle in the ABC statement. It is fully absent.
Workers Should Have Their Jobs Back
Second, these workers should have their jobs back. Look for that basic statement in the ABC statment. It is fully absent.
And it is not just words. It is deeds. At the large downtown rally to Stop the Cuts on March 24 – ARISE was powerfully present – Unity had a minimal presence – and ABC was fully absent. In each of the rallies since that I have been to or asked others about – was ABC there? No.
ARISE Stands in Solidarity with Workers Facing Bad Bosses
Third, I stand in solidarity with all workers – as workers. Unionized, ununionized, solidarity is a basic for workers. I am, ARISE is, all good unionists are opposed to workers being fired. But look at the ABC statement. Totally absent.
Instead, the second paragraph shows these workers sympathy, not solidarity. And the first paragraph names some of their “important” functions. Why the quotes? Read on…
We Oppose Anti-Immigrant Policies
When the third group writes about government functions, what do they put first?
Why are borders there at all? Hardly a “bread and butter” issue. No, they are pandering to base anti-immigrant sentiment.
Trump and Musk Do NOT Have the Right to Arbitrarily Fire Federal Workers
Fifth, they didn’t only side-step the firings. They said that Trump and Musk had the right to fire our union brothers and sisters (or sisters and brothers?) (or siblings – that’s probably best – it’ll take me a while to get used to it). Read this one closely, and then read it again.
That’s it. Musk fires thousands of workers – and ABC? recognizes that he had to make a hard decision? They sympathize with the workers? And with Donald Trump’s difficult choice? Wonder if they feel for superintendents who make hard decisions, or principals who make difficult choices? Some of us know which side we are on.
Workers Want Their Jobs Back. Workers are not Asking for “New Opportunities”
Sixth, they “stand” with federal workers, but don’t support the most basic demand – that the workers should be rehired, have their jobs back. (OK, that is really number two, from above. But there’s a new twist from the twisted author. Keep reading.) Workers are trying to get rehired. The fights are in the streets, in demonstrations and rallies, and in the courts. This is their fight today. But don’t look for that in ABC’s statement. It is totally absent.
Instead there is a bizarre call – not for action from labor and our allies, but on everyone except labor… and not to rehire our union siblings, but to retrain them. Retrain them?
Walmart? Charter school teachers?
Folks, I think they were counting on you to read the title, and not their words. But it’s here. Read it. Go over every line. Is this labor solidarity? Or pandering to Trump? Is that what you really want?
Do you want this:
A Clear Choice: ARISE!
Or would you rather sympathize with Donald and Elon?
A Clear Error, ACB
We Marched to Stop the Cuts
Just some cool photos. The RTC/UFT Labor Solidarity Project + other UFT retirees were the core of the UFT presence at Saturday’s march.
There were in-service UFT members as well – mostly supporters of ARISE. There were a few people from Unity marching. But the UFT endorsed. Why was the leadership completely absent? And the other group, of course they were missing; they support Trump’s “right” to fire federal workers.
We marched from Foley Square, up to Worth, across to Broadway, and down Broadway. As we neared 52, UFTers pulled out of the line of march to get some good UFT spirit and take some group photos and videos in front of our headquarters:
March to Stop the Cuts
Saturday 3/15/25, Foley Square, 11AM
About this event
Right-wing politicians in Washington are moving forward with devastating proposals to cut two trillion dollars from Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, Public Education, and the Enforcement of Workers’ Rights to fund a massive tax giveaway to the wealthy and corporations. Enough with unelected billionaires being given free rein to shut down vital services of millions of Americans for their own ends.
No cuts to working people to fund tax breaks for billionaires!
Date: Saturday, March 15, 2025 Time: 11:00 am Location: Foley Square
New York City’s Hidden History – Freedom Day (reprint)
Huge civil rights protest, half a million, 60 years ago. And some of you might want to say, “but the March on Washington was sixty and a half years ago – and it was a quarter million” – which is correct. And it makes the point. A protest, twice the size, not in Washington DC but here in New York City, happened 60 years ago, and it is hidden.
The NY Daily news sent a note to subscribers – 60 years ago (Wednesday) a few hundred school kids skipped schools to greet the Beatles at JFK. A few hundred. None of the NY newspapers sent out notices about the 60th anniversary of half a million kids boycotting school earlier the same week.
Why hide the history? Few people know about “Freedom Day” – it is omitted from our history text books – around the country, and, worse, in New York State and New York City. Why do leaders and educators hide such a major event?
Let’s pause for a second, and just review what happened. February 3, 1964 was Freedom Day in New York City. 470,000 students boycotted school, and many engaged in additional protest and demonstration. They were demanding integration. They got empty promises, that were broken.
I don’t trust you anymore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ25-U3jNWM
You keep on saying, “Go slow”
Go slow
But that’s just the trouble (too slow)
Desegregation (too slow)
Mass participation (too slow)
Other actions, strategies, and protests have occurred since. With the same results. Or less. New York City operates one of the most highly segregated big city school systems in the nation today.
From Time Magazine, September 2020:
(that’s an 8 minute video. There’s also a print story)
So Freedom Day was momentously huge. It did not bring about change. It set the pattern for promising discussions or studies down the road, and delivering nothing.
Is Freedom Day part of our history?
If a textbook in Colorado skipped over a huge protest in another part of the country that did not result in big change – I kind of get that. But half a million students is a lot. And the fact that the Civil Rights Movement produced the March on Washington that we think of as a turning point, but Freedom Day, twice as big, that did not change anything… probably worth mentioning.
But we are not in Colorado. We are in New York City. And when there are large national events or changes, we often include lessons on how they played out in our state. New York City during the Civil War (draft riots). New York City and immigration (Jacob Riis and Tenements). New York City and suburbanization (Levittown). But what about the struggle against segregation? That was across the country, including here. And a massive school boycott – that’s the biggest political action by students in New York City, well, ever. How do we leave our history out of our textbooks?
There is Black History in New York in our textbooks. I don’t have a DoE approved book at home – but Brittanica Kids has an article about riots in Harlem. But nothing about Freedom Day. Freedom Day was organized. It involved many, many more people. Why would Brittanica (and I assume other texts) privilege a story of chaotic response over an inspiring, bigger story of well-organized response?
Is Freedom Day “uncomfortable”?
If the March on Washington is history, but Freedom Day is not… If the Harlem riots are history… but Freedom Day is not… maybe the question is who is making that decision – and do they have an interest in including some stories and excluding others.
Yet, King highlighted the venality of more “polite” forms of racism and challenged Northern liberals to address racism at home — and not just in the South. Violence and hate-filled rhetoric were not the only methods by which White supremacy was maintained. King identified how people, including those who may have deplored Southern injustice, maintained the racial status quo. Moderates and liberals deployed “both-sidesism,” argued that time would solve the problems of racism, cast disruptive protest as unwise and unreasonable and embraced ideas like the “culture of poverty” to justify strong-arm policing and explain away inequities in their own cities.
https://www.aaihs.org/martin-luther-king-jr-s-challenge-to-his-liberal-allies/
Freedom Day challenged – and the fact that it occurred challenges – present tense – the racial status quo in New York City. The stories of the riots provide a rationale (false) for more and more aggressive policing – and that is “policing” which was, and continues to be, largely directed at people of color. And the story of the defeat of Freedom Day highlights the duplicity of those who counsel patience, going slow, “this is not the right time,” more study, etc.
More Links
I have been writing about Freedom Day for several years. This year I am four days late. Short post. Meandering story I told kids one year.
Chris Bonastia’s book covers much of the story of Freedom Day in detail. I recommend it.
Who decides what is history?
Freedom Day is uncomfortable. It is inconvenient. But it was a huge, huge event. It was defeated by double-talking politicians. And it continues to be mistreated, by being kept hidden from generations of students. Who has decided, up to now, that it is not taught in our schools? And who will decide to remedy that injustice?
Retiree Advocate Town Hall: The ARISE Campaign
I am excited to be working on a UFT election campaign through Retiree Advocate.
Our first event is a Town Hall this Sunday at 7:30. Please register if you are available. Hope to see you there
Attend the Retiree Advocate Town Hall on Sunday, January 12 at 7:30PM . Register Here: https://shorturl.at/96KuP or use the QR code in the flyer, below.
