New Action Message to UFT Chapter Leaders (September, 2022)

Dear UFT Chapter Leader,

The New Action/ UFT caucus welcomes all Chapter Leaders to the 2022 school year. New Action/ UFT, as a member of the United For Change coalition received 42% of the Active teacher vote and 34% of the Retiree vote in the recently concluded spring UFT election. United For Change won all 7 High School Executive Board seats. Despite receiving 42% of the Active teacher vote United For Change only has 7% of the seats on the Executive Board and despite winning the High School election we don’t have a Vice President from the High Schools. This is due to the at-large voting changes Unity Caucus made over 30 years ago. Despite these undemocratic conditions the 7 High School members can be a voice for you and your members regardless of Division. We would like to hear from you and your members as to the important issues the 7 members can bring forward.

At this moment, New Action is sending out an alert about impending changes to our healthcare for both retirees and in-service members. Mayor Adams and the Municipal Labor Committee (of which the UFT is a major part) are negotiating to put our healthcare into the hands of privateers. This goes against the trend to move to single payer health care. Please become informed and alert your members to these developments.

We recommend that all Chapter Leaders join a caucus, our union’s political parties. Caucuses, such as New Action, offer key support to Chapter Leaders, Delegates, and other union activists to help conduct both school-based and city-wide union activities. New Action is the oldest progressive opposition caucus in the United Federation of Teachers. In existence since the mid 1980’s (and forerunners since the 1970’s), and still running strong today. JOIN today to be a part of our community, and work with us to pass resolutions that matter at the UFT Executive Board and the Delegate Assembly.

If you don’t yet receive the New Action /UFT literature at your school please send your name , personal email, cell number, and school to either :

Greg Di Stefano,  head of organizing – [email protected]    718 757 4552   

Michael Shulman, co-chair New Action – [email protected]            718 238 8030 

Nick Bacon, co-chair New Action –        [email protected]    860 922 5833

Thank you.