A Caucus Divided (by David Ginsberg)

Humans are social creatures. We feel the need to receive and reciprocate the love and support of others. This innate desire is a large reason why we join groups. When it comes to political factions, the most altruistic of us find people with similar ideologies and we join together in order to change things for the better. More nefarious players join forces for other reasons – usually power and money. In the end, it is up to the people to decide which group they think will best represent them. But what happens when one group already has plans of splitting up immediately after the election cycle? This brings us to A Better Contract (ABC).

In his blog post from November 18th, one of ABC’s own, Norm Scott, admitted that “ABC is not about being a caucus over the long term but a group running for the 2025 UFT election and then will disband. So no caucus building but only election building.” Several questions immediately arise for any UFT members thinking about aligning themselves with a caucus that will immediately disband. Did you know about this before signing up? Do you want to belong to a group who will fight for our rights, or a bunch of individuals masquerading as a political faction who are already planning on going their separate ways after the election? 

Numbers matter. That’s why large political groups hold so much influence and power. If the plan is to immediately break up after the election, then what exactly are ABC supporters voting for? A bunch of former Unity members with differing ideologies will only further complicate things for the rest of us because there will be no power in numbers. Every Unity outcast elected under the ABC banner – and there are plenty – would be flying solo. UFT members who are interested in voting for ABC but not interested in running for an elected position are going to be disappointed to find out that there is no “they’re” there. No team. No camaraderie. No common purpose. Just a bunch of individuals out for themselves while they wax poetic about focusing on the same “bread and butter issues” that they previously denied us as former members of Unity.

It’s clear that a decent number of the powerbrokers at ABC are not intent on being A Benevolent Coalition for UFT members. They are an Alliance of Beneficial Convenience. Only the beneficial convenience isn’t for the everyday UFT member – it’s for themselves, the ABC hierarchy. The only thing that can come from this is A Bad Conclusion.

But, you can still join or support a united coalition that seeks to improve our union. 

Comprising three major UFT caucuses, all open for anyone to join, ARISE brings decades of experience and a shared commitment to bettering conditions for NYC educators. Our coalition includes:

• Retiree Advocate: the caucus of UFT retirees that won the leadership of the Retired Teachers Chapter – along with its 300 delegates to the UFT Delegate Assembly – in last spring’s chapter elections. RA’s victory came on the heels of three years of advocacy in the fight to preserve traditional Medicare for NYC municipal retirees, and compelled the UFT to abandon its support of the city’s for-profit Medicare Advantage plan. Its actions have helped to ensure the preservation of healthcare for both current and future retirees.
• Movement of Rank and File Educators: one of the largest caucuses in the UFT,  MORE has been fighting for racial and social justice within the union and education system in New York City since its founding in 2011. MORE members currently serve on the UFT Executive Board and as Chapter Leaders and Delegates at numerous schools. With a commitment to school-based organizing, MORE works to develop leaders at the school level to transform our schools and our union. 
• New Action: one of the longest running caucuses in the UFT, with roots back to the 1970s, New Action has a storied history of organizing our union, both past and present. We have fought to achieve pay parity with surrounding districts, supported school chapters fighting abusive administrations, led voting campaigns that resulted in successful contract renegotiations, and made calls for major pension reforms. New Action has run in and won in UFT elections for decades, using officer and Executive Board seats to advocate for our members.

Our groups are united by a powerful vision of a just and democratic UFT that champions fair pay, better working conditions, and access to high-quality, premium-free healthcare from our first days on the job to our golden years of retirement. But our vision reaches even further: we believe that the work we do to strengthen and uplift UFT members will create a ripple effect, transforming not only our workplaces but also the communities we serve, creating a more equitable and thriving New York City for all.

I invite you to join our slate in fighting for a better tomorrow in the UFT. 

David Ginsberg