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A Math Question: the Crazed Carpenter
Yesterday I heard that a current union activist teacher, math teacher, was influenced to become a math teacher, in part, from reading this blog. Wow, even if that’s just a little true… Pretty cool. And then I was thinking I should write about math again. And today I was doing a problem with a friend on a car ride, and it was too hard, so we did this one again. So why not share it? Here goes:
A crazed carpenter perfectly attaches legs to the edge of the seat of a stool, except he pays no attention to where around the seat each leg goes. They could end up perfectly separated by 120º (and it stands), or they could be clustered together (and the stool would not stand). Any arrangement is possible. What is the probability that a 3-legged stool created by this crazed carpenter will stand?
and the legs attach to the edge of the seat
Credit to Bertie Taylor of the old Compuserve Science/Math Forum (or SIG?). Bertie called it the “Mad Carpenter” problem because in his dialect “mad” meant “crazy.” Alas, when I google Bertie I get nothing, and when I google “Mad Carpenter” I get a lovely bed and breakfast that offers no math problems whatsoever.
Resolutions – Out with the Old?
Last year I tried a creative list of resolutions. Traditional resolutions are aspirational – be a better person, eat less – and are set ups for “fail once, give up” – so I avoided them. Instead, I made doable resolutions. Here’s how I put it:
And then I made 10 resolutions. I kept some:
It would be easy to resolve to read more, travel more, eat less and better, start a math book club, hike more, lose weight, blog more, make more “State of the Union” episodes, and visit more cool things in New York. But as well-meaning as each of those resolutions are, I don’t think making them is meaningful, not when we know in advance that good intentions might not play out. Resolve not to be late anymore? Well, I would like that, but I know this is very difficult for me. It’s not just about trying harder.
I kept 6 of the 10.
- Have a good birthday! I needed one resolution that felt like a resolution. And three score is a lot. I should have a day or two to smile about it!
- Do not download games to my phone. I deleted all of them, one at a time, last summer and fall. I miss them – but like withdrawal – not like nostalgia. My screen time dropped immediately. Stay the course. Solid resolution.
- Visit all the NYC zoos. And the Aquarium.
- Track my vitals. Won’t promise to lose weight or get more fit. But I resolve to pay attention.
- Keep flowers in my apartment. I may grow some. I may buy some. I may buy plants that flower periodically. But this is easy, and flowers make me happy.
- Log my books. I won’t resolve to read more – see above – but I am recording my reading, whether a whole book or part of a chapter, in my “Book Book” – a black and white cover bound composition book.
It was a great birthday – friends at a bar – and a cold weather walk with friends in Van Cortlandt Park. The no games on the phone gets easier over time – that really was a bad habit. I got to all the zoos – including Prospect Park just 2 weeks ago. (Bronx is the best!) Getting the IDNYC free membership helped. Tracking my vitals was easy – I just do it. And logging the books was easier than it should have been – how can I read so little? I’ll say more, below.
I partially kept 3 of the 10
- Log my hikes. I won’t resolve to hike more (even though I mean to). I will resolve to record them though, in my “Hike Book” – a black and white cover bound composition book.
- Say yes to more social invites. I was out last weekend – at the sort of thing I usually miss – and it felt good.
- Reread my advice to myself. I think kids asked for advice for a yearbook quote. And this is what I came up with, here: “Speak the truth. Work for Change. It’s not about you.”
So I came closest on the hikes. I logged everything out of the city. But I confess to skipping some Van Cortlandt Park hikes, and walks in the NY Botanical Gardens and Central Park. Just not sure they should qualify when so much is on concrete paths. Except no excuse for skipping logging Van Cortlandt – I don’t think it happened often. Number 2, I definitely missed a few invites for no good reason – and accepted a few. I need to shift that balance. And “Speak the Truth; Work for Change” – well, yes, but no, it’s never good enough. Always keep working on this.
I failed on 1 of the 10
- Ride as many of the NYC ferry lines as I can. Even Rockaway.
I did not ride a single ferry this year, except back and forth once to Staten Island.
And this year? I am not going to make a resolution of something where I’ve already succeeded (flowers, zoos, vitals) I am going to repeat a few that bear repeating. And a few additions.
A comment about reading. I will not resolve to read more. But I’m going to repeat the book logging resolution because I read SO LITTLE. Look at this: 1 Hitler’s Empire by Mark Mazower (serious, hard, took me a while). The Annotated Alice (2 Alice in Wonderland and 3 Through the Looking Glass) by Lewis Caroll (Charles Dodgson), edited by Martin Gardner. 4 Mutiny on the Bounty by William Bligh (edited for younger readers). 5 Gut: The Inside Story of our Body’s Most Underrated Organ by Giulia Enders (this was good – popularly written – I think most people could read, enjoy, and learn from it). 6 Red State Revolt by Eric Blanc (about the teacher strikes in AZ, OK, and WV – some good info, but some of the analysis felt “gee whiz” and other parts felt strangely interpreted). 7 A History of Tea: The Life and Times of the World’s Favorite Beverage by Laura C. Martin (uneven, different parts written with strangely different voices. The history was weird, especially of colonialism.) And 8 First Farmers: The Origins of Agricultural Society by Peter Bellwood (Tremendous. I did struggle at times, but well worth it. And as soon as I finished I went looking for an update – because he left us with open questions. And indeed, it has just been updated. I’m looking forward).
But that’s it! Not enough. Even though Mazower and Bellwood needed longer, 8 books in a year?
So, Resolutions for 2025:
- Ride as many of the NYC ferry lines as I can. Back on the horse, so to speak.
- Log my books. I will keep recording my reading, whether a whole book or part of a chapter, in my “Book Book” – and I hope that will motivate me to be more consistent. Let’s also patiently wait and see if any fiction appears.
- Attempt long walks (notice, “attempt” – that’s fair). Broadway from Bowling Green to the City Line. Maybe City Hall to Coney Island. Could I try a shorewalkers’ walk along the shore of Manhattan? That sort of stuff. Bella walked from the GW to the Tappan Zee. See, I’m not even going to pretend I’m going to try that one.
- Keep a record of when I eat take out. Seriously. It’s too easy to max out salt, fat, carbs, fried stuff, and sugar without even trying. I guess I need a book. A Take Out Book.
- Spend more time outside of NYC. This year I had one one-week trip (MN, SD, ND) and weekends here and there (Cambridge, Lansing, Mohonk). Not nearly enough.
- This year I am using my IDNYC to get three free memberships: NYC Ballet, Museum of Modern Art (with PS1), and Flushing Town Hall (with reciprocal privileges for the Queens Museum). So let’s get five for one: at least one NYC Ballet rehearsal, MOMA, PS1, one event at Flushing Town Hall, and one event at the Queens Museum.
- In the spirit of what’s worked, and all my new membership, yet another book – performances, movies, museums: I’ll log this stuff in an Arts not on TV Book.
- Five major NYC Botanical Gardens: NYBG (easy!), Queens Botanical Garden, Brooklyn Botanical Garden, Snug Harbor, and Wave Hill
- Have a good birthday! A real resolution. And three score and one odd is my last prime for a while. I already got the shirt.
And that other stuff? Blog more? Lose weight? Be on time more? They’d all be good. I might try. I will try. But silly to make those resolutions.
Retiree Advocate is running as part of ARISE
Retiree Advocate is running in the Spring 2025 UFT election…
as part of a coalition:
ARISE
| ARISE – the Alliance of Retired and In Service Educators – is comprised of Retiree Advocate, along with the Movement of Rank and File Educators, and the New Action Caucus, and is open to others ready to fight for a better union for all of us. Retiree Advocate stunned the leadership of the United Federation of Teachers this past May, winning the leadership of the Retired Teachers Chapter (RTC). This was the culmination of our fight against the imposition of Medicare “Dis”Advantage. Bennett Fischer became Chapter Leader. We won 10 officers, 15 members of the RTC Executive Board, and 300 member delegates. Most importantly, we now represent the 73,000 retired UFT members. Since coming into office, we have already begun to achieve a record fighting co-pays for our retiree and in-service members, winning the right of the Delegate Assembly to approve any changes to our healthcare, and establishing a new retiree healthcare committee and UFT/RTC Labor Solidarity Committee. It’s not all easy. Mulgrew’s Unity caucus still creates obstacles. But we are working every day. Our overwhelming spring victory immediately pointed to the future – Retiree Advocate clearly has a major role to play in the upcoming May 2025 election. And Retiree Advocate’s role will be at the heart of ARISE. We bring knowledge and experience. We are retired chapter leaders. We are organizers. We bring votes. With 63%, we just won the biggest upset in UFT history. Our partnership in ARISE, with MORE and NAC, is powerful. We have the potential to take leadership of this union in tumultuous times. Unfortunately, a small group has declared itself ready to run, not only against Unity, but also against the traditional caucuses: Retiree Advocate, New Action and MORE. This group, made up in part of current and former members of Unity caucus, rejects working with caucuses, and with the organizing skill and experience that comes with them. They have even suggested that division is ok. That’s not a road to victory. Our coalition, ARISE, has room for independents. We have kept the door open; we have invited them in. They have rejected us multiple times, but we will keep trying. Our best route to victory over Unity is to build ARISE into the most powerful coalition it can be. Our best route to bringing the other group around, to getting them to join together, take their place as part as a unified slate, is to build ARISE into the most powerful coalition it can be. You can do your part. |
| Read the ARISE Platform Volunteer to join our coalition of working and retired educators’ campaign for the upcoming UFT Elections |
Try Substack?
