Published: April 14, 2023
Dozens of municipal retirees, active city workers, and members of the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees gathered outside of City Hall this past Tuesday to protest the five-year, $200 million contract that Mayor Eric Adams recently inked with insurance giant Aetna. The contract, which is set to take effect in September, will switch 250,000 municipal retirees to a privatized Medicare Advantage plan.
In place of the contract, dozens of retirees have urged the Adams administration to consider “Schedule C” or “Option C,” an alternative approach that would allow retirees to remain on their traditional Medicare plans at no additional cost. Mayoral spokesperson Charles Lutvak, however, has previously stated that the administration does “not intend” to offer this alternative.
Municipal retirees hold up signs at Tuesday’s rally outside City Hall. Photo Courtesy of The Office of Councilman Ari Kagan.
“Eric, give us our money. Give us our healthcare,” said District 42 City Councilman Charles Barron at Tuesday’s rally. “How dare you?” the retirees chanted in response. “Aetna must go. Aetna must go.”
After the rally, Barron continued his support of the retirees inside the Council Chambers, pleading with his colleagues to fix what he called “a morally bankrupt wrong decision” by including the retirees in the city budget. Barron mentioned an unexpected $4.9 billion revenue increase that could be used to help the unions instead of the Adams administration’s recent ask of New York City agencies to cut their budgets by 4% this coming fiscal year. He added that there is an $8.3 billion reserve budget, a portion of which could be used to save the current healthcare plans of municipal retirees.
“We should pay the $600 million for our retirees so they can have their benefits,” said Barron. “Let’s do the right thing. We are the people’s City Council, not the mayor’s and not the corporation’s.”
Going forward, Barron will sponsor legislation to push the city to continue providing satisfactory healthcare coverage for municipal retirees. District 32 Councilwoman Joann Ariola plans to co-sponsor the legislation once it’s submitted.
“I have been on the side of the retirees since day one,” Ariola told The Wave. “I will continue to fight for those who have dedicated their careers to our city, and I will keep pushing to make sure that they can receive the healthcare that they’ve worked hard to earn.”
While the rally ultimately enjoyed a large turnout, NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees President and retired FDNY Marianne Pizzitola says one municipal retiree took a fall and another may have suffered a stroke during the rally.
“This is serious,” Pizzitola said in a video statement. “These are people that are coming out to fight for themselves at an age that they shouldn’t have to.”
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