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"Ed Notes Online" - 5 new articles
The good, the bad and the ugly of the meeting Bennett Fischer had already started his CL report, so I missed the beginning because I was getting eats. The Not GOOD: Overall, I saw a pattern repeated -- New Motions have been moved to the end of the meeting and since that was done, meetings have been adjourned before any New Motions can be gotten too. It is true that Unity had been using this time to make mom and apple pie resos and this was a ploy to shut that down, but is also precludes internal people from making new motions which I have been known to do on a whim and which seems to bother the RTC leadership. I can remember being livid at Randi at one meeting for shutting down new motions and she called me into the hallway to apologize and I told her, "even Shanker never did that." People in charge, whether Unity at the DA or RA at the RTC meetings seem to fear the unknown new motion and look to control that space, which is not democratic. A lesson about the RA/RTC leadership - once you get into power, any criticism is very bothersome and the tendency to put up roadblocks is hard to resist. Not new boss same as old boss but a warning sign.
I can only think of how Tom Murphy (or Tom Pappas before him) ran meetings when Unity was in control see things as relative. Right now give me a choice of Bennett and anyone in Unity and I take Bennett. Bennett's reports don't go on as long as Mulgrew's and he takes questions. Critics need to think about managing a meeting of 300 live and a thousand online and have a bit of rachmones. But criticism on time management are legit. The UGLY Mulgrew also made a report at this meeting and seemed in such good cheer and comfortable with his lies, which I will let Arthur expound on. Mulgrew also took some questions. (A few months ago Mulgrew ordered Bennett to give him time at our meeting and the RTC EB were outraged as Mulgrew took time from our business. I was one of the crazies who said we should ban Mulgrew from meetings or turn our backs but I guess I don't live in the real world.) We had committee reports and Good and Welfare where anyone can say what they want and we were beyond 2:30, before we got to the regular order of business, with a 3PM automatic adjournment. The GOOD: Bennett Fischer's report was the strongest in two years challenging the UFT leadership over various issue and he received good grades even from critics because there had been a feeling he was being too light on the leadership in the past. NOTE: RA is dominated by members of New Action, which had a 12-year deal with Unity. Bennett was never part of New Action and does not have that type of mentality but he has worked at the UFT in the past and does have certain relationships with leadership, not necessarily a bad thing but also not always a good thing. Some people are very angry at Bennett but even they praised his approach. I think Bennett senses the critics and his comments were strong. No matter our differences so far, I am not one of the people who feel he should be replaced, at least if we manage to put a common slate together, though the winds blowing from the RA direction are not a good sign. Bennett can play a role in bringing everyone together but is he so deep in the RA machine he can't escape? RTC EB Elects 11 replacement delegates, rejected by UFT membership I was glad Bennett raised this point in a strong manner. Arthur reports: Bennett mentions RTC delegate election. Following process in RTC constitution, UFT bosses chose not to seat delegates. Bennett says Carl Cambria explained decision to him. Appealed decision to UFT Exec Board.
What a load of horseshit that Mulgrew just found out about this - a reminder of how Trump fakes things. Mulgrew has his finger in every pot. I'm glad Dave Pecoraro, who was thrown out of Unity years ago, put him on the spot. I know it would have been impolite if Bennett expressed this thought, but someone should have over this blatant lie. I had been hectoring Bennett for well over a year to raise the issue of replacing delegates who had resigned or passed away so we could get our full complement of 300. Recently we went through the two month process and elected 11 delegates, including the recently retired Amy Arundell (I bet the leadership would not be happy to see Amy at the DA). The RTC constitution says the RTC Ex Bd can replace elected officials and we had already replaced an officer and a few Ex Bd but the membership dept ruled that we had no right to replace delegates and pointed out how school chapters hold an election to replace delegates. Now being consistent, if the EB can't do it then there must be an election in the 70k member chapter, a nightmare of sorts to mail out ballots - unless they did it by electronic voting, which was recently rejected by a special committee, including the ARISE reps, siding with Unity. Allowing the elected EB to do it would save enormous time and money but Unity doesn't want us to replace delegates and so we will never see an election. Look for the RTC leadership to drop the issue after their appeal to the UFT Ex Bd is rejected. The Semi-BAD from Arthur Bennett announces all meetings will be Tuesday. Evidently the decision to vary times has not resulted in increased attendance. He has not consulted the Exec. Board about this, which makes me wonder exactly who made the decision. Nor were we consulted about the changing times this year. I can live with not being involved in deciding meeting dates though the survey might have benefited from a wider input, but the RTC powers that be may be increasingly resistant