Seems like the popular new thing. Here’s my first try – it’s about yesterday’s UFT Retired Teachers Chapter meeting – first ever not run by Unity. (Spoiler – we did pretty well. Bennett Fischer set a good tone. And the chapter is sending a resolution on health care to the Delegate Assembly)
Read The UFT RTC Sets a New Tone, Adopts a Motion on JD Organizing in Retirement on substack.
Prime Palindromes
I haven’t done a math puzzle in a while. Maybe a year? But I play with math. A lot. If I see puzzles, why not share them?
What is the largest 4-digit prime palindrome?
Prime – a number whose only factors are 1 and itself. “Number” here clearly means Natural Number, or in many text books Counting Number, a number from the set {1, 2, 3, …}, a positive integer… Except we exclude 1 itself. The smallest prime is 2. The rest of the primes are odd. And we know there is not a biggest prime. Hmmph. I should write up some prime basics. But not here.
Palindrome – a word that reads the same backwards and forwards. Like KAYAK. Or a phrase that reads the same forwards and backwards. Like “A man, a plan, a canal, Panama.” Or a number that reads the same forwards and backwards. Like 99. Or 121. Does 7 count? Good question.
Largest? That’s easy.
4-digit? Any number with four digits. 1000 is the smallest. 9999 is the largest. There are nine thousand of them (if this surprises you, see if you can convince yourself that it is correct.
And that’s it:
What is the largest 4-digit prime palindrome?
Brace yourself
I argued a few days ago that the investigations around Eric Adams’ people were a big deal, but not THAT much of a big deal. Every mayor has had scandals. And I lived through Koch. You’ve gotta show me more than some campaign finance violations, shake-downs, and small time bribes. Turkey. Ed Caban. Banks, Banks & Banks. Winnie Greco. Lisa Zornberg. I wrote:
That’s a lot. Could be a lot more. Has reached his highest level appointees. Could it reach him personally? Maybe. Could it force him to resign? Probably not, even if we wished it did force him. After all, this is New York.
Since I wrote, Banks resigned as schools commissioner (effective December 31), and Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasain resigned. That’s biggers. But no indictment of Adams himself… until…
Adams is getting indicted tomorrow. Big scandal. New York scale. Up there with Koch – and maybe more than that, since Koch was never touched. This is a big deal, even for jaded New Yorkers. Like me.
Cue the celebrations? Nah. I’m not a fan of Eric Adams. Most of my friends, same. We will cheer for a moment. Or a day. But, two things. First, there’s something weird about a growing scandal, in New York City, but where none of the targets is a white man. (How come the papers aren’t talking about this? Funny, same papers who never mentioned the ethnicity of the targets in the Koch scandals. Two-thirds Jews, one-third Italians. And pretty much no one else. You knew that, right?)
The second reason to delay celebrating… who is now the favorite to be New York City’s next mayor? I mean, after whoever finishes Adams’ term? The answer, brace yourself, is probably…
Andrew Cuomo. Who spread COVID in nursing homes, leading early on to the highest senior citizen COVID death count in the country. Who ordered his staff, on NY State time, to work on producing his book. Who helped the Republicans keep control in the NY State Senate for a decade. Who routinely opposed progressive legislation. Who tried to throw the Working Families Party off the ballot. And who had a dozen women complaining of forcible touching. He put his hands where women did not want them, and used his power to get away with it.
Andrew Cuomo, who only beat ethics charges when the Ethics Board was dismantled.
I bet the Times endorses him (if they still endorse? Do they?) or at least they hit “like.” They do that for candidates who claim to oppose racism, and promise to never do anything to address it. I bet Republicans endorse him. No better chance for them to get one of their own into Gracie Mansion. Cops will support him, and the promise of no increase in oversight. And all the “moderate” Democrats.
So yup, glad Eric’s gone. But it’s not time to cheer. Not yet.
31 More Days in Kursk in Maps
From ISW (Institute for the Study of War). All the maps are at the same scale. One map every other day, from August 26 through September 21. The previous post was one map per day, August 7 through August 22. Those maps are at the bottom of this post.
These maps start all blue (territory in Russia where Ukrainian armed forces were present) – the yellow is where the Russian military has claimed to have advanced – the red is where ISW (an anti-Russian military think tank) confirms that the Russian military has advanced.
Some of the spread of the blue may have been a bit misleading. The Ukrainian Armed Forces were using mobile groups that bypassed strongpoints and leapt ahead – it was not always the case that all of the blue was under their control. Nonetheless, by the end of the first week of September, Ukraine controlled an area within Russia about half the size of Rhode Island (I used an overestimate in my previous article). And since then we can see a slow but steady reconquest of these territories. This process is slower than the Ukrainian incursion.
Two notes on the current situation. Off the map (but in an inset on the last five maps) is an area to the west, a bit of the Kursk Oblast that is cut off on one side by the Ukrainian border, and two sides by the River Seym. Ukraine is trying to cut off the fourth side by reaching Glushkovo (on the right of the map). After taking some settlements, they have stalled, but fierce fighting is occurring there now.
A second note – Looking (at the 16 maps) at what remains of the “blue” – it looks like a rectangle, on a slant. And the upper half of that rectangle is no longer adjacent to Ukrainian territory. If you examine the map below, find the “main” road that goes southeast (Sudzha) to northwest (Korenevo). Ukrainian soldiers are around the northwestern parts, but Russian forces are not far from threatening the middle of that major road.
Here’s the same bit, different scale, as displayed by Rybar (his maps are a bit too complicated):
The Kursk incursion was probably a recognition that Ukraine cannot win a war of attrition. It got good press in the West. It harmed Russian morale. Shock value. But the territory taken – most will be lost. Ukraine does not seem to have the capacity to hold it. Zelensky mentioned a buffer zone – perhaps they can hold onto that much. But not likely enough to use as a major bargaining chip. If the goal was to force quick peace talks (I don’t think that’s so), it seems to have failed. Ukraine did draw tens of thousands of Russian troops to the region – but the Russian Armed Forces did not draw men away from its main lines of attack in Lugansk and Donetsk, where offensive action has continued unabated. The attack shook up the Russians, but it also shook up Ukraine’s government.
Something clear, the value of individual towns in Donbas – to both sides – is greater than the value of groups of towns in Kursk. The Ukrainian attack did not draw Russian forces. They stayed in Donetsk. There is more population. There is more industry. Both sides value it. And as “big” as the region is, its only a fraction (lower left) of Kursk (light-colored region, which is itself small within Russia:
Let me close by repeating my close from last time:
I have been reading a lot about this war. I hate this war. I hate the killing and destruction. I hate the loss of life. And I am fascinated by, and absolutely terrified of, the massive use of drones – observation, loitering munitions (essentially flying bombs), heat sensing… But while I hate this war, I read a lot about it, mostly, and ironically, from two deeply pro-war sources – ISW is one of them (I only reluctantly linked, and that’s because I used their maps), and one of the Russian milibloggers (military bloggers), the Fisherman (Rybar, Рыбарь), is the other.
That’s it. I wish this would end. But in the meantime, I pay attention.
August 7 – August 22:
After all, this is New York
There are weirder cities. There are more corrupt cities. There are more bizarre cities. But New York City rolls them all together, and New Yorkers roll with it. At least that’s my answer for why I am not too focused on the legal problems of people who somehow know current Mayor Eric Adams. Know him, and were appointed by him, or work (worked?) with people appointed by him.
I’m not a fan of Eric Adams. I voted against him. I hope these current scandals force him out, or at least make him a non-factor in next year’s mayoral race. But this is New York.
Bill de Blasio’s reaction to corruption charges was that New Yorkers didn’t care – and so he didn’t pay attention. He racked up an impressive stack of them – a lot were about his family – some were about donations – some about pay to play. Don’t you remember the police detail that used to drive Dante to school? Don’t worry, I forgot about it too. https://www.nydailynews.com/2021/12/26/nycs-outgoing-mayor-de-blasio-dodged-criminal-trouble-despite-myriad-investigations-over-his-two-terms/. No federal investigation. But at least one serious charge a year. But this is New York.
