Fires Ripped through LA |
AFT Members
We’ve all watched in horror as fires have ripped through Los Angeles. Homes, schools, businesses and entire communities have been burned to the ground. We just had a call with local AFT leaders in the area to see how we can help. The pain and fear were palpable.
As the fires continue to rage, we want to begin helping displaced members and their families—our educators and school staff, pre-K through college, in Southern California. We’re raising money for people who have lost everything. Can you help by giving to the AFT Disaster Relief Fund today?
Every penny that goes into our Disaster Relief Fund will go directly to fire victims and rebuilding, with no fees or overhead taken out.
There’s going to be so much that needs to be done as LA recovers and rebuilds. People have lost their homes. Communities have lost their schools. Educators have lost all the school supplies and books they spent their own money on—and so much more. While we can’t replace priceless pictures of families, heirlooms passed down from grandparents or the sense of belonging that a home gives, what we can do is show our members that they are not alone.
The AFT and CFT are working hand in hand to make sure our members are OK, that they have the support and resources they need in this crisis, and that they know we’re ready to help them rebuild.
For any educator or parent who wants to talk about the disaster with children, we have free resources on Share My Lesson about the fires and have a comprehensive collection on climate change.
Thank you for your help.
In solidarity,
Randi Weingarten and Jeff Freitas
AFT President and CFT President
Social Security Fairness Act
WASHINGTON—AFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement after the Social Security Fairness Act passed the Senate, capping a decades-long fight for retirement justice for educators, nurses, firefighters, first responders and other public employees:
“Today, justice was finally done for the millions of American workers who dedicated their lives to serving the public but had their retirements throttled by a punitive and unnecessary loophole. The Senate joined the House and delivered on its promise to pass the Social Security Fairness Act so that every public employee can retire with dignity and grace.
“This bill had wide bipartisan support from lawmakers and their constituents for one simple reason: It’s about basic fairness. President Biden, from the start of his administration, has acted decisively on retirement security and we hope he will sign the bill quickly.
“Everyone knows a teacher, firefighter, law enforcement officer, nurse or public worker who’s paid into Social Security year after year, only to have their payments curbed by the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset when they retire. Now, that penalty will be consigned to the dustbin of history, where it belongs.
“Ensuring a fair and secure retirement is how we respect the workers who uplift our communities. And it’s how we recruit and retain the next generation to help our country thrive.
“We are so grateful to the bill’s sponsors—Reps. Abigail Spanberger and Garret Graves and Sens. Sherrod Brown and Susan Collins—and to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for shepherding this bill through the legislative process. For our retirees and for our future, we, and the 118th Congress, have made a difference.”
Optical Benefits Improved
UFT President Michael Mulgrew
I am happy to announce that as of Jan. 1, 2025, our UFT Welfare Fund optical benefit will be available annually, instead of once every two years, and it will increase from $175 to $250. Our provider network has also significantly expanded with the addition of more than a thousand new providers across the country
Our members asked for greater access to and frequency for the optical benefit, and we heard you. Children often need new glasses every year, vision can change with medical conditions, and eyeglasses can break or get scratched. For those reasons and more, we know how important it is to have increased access to optical services. An annual benefit also gives you the option of alternating prescription eyeglasses with prescription sunglasses or contact lenses.
An optical benefit service consists of:
a pair of single-vision, bifocal or trifocal eyeglasses; or
the replacement of a frame or lens; or
contact lenses (fitting not included)
Plus an eye exam at the same time and location that you get your eyeglasses.
As of the start of the new year, UFT Welfare Fund members and their enrolled dependents will have access to the enhanced optical benefit every year. Eligibility will count from the date of your last optical service. If you last used the optical benefit to buy eyeglasses in February 2024, you can use your optical benefit again in February 2025. If you last used the optical benefit prior to Jan. 1, 2024, you can use it again as of Jan. 1, 2025. You have the choice of using optical benefits within our newly expanded network or going out of network. We will send you an email reminder when you can next use the optical benefit.
Although General Vision Services (GVS) is your main point of contact for optical benefits, feel free to contact the UFT Welfare Fund at 212‑539‑0500 if you have any questions or concerns.
We will continue to seek out every opportunity to strengthen our Welfare Fund benefits to support the health and well-being of you and your family.