to voices outside the Retiree Advocate circle. Bennett and his advisors have made unilateral decisions that leave the RTC Exec Bd out, a dangerous trend toward lack of transparency that might explain the rise of critics. The RTC constitution states that any member may attend an EB meeting but they are never announced. Even when we had openings on the EB, only insiders knew about them. The GOOD and BAD from Arthur: Bennett announces a survey. Ironically, after the decision was made, our input is desired. I started paying attention as Bennett put up a QR code for those in the room to take the survey. What of the people at home? They tell the people at home to go to a web site. This survey needs to be sent out to all RTC members though the CL email, but will the UFT hierarchy allow it? I finally get a look at the survey in detail a few days later. There are a bunch of questions on attendance at meetings. It seems the results might have informed a decision on when meetings should be held. The UGLY: The RA Pizzitola Purge Continues There is a question on survey about the speakers and programs at RTC meetings. Since Marianne Pizzitola was our very first speaker at our first meeting in Oct. 2025, I looked for her name. Her name was not there. Is this an oops, or intentional? Go to Kalshi and bet. A major sticking point between FRB and RA is Marianne, as RA tries to forget it was her backing that played a major role in our victory two years ago and is pissed she backed ABC in the UFT election helping lead ABC to a 3-1 margin over ARISE. But it's not a bad Survey . It ends with: Ideas and comments you would like to share with the RTC Leadership Team, Additional questions for the Retired Teachers Chapter Leadership Team. My questions would be exactly who constitutes the RTC Leadership Team? One would expect the officers and Exec Bd but Arthur is an officer and none of the 15 member EB I have been in touch with knew about the survey before it was released at the RTC meeting. The GOOD: At the June 2 RTC EB meeting Bennett brought a reso calling for retirees to vote in TRS elections and I suggested he add that retirees can also run in TRS elections and this reso was the sole item on the regular order of business. Also note that RA, NAC and MORE - the ARISE coalition, sat out the TRS election, which helped Unity. Just sayin'. Unity hack Peter Goodman kills reso on retirees running in UFT elections with nefarious intentions Arthur: The UGLY
Unity’s Peter Goodman whipped out an appeal to fear, making the outlandish assertion that if we were to seek the right for retirees to vote in trustee elections, it would entail opening up the NY State Constitution, and possibly tampering with our pensions. Vote on motion to table—Y 778 n 90 y 145 n 48 87% That the tabling reso won overwhelmingly, as Unity initiatives have increasingly been winning this year, is a clear sign of Unity increasingly gaining support in their plan to retake the chapter in next year's election, with no real response from the RTC leadership, one more good reason for everyone to get together to keep Unity from retaking the chapter and giving Mulgrew free reign to savage our healthcare. The fact is - and I would have pointed this out if the meeting had not run out of time - is that with the RTC still up for grabs next year with what looks like a 50-50 split, allowing retirees to vote in TRS elections would threaten Unity control of the 3 TRS reps and Goodman was using scare tactics to stop this reso, which won't come up again until our next meeting in October. After the meeting ended I went across the street for coffee with a few Fix Retirement Benefits colleagues to hash what happened over. ---- A few more Arthur tidbits:
RTC Meeting--Michael Mulgrew Opposes Union Division (Unless He Creates It): Exception to every rule, Arthur Goldstein, Jun 16, 2026          
UFT News and Views: RTC Ex Bd, TRS Election, Electronic VotingThursday, June 4, 2026 Busy days here at Ed Notes central. I was at the RTC Exec Bd meeting on Tuesday and following the TRS election and also talking to people in the UFT about the Mulgrew assault on competence to insure personal loyalty in the union, along with firings and threats of any hint of independent voices.  I'm back on chemo and had my second treatment yesterday - I'm on an every 2 week schedule. I even took my computer and worked on this item while I was there for a few hours and walking back to my apartment passed a street fair on E. 46 and look what I found: I came back to Rockaway in the afternoon and want to get this out so I can go outside and do some yard work. The steroids are still working and I'm hoping to have energy to video The Crucible at Rockaway Theatre Company tonight. I saw part of it the other night.   TRS Election I've seen preliminary results of the TRS election but DOE has to release final totals. I can say Tom Brown won, David Kazansky finished second, showing some organizing muscle. Analyzing the results will be a fun thing to do and I have a lot more to report after talking to many people. The legacy caucuses in the ARISE coalition mostly sat out the election, except for some individuals. Unity/ARISE Reps Reject electronic voting As for electronic voting, the bogus committee formed when I, as a member of the election committee in 2025, called for electronic voting, was turned down in exchange for a bogus committee, which I declared bullshit early on, predicting they would find ways to reject electronic voting, which is exactly what happened. The surprise was the two ARISE reps voting with Unity. The ABC reps put out a must read report that tears apart every Unity argument.