Mike Bloomberg, ironically, had fewer real scandals, although his biggest, CityTime, was a doozy. That was a massive contract – massive corporate corruption – although it did not touch Bloomberg personally. Then there’s the Deutsches Bank construction – where failing to enforce construction regulations – violations were repeatedly reported! – led to a fatal fire. His sexist remarks are legendary and gross, though not corrupt. His appointment of a rich woman he knew from cocktail parties to head New York City Schools was cronyism, not a crime. (I still don’t know why Michael Mulgrew refused to oppose the nomination of Cathy Black as Schools Chancellor. The members were ready to fight. She was completely unqualified. I don’t think it was a caucus thing. You shouldn’t back down every time your opponent seems powerful. Trust me.) Back to Bloomberg: https://fair.org/home/bloombergs-scandals-ignored-or-underplayed-by-press-cheerleaders/ Big contracts, friends, influence… it was there. But this is New York.
Giuliani, the slime, has a shorter list. The Bernie Kerik stuff didn’t hit until Rudy had slithered off into the sunset, never to be seen again (don’t we wish that were true! Spoiler alert, he keeps reappearing, more disgusting each time). But Giuliani actually tried to stay in power by cancelling the elections. Not corrupt. Criminal. Dangerous. But do we remember? After all, this is New York.
Dinkins had less than the others, but his tainted contracts were genuine corruption as well. He just didn’t have the personal involvement that made the others, for a time, so headline grabbing. But yes, parking violations (though not on the Koch scale) and Lockheed were actual corruption. This is New York.
Adams scorecard
- Funnelling money from Turkey into his campaign in return for some considerations
- Police chief and his brother? A security firm making money, illegally, through connections. Edward Caban. Forced to resign. (Notice, by the way, the New York Time rarely used Caban’s name. 90% of the time they referred to him as the NYC Police Commissioner. They are just tenuously a New York City newspaper – and their readership on the whole is not especially familiar with NYC and NYC government)
- Bribery involving Schools Chancellor David Banks’s brother (and other brother), and of course contracts.
- Winnie Greco
- Lisa Zornberg resignation
That’s a lot. Could be a lot more. Has reached his highest level appointees. Could it reach him personally? Maybe. Could it force him to resign? Probably not, even if we wished it did force him. After all, this is New York.
Am I crazy? Let me leave you with this article from 37 years ago. And if you were not around, let me tell you about one person missing – Donald Manes, Queens Borough President, who was under indictment when he killed himself.
Something to think about…
WHO’S WHO IN THE NEW YORK CITY CORRUPTION SCANDALS
By Marianne Yen
August 25, 1987 at 8:00 p.m. EDT
CONVICTED STANLEY FRIEDMAN
Former Bronx Democratic boss sentenced March 1987 to 12 years in prison for conviction on racketeering, conspiracy and mail fraud charges for his dealings with the Parking Violations Bureau. LESTER SHAFRAN Former Parking Violations Bureau director sentenced March 1987 to six months in jail and $48,600 in fines for conviction on racketeering, conspiracy and mail fraud charges. MICHAEL LAZAR Former transportation commissioner sentenced March 1987 to three years in prison and a $200,000 fine for conviction on racketeering, conspiracy and mail fraud charges. GEOFFREY LINDENAUER Former Parking Violations Bureau deputy director sentenced July 1987 to two years in prison for conviction on racketeering and extortion charges. ANTHONY AMERUSO Former transportation commissioner convicted of perjury, scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 22. JAY TUROFF Former taxi and limousine commissioner sentenced on June 19 to four months in jail and a $25,000 fine for conviction on bribery charge. FRANCIS X. SMITH Queens Supreme Court justice convicted of perjury in a grand jury investigation of cable television franchising; awaits sentencing. RICHARD RUBIN Top aide to Queens Democratic Party official sentenced March 1987 to 5 years in jail and a $700,000 fine for a State Assembly no-show job scheme. JOHN McLAUGHLIN Former president of the Health and Hospitals Corp. sentenced to six months in jail for lying on financial disclosure forms and stealing from former law clients. ALEX LIBERMAN Former chief lease director pleaded guilty to extorting more than $1 million in bribes; is serving a 12-year prison term. WILLIAM BRENNAN Former State Supreme Court justice convicted of bribery; is serving a five-year prison sentence. STANLEY SIMON Former Bronx borough president indicted on extortion, perjury, tax evasion, and obstruction of justice charges in connection with the Wedtech scandal. Awaits trial on Nov. 9. MARIO BIAGGI Ten-term Bronx congressman indicted for allegedly receiving bribes from a Brooklyn shipyard company. The case is scheduled for trial Monday. In addition, Biaggi was indicted on extortion, perjury, tax evasion, and obstruction of justice charges in connection with the Wedtech scandal. That trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 9. MEADE ESPOSITO Former Brooklyn Democratic boss indicted with Biaggi on charges of taking bribes from a Brooklyn company. JOHN ZACCARO Real estate broker and husband of former Queens congresswoman Geraldine A. Ferraro was indicted October 1986 on extortion and bribery charges in a Queens cable television franchise scandal. Twenty-six supervisors and inspectors in the school construction unit of the New York City Board of Education were indicted in May 1987 by a Brooklyn grand jury on charges of conspiracy, grand larceny and receiving bribes. All are awaiting trial.
RESIGNED VICTOR BOTNICK Chairman of the Health and Hospitals Corp. resigned June 1986 after admitting that he lied about his academic credentials. THEODORE TEAH Bronx representative on the City Planning Commission resigned in June 1986. Currently under investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s office in connection with cable television contracts. His attorney has said he resigned public office so he could seek private employment. BESS MYERSON City cultural affairs commissioner resigned in April 1987, one day after a report to Mayor Edward I. Koch found she improperly influenced a judge in city contractor Carl Capasso’s (Myerson’s boyfriend) divorce case. The U.S. Attorney’s office continues to investigate official misconduct and bribery allegations against Myerson. HORTENSE GABLE State Supreme Court justice resigned June 1987 after a mayoral report said she ruled in favor of Myerson’s boyfriend in his divorce case after the cultural affairs commissioner gave her daughter a job. The U.S. Attorney’s office and the State Commission on Judicial Conduct are still investigating the allegations. GERDI LIPSCHUTZ Queens assemblywoman resigned in March 1987 rather than face censure by the State Assembly after testifying under immunity that she created two no-show jobs. MORRIS TARSHIS Director of the Bureau of Franchises resigned in May 1987 amid allegations of misconduct in awarding cable television contracts. He has declined comment.
UNDER INVESTIGATION ROBERT GARCIA Bronx congressman under investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s office for possible involvement in the Wedtech scandal. He has denied wrongdoing. HARRISON GOLDIN The city comptroller is under investigation by the city’s Department of Investigations for calling investors on behalf of inside-trader Ivan Boesky. He has denied wrongdoing. ISRAEL RUIZ State senator from the Bronx under investigation by four state agencies for allegedly improperly using his influence to win state money for a real estate venture in which he held an interest. He has said he did not benefit from the venture. MANFRED OHRENSTEIN State senator from Manhattan under investigation by the Manhattan district attorney for alleged illegal legislative hiring practices. He has said the hiring practices were legal and carried out on the advice of a lawyer. FRANCISCO LUGOVINA Former head of the Bronx Democratic Committee under investigation by the Bronx district attorney’s office for being paid more than $50,000 a year by a company bidding for the Bronx cable television franchise. He has denied wrongdoing.
Dental Improvements? Not Today
Why did I so easily believe the rumors that Mulgrew would be announcing improvements to dental today? We could just call me a sucker and call it a day. But nah. Let’s dive in.
I said it. I repeated it. Unity was poised to announce dental improvements. The announcements would likely come at Town Hall (today – and I wasn’t there because retirees were not invited – don’t know why) and at tomorrow’s Chapter Leader meeting. And the meeting came. Mulgrew gave a long presentation. Didn’t mention dental. Someone asked. He said they’d started an RFP (Request for Proposal). That’s it. That’s nothing. No dental improvements. Not today.
I heard rumors, starting late August. I heard they might be improving dental. It made sense to me. So much so that I believed the rumors without digging deeper. Why did it make sense?
The UFT Welfare Fund has significant assets. Surplus has been growing year after year. A year ago they were sitting on $866 Million. That’s a huge amount of money. About two-and-a-half years’ worth of expenses. Big, very big reserve. And growing. It’s certainly over $900 Million today, maybe pushing towards $1 Billion. And five years earlier it was $384 Million. They’ve been squirreling away quite a bit of loot.
