Staten Island, NYC Teachers Learn About ABC UFT Members: A Better Contract Seeking Election To United Federation Of Teachers – Positive Change, Better Wages, Benefits For Paraprofessionals, Retirees – Endorsed By NYC Retirees: UPDATED

ABC UFT Members: A Better Contract Seeking Election To United Federation Of Teachers: Positive Change, Better Wages, Benefits For Paraprofessionals, Retirees

Editor’s note: UPDATE: A Better Contract slate did not win the election.  However, there was larger turnout than there was during the last election cycle, by about 22%.  The UFT announcement says: “UFT President Michael Mulgrew won his sixth term as the union’s president. Mulgrew and the Unity Caucus candidates received 54% of the vote. The ABC Caucus, led by Amy Arundell, won 32% of the vote. The ARISE Caucus, led by Olivia Swisher, won 14%.” Only about 28% of teachers, both active and retired, actually cast their votes.  The margin of victory was much lower than it had been in previous elections.  In the last election before this, Mulgrew won with 66% of the vote, and there was only one opposing slate with 34% of the votes.  According to the Daily News, this was the highest election turnout for the teachers’ union in recent years.   

Staten Islander previously covered the court case brought by ABC UFT after the election rules for the UFT’s upcoming election were changed to allow in-person voting at district offices and special events.  It is important to note that these event votes will supercede any mail-in ballots that an individual has sent in.  The in-person vote would replace the mail-in vote.  ABC UFT was concerned about election interference, where people’s votes can be influenced at these events and locations.  They did not prevail in obtaining a restraining order.  

We asked Marianne Pizzitola of NYC OPSR: Does your organization (NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees) usually endorse candidates for union membership? The UFT election is coming up starting the beginning of next month, so I wanted to check as we are covering that election.

A: We do try to visit any candidate whether it’s for union office or public office for their positions on Retiree issues. Of course the union should NOT be doing something to harm their retirees, but unfortunately, we ran into that with DC37 and the UFT with the unions under the municipal labor committee. There are a good number of unions that do support us, however, they’re bullied by the two largest ones in the city.

Candidates call us for endorsement all the time, and they want our support. If that candidate is willing to commit to the Retiree issues that we have and put it in a letter of commitment after meeting with us, we endorse them.

And yes, we did endorse the A Better Contract slate Of the United Federation of teachers

We also endorsed the members first slate of 1199 most recently

The following is from the ABC UFT release:

Elections for the leadership of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), impacting over one million New York City schoolchildren and more than 100,000 union members, are approaching this May.

Michael Mulgrew’s control over the UFT is crumbling. Years of weak contracts, rising healthcare costs, and inaction on Tier 6 have left educators frustrated and demanding change. Now, veteran union leader Amy Arundell is breaking away from Mulgrew’s Unity Caucus and uniting members across the city to reclaim our union.

Let’s set up an interview with Amy — the future of NYC schools is on the line.

Why This Matters:

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•First Real Challenge in 60 Years: A top Unity insider is exposing Mulgrew’s failures and leading a movement for change.

•UFT Members Demand Change: Teachers and union members want real raises, pension reform, and a union that fights for them.

•A Better Vision for NYC Schools: A Better Contract will restore power to members and improve education for all New Yorkers.

Amy Arundell is prepared to share her bold plan to end Mulgrew’s failed leadership and build a stronger, more responsive UFT.

This is an article released by ABC UFT in response to a hit piece published in Five Towns Central:

Setting the Record Straight: UFT’s Amy Arundell Calls Out Unity’s Desperate Smear Campaign

March 19, 2025 — A dishonest hit piece is circulating, filled with lies aimed at smearing Amy Arundell and A Better Contract as anti-semitic and dangerous. These false accusations aren’t just offensive — they’re a calculated attempt to distract UFT members from the real issues: low pay, deteriorating working conditions, and a union leadership that’s completely out of touch.

Amy Arundell, UFT presidential candidate for A Better Contract (ABC), is a credentialed and experienced educator who has spent years fighting for educators and students. She knows how the system works and is ready to break Unity’s grip on power and return control of the UFT to its members. After witnessing firsthand how current UFT President Michael Mulgrew and his allies put politics over the needs of educators, Arundell decided it was time for real change.

“Let me be crystal clear,” said Arundell. “I reject all forms of bigotry, including antisemitism. I always have and I always will. Every educator and every student deserves to feel safe, valued, and respected — no exceptions.”

This smear is nothing more than a desperate tactic from Unity Caucus, the political machine that’s controlled the UFT for over 60 years — with Michael Mulgrew calling the shots for the last 16. They’re using fear and division to cover up their failures: keeping wages low, letting working conditions crumble, and silencing the voices of hardworking teachers.

“They call themselves ‘Unity,’ but their actions tell a different story,” said Arundell. “They’re trying to divide us along lines of religion, race, and ideology because they know they can’t defend their record. This isn’t about unity — it’s about protecting their power.”

Focusing on What Matters — Not Distractions

From day one, A Better Contract has been focused on fighting for real raises, fixing Tier 6, protecting pensions, and giving educators a voice again. Arundell has made it clear that the UFT should stay out of international conflicts that have nothing to do with improving conditions for educators.

“The truth is, peace in the Middle East won’t be decided by a UFT Delegate Assembly resolution,” Arundell said. “But fighting for better pay, stopping Tier 6 from robbing our pensions, and making sure teachers have a say — that’s what our members care about. And that’s exactly what I’m fighting for.”