BTW, Unity had 10 members, ARISE 2 and ABC 3. You know, fair. Unity is now bragging they led the way on electronic voting - by saying no -- and by the way were joined in saying now by reps from the ARISE group - MORE and New Action/RA. These groups had supported our initiatives in 2022 and 2025. I wrote on Nov. 28, 2024: UFT Election Committee
 Arthur reported on the process as reported on ABC:
RTC Exec Bd Meeting Yesterday I attended the RTC Exec Bd meeting. There are 25 people on the RTC EB and that includes the 10 officers. There are no Unity reps because RTC elections are winner take all - 25 EB and 300 delegates. Retiree Advocate, now an official caucus with $50 dues structure and a 15 member steering or organizing committee won that election in an alliance with Marianne Pizzitola. It was a great partnership. Shutting off the former 300 Unity delegates who gave Unity absolute dominance of the DA was a major outcome. Over the past year and a half that alliance has frayed which has made Unity bold with hope they can retake the chapter in next year's election. RTC replaces delegates as per its constitution
And
therein lies a story. RA recruited 300 delegates to run with us two
years ago and we wiped out Unity. I recruited about 30 people to run
with us, including a former colleague who doesn't live in NYC.
Unfortunately he came down with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and died in
March 2025 but we know in October 2024 he wasn't interested in the DA
and I notified people we needed to replace him, along with a few others I
recruited who wanted to drop out and only ran as a favor to me because
they never thought they would win.
Note that Amy Arundell did squeak into the final position (there was rank choice voting, indicating a level of hostility to her from the many ARISE connected RTC EB members. She should have been a slam dunk but the level of mistrust still reigns almost a year after the UFT election. In my opinion, the only way the Mulgrew administration continues to survive is due to this mistrust. Witness the story above about how ARISE voted with Unity. If Mulgrew was smart like Randi (which he isn't) he'd offer to work out a joint slate with ARISE in the next election. After all two of the 3 caucuses had a 12 year arrangement with Randi. (And by the way, Mulgrew broke that arrangement that helped Unity keep control of the high schools within 5 years of taking over --- see my recent blog on the level of incompetency - Mulgrewism is the UFT Version of Trumpism MAGA. Bennett was not 100% this would be a slam dunk. Imagine if Unity refused to seat our democratically elected delegates, like the Mississippi delegation at the 1968 Democratic convention. I know the RTC leadership doesn't have the guts, but if we can get at least 50-100 people there to demand our delegates get seated and then walk out en masse if they don't. Good luck with that. And I say that in reference to the following item.
Arthur had a reso calling for us not to have to pay $180 a month for a prescription drug plan that included a petition some of us have been circulating that already has 6k signatures. The RTC Exec Bd supported the reso but there was push back on the petition, which has ties to ABC and you could sense the hostility from some of the leading lights with questions like "who is this going to?" and concerns over how the petition would be used. I'll let Arthur tell you about it.