The UFT Welfare Fund has had a positive balance sheet year after year for over a decade. The $58 Million they netted in 2023 is the SMALLEST amount they have made (it’s not called profit, but it feels a lot like it) in the last six filings. They averaged an $89 Million annual surplus (can’t call it profit) over that period.
Everyone knows that UFT’s dental plan has issues. Even their supporters say it. My dentist is quite clear about the reimbursements being way too low; that other unions have better plans. Other UFTers have compared, and found that PSC has significantly better coverage. No implants. Low reimbursements. Our teeth matter! Come on!
It’s been 8 years since UFT dental reimbursements increased. Eight years. What hasn’t gone up in eight years (that we care about)?
Delegates tried to raise this last April. Unity and Mulgrew did not want this on the agenda, and they got their way – but by 3 votes! Know what happened in June? The Retirees (including me) beat Mulgrew and Unity: they lost 300 delegates, we gained 300 delegates. In that new reality, dental was going to come up sooner or later.
In my mind, it all made sense:
- They have a huge and growing pile of cash
- Everyone knows their plan is inadequate, even their strongest supporters
- There have been no increases in 8 years
- They barely kept this off the agenda in April (by 3 votes). It is likely to come up, and they are very likely to lose when it does.
Easiest thing for Mulgrew and Unity to do? Get out in front of it – make some moderate improvements – cut off the opposition. When I heard the rumor – it fit. Unity was finally going to get something right.
But today Mulgrew talked about drug prices and Ozempic and a request for proposal and family leave. Go negotiate better dental coverage for members? Nope – Unity wants to instead negotiate a lower price for the Welfare Fund (a major source of patronage jobs). Couldn’t they do both? Get more service while lowering prices? And here’s the real answer – you lead with what matters. Going the request for proposal route – they are looking at price cutting.
So, dear readers, my apologies. I got your hopes up. I thought we would get something without a fight. I got this wrong.
But I promise you this. Retirees will find a way to put dental back on the agenda. We will find a way to get the Welfare Fund to take some of the money they have collected to provide benefits, and actually use that cash to provide benefits. Our dental benefits cannot be an afterthought. For those who are putting the bottom line first – no. Our members, their working conditions, their salaries, their benefits, we come first.
How Many Delegates?
The governing body of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) is the Delegate Assembly. In theory. In practice for many years the DA has been a rubber stamp for the Executive Board, which in turn has been a rubber stamp for the Administrative Committee (AdCom) – essentially the officers and friends.
In two decades the DA had rarely if ever (scratching my head for examples – I don’t want to write never, but maybe?) not done what the officers have asked. Until the pandemic.
The officers, the leadership of the union, has been tightly controlled by Unity Caucus. They use winner-take-all voting and patronage jobs and perks (and the promise of jobs and perks in the future) to keep their people in line – and to try to keep their people’s contacts in line. They run DA rehearsals, I think it is called “debate club,” so that Mulgrew can practice. Debate Club also plants questions – so Mulgrew knows who to call on to get a softball question. Unity distributes written statements, so that when Unity delegates get the floor, they are reading words that Unity has written. At the DA, delegates are instructed to follow Unity leaders. And if they are not sure, Secretary LeRoy Barr signals Unity delegates by taking off or putting on his glasses.
And it’s been fairly effective. Unity District Reps scold Unity members if they ever vote the wrong way. And in the past, they actually watched their chapter leaders vote, so they could tell. When LeRoy thinks delegates are confused, he slows down, and exaggerates the glasses gesture.
A few things changed during the pandemic. Delegates joined by telephone only (at first) and then by telephone or in person (that’s how it is now). That meant that Unity delegates who were at home could vote as they wanted… and some did. In person voting is now by clickers, not raising cards, and even here it is easier to vote without a Unity enforcer looking over your shoulder. Hybrid DAs also made attending easier – there was a new group of delegates who had never been in person, and had not internalized any of that dynamic.
And those changes led to other changes. Unity has some close votes in 2021 and 2022, even on procedure. In April 2021 the DA rejected some political endorsements (I don’t think the DA had ever done that before). The following year there were more close votes, and some losses for Unity – not many – but enough that it was no longer a shock. Just this last April Unity defeated a resolution to increase dental benefits (kept it off the agenda) – but just by 3 votes.
And then the Retirees Voted
This past June there was a huge upset in the retiree elections: Retiree Advocate beat Unity. In the winner-take-all system not only did we win all ten officers (I am now Assistant Secretary) we also won all fifteen Executive Board seats (with 63% of the vote).
And delegates were also up for election. Retiree Advocate made a bold decision in August or September 2023 – if we were going to seriously contest the election, we would not run just 100 or 120 or 150 delegates. We were going to run 300. Several of us, including me, worked for months to make that true. We recruited 331, and were done months before Unity.
Delegates are winner-take-all. 300 delegates. And Retiree Advocate won all 300. I am now a delegate. My last DA was June 2022. My next will be October 2024.
300 out of How Many?
In terms of delegates – quite a lot. Let’s start with how many delegates there are.
Every school gets at least two: the Chapter Leader is a delegate, and at least one more person is a delegate. There is a provision for schools that are bigger to get more delegates. I think a school gets a second delegate at 150 members, and then an additional for every 60 additional members. (but maybe that starts at 90, not 150. I really don’t know – and I’m hoping someone will clarify). But ok, every school gets at least two, and a huge school would get, what, six?
How many schools are there? More than 1600. Less than 1900. Call it 1750. That times two would be 3500. Throw in 500 delegates for bigger schools (wild guess). And now 300 for retirees. Maybe 450 for other functional chapters. 100 Executive Board. I’m getting nearly 5000 delegates. The DA has about 5000 delegates.
But in December 2021 a delegate asked about quorum, and Mulgrew said quorum was 732. And quorum in the UFT is one fifth of the delegates, which would imply there were 3660 delegates. And I have no idea – is it 3660? is it about 5000? I should ask someone who knows. But here’s what I do know:
How Many Delegates Come to DAs?
I scoured minutes from James, from fall 2021 through April 2023, when he suffered a stroke, and from Nick after that. I recorded any votes that they noted – as long as they gave full results. With the current system vote numbers are announced, no one guesses at how many cards are up, but there is a count from the phone, a separate from the hall, and a combined total. Quite often James or Nick got part, but not all, of the results. I did not include those. I got 89 full results. The highest was 1070 votes. The lowest was 560 votes. Average was 790 votes.
We can look at the votes over time. There may be a general increase. Post-pandemic rebound? I don’t know. (The pandemic is not as scary today, but it’s not really over, is it?) Or is it just an artifact from two high-turn out DAs: January 2023 and November 2023? The increase IS counter-intuitive. When new delegates are elected, the following October (there’s no DA in September), the DA is flooded with new delegates, but that number drops off in November, and keeps slipping over the next three years. Do we see the opposite happening? The average in 2021-22 was 678, the next year 773, and last year 817. I’m not sure. (The data is incomplete, but there is no reason to think that the sample is skewed.)
The marks on each vertical line represent the vote totals at that month’s DA. The month labels don’t quite line up – sorry.
So October 2024 will be the first DA after spring chapter elections. There might be a big surge, that then dies down. But do we have a baseline of 900, a surge to 1800, and we sink back to 1200 regularly? Or do we have a baseline of 700, we surge to 1200, and sink back to 800? I am going to guess – just a guess – that after October, votes will hover around 1000 total for the rest of the year. So a bumper crop in October, and then about 1000 delegates at the rest of this year’s DAs (remotely or in person).
What does that mean for Retiree Advocate?
To answer that, we need to look at how close these votes have been. And in fact, most are not close. Think about it – we see resolutions against charter school expansion – to recognize new holidays – to support people facing environmental disasters. Apple pie resolutions. And even where we disagree, sometimes the discussion is over, and we vote overwhelmingly to “call the question” and move on to the actual vote. Of the 89 votes I have counts for, 55 were decided with 90% or more on one side. But 13 votes were decided between 33 and 66%. And for all of these votes, the margins were less 300. And for four votes, the margins were less than 20 votes.
So you know what this means for Retiree Advocate? It means that our delegates would have made a decisive difference on several votes, including, for example, the April 2024 vote on putting improved dental benefits on the agenda. Unity barely blocked delegates from debating the resolution 482 – 479. With Retiree Advocate’s 300 delegates there, the outcome would have been reversed. By the way, we may not get a chance to beat Unity on Dental. Rumor has it that Mulgrew’s people saw what we see, and are improving dental benefits (announcement later today?) before we have a chance to push the issue.
