Your Healthcare Is Under Attack — Unity Caucus Is Fighting Back
Today, we learned that an extremely small group backed by wealthy outside interests has filed a lawsuit to block NYCE PPO and prevent you from getting the healthcare you deserve.
When it comes to healthcare, the Unity Caucus’s stance has remained constant: educators and public workers are entitled to quality, premium-free healthcare. That commitment guided our support for a member-driven healthcare committee that negotiated the NYC Employees PPO plan. The agreement our members secured locks in five years of premium-free coverage and brings major improvements to our health benefits, including stronger mental health coverage, broader provider access, and lower out-of-pocket costs. The healthcare committee voted to bring the plan to the UFT Delegate Assembly, where chapter leaders and delegates from every school and work site across the city voted overwhelmingly to approve it.
Today, we learned that an extremely small group backed by wealthy outside interests has filed a lawsuit to block the plan and prevent you from getting the healthcare you deserve. Their goal is to delay and destabilize the progress we achieved at the bargaining table. If they succeed, members could be forced to pay costly premiums as early as next year and could lose the expanded benefits provided by the NYC PPO plan.
We are deeply disappointed that anyone would attempt to use the courts to take away what working people have rightfully negotiated. The truth is clear: Unity’s plan protects our healthcare and strengthens it for years to come. Unity is ready to fight to protect the health and security of our members.
For more than six decades, Unity Caucus has led every major fight for member healthcare. We have kept New York City one of the few places in the nation where public employees still enjoy premium-free coverage. We will not allow misinformation or outside pressure to roll back those hard-won gains.
Now is the time for all members to stand together. Together, we will protect what we’ve built and ensure our members continue to receive the care they deserve.