The comment about not putting links in a reso drove me wild because the link is an organizing tool and their mentality seems to be to lobby at the top - send strongly worded letters to Mulgrew - and not organize at the bottom. A reso that goes nowhere seems to satisfy them while many of us think a reso without an action component is a form of pounding your chest. End Winner Take All - Install a Proportional rep Back in the 70s when we raised proportional representation as an alt to winner take all, Unity hacks (and Shanker) would say that's how Hitler came to power. Allowing space for a variety of viewpoints and giving people a voice leads directly to Hitler. Sure. Proportional representation is a version of the parliamentary system. If there are a 100 positions you portion them out to each group running based on their percentage. It's not all that simple but worth exploring. We all say when we run for UFT elections that if we were in power we would democratize the union but as we've seen with RTC, once you smell the roses of power, changing things to share with a group like Unity takes some of that nice smell away. As oppo people we always opposed the winner take all approach and when we were winning 30% of the vote we felt we should one third of the delegates, the officers and the exec bd. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, we are in the drivers seat and it makes meetings like we just had easier without Unity attempts to undermine any initiative that counters the Mulgrew line. Unity people are free to attend the monthly RTC meetings and they have boldly tried to undermine any hint of variance from Unity orthodoxy. To distract the chapter from issues like protecting our healthcare or eliminating co-pays or relieving us of the over-expensive prescription drug plan they bring up resos on fair housing or protecting social security -- duhhhhh! Like just passing their reso will accomplish something. Bennett has been fairly tolerant to Unity, even bending over backward to be fair and not act like Tom Murphy did. That extends to criticizing those of us who go on the attack against Unity playing games (Kumbaya - we are all union members). After all, the Unity goal is to get us out of office and go back to their own dictatorial running of the chapter. The Unity crew had asked to have their fair housing reso put on the main agenda so they wouldn't have to try for the new motion period -- oh how beautiful to see them whining while Mulgrew does the same thing to the oppo by filling the new motion period with mom and apple pie resos from the leadership. RTC EB discussed it, with Bennett and a few other voting to put their reso on the agenda but there were objections from people who wanted to amend their motion, with the result that they decided to write their own version and we did and voted to put that one on the main agenda. This seemed to outrage the Unity crowd. Like how dare we act like Mulgrew? To add insult, I spoke at the May RTC meeting and added a little wrinkle that I knew would enrage them further. To make housing more affordable, my amendment called for abolishing co-pays. Now you'd think I'd tossed a stink bomb. They demanded to have a speaker opposed after the question was called and Bennett didn't recognize them - which I felt was a mistake - let Unity make the case for co-pays (I say this as I am getting chemo and will be billed for a co-pay.) Our platform called for some system of proportional rep - ending winner take all - and we have a constitution we can amend - and I'm sure the UFT leadership would put obstacles in the way since they expect to take back the chapter in next year's election. I should point out that in the 2021 election we asked the Unity people to give us 5 out of the 300 delegates so our 30% voters get some representation. They said NO. But I'm more generous. At the vote count in June 2024 when I watched the Unity people look crushed, I told one of their leaders if they had prop rep their 37% they would have gotten over 100 delegates. He gave me a sour look. Since we won I have pushed our new RTC leadership - of which I am one (sort of) - to change the constitution to allow for prop rep but it didn't seem to be a priority - some seem to think they will win again next year. I think we are in a 50/50 split with Unity at this point - as long as we have Marianne with us, and given the RA crowd hostility to her, that is not a sure bet. Bennett did mention taking a look at this as a project for next year. With it being an election year and so much going on, it is unlikely that the process would be complete by the time the election takes place, especially since Unity would try to stop it - unless all retirees get together and remake the alliance with Marianne Pizzitola, at which point Unity might see they might lose and take a half loaf.
This bill smells to me - Unity etc and other union leadership are trying to brand internal critics as outside agitators, the classic manner of dictatorships. Remember how civil rights workers were branded as outside agitators. Our crew behind this amendment has had great outreach to explain it all. Here is a link to Arthur's report of the RTC Ex Bd meeting and his petition.
