In June 2024, UFT retirees overturned 40 years of control of the UFT Retired Teachers Chapter (RTC) by Unity Caucus, and won elections for 10 RTC Officers, 15 Executive Board members and 300 representatives to the UFT Delegate Assembly. Retirees revolted over the old Unity RTC leadership’s support for the attempt to move us out of traditional Medicare and into a for-profit Medicare Advantage plan. Receiving 63% and over 17,000 retiree votes, the Retiree Advocate (RA) slate prevailed in the 2024 election, with the strong support of the New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees (NYCOPSR) led by Marianne Pizzitola, who spoke to a standing ovation at the very first RTC Meeting not under Unity control in October, 2024.
As a result of that massive victory, UFT leader Michael Mulgrew backed off the Medicare Advantage demand, but has refused to support retirees on City Council Bill 1008 — which would grant retirees permanent protection under the law; nor has the UFT Unity leadership supported the elimination of co-pays for UFT retirees.
Over the past two years, differences have arisen within the RTC chapter between Retiree Advocate and a newly formed group, Fix Retiree Benefits— which has focused on protecting and expanding healthcare benefits and continuing the strong alliance with Marianne Pizzitola and NYCOPSR as major factors in the attempt to keep Unity from re-taking control of the RTC.
Representatives of Fix Retiree Benefits had two meetings with RA in April and May 2026, with a proposal for the two groups to work together in the RTC elections. Fix Retiree Benefits proposed a 50-50 split of the 25 RTC Officers and Executive Board, as well as the 300 Delegate Assembly representatives. A proposed June follow-up meeting was cancelled by RA with no further response.
On Sunday, Sept. 27, three core members of Fix Retiree Benefits were informed via email by RTC Chapter Leader and RA Organizer Bennett Fischer that they had been placed on a 13-member RTC election committee, without being consulted in advance. This 13-member RTC election committee was formed unilaterally by RA. The committee also included six RA Organizing Committee members and three others with known affiliations to the RA Organizers, with no input from Fix Retiree Benefits or independents organizing for the RTC election. In the email sent to the three individuals affiliated with Fix Retiree Benefits, the election committee meeting was called for Monday, September 28 at 6 P.M. An email to one of the three members from Fix Retiree Benefits was sent to the wrong email address. You can read his response here:
RA Calls a Last Minute Meeting, Grants Fix Retiree Benefits No Input Whatsoever
This formation of a 13-member “election committee” is in essence the response by RA to our original proposal from April and May, which was for an even split of Officers, Executive Board, and Delegate Assembly Representatives, and to for a united slate in the next RTC election.
Aside from the fact that Fix Retiree Benefits was not even given the courtesy of being asked what representatives we would choose, plus the fact that Fix Retiree Benefits, a group with a strong presence of women (two of whom had already met with RA during negotiations in April and May), did not have any of them considered for the committee by RA; the very nature of a proposal to set up a “pre-election” committee in which RA members would more than double the representation of Fix Retiree Benefits is objectionable. Presumably, this 13-member committee would then determine the candidates running on the slate.
This proposal by RA is clearly one-sided and is not acceptable to those who have been critical of the manner in which the RA leadership has been running the RTC, and would amount to a continuance of the same policies that have caused a large number of retirees to reconsider voting for RA again.
Only a slate decided on and reflective of the RTC membership will have a chance to defeat Unity once again. A serious proposal would respond directly to the issue of how each group (as well as independents) would be represented on a unified slate.
While representation among the Officers, Executive Board and Delegates is important and must be resolved, there are other concerns that must be addressed. For one, what should be contained in the platform of a united slate? What issues should be emphasized? Another issue is how do we organize to get Inro 1008 passed, and how do we work with other groups to lobby for its passage?
Given these conditions, none of the three Fix Retiree Benefits members intend to attend RA’s election committee meeting. However, we remain open to working not only with RA but with the vast number of non-affiliated RTC members who wish to actively participate in the RTC election.
The joint-slate proposal presented by Fix Retiree Benefits to Retiree Advocate in April and May is below:
1. Protect our promised retiree healthcare. We must unite with other municipal union retirees, and work in solidarity with the New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees and its leader Marianne Pizzitola in the fight to pass City Council Intro 1008.
2. Fight to eliminate the onerous and coercive copays. Improve retiree UFT Welfare Fund benefits. Provide drug coverage for retirees and their dependents, as in all other municipal unions, and improve dental coverage.
3. Protect our pension benefits. Do not let the city balance its budget on the backs of retirees. Fight in the State to increase COLAs. Enable retirees to vote for TRS teacher trustees.
4. Oppose Unity Caucus leadership, when they pit active members against retirees or engage in undemocratic or other actions that cause harm to the membership.
We wish to run a democratic RTC, accountable to all its constituents, Medicare and pre-Medicare, inclusive of paraprofessionals and all other titles.
Fix Retiree Benefits proposed the following governing structure for the joint slate:
Each group (RA and FRB) would each nominate 150 of the chapter’s 300 delegates.
Each group (RA and FRB) would equally share the 10 officer positions (5 each).
Each group (RA and FRB) would share the 15 Executive Board positions, with the group nominating the chapter leader candidate choosing 7 of the 15 members of the Exec Board, and the other group choosing 8 members.
It is deeply disappointing but not at all surprising to see RA leadership behaving in this way. It seems their only takeaway from the 2025 officers election, in which they lost the retiree vote by a 3-to-1 margin, was to become even more embittered and entrenched.
Despite TRIPLING the retiree vote received by RA in the 2025 election, the union activists involved in Fix Retiree Benefits have offered to split the RTC slate evenly (50/50) and to work together with RA to develop a platform. That offer from Fix Retiree Benefits was presented in good faith and in the spirit of union solidarity, and it still stands. RA should take the offer, and we should all get to work in defeating Unity, whose nearly 70-year obsessive control of the UFT has resulted in 20+ years of diminishing returns for UFT members.
I agree that there should be a 50/50 split. Also agree that passing 1008 and eliminating copays should be a priority of any retiree organization.