Protect Our Union and Fight for the Future
Ballots are out and its time to turn out: Vote Unity!
Ballots were mailed on May 1, and here’s why everyone should vote UNITY!
This election falls at a crucial time in this country. We are facing federal attacks like never before: unions, education, our medicare, social security, everyday feels a new threat emerges. But we are part of the strongest union in the country, and that’s not by accident. And we are committed to keep fighting to protect our members, the hardest workers in New York City. (We said what we said!)
We’ve been building up for years to be strong enough to face this national moment. For 60 years and counting, UNITY caucus has been leading the fight for the educators and students of New York City, and winning.
Let’s look at some of our most recent accomplishments.
Our class size legislation – which we were told was impossible–has us on our way to reducing class sizes to historic new lows.
Our $10,000 annual RESPECT check legislation that would increase paraprofessionals pay by up to 30 percent is on the floor of city council.
Our paid parental leave was the first parental leave to be won by a NYC union. Now, we’re fighting for more.
Our contracts: throughout Michael Mulgrew’s leadership we took top salaries from 100k to 150k with NO givebacks. Throughout each negotiation, we were able to secure more rights in our workplace.
Our premium-free health care that we’ve fought hard to keep safe. making us one of the last unions in the country with that benefit. We will keep fighting to protect it until the end.
Our rights may be under attack, but UNITY sees this moment as an opportunity to lean in and fight for more.
We’re working to finish Fixing Tier 6 so all of our members can retire with dignity at 55.
We won't stop pushing the city and DOE until the class size law is in full effect.
And while health-care around the nation is under attack, we’re using our buying power to improve our premium-free benefits and expand our networks.
We’re using the same strategies that won six weeks of paid parental leave to keep fighting for more.
Our past wins aren’t just wins– they’re indicators of what we can (and will!) get done when we fight.
Our leadership is tried and tested.
This isn’t our first rodeo. We’ve been through it all: COVID, Bloomberg, the recession, where 30,000 teachers statewide were laid off and Bloomberg threatened to make 9,000 of them UFT members, but we didn’t let him take a single job. We are ready to fight back against anyone who comes for us. To teach them this lesson: UFT members are not to be messed with.
We can’t ignore the noise– it’s more dangerous than it seems.
The opposing slates running against us have been hard at work using the same dangerous tactics that threaten us and our democracy: smear campaigns, disinformation, and straight lies. While Unity has been organizing, negotiating, demanding more from the powers-that-be, the other slates have been busy… posting. They have no obligation to truth because they bear no responsibility for this membership, and their behavior under that freedom shows us a lot about who they’d be if they were in charge. Dividing, instead of uniting. Trying to induce fear by any means necessary in the people they seek to represent, for their own political gain.They shout over and over: “Members first” but reject plans that address members' needs, like the class size law and para legislation (yes, ABC slate fought back against both.) They throw slogans like “we need change” but offer no policy. And for all of their talk, they keep silent about the divisive and scandalous history of their candidates.
But maybe the most dangerous thing about them? The company they keep. They’re working closely with non UFT organizations–outsiders– who are trying to use our election process to gain control of our union for their own political schemes. Do your research to see who they are backed by. We’ve worked too hard to give up everything we’ve earned to people without our best interests at heart.
UNITY leaders are teachers, nurses, service providers, chapter leaders, lifetime educators. We are in schools every day listening to the people we represent– because that is our responsibility. Our union should be led by us– all of us– not by outsiders who have never taught a day in the classroom.
The most important thing you can do in this election? Vote.
Every single one of us needs to vote. We need the turnout for this election to be the highest ever.
Look for your ballots. Mark the box that says “UNITY” and throw it in the mailbox. We’ve been building for 63 years to be strong enough to face this national moment; Let’s use the power of democracy to tell people: we are paying attention.
And then, let’s continue to do this work, together.
VOTE UNITY!