The Credible Choice to Take Back Our Union

Amy Arundell isn’t just another candidate — she’s the proven leader with the knowledge and courage to challenge Unity’s broken leadership and give power back to UFT members. Her candidacy isn’t about tweaking around the edges — it’s about taking the union back and putting power where it belongs: in the hands of educators.

### About A Better Contract (ABC)

A Better Contract is a grassroots movement of educators standing up to challenge Unity’s broken leadership in the upcoming union-wide officer’s elections and take back the UFT. Led by Amy Arundell and a team of real educators who know what’s happening in our classrooms, ABC is fighting for higher wages, pension reform, and a union that works for its members — not the political elite.

The following was provided by Amy to describe the ABC UFT caucus and what they stand for and represent:

For 34 years, I have been a part of the New York City public school system. I was a middle school teacher, delegate, and chapter leader in one Bronx school. I became a Teacher Center specialist in another.

For 21 years, I have been a proud representative working for the United Federation of Teachers. I was mentored by the strongest and most principled UFT representatives and surrounded by brilliance and dedication. I was honored to be a UFT representative. I was dedicated to the cause of public education and the cause of labor.

Never, during all this time, did I imagine that I would be in this position: running for UFT President. The culture of the UFT has long been one where leadership handpicks their successors, deciding who they believe should be the next to carry the mantle, and for years, I played by those rules, trusting that this process served the best interests of our members and that the best, brightest, and most committed to our work as a union would rise to positions of leadership.

Times have changed, our school system has evolved, and our union must evolve as well. More and more members are expressing deep dissatisfaction with the direction of our union. Decisions are being made that I can no longer stand behind. It has become increasingly difficult to look my fellow members in the eye and tell them that what’s happening is good for them because it isn’t. These decisions are not the result of listening to members and then gathering our experts and specialists and making decisions consistent with union values, and the interests of the members and their students. More often than not, the most important decisions are made by only a few, behind closed doors.

The recent election losses in the retiree and paraprofessional chapter elections were not a result of flashy slate names or strategic maneuvering, they were a direct response to the growing frustration among our members. The message is clear, the status quo is failing us.

Our union should be the beacon of fairness, inclusion, and strength. Instead, we have reached a point where sexism, harassment, and bullying have tainted our internal culture. Morale is at an all-time low. I’ve been around long enough to remember when we could come together, debate and discuss issues openly, and leave the room knowing we had made the best decision for our members and the union as a whole. Those spaces and that culture no longer exist under the current leadership. I’ve tried, others have tried but today, questioning decisions can end careers, and there are far too many examples of this reality. I refuse to silence my own principles and beliefs to campaign for anyone who perpetuates this type of leadership and these union values.

My candidacy is not about serving any particular caucus or ideology, it is about serving our members in the way they deserve and that furthers the cause of public education. Now that I have been ‘expelled’ from my former caucus, I stand as the only candidate who is beholden to no faction. My allegiance is to the educators, teachers, paraprofessionals, school-related professionals and retirees who make our union strong and to the students who we are all responsible for educating.

These values are not the only thing that make me the right person to serve as UFT president in this critical moment; I am qualified, experienced, and connected. I have served in a variety of roles, both as an educator in schools and as a union representative.

In my first year of teaching, I remember celebrating when the union negotiated that our lesson plans were no longer required to be collected. It changed my professional life. I was a chapter leader when the SBO process became a source of leverage for my chapter to have a voice in how our school was organized. I was a teacher center specialist in a school when the first 100 minutes were added to the school day and I was tasked with making those minutes as relevant and helpful to our school community as possible, despite our membership’s obvious unease with the additional time.

As a UFT staffer, I implemented the 2005 contract. I supported pedagogues in the ATR pool and advocated for them. I provided support to members in using the new transfer system. I educated people about the power of the SBO process and how to interpret school budgets. I helped hundreds of people with leaves and staffing issues. I am very proud of that work. I was part of the negotiating team on evaluation, and learned a lot about what members want and what others think is best for them. I tried to help members see the power in what we negotiated, and also acknowledged that what we negotiated did not achieve our goals. I was the union point person for the creation of teacher leader roles, and visited the many schools that implemented these roles. I was inspired to see what teachers can do when given the opportunity. I know many schools that have benefited from those roles.

Then, I became the Queens Borough Representative and learned how out of touch our central UFT representatives could be. Hundreds of people invited me into their lives and their schools, and we made amazing things happen. It was by far the role I loved the most and it allowed me to connect to members and students in deep, new, and meaningful ways.

I have a vision for our union. A union that is strategic about building power, that prioritizes members and their students above DOE management or city government desires. We build power by organizing and being connected to members above all else. That is why the leadership of ABC will fight tirelessly with our members for better working conditions, fair salary increases, and an end to the reckless practice of surrendering our healthcare benefits in exchange for inadequate compensation increases.

It’s time to reclaim our union. It’s time to have leadership that listens, respects, and truly advocates for its members, not one that demands blind loyalty and is deaf to their core needs. Together, we can restore integrity, transparency, and strength to the UFT. I ask for your support, not just for me, but for the future of our union and the dignity of its members and the future of the students we serve.

Banner Image: Amy Arundell political doll. Image Credit – ABC UFT