Out of the Shadows: NAC Statement On the UFT Election

Yesterday, after months of campaigning from the shadows of anonymity, the ABC slate has finally made its presidential candidate known: Amy Arundell, long-time Unity Caucus member and former Queens Borough representative, a UFT staffer who hasn’t worked full-time in the classroom in over 20 years.

While many of us sympathized with Arundell when UFT leadership transferred her out of her previous role, we are concerned that she is an entrenched union staffer with a long history of supporting some of the Unity Caucus’s worst blunders. We find it difficult to believe that she will do what it takes to support the grassroots, member-driven unionism that it will take to fight for the contract we deserve. Indeed, over her long career, Arundell has been a chief apologist for contracts with sub-inflationary wages, healthcare givebacks, and deteriorating working conditions, while directly helping the Unity Caucus undermine the UFT’s democratic structures. In short, we find it difficult to grasp how someone so involved in passing our current substandard contract could be the presidential candidate for ‘A Better Contract.’”

New Action is proud to have Olivia Swisher as our presidential candidate – the only current teacher running for the job, and the only presidential candidate who has ever actually worked under the 2023 contract. In addition to Olivia, we are running a full slate of candidates. Unlike the slates we are running against, none of ARISE’s candidates supported the disastrous contracts of the last several decades. New Action and the other groups involved in ARISE have always stood firmly against the forces that pushed Medicare Advantage onto retirees, jeopardizing their healthcare security. New Action is proud to say that not a single ARISE candidate ever had a role in pushing bad contracts and shoddy healthcare onto members.

Moreover, ARISE is committed to fostering true union democracy. Their candidates have not been part of the Unity machine that stifled dissenting voices at every turn. They haven’t bullied members who sought to hold leadership accountable. They haven’t responded to earnest member pleas for better pay with remarks like ‘seeking raises that keep up with inflation is ‘political.’ We believe in open dialogue, respectful debate, and the right of every member to have their voice heard.

In short, we are proud of our own slate of candidates, who we believe earnestly will make the union a better place. Our vision is one of inclusivity, transparency, and steadfast dedication to the well-being of our members. We are committed to restoring the integrity of our union and ensuring that it serves the best interests of all its members.

Join New Action in supporting the ARISE slate for a union that truly represents and fights for its members.