With the RTC leadership election coming up, I have asked Election Committee Chair Nina Tribble to write this month’ s column.
— Tom Murphy
GET READY: It’s time again for Retired Teachers Chapter elections. Every three years, RTC members vote to elect who they want to lead their chapter.
When the RTC elections took place three years ago, we were in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and had to make some modifications in light of pandemic restrictions. Today, we are in a better place.
The RTC bipartisan election committee — made up of Doreen Crinigan, Robert Greenberg, John Soldini and me — is overseeing this year’s election and using the standard procedures and processes used prior to the pandemic.
Our election committee was empowered to develop and publicize the rules of the election. We have completed that initial step. Our committee is overseeing a process that we believe is simple, straightforward and transparent in order to guarantee a fair election.
The RTC election notice was published in the Feb. 15 issue and this April 11 issue of the New York Teacher. The RTC election page in our chapter’s section of the UFT website went live in mid-March.
GET SET: Nominating petitions are available for pick up in all five of the UFT’s borough offices or can be downloaded from the UFT website.
We sent an email to RTC members in mid-March explaining the election process and providing links to the election notice and nominating petitions. The UFT has also established a dedicated election hotline, 212-331-6310, that members can call with questions concerning the election.
Now the committee is preparing to turn over the next steps in the election process to the independent American Arbitration Association (AAA).
In May, when you receive your ballot in the mail, you will be voting for a chapter leader, four vice chairs, five other officers, 15 executive board members and 300 delegates to the Delegate Assembly. They will all serve three-year terms.
VOTE: Our final step cannot be completed without YOU. It is up to you to exercise your right to vote. The deadline for the receipt of ballots at the AAA is June 14 at 8 a.m.
The AAA will begin counting ballots on June 14 at its office, which is located at 120 Broadway in Manhattan. Once the count is official, the results will be published on the UFT website and an email will be sent to RTC members.
As the union’s “Daytime Army,” UFT retirees have championed many issues and concerns of both our in-service and retired members. The RTC has the task of protecting and advancing both public education and your hard-earned benefits on a local, state and national level. The RTC leaders you elect will be responsible for keeping you informed, protecting your benefits, listening to your ideas and helping you resolve your issues.
Throughout history and still today, activists have fought hard for the right to vote. Please do not take that right for granted. It is not only in your self-interest to vote; it is the best way to show that we still believe in democracy.