The marks on each vertical line represent the vote totals at that month’s DA. The month labels don’t quite line up – sorry.
Take a look at these margins. The tight ones might have been reversed. But how many votes will RA flip? Think about 300 Unity retiree delegates who we just voted out. I don’t know how many came to DAs. I’m guessing 150, half. And I don’t know how disciplined their voting was, especially when they were on the phone, and their votes couldn’t be tracked – but I figure Unity’s retirees were fairly loyal. So say Unity loses a margin of 125-25 = 100 votes. And RA, how many delegates will come to DAs? We are working on that. We could get 250 at some DAs. Routinely we should be over 200. And while we do not plan to “whip” votes – that’s a bit insulting to intelligent delegates, even if Unity did it – on obvious issues like Dental we should get close to 100%. So call that 200. And combine them, minus 100 for Unity, plus 200 for us. We would have flipped many 200 close votes, some 200 margin votes, and maybe even some 300 margin votes.
At a 300 vote swing, that’s 14 of the 89 votes listed here – which is about half the votes from the last three years. Could we change the outcome of 30 votes? So yeah, that’s a lot. And we have not talked about how our 300 delegates will change the agenda. Real impact.
Just wrapping up this thought – Retirees will have 200 – 250 delegates at any given DA, replacing maybe 150 Unity delegates. And I think the DAs will be mostly 800 – 1000 delegates. We will be a 20% – 30% bloc. How’s that? Ready for some change?
Other Delegates
Many delegates are not affiliated with a caucus. Understandably, they are the least likely to attend (though I would encourage EVERYONE to come. It’s one meeting, less than two hours, once a month, you can join by phone, and you officially make UFT policy. And better than that, this year you might have real chances to make a difference. The Delegate Assembly will no longer be a one-party show). There will still be many Unity delegates, starting, ex officio, with about 100 UFT Executive Board members. There will be New Action delegates, and MORE delegates, probably more MORE than New Action, but combined still fewer than the retirees.
The Paraprofessional Chapter has 260 delegates. While the Retirees were beating Unity, an insurgent campaign won Paraprofessional officer and Executive Board positions. By margin, it was a more impressive victory – 74% – 26%. (We, Retiree Advocate, won 63% – 37%, of course with much higher vote totals). But the insurgents, Fix Para Pay (FPP), did not win a single delegate. What happened?
First off, it really was an amazing margin. Hats off to the nine winners, who took on all of Unity. They were brave, and refused to be intimidated. Unity played dirty tricks, campaigned dirty, bullied, made outrageous personal attacks – and none of it won them any votes. There was a guy who signed on to run as the FPP chapter leader candidate, and then when it was too late to change him, announced he was supporting Unity. Unity also changed the rules, so that Executive Board and Officer candidates could not run for delegate as well. That cost FPP 9 delegates. But even had they not, delegates would have been 251 Unity, 9 FPP. FPP did not recruit a slate of delegates (the way that Retiree Advocate recruited a slate of 300 delegates)
The candidates did an amazing job, but needed help. If a caucus had helped, it would have immediately realized that delegates were at stake, and helped the FPP champions recruit and do the paperwork and the legwork. That goes for New Action, MORE, or Retiree Advocate. Any one of the three would have been able to assist FPP finding delegates, and would have been able to directly offer some delegate candidates. I don’t know the para chapter, so I don’t know if recruiting a full 260 was possible, but I’m guessing it would have been.
It seems that the FPP candidates did have some assistance – individuals? Some of the campaigning they clearly prepared themselves – regular letters and communications which are so important. But some of the memes, and support, and videos…probably had help. Also, did FPP come up with that name, the nine of them? If so, brilliant – a real winner. Fix Para Pay. Or did a supporter come up with it? Still brilliant, a winner. Either way. But despite some great campaigning, and a great name, there was a problem. So how did individuals know how to create clever memes, but did not know to suggest a slate of delegates? That’s where individuals are just not able to match the work of a caucus. Caucuses may move more slowly – but by bringing together the collective thoughts of many, they are far less likely to overlook major opportunities. Also, caucuses bring together the collective work of many. A huge piece of work may be daunting for individuals, but caucuses can distribute the labor, and make big projects seem possible. If a caucus had been directly involved, FPP would have been much more likely to get the delegates right, and not leave that part of the slate blank. They could have prevented Unity from scooping up 260 delegates that Unity should have lost. Unity will have up to 260 delegates at DAs that they should not have had.
And what would that have meant?
If there were 260 FPP delegates, say 150 to 200 come to any given DA. And there are 300 Retiree Advocate delegates. And we expect 200 to 250 to be at any given DA. That would be combined 350 to 450 FPP+RA delegates. Out of perhaps 800 – 1000 delegates. Here’s the math. 350/1000 is 35%, that would be the minimum. 450/800 = 56%, which would be the maximum. Between 35% – 56%. Stopping Unity nonsense. Overruling, where necessary, the chair. Extending discussion when Mulgrew tries to cut it off. And passing resolutions to improve our jobs, our benefits, and our lives. This is what we lost.
Some of the dark blue dots on the left are Unity, but also New Action, MORE, and independents. Mulgrew-skeptical delegates may have been in the majority in the diagram on the left – but of course we are dealing with the diagram on the right. Damned reality.
No sense crying over what might have been. And clearly individuals can do valuable work. But for the serious labor and strategizing of a campaign? We should remember this.
And today we look forward to three years of Delegate Assemblies with a huge block of Unity delegates replaced by a huge block of Retiree Advocate – independent thinking delegates. Three hundred of us. The Delegate Assembly will not be the same.
Trends, Notes: Prior UFT Election Results
There is a big UFT election coming in the spring of 2025, and people are already talking about it. The retirees’ shocking victory over Mulgrew and Unity in June has understandably led to speculation, rumor and scheming.
For as long as I have been a teacher, and well before that, “Unity” has controlled the UFT, and other group or groups have contested the election. The caucuses have always included “New Action” with a varying array of other opponents or allies. Politically, all have been progressive, except Solidarity. Just looking at the percentages does not really reveal what is going on. Here’s a link to some data, if you are curious.
Just summarizing the contenders helps a little: 2004 Unity, allied with New Action, opposed by ICE/TJC (who won high schools only). 2007 Unity, allied with New Action, swept ICE/TJC. 2010 same. 2013 Unity, allied with New Action swept MORE. 2016 MORE/New Action won the high schools. 2019 Unity swept against 3 divided groups. 2022 a united opposition won the high schools. That’s hard to follow, isn’t it? History lesson? Some other time.
What we really need is some analysis. Much of which I have previously written up. Here’s the big four conclusions:
Unity’s In Service Vote
There is a long-term downward trend in every division for Unity. The graphs are a little bumpy, but downward.
A detail that’s worth knowing – with the increasing numbers of K-8 and 6-12 schools (including many of the new Bloomberg schools) there are many 6-8 teachers who get categorized as Elementary or High School.
In any event, the average teacher change for Unity is -7.8% each election. The average functional chapters change is -4.0% each election.
I wrote a whole long paper – this downward trend has nothing to do with how the “oppositions” are doing. Unity has had dips when the opposition dips, and has had a bump when we’ve gone up too. Maybe the best way to understand it – we are not winning away each other’s votes. We are each mobilizing (or not mobilizing) our own votes. We fish in separate ponds. And Unity’s ponds are drying up. (or there is an algae bloom, or some pollution, but enough of this metaphor.)
Unity’s lost votes might have something to do with the switch to appointing District Reps (instead of Chapter Leaders electing them). Elected District Reps were fierce campaigner (I think they broke rules to push Unity) and had strong relationships with the CLs, who they needed to push the Unity vote in the schools. Weingarten severed that link when she ended that system. Sure, DRs appointed by Randi (and now by Michael Mulgrew) are extremely loyal to the President, but they no longer command the same degree of loyalty from their CLs, and are not getting out nearly the same vote. Down 50% in two decades. Ouch.
Oh, if that trend holds (and it shouldn’t, it’s just a rough guide) they will lose another 620 teacher votes this coming election.
“Opposition” In Service Vote
If you lump together all the opposition votes, compare them election to election, what jumps out? The totals don’t change much. Exceptions? Jumps of about 1500 votes when the groups united in 2016 and 2022, and a disaster in 2019 when 3 small groups opposed Unity individually.
Looking at each division – Elementary School, Middle School, High School – even Functional – same pattern. (and delete 2019, and there is some evidence for a slow, long term absolute rise. That chart is in the link, just above.)
