Irony: the reduction of the city pension funding over the term would be $600 million less a year 🤔. That is the same amount of money The unions were going to need to finance The health insurance premium stabilization fund for active workers with no oversight, that’s been used as a slush fund by both the municipal labor committee and mayors because the court blocked them from forcing retirees into a single Medicare advantage plan that many of their doctors in hospitals did not accept for treatment or payment.
First, they tried to charge Retirees full premium to stay on a federal public health benefit, if they refused to be forced into a Medicare advantage plan. Retirees were promised traditional Medicare would be their plan for 60 years. And remember Retirees are no longer in unions on retirement. And many are not in unions because they’re managerial
Then they tried to pass increasing co-pays and deductibles on Retirees again who were not part of any negotiation because they retired.
When the court stopped that too, they pulled the nuclear option attempted to kill all choices of healthcare plans for retirees and force them again into a single Medicare advantage plan that many of their doctors in hospitals would not accept
Since Retirees are no longer in the union, they weren’t at the table, they became the menu
Retirees don’t vote on contracts, they’re not part of negotiations, and they don’t vote for union officers
Egregious to even hear these words come from my mouth, but these failed union leaders thought it would be OK to steal vested healthcare benefits from retired civil servants, to finance their own raises and benefits. If they wanted a change in benefits they should have applied to themselves! Not people they cannot negotiate for under the law because they’re not in their union.
When that wasn’t successful, they decided to play a pension Ponzi scheme with pensions that would not only potentially have an impact on current Retirees, but future Retirees and taxpayers. And they never even told their members, active or retired.
The Uft then chose to attack us for revealing this very scheme. Some even said we were taking guidance from a right wing think tank. I guess they didn’t hear Brad Lander agree in the city council budget hearing 🤦🏽♀️
When traditionally opposing views agree, everyone should pause.
What do you know? When Mulgrew says jump, looks as though NYS government officials say how high?
How many pockets has Mulgrew stuck his hands into? First he gets himself $1.1B from the Stabilization Fund to hand out under the guise of retroactive raises, then he thinks no one will notice when he tries to throw 250,000 NYC municipal Medicare eligible retirees into a sub par Medicare Advantage plan without having researched in depth the ramifications of that. Then he pretends to no longer support the Medicare Advantage plan but doesn’t lift a finger to protect the retiree health benefits by backing their proposed legislation in the city council or writing an amicus brief. Nah he didn’t do that. Now he’s on the hook for the $600m he promised NYC yearly in perpetuity. What better place to get the money but from those who worked decades for NYC for a promised solvent defined pension benefit and healthcare? Why care about or respect anyone when he can get the NYS elected officials to do his bidding? Right the police and firefighter unions declined to participate in this scheme. This sure isn’t what a union is supposed to be but I guess Weingarten forgot to pass that information on to Mulgrew. Then again Sandra Feldman didn’t tell Weingarten.
This isn’t a freestanding bill either on this issue. It is buried in the budget of the state. Presumably hidden by the two largest unions should not draw attention to it.
And they didn’t want to draw attention to it because they didn’t want their members the actual pensioners to know. Never mind the Retirees, who they have been trying to call back their healthcare benefits as a cash cow for the last four years.
Irony: the reduction of the city pension funding over the term would be $600 million less a year 🤔. That is the same amount of money The unions were going to need to finance The health insurance premium stabilization fund for active workers with no oversight, that’s been used as a slush fund by both the municipal labor committee and mayors because the court blocked them from forcing retirees into a single Medicare advantage plan that many of their doctors in hospitals did not accept for treatment or payment.
First, they tried to charge Retirees full premium to stay on a federal public health benefit, if they refused to be forced into a Medicare advantage plan. Retirees were promised traditional Medicare would be their plan for 60 years. And remember Retirees are no longer in unions on retirement. And many are not in unions because they’re managerial
Then they tried to pass increasing co-pays and deductibles on Retirees again who were not part of any negotiation because they retired.
When the court stopped that too, they pulled the nuclear option attempted to kill all choices of healthcare plans for retirees and force them again into a single Medicare advantage plan that many of their doctors in hospitals would not accept
Since Retirees are no longer in the union, they weren’t at the table, they became the menu
Retirees don’t vote on contracts, they’re not part of negotiations, and they don’t vote for union officers
Egregious to even hear these words come from my mouth, but these failed union leaders thought it would be OK to steal vested healthcare benefits from retired civil servants, to finance their own raises and benefits. If they wanted a change in benefits they should have applied to themselves! Not people they cannot negotiate for under the law because they’re not in their union.
When that wasn’t successful, they decided to play a pension Ponzi scheme with pensions that would not only potentially have an impact on current Retirees, but future Retirees and taxpayers. And they never even told their members, active or retired.
The Uft then chose to attack us for revealing this very scheme. Some even said we were taking guidance from a right wing think tank. I guess they didn’t hear Brad Lander agree in the city council budget hearing 🤦🏽♀️
When traditionally opposing views agree, everyone should pause.
What do you know? When Mulgrew says jump, looks as though NYS government officials say how high?
How many pockets has Mulgrew stuck his hands into? First he gets himself $1.1B from the Stabilization Fund to hand out under the guise of retroactive raises, then he thinks no one will notice when he tries to throw 250,000 NYC municipal Medicare eligible retirees into a sub par Medicare Advantage plan without having researched in depth the ramifications of that. Then he pretends to no longer support the Medicare Advantage plan but doesn’t lift a finger to protect the retiree health benefits by backing their proposed legislation in the city council or writing an amicus brief. Nah he didn’t do that. Now he’s on the hook for the $600m he promised NYC yearly in perpetuity. What better place to get the money but from those who worked decades for NYC for a promised solvent defined pension benefit and healthcare? Why care about or respect anyone when he can get the NYS elected officials to do his bidding? Right the police and firefighter unions declined to participate in this scheme. This sure isn’t what a union is supposed to be but I guess Weingarten forgot to pass that information on to Mulgrew. Then again Sandra Feldman didn’t tell Weingarten.
I guess you missed the memo. Brad Lander testified on March 5 before the city council budget hearing where he was asked a direct question by chair Justin Brannan on this very issue and he didn’t support it either. https://citymeetings.nyc/city-council/2025-03-05-1030-am-committee-on-finance/chapter/analysis-of-proposal-to-refinance-pension-systems-unfunded-liability
This isn’t a freestanding bill either on this issue. It is buried in the budget of the state. Presumably hidden by the two largest unions should not draw attention to it.
And they didn’t want to draw attention to it because they didn’t want their members the actual pensioners to know. Never mind the Retirees, who they have been trying to call back their healthcare benefits as a cash cow for the last four years.
It’s called a lack of transparency