 Mulgrewism is the UFT Version of Trumpism MAGAHere is a follow-up to my recent comments on the TRS election. Saturday. May 30, 2026 The more I delve into the inner workings of Unity Caucus, the more Trump-like actions emerge. Absolute loyalty is required. John Cornyn is only 99% supportive. Gone. David Kozansky and Ashley Rzonca were considered loyal enough to run and win on the Unity Exec Bd slate. Gone. While we all see the Trump admin as a disaster, many see Mulgrew's 17 year tenure of the UFT as at the very least, a semi-disaster. Yet watch as henchpeople of both Trump and Mulgrew rush to praise them endlessly and claim it is the best of times while vilifying their critics. Trump is ruining the Republican Party by making it about loyalty to him, not the party and Mulgrew is ruining the Unity Caucus by making it about loyalty to him. Again, witness the firings of D. 30 rep Ashley Rzonca for not denouncing her friend and mentor Amy Arundell plus para rep Hector Ruiz Jr. and David Kazansky. To show you how crazy and weird the Unity operation, Ashley and Hector were elected to the UFT Ex Bd on the Unity slate and David as an NYSUT and AFT delegate. Do you think that Ashley's long-time work as a DR in that district hasn't inspired loyalty from CLs and rank and file teachers, which we say in their demonstrations? Similarities don't end as Trump's actions build an enormous opposition
to him and Mulgrew helps broaden the base of the usual opposition to
Unity by adding Unity refugees (witness Unity's lowest total ever 54% in the last election) and independents who used to shun the
legacy op caucuses but are open to new groups that contain Unity
refugees like ABC. From internal sources there are still a lot of resentful and pissed
off Unity people, but they are frightened. Frightened over losing their job
for hanging out with the wrong people is like water getting into rocks
and freezing in winter and widening the cracks. Eventually the rocks break.  I wrote about how Mulgrew met his goal of total control of the pension dept, one of the most respected areas of the UFT and an essential area to be well-run and free of politics for every UFT member who one day hopes to retire. If members are concerned that pension reps are chosen on the grounds of loyalty to Mulgrew instead of their level of competency, they may end up paying hundreds of dollars for private pension consultations. Already people have told me they are choosing that option. Look at the process I described about the formerly semi-autonomous pension dept. in my previous post: - and the one before that: TRS Election Pre-Outcome Analysis One long-time Unity high level operative said: Mulgrew did the same thing with Teacher Center. In the old days, the teacher center budget was kept separate and very apart from the UFT. Some tension there. Once Evelyn DeJesus (who was promoted to AFT and is now second to Randi) and current VP Mary Vocarro got the reins, things changed. I believe Dave Hickey and Mulgrew now have their hands on those dollars. Same with the Welfare Fund that was long-time head Artie Pepper’s domain. Then Geoff Sorkin was made director (in name only). Look
through the dredges of why Mulgrew opposes the NYHealth Act --he's lose
control of the Welfare Fund which would no longer be necessary. Have
you noticed there was a big surplus there? How is it being used? They do
worry about exposure. A few years ago when oppo people exposed this
surplus and the poor dental plan, some minor improvements were made.
And don't forget dumping the old response system to calls for salesforce. Mulgrew and Bari Weiss, separated at birth? Insecure people at the top have a need for total control. And those not viewed as loyal enough, are fired. Leaders feel they have to put their mark even on successful operations. Bari Weiss is a Trump installment. A recent article in the NYT:
People in charge resent leaders of semi-independent
groups, often run by strong figures that transcend changes at the top. In my research on the TRS elections even an old dog like me can learn something. Patterns of Mulgrew attempts to gain total control - politicizing what were semi-autonomous operations - meaning his loyalists in charge - emerged as long-time Unity contacts filled me in. Now as an outsider tracking Unity for the past 56 years, I assumed Unity was pretty monolithic but according to old-timers, Shanker and Feldman, once they found someone who could to the job, pretty much trusted them to pick, yes people loyal to the caucus, but also competent. And on the whole, members felt at least the union was competently run even by those who disagreed with the political direction. I can only remember one guy who was fired - for engaging in a sexual encounter at a NYSUT convention at the NY Hilton. This brought to mind that soon after his first election in 2010 (after a year serving as Randi's replacement) Mulgrew took control of the NY Teacher operation: Dots are getting connected in this old brain as I see how cracks in Unity have begun to emerge, cracks I've been waiting for over decades. BTW -- when Randi took control in the late 90s there was loads of resentment from the old-time warriors from the 60s's who had gone on 4 strikes and looked at Randi as an interloper. Randi came out of nowhere in the mid-late 80s with no history of building the union and they put the recently deceased strongman Tom Pappas as her top lieutenant to coral the troops. Randi was so insecure she even reached out to me for some support and I, naively, thought there was a chance to reach a more progressive wing of Unity. No dice. It took me 3 years to realize it. Randi began to make personal loyalty a factor in running the UFT. When there were multiple competent people to replace her (it was a no-brainer she was going to the AFT once Feldman came down with cancer) as UFT president, she plucked Mulgrew out of obscurity. How would the UFT had looked with universally respected Michelle Bodden as the leader? Mulgrew rose as Bodden faded as Randi's successor and she seemed too independent and smart to serve under him. It's worth sharing what I wrote then considering the unhappiness with him:
Well, they ended up with the Mulgrew administration creating more problems than he solved. And the more political he made what was already a political operation, the more problems were created - Medicare Advantage, anyone? Retiree and para vote in 2024? 54% Unity vote in 2025? Under Mulgrew, even more insecure than Randi (and half as smart politically and intellectually) and over his tenure, resentments grew until things broke in 2023 with the removal of Amy as Queens Borough Rep which led to Amy Arundell running against him last year and getting some key Unity people to join her, some behind the scenes. Mulgrew's vengeance was to fire or try to intimidate any staffer who had been friendly with Amy with a bunch of firings coming in June 2025. Now the reaction of loyal Mulgrew Unity hacks has been to attack their critics and even threaten them with some court action due to what they claim is bogus use of the UFT logo. Prime in their sights is the ABC group, made up in part of Unity defectors, who come under the heaviest attacks for leaving the cult. In the "great minds think alike" category, Arthur has a similar piece this morning: 
TRS Election Count - No Final Results Until June 2 - re-edited May 28Wednesday, May 27, 2026 The TRS election in the schools was held two weeks ago and the vote count started at 65 Court St. on Tuesday and adjourned. Final results are not expected until June 2. With a massive campaign and enormous pressure Unity-endorsed Tom Brown is expected to win. How big a win is the question. From what I'm hearing, Tom Brown wanted to retire but Mulgrew pushed him to run once David Kazansky announced. Mulgrew never seemed to have much love for David and felt running an unknown against him was risky and felt Brown was their best chance despite his being 75 and wanting out. Are they just kicking the can down the road because within another year Brown may well retire and they will have to do this all over again, meaning there could be two TRS elections next year? When all votes are counted, each candidate receives a tally for each school with a breakdown of how many votes each candidate got. This information, if used correctly, can provide maps of each candidate's strengths and weaknesses. This has scared the Unity faithful, especially at the district rep level into hustling votes for Brown and they rode herd over their chapter leaders, especially during the petition period when Brown came in with 30k. (Only 1k was needed.) So yes they have run a very effective campaign. While some people lament the fact that there were two non-Unity candidates running I take the long view and see this in a positive light. The prime directive is ending the Unity monopoly of the UFT and bringing a voice independent from Mulgrew to the TRS. Both David and Frank had been Unity loyalists and were fired for no "obvious reasons" but we know David was fired due to having once been a friend of Amy Arundel and Frank because he was going to run for TRS. They both still have people loyal to them in the Unity ranks who secretly support them. Any school with a Unity CL that doesn't back Brown will pay a price. New information has been flowing in response to my last blog TRS Election Pre-Outcome Analysis, info that exposes the toxicity at the top of the Unity and UFT hierarchy. I've tried to piece together the story from various insider accounts and will publish more inf as the blanks get filled in. Therein lies a tale of Mulgrew and crew taking more control over the pension and TRS, an area formerly dominated by old timers Mel Aaronson and Sandy March, a process of Mulgrew's maniacal need to control everything over the past 10 years as loyalty to the leadership took precedence over competence. This is part 1. Recent History of TRS Elections
For decades there was no a TRS election because of only one candidate and whoever was chosen by UFT leadership to "run" was anointed with no one opposing. This bothered me - and others. Why let Unity get away with an easy win? Make them work for this patronage job. Two years ago, Mulgrew pulled David Kazansky from TRS after 9 years and installed an unknown, Christina McGrath, who even within Unity, caused people to scratch their heads. Apparently she was a friend of Victoria Lee. Rumors were that David was not the yes-man Mulgrew wanted at TRS. (My follow-up post to this one will get into the ugly details.) NOTE: The legacy caucuses don't see it that way and fundementally ignore TRS elections, a big mistake and indicative of their "not running to win" attitude. An informal independent group of us organized an election campaign with Ben Morgenroth as a way to force an election. And we learned a hell of a lot about the process - a trial run for future elections. Last year everyone was busy with the UFT election and didn't pay much attention to the TRS election, though Ben Morgenroth ran but had his petitions challenged on a technicality and Vicky Lee celebrated at a UFT pension dept meeting bragging about her successful challenge after finding Ben had made a mark at the bottom of his petitions and shouting, "I won. It doesn't make a difference how you win as long as you win." This year's election is the most complex ever, with 3 candidates. David Kazansky, former 9-year TRS member beginning in 2015, removed by Mulgrew in 2024 and fired from his UFT job in June 2025 due to having been friends with Amy Arundel, and now teaching at an elementary school in the Bronx. Frank Panebianco, former 13 year full-time pension rep, fired in 2025, now teaching in the Bronx. Tom Brown, incumbent since 2014,endorsed by UFT leadership and Unity