Sincerely,
Michael Mulgrew
UFT President
New Dental Lists
Go To News of expansion of dental participants
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#search/Mulgrew/FMfcgzQXKWhVpTCsSbrCKDSdkSvWTbrL .
Randi's Election Outcome Message
For AFT Members:
AFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement on the outcome of the 2024 election:
“The voters have spoken. While we hoped and fought for a different outcome, we respect both their will and the peaceful transfer of power.
“At this moment, the country is more divided than ever, and our democracy is in jeopardy. Last night, we saw fear and anger win.
“Over the next few weeks, there will be a lot of ‘could have, should have, would have.’ But the bottom line for most people who voted—and we saw many of them as we crisscrossed the country—was ‘who will help us improve our lives, the lives of our families and our communities?’
“We believed it was Kamala Harris; more people believed it was Donald Trump.
“At the same time, our opportunity engines—labor unions and public schools—remain popular and enduring. It means we must fight for the means and agency to secure a better life, and that public education and a growing labor movement are more important than ever. For example, while Trump won Kentucky, the ballot initiative there to destroy public schools lost.
“Many people today are devastated; many are excited. Many wonder whether the arc of the universe does bend to justice; many wonder whether our democratic institutions will hold.
“These are questions that are not knowable today, but I pray we are curious and introspective enough to understand what happened and ask how we unify the country. What binds us as Americans is far more important than what divides us.
“I do know one thing: Educators, healthcare professionals and public employees will be doing everything they can to make a difference in the lives of the people they serve. And our guiding principle will be to continue to do the work to improve people’s lives: to fight for our children’s future and the promise of America.”
Prez Mulgrew Speaks On Health Care Coverage
From UFT President Michael Mulgrew:
At the Oct. 16 Delegate Assembly, I was asked a few questions from retiree delegates about withdrawing our support for Medicare Advantage. I thought I would take this opportunity to be clear on our position.
As I announced in June, the UFT has withdrawn its support for the city’s Medicare Advantage plan. Over the summer, I wrote letters to both the Municipal Labor Committee and the court to make our position official. The UFT is the only union in the MLC that has officially withdrawn its support for the city’s plan.
This issue is still being fought in court. We have heard our members on this issue, and our opposition to the city’s Medicare Advantage plan is firm. If the courts decide to allow the city to move forward with its plan, we will fight that decision.
We will keep you updated as the case makes its way through the courts.
Sincerely,
Michael Mulgrew
UFT President
SSA Announces a 2.5% COLA Increase for Social Security Beneficiaries
The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced a 2.5% cost-of-living (COLA) benefit
increase for 2025 on Thursday.
“The 72.6 million Americans who rely on their earned Social Security and Supplemental Security
Income benefits will undoubtedly benefit from this modest cost-of-living increase“,” said Joseph
Peters, Jr., Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance. “However, for far too many Americans, it will not be enough.”
The increase amounts to an additional $48 per month for the average retired worker.
“We welcome the news of an increase, but many older Americans struggle to make ends meet
and afford even the most basic necessities like housing, food, and prescription drugs,” added
Fiesta. “We need a COLA that better reflects how seniors spend their money. Strengthening
Social Security and increasing benefits must be a national priority. If billionaires and the top 1% pay their fair share into the system, we can afford to increase benefits across the board and
ensure Social Security is there for our children and grandchildren.”
Many Republicans in Congress and on the presidential campaign trail continue to propose cuts to
the benefits seniors have earned over a lifetime of hard work; raising the retirement age, slashing benefits and privatizing the program are among retirees’ top concerns.
Current Health Care News
Dear UFT Member:
We’re writing to provide an important update on some current health care news.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) and Anthem (formerly Empire BlueCross BlueShield) have been engaged in contentious contract renewal negotiations. Anthem is the part of the New York City GHI-CBP and GHI Senior Care plans that provides the hospital portion of those city health care plans.
Anthem has alerted us that this week, MSK may start mailing letters to all current patients with Anthem coverage (GHI-CBP, GHI Senior Care and all other Anthem NYC health plans) notifying them that MSK facilities may become out-of-network on Jan. 1, 2025, if they are unable to reach an agreement. We recognize that this has the potential to cause great concern.
