Dear friend,

The first two weeks of our grassroots UFT Healthcare Referendum petition campaign has led to a flurry of breakneck organizing activity, interest and petition signatures.

Today, we hit at least 4500+ petitions signed!

Folks in our union are buzzing with excitement about this organizing effort that gives us agency over our healthcare, while mobilizing others and educating them about our member rights and responsibilities regarding mandatory subjects of bargaining, like healthcare.

As you know, two weeks ago, together we successfully launched our member-wide referendum petition campaign calling for a membership-wide vote for any significant changes to active and/or retired members’ healthcare. These include any significant changes of our healthcare carriers, limits to our choice of healthcare carriers, or institutions of or raises to premiums, deductibles or copayments, etc. We also demand that UFT members must be provided full disclosure of the wording for such proposed changes, prior to the membership wide vote.

We continue to vigorously move the needle to garner the 10% of member signatures needed to trigger the UFT constitutional mandate compelling the UFT executive board to bring a member-wide referendum vote to all members.

THE NEXT STEPS: CHAPTER-WIDE SIGNATURES AND OUR FIRST PETITION ORGANIZING ZOOM CALL - APRIL 18TH AT 7 PM

In our next phase, we are asking chapter leaders, delegates or any UFT member seeking to organize their chapters around this cause, to print the petition and share it with as many members at your school as possible. 

Scores of school chapters have already mobilized and are submitting the petitions. Retirees are also getting multiple petition signatures from UFT friends and colleagues.

Find a PDF copy of the petition to download, print and share here.

On Tuesday, April 18th at 7 pm we will have an organizing call for all those who want to help in reaching our goal of +20K signatures. To RSVP for our first Zoom organizing call, click here. We will map out a winning strategy together.

Finally, we continue to assert that in the coming days and weeks, thousands more of union-strong members, like you, are poised to sign it and lift their union-proud voices telling UFT leadership: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. 

Even as Mulgrew's leadership stoops by seeking to thwart these efforts with harassment and intimidation, WE REMAIN RESOLUTE.

We will no longer stand for this leadership's unilateral decisions and givebacks that have hurt and diminished our health benefits since the ill-fated, non-transparent 2014 and 2018 labor contracts which bartered "cost savings' to the City in exchange for our hard-earned healthcare.  Moreover, there are sound alternatives they have refused to explore that would help bring down costs.

As we approach a new labor contract deal, more givebacks have been negotiated away by the present leadership. Retirees are now being forced into a privatized Medicare Advantage plan with limited networks, life-threatening pre-authorizations and a labyrinth for seniors to seek reimbursements for any uncovered care.  In addition, a new, undisclosed and "no-frills" cheaper plan is now being devised to replace the premium-free GHI plan most active members have relied on for decades.

Our present and future healthcare, and the healthcare of our families, is not for sale.

We say: LET US VOTE, NOW!

Thank you for your brave stand and continued support. 

• Please also consider making a donation to this cause to help cover our costs.
• Share this news story in Chalkbeat and The City about our petition campaign with others too.