Unity Wins! Take a Deep Breath, the Battle Continues

Looked at my phone, a “mover and shaker” in the innards of the Democratic Party calling to congratulate me re Mulgrew’s victory. “When the shit hits the fan with Hochel’s budget revision we need the unions and especially Mulgrew ….”

We chatted for a while, “It’s not like the old days, everything is at risk.”

He’s absolutely right.

A friend is an epidemiologist with an expertise in highly contagious tropical diseases, suddenly, my friend and tens of thousands of others were laid off/fired, for no discernible reason.

Next recessions, “clawing back” dollars already allocated and, of course, the “Big Beautiful Bill” that passed the House, by one vote, and now is being debated in the Senate. We need four Republicans to defeat the bill and sadly I’m not optimistic.

The bill makes drastic cuts in Medicaid, Education, etc., maybe ten billion fewer dollars for New York State than last year.

The State will have to reconfigure the already passed budget. What will Hochul cut?

Teachers are frightened, anxious and scared: Can I lose my job? My pension? My health plan? And the opposition caucus targeted Mulgrew and Unity. Negative campaigning is commonplace and in tumultuous times placing blame is an escape from the roiling world of Trump land,

The campaign was long and contentious, and Unity prevailed.

Unity leadership is undoubtedly looking at the campaign critically.

Unity isn’t resting on its laurels, a well-deserved victory lap and getting back to work.

In the June 25th primary only registered Democrats can vote, a million registered voters are not Democrats, some are registered as Republicans, and most are not registered in a party.

On the November General Election ballot Adams and Cuomo have independent lines, in addition to whoever wins the June primary. In local elections the Democrats far outnumber Republicans, however, with potentially a million additional voters: who knows?

A new mayor on 1/1/26 and maybe a new chancellor? And, the new mayor will be negotiating the next contract.

Hopefully the opposition caucuses will work with Mulgrew, too much is at stake, debating at the Delegate Assembly is the place to express differing opinions on issues. Acting as a Fifth Column within the union is dangerous, too much is at stake.

All of us, in-service members, retirees, all UFTers have to be onboard. Always time for Solidarity Forever