We want all members who are MSK patients to rest assured that there are legal protections for the continuation of care for current patients and that regardless of the outcome of the contract, your treatment will not be interrupted.
The UFT has had a special relationship with both organizations. Our Welfare Fund has a partnership with MSK, offering the concierge MSK Direct program. We do not want this important service to be in jeopardy for future use.
These contract renewals with various services and providers happen all the time and are part of the ongoing work of maintaining our high-quality health care. We fully expect that a resolution will ultimately be reached.
It is the UFT’s priority to ensure that MSK never drops out of our network, and we will do everything in our power to make certain that it doesn’t. Throughout this negotiation, we, as part of the Municipal Labor Committee, will push both sides to come to a fair agreement that allows us to maintain the critical services that MSK provides for our members as part of our city health plans.
We will keep you updated as we hear more.
Sincerely,
Michael Mulgrew
UFT President
Your Union, Your Well-being
We're excited to announce the UFT Member Assistance Program's new partnership with Vibrant Emotional Health. Together, we've created a dedicated union phone number available 24/7 to offer you free, confidential mental health support. If you are feeling distressed, in need of a referral, or in a crisis situation, our licensed counselors are available to give immediate help.
UFT helpline
1-866-UFT-FOR-U *
24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
All languages are available upon request.
A counselor will request your union ID number to identify you as a UFT member.
Always be Prepared
Print or Bookmark the Flier
We understand that you may not need this resource right now, but unexpected life events often happen.
Bookmark or print this flier for quick access to this important member benefit.
AFL Anti-Worker Foundation of Trump’s Agenda
The AFL-CIO highlighted the threat Donald Trump’s agenda poses to workers hours before he
took the Republican National Convention stage with a comprehensive new online
guide that digs into the policies of the Trump Project 2025 Agenda that will impact working people, their families, and the future of America’s unions.
That agenda includes:
● Banning unions for public service workers (page 82);
● Firing civil service workers and replacing them with Trump anti-union loyalists (page 80);
● Letting bosses eliminate unions mid-contract (page 603);
● Letting companies stop paying overtime (page 592) and allowing states to opt out of federal
overtime and minimum wage laws (page 605);
● Eliminating child labor protections (page 595);
● Urging Congress to pass Sen. J.D. Vance’s bill to let employers create their own sham
company-run unions (page 599).
The online tool also exposes Project 2025’s plans to gut health and safety protections; attack civil, labor, and consumer rights; eviscerate retirement security; and undermine our ability to hold the wealthy and corporations accountable.
“In his first term as president, Donald Trump was a disaster for workers and our unions, governing
exclusively for the wealthy and well-connected,” said Liz Shuler, President of the AFL-CIO. “The
Trump Project 2025 Agenda lays out his plan to turbocharge his anti-worker policies, eliminate or
control unions, and eviscerate labor laws and workers’ contracts.”
Lower Insullin Prices in 2024
Lower Insulin Prices, Out-of-Pocket Cost Caps for Medicare Beneficiaries Kick Off 2024
Medicare beneficiaries will see a wide array of cost-saving benefits in the new year. Thanks to the Biden Administration, seniors will continue to pay no more than the monthly cap of $35 for insulin, and vaccines under Part D will be free.
Going forward, if a beneficiary’s drug costs are high enough to reach the catastrophic coverage
phase, they will not have to pay coinsurance or make copayments. This effectively caps out-ofpocket expenses at $3,250 in 2024.
Another major change this year is the Part D Low-Income Subsidy program, Extra Help, which will
now cover more drug costs for those who earn less than 150% of the federal poverty level.
Qualifiers for the program will pay no more than $4.50 for generic drugs and $11.20 for brandname drugs.
These 2024 benefits are only a few of the annually unrolling policies that are aimed at limiting
Medicare costs under the Inflation Reduction Act that President Biden signed in 2022. Last year,
drug companies were forced to participate in price negotiations with Medicare, which will lead to
lower prices, and in 2025, the annual Part D out-of-pocket cap will be lowered to $2,000.
“Beginning with insulin, seniors are finally seeing the affordable prices they deserve for live-saving drugs,” said Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance For Retired Americans.
“These changes in 2024 are important steps toward curbing drug corporation greed.” |
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