Caucus. Brown told numerous people he intended to retire and not run
again and urged Panebianco to run before he was pulled back into running by Mulgrew once David Kazansky announced he was running. Teacher Retiree System reps are elected by in-service active members of the TRS, which includes PBS and the CSA and a few other unions, but the UFT makes up the largest contingent, thus getting all 3 reps in staggered 3 year terms. TRS reps are a UFT patronage job and elections are a threat to their control. They seem fine with letting decisions be made by financial people with no questioning them. Apparently David schooled himself and asked questions which may have annoyed some people at the top. What does TRS teacher rep job entail and how are they paid? That is not exactly clear. There is a meeting every third Thursday of the month at TRS HQ. Attending these meetings are their only requirement. We get no info about those meetings or what is discussed or what decisions are made. Are they employees of the city, not the UFT? Yet why do they work out of 52 Broadway and are on the UFT payroll and they work UFT 10-6 hours instead of the city 9-5? Some go to the schools to do pension clinics. Some choose to stay around HQ. What are their obligations? The only one seems to be to attend Thursday meetings. From the TRS Site Usually meets at 3:30 p.m. on approximately every third Thursday in each month. Composed of seven members as follows: Chairperson, Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) and the Comptroller, Ex Officio; two members appointed by the Mayor, one a member of the Panel for Educational Policy; three members of the Teachers’ Retirement Association elected from the contributors for terms of three years. No salary. Chair selected by Board Members. Note it says no salary. What decisions can they allowed to make? Who knows? Many of the trustees on the retirement boards do not receive an additional salary. They receive their regular salary from their city employer. However, the 3 trustees receive additional money from the UFT. These are all issues to ponder. Part 2 will get into more detail on how Mulgrew gained total control over pension and TRS matters,
 UFT Para Speaks Out - At some point, we have to ask ourselves: When is enough, ENOUGH?This special election, like many before it, has felt manipulated by the controlling caucus. Let me be clear, I have nothing personal against John Kamps. This is not about one person. This is about fairness and democracy. We have seen that in this election alone, emails were reportedly sent out within the paraprofessional chapter structure asking for para reps and district coordinators to identify schools and paras that had, received ballots, who voted and who voted for John Kamps. How can we call this a democratic union election when things like this are happening?.. Alyson Monzon
Tuesday, May 19, 2026 There's a para election for an open seat going on. Remember that two years ago, Fix Para Pay won 8 seats with 75% but this election seems to have come in under the radar. Alyson Monzon sheds some light. The Mulgrew machine countered with a push for a non-pensionable 10k for every para and it worked in the 2025 UFT election as many paras bought into it - yet so far no 10k. Unity attacked those who pointed out the limits of this offer as opposing increases in para pay when in fact the FPP group, aligned with ABC, has been leading the way to urge the UFT to Fix Para Pay. Does anyone believe even the 10k deal from Unity would have happened if FPP hadn't won those 8 seats in 2024, just like the win by the oppo in the Retired Teacher chapter forced Mulgrew to back off his push to remove us from Medicare? If the Unity candidate wins overwhelmingly in this para special election, it will take the pressure off to push for the 10k. If Unity wins back the retired chapter next year just watch a new version of medicare for all emerge. Why I’m speaking up for us!My name is Alyson Monzon, and I have been a paraprofessional in Queens for 11 years. For six of those years, I also served as a para representative. Like so many of us, this work is personal to me. I decided to become a paraprofessional because I grew up seeing the hard work, dedication, and love my mother poured into education as a teacher. I also saw how important paraprofessionals were to her classroom and to her students. They were never extra help. They were essential. My name is Alyson Monzon, and I have been a paraprofessional in Queens for 11 years. For six of those years, I also served as a para representative. Like so many of us, this work is personal to me. I decided to become a paraprofessional because I grew up seeing the hard work, dedication, and love my mother