Do they know you? Do they like you? Do they trust you?
Campaigning at its best is a face to face activity. And getting someone to vote for your team, ask those three questions. And campaigns are largely about groups. But sometimes an individual can play an outsize role. James Eterno worked with ICE, and then MORE, then Solidarity, then UfC. No matter what else you say about James, he was an effective campaigner. He got into schools. People knew him. He talked to people. They liked him. He worked on people’s behalf. They trusted him. And he earned votes. Usually these things are hard to quantify, but we are lucky. In 2016 James worked with MORE in its alliance with NAC. Solidarity was on its own. But in 2019 James worked for Solidarity. What happened to Solidarity’s votes?
That’s 268 in the high schools, 10 in the middle schools, and 297 in the elementary schools. But James passed away this year. In MORE or New Action, the group would continue to reach those voters. But James worked in ICE and, alongside, I guess, Solidarity, which do not function as cohesive groups, but collections of individuals. Those teachers in Queens might know someone else from ICE, they might even like them, but they won’t trust them.
That’s 575 votes, majority could well be lost. In addition, I don’t think Solidarity will have an impact. I doubt that they ever brought very much to the table (except an inflated vote total in 2019, when James worked for them, when the opposition was splintered, and when the traditional opposition, New Action, ran a very partial slate.)
Retirees!
Retirees are a different matter. For years Retiree Advocate took about 15% against Unity’s 85% in Chapter elections, and the various oppositions combined got 11-16%. Unity was as high as 89%, as low as 84%. Amazingly consistent (explanation with data).
There’s a good reason. Retirees do not face abusive principals, or issues with tenure. They don’t have to transfer, or deal with their CAR, or letters to file. There are no new DoE mandates, no bulletin boards. And no new contracts. Nothing to change your mind about who to vote for. Retirees vote in union elections they same way they voted in their last in-service election. And they, more or less, never change. Eventually retirees pass on, and younger retirees take their place. So there is a slight long term trend towards opposition groups.
And nothing would have changed this, ever. Just protect our pensions and our health care, and the votes will keep coming. But Unity decided not to protect retirees’ health care. I’m not footnoting this – if you read this far you know about the Medicare Advantage fiasco. But here’s what happened: Opposition jumped from 15% to 30%, 30% once again… and then Retiree Advocate ran an amazing campaign this spring. We recruited like never before. We mobilized. We did the one-on-one campaigning. “Each one, reach one.” And we went from 30% all the way to 63%. It was astounding.
Absent any other evidence, we should assume this number will roughly hold still. I think over time though, if Unity continues to control the union, they will undermine the leader of the Retired Teachers Chapter, and our support will suffer. Today, right now, our support is at its peak.
And, oh yeah, numbers. We would gain 7946 votes, Unity would lose the same number. Swing of 15,892.
What’s this mean?
Roughly, if we did the same thing we did in 2022 –
- We would lose maybe 500-600 that James Eterno would have contributed. Probably a bit less – but enough to note.
- Unity would lose 600-700 – because that’s what they have been doing.
- Regular in-service opposition votes would stay steady.
- Retirees would add almost 8000 for us, take away almost 8000 from Unity.
And – ?
That would be a swing of 15,900 – 16,100 votes. And what did Unity win by? 15,018.
If we did essentially the same thing as last time, MORE, New Action, Retiree Advocate, we would be favored to win.
Giving Back
There’s a presumption that if you had a pretty good career, and are enjoying a relatively easy retirement, that you might want to spend some of your retirement time helping others. Makes some sense to me.
There’s another idea, that having finished one career, and having some time, you might pursue some brand new interest. Also makes sense to me.
And yesterday I got an email from the UFT – about exactly this. Was I giving back, or had I found something new and exciting to do. There will be features in the New York Teacher in sections called “Giving Back” and “Second Act” – clever.
Arthur pointed out, correctly, that this email says it is from the Retired Teachers Chapter, but we are the leadership of the chapter, and had not heard about it. That doesn’t bother me so much. It’s feel good stuff. Let people talk about themselves. I don’t mind them doing something right and crediting us. Though it might have been nice to tell us.
But Arthur also pointed out that his “Second Act” has been as a journalist – writing about what is wrong with our union. Hmm. I do enjoy reading Arthur’s work, and encourage you to follow him. It really is a second act, too, since Mulgrew’s lawyers got Arthur’s old blog, his first act, shut down.
But whatever, Second Acts and Giving Back are cool things to do. Whatever, whichever, fill out that form. Do you volunteer with immigrants? Do you clean up a local park? Do you use your academic skills to help a community organization? That’s Giving Back. Write it up.
Did you open a travel agency? Are you studying massage? Became a chef? That’s a Second Act. Write it up.
And if your “Second Act” is a little different. If, unexpectedly, you have found yourself deeply involved in protecting retiree healthcare (from Adams and Mulgrew) – if you have become an organizer – if you spread the word – if you have gotten involved trying to repair our union – if you are now a Delegate for the first time – write that up too. And that’s the coolest – if your “Second Act” really is a form of “Giving Back” – shouldn’t the world know about how amazing you are?
Write it up. And please leave a comment here.
Andrew Cuomo (still) has much to answer for
Couldn’t blame you for missing it, with all the news this week. Disgraced ex-Governor Andrew Cuomo went to Washington to testify about nursing home deaths in New York during early in the pandemic. The MAGA panel tried to make him look bad. He tried to blame Trump. Here’s the full testimony. Here’s a news report before the hearing. Here’s Cuomo trying to lawyer his way out of it. And here’s a news report after the hearing.
It’s been a while. You probably remember that Cuomo resigned – but you may not remember why. Disgraced former governor. We say “disgraced.” But do you remember why?
There were allegations of sexual harassment, verbal and physical. That’s what most people remember.
And then allegations that he had Executive staff (people working for the state of New York) work on his book about how brilliantly he fought the pandemic. This was a pretty serious ethics violation, but the ethics panel itself had problems, and all its decisions were overturned. In the end, Andy pocketed over $5 million, much of it the fruit of the labor of government employees, doing their boss’ private work. Fewer people remember that. But proven corruption?
There was also what a jerk he was to people around him. That’s not why he resigned. But it is, when his world seemed like it was about to crumble, so many people who knew him well just watched it happen, and smirked.
But then there was this. At the start of the pandemic, when everything was a mess, patients were being discharged from the hospital, alive. Cuomo had assumed emergency powers. And he ordered that elderly patients, out of the hospital, go back to their nursing homes (the lawyers will say I got the details wrong. Let them). He sent thousands back, and infected thousands more. At some point that spring, if New York Nursing Homes were the 51st state, they would have been the state with the worst death rate in the country. It was horrible.
Perhaps worse, as the first wave of the pandemic subsided, Cuomo realized how bad this looked, and juiced the numbers to make it look like fewer died in nursing homes. He made a mistake in March, and compounded it by “lying with numbers” that summer.
Here’s a nursing home scandal time line (from Alessandra Biaggi, but I reprinted it). What’s missing is at whose behest Cuomo jiggered the policy. Stefanik (see below) suggests that it may have been at the request of the Greater New York Hospital Association.
He can be disgraced for harassment, for assault, for corruption, for mismanagement with fatal consequences, and for coverup. It doesn’t have to be one. They can all be true.
So the Republican house panel calls him in. It’s all about COVID and nursing homes in New York. They are vile. It’s all political. They try to show that Cuomo messed up. Hmm. They are vile and political. Slime. But on the other hand, they are right, Cuomo messed up, and then compounded it.
Cuomo responds by claiming he did nothing wrong. And blaming Trump. Well, yes, Trump was horrible. I saw the news conferences. “One day it will all go away” Trump lied. But Cuomo did nothing wrong? Pants on fire.
It’s easy to forget the details. Cuomo seemed so smart next to Trump (and de Blasio? meh) Here’s what I wrote about them then. Cuomo seemed smart and competent in comparison. In comparison with Trump and de Blasio. Talk about a low bar.
But Cuomo? Dishonest. Braggart. Loudmouth. Bully. Remember when Cuomo took away our spring break (and Mulgrew supported him)? Remember when Cuomo said he would never close schools? Jerk. Before he realized he’d messed up on nursing homes, he said, facing the camera, and addressing himself to parents “You will explain to them. Grandma and Grandpa will die.” No, he was no genius, no hero.
Trump can be an incompetent liar. And Cuomo can be a mismanaging jerk. Both can be true.
