Will Unity Caucus Accept the Results of This Election? Warning Signs Are There.

ABC will, but will Unity?

As the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) election count approaches, a pressing question looms: Will the Unity Caucus, the political machine that has held power for over six decades, respect the will of the members if they lose? Will they honor the results or only recognize democracy if it delivers them another victory?

Elections are not a performance. They are a promise. A promise that every voice counts. A promise that every member matters. A promise that power is earned, not assumed. A promise that when the people speak, their leaders listen even when it’s hard to hear.

Accepting the results of an election is not optional. It is the bedrock of any democratic institution. It’s what ensures that every member’s voice matters—not just the loudest ones, not just the longest-serving ones, and not just the ones in power. When the ballots are cast and counted, both winners and incumbents must do something simple but sacred: respect the outcome.

To do otherwise would be more than disrespectful. It would be a betrayal. A betrayal of the thousands of members who took time away from their classrooms, their families, and their lives to participate in the one moment that belongs to all of us: the vote. If the results only count when Unity wins, then we have no democracy at all, just a dynastic dictatorship.

And history tells us this isn’t just a hypothetical. In past elections, Unity has refused to concede, challenged results they didn’t like, called for do-overs, and leaned on technicalities to hold power. Some will remember the tactics used during the Shulman election for HS Vice-President, the chaos around the last OT/PT contract vote, or the divisive behavior of Unity in the most recent TRS race that never was. This is not rumor. It is record.

When defeat is painted as fraud, when criticism is silenced, when every loss is labeled illegitimate. That’s not leadership