poured into education as a teacher. I also saw how important paraprofessionals were to her classroom and to her students. They were never extra help. They were essential. Education runs deep in my family. My mother is a retired teacher, all of my siblings are paraprofessionals, and my cousin is a social worker. Working for NYC Public Schools is not just a job to us, it’s part of who we are. Over the years, I’ve worked with students from pre-K through fifth grade, and I’ve heard countless stories from middle school and high school paraprofessionals as well. No matter where we work, the message is always the same: Paraprofessionals do not get enough credit for everything we do, and we definitely don’t get paid enough. I know it’s not about credit, but too many of us feel the same way. This isn’t made up, it’s our lived experience. Many of us work two or three jobs just to survive. Many of us are caregivers at home after spending all day caring for students in school. We help students academically, emotionally, behaviorally, and socially. We step in wherever we are needed. Yet somehow, we are still treated like an afterthought. Despite all of that, I continued pushing myself forward. With the help of the Career Training Program, I was able to finish my bachelor’s degree in psychology and continue my education further. I earned my master’s degree in social work. Having both classroom experience as a paraprofessional and a background in social work has allowed me to see the many gaps that exist within our union and within the systems that are supposed to support us. That is part of why I started becoming more vocal.
Many of us work two or three jobs just to survive. Many of us are caregivers at home after spending all day caring for students in school. We help students academically, emotionally, behaviorally, and socially. We step in wherever we are needed. Yet somehow, we are still treated like an afterthought. Despite all of that, I continued pushing myself forward. With the help of the Career Training Program, I was able to finish my bachelor’s degree in psychology and continue my education further. I earned my master’s degree in social work. Having both classroom experience as a paraprofessional and a background in social work has allowed me to see the many gaps that exist within our union and within the systems that are supposed to support us. That is part of why I started becoming more vocal. I was planning a run for 2nd Vice Chair because I believe paraprofessionals deserve stronger representation and leadership that listens to members. However, I was declared ineligible because I returned from a leave less than two years ago. Two of my union brothers decided to pull out of the race as well, but stay tuned, we will be back, because this is bigger than one election. Speaking of elections, I think many paraprofessionals are tired of pretending everything is okay. This special election, like many before it, has felt manipulated by the controlling caucus. Let me be clear, I have nothing personal against John Kamps. This is not about one person. This is about fairness and democracy. We have seen that in this election alone, emails were reportedly sent out within the paraprofessional chapter structure asking for para reps and district coordinators to identify schools and paras that had, received ballots, who voted and who voted for John Kamps. How can we call this a democratic union election when things like this are happening? On top of that, members know almost nothing about the other candidate except for a 75-word statement that came with the ballot. Many paraprofessionals have reached out to the union asking questions and expressing concerns, only to feel rejected, dismissed, or told that the election is being run fairly and properly. We have also been told that the so called election committee has someone on it, WHO DIDN’T EVEN KNOW THEY WERE ON IT! How could that be? So they just moved forward with what they had, instead of ensuring they had a properly constructed committee. Shame on them! At some point, we have to ask ourselves: When is enough, ENOUGH? Paraprofessionals deserve a union that welcomes questions, not one that shuts them down. We deserve transparency, respect, and real representation, and we also need to start organizing now around our upcoming contract negotiations because paraprofessionals deserve real respect. Not a disrespectful plan to throw us a $10,000 check and pretend that fixes the actual issue. No one is saying paraprofessionals should turn down money. We deserve more money, period, but real respect means fighting for permanent improvements to our salaries, pensions, benefits, working conditions, and professional recognition, not political gestures that disappear while the real problems stay the same. Many paraprofessionals are already struggling to survive in New York City. We need solutions that build long-term stability for our families and futures, not temporary headlines. Most importantly, we deserve to realize the power we have together. I want to continue the conversations. I want to continue meeting paraprofessionals across the city who believe change is possible, because I truly believe we can build the paraprofessional chapter, and the union, that we want and deserve. It will only happen if we organize, speak up, and stand together. We have the power to bring real change for paraprofessionals. So, I’m asking, who’s with me? Who’s with us?
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