And as far as COVID – Trump’s response was abysmal. The US still has more COVID deaths than any other country. He blathered nonsense, and worse. But Cuomo, for his poise, left New York with the 7th highest case rate and 11th highest death rates in the country, trailing a handful of smaller, mostly southern and Appalachian states.
North Country representative Elyse Stefanik, a real slimeball, asked Cuomo to apologize to New Yorkers in the back of the chamber who lost parents and grandparents during the spring of 2020. He declined.
Stefanik is a slimeball. But Cuomo still has a lot to answer for.
Better Dental? Elections have consequences
The insurgents won the Retiree Election in the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) in June. We took office in July. This summer has been about getting set up, getting ready. Every officer, every executive board member of the Retired Teachers Chapter (RTC) ran as part of the Retiree Advocate (RA) slate. We’ve met several times, made plans for Labor Day, are working on plans for the first RTC meeting on October 22.
We also won all 300 retiree delegates to the UFT Delegate Assembly. Those delegates will start, in October, voting on policy for the entire union. And those 300 delegates, if the rumor is true, have already changed things.
Three hundred delegates is a lot. The UFT has, I don’t know, about 5000? But at any given Delegate Assembly (DA), somewhere between 400 and 1200 seem to vote. So 300 is a lot.
Of course, not everyone will attend every DA. When Unity had the 300 retiree delegates (this winner-take-all system is sick), it was hard to tell, but I think they often brought fewer than 100 retirees. So one thing we have been working on is a system to get more RTC delegates to attend DAs and participate. We’ve generated some real enthusiasm; I’m optimistic.
And if we have 200 – 250 delegates showing up – there’s the obvious question – to do what? Largely, listen to the reports, listen to the debates, make up their minds, and vote. This is a huge change. Barr takes his glasses off or puts them on, to signal Unity delegates how they must vote. Unity operates with “plants” in the assembly with scripts, and Mulgrew knows to call on them. Unity delegates read statements that were prepared for them, not their own words. That’s gross. And we (RA) are not operating like that.
But will RA or the RTC delegates bring matters before the Assembly? Of course. We were elected to change things. And looking at the issues and motions and resolutions from the last few years, several things stood out. We are angriest about Medicare, and what Unity (and Mulgrew, and the Welfare Fund) tried to do to retirees. Furious. But Mulgrew has backed down.
Aggravating, Annoying, UFT Dental Coverage
Another issue that came up easily brought together in-service and retired members: the UFT Welfare Fund’s dental coverage. Reimbursements have not increased in almost a decade. They are fairly low, even compared to other unions. My dentist won’t go “in network” because the reimbursements for cleanings, fillings, and crowns are way too low. Members find that implants aren’t covered, or are covered so minimally that they are left with big bills. Many dentists accept our plan, but then bill on top of it. Dental has UFTers annoyed…
Dental coverage costs money. But the UFT Welfare Fund has been stockpiling large amounts of cash. A decade ago they had a reserve that would not quite cover the payouts for a single year (if money ever stopped coming in, which it won’t). This year the Welfare Fund has almost three year’s reserve. That’s a lot! (2013 – $252 million; 2023 – $866 million). Also, the Welfare Fund, since 2016, has run a “surplus” of between $40 million and $100 million each year. This is not called “profit” because the Welfare Fund is “non-profit” – but you get the idea. They’ve managed to squirrel away – it’s getting near a billion dollars – and it is growing rapidly – while members are having trouble finding dentists.
Last April some Delegates brought a motion to the Delegate Assembly – it said, in essence, spend a little of that gold on improving our dental care. Unity used a procedural trick to defeat the motion – and they did stop it – but the margin was three votes. 3. One, two, three. Are you thinking what I am thinking? What difference would 300 new, independent, make-up-their-own-minds RTC delegates make? Mm-hm.
(For the April vote, see the details below, and the text of the resolution, at the bottom of this post.)
At the following two exec board meetings Welfare Fund representatives tried to justify Unity’s quashing dental improvements. Prescription drugs are costly, they said. They are holding money aside for Ozempic. They are doing a better job than the PSC (the CUNY Professional Staff Congress, that actually has better coverage than ours). When they were coherent, they were not compelling. There really was not good response
Elections have Consequences – 300 Delegates make a Difference
Clearly a dental resolution was going to be in the cards. We would have won. And we would have shown the whole Delegate Assembly that the 300 new delegates make a difference. We would have shown the whole UFT. Elections have consequences.
But Unity figured this out.
Later this month, probably at the Town Hall on September 17 or the Chapter Leader meeting September 18, UFT leaders will announce a plan to improve our Dental insurance. It will be something. It probably will not be enough.
But remember – the people bringing you these changes voted NO on improving dental in April. What happened? 300 new retiree delegates happened. Independent voices at the DA, that’s what happened. Even before the first day we show up, our presence, or rather, the rumor of our presence, is already forcing Unity’s hand. Those footsteps Mulgrew is hearing? That’s us.
Elections do have consequences. We just won a dental victory without firing a shot. I wonder what we will change next.
April 17, 2024 Motion to Improve Dental Care – Unity blocked it from the agenda:
April 2024. In hall: 47 yes, 184 no. On the phone: 432 yes, 298 no. Total 479 yes, 482 no. The motion failed.
Resolution to Raise Welfare Fund Dental Reimbursement Rates
Whereas, the UFT Welfare Fund’s dental plan reimbursement rates to dentists have not increased since 2016 and result in high out- of-pocket costs to members, and
Whereas, more dentists would participate in our plan if the reimbursement rates were higher, and
Whereas dental health is crucial to the mental and physical well being of members and their dependents of all ages, and
Whereas, based on the last 5 years of tax returns, the UFT Welfare Fund has brought in an annual average revenue of $94 million above what we spend, and maintains net assets of $800 million as of 2022, more than twice the fund’s annual expenditures, and
Whereas, since the Dental Schedule was last updated in 2016, benefits paid by the Welfare Fund has increased by only 11.6%, whereas the Welfare Fund’s investments have grown by 212%, and
Whereas UFT Welfare Fund reimbursement rates are less than other New York City municipal union welfare funds, for example PSC pays dentists more for every single dental procedure, including $341 for resin crowns, while the UFT Welfare Fund only reimburses $100 with a $150 copay, and
Whereas a recent rank-and-file initiated survey of hundreds of UFT members showed that 54% of members found it hard or extremely hard to find a participating dentist, 64% have had more than one dentist tell them they don’t participate in the plan because reimbursement rates are so low, and half of those surveyed have spent more than $1000 on dental care in the past year, therefore be it
Resolved that the UFT resume publishing the Welfare Fund annual report on our website, and make a detailed financial report on the Fund at annually to the Executive Board, and be it further
Resolved, that the Welfare Fund report to the Delegate Assembly the cost of providing members with the same level of reimbursement as provided by the PSC to its members and be it further
Resolved, that the UFT engage members with a comprehensive survey about how to use the excess revenue to improve welfare fund benefits and be it further
Resolved, that the UFT Welfare Fund raise reimbursement rates by at least 75% by the end of 2024, in a way consistent with maintaining a healthy reserve.
16 Days in Kursk in Maps
From ISW (Institute for the Study of War). All the maps, except the first, are at the same scale. One map per day, August 7 through August 22 (and yes, that’s 16, not 15. Think about how many maps there were August 7 through August 10. Not 3. That’s math.)
It’s not clear what the objective is – to boost morale? to harm the enemy’s morale? Those have been met, to some extent. To take territory? To take more territory? To create a buffer zone? To hold territory? Zelensky mentioned the buffer zone – which is likely part of the objective, making all of those objectives, which may be met. To cause a leadership or command and control crisis? Hard to say, but that might be, partially, a side-effect. To pull Russian divisions out of eastern Ukraine to defend Kursk? That hasn’t happened.
The area in blue today is about the size of Rhode Island.
The blue part is still getting bigger, but not as rapidly as ten days ago. I think it helps to see the maps when reading the latest news.
Oh, one more theory, floating through rumor mills, and I’ve also seen it in print: the objective or an objective might be – to have territory to trade when negotiations finally begin.
I have been reading a lot about this war. I hate this war. I hate the killing and destruction. I hate the loss of life. And I am fascinated by, and absolutely terrified of, the massive use of drones – observation, loitering munitions (essentially flying bombs), heat sensing… But while I hate this war, I read a lot about it, mostly, and ironically, from two deeply pro-war sources – ISW is one of them (I only reluctantly linked, and that’s because I used their maps), and one of the Russian milibloggers (military bloggers), the Fisherman (Rybar, Рыбарь), is the other. I guess I could put up Rybar’s maps, but they are far more detailed, and harder to parse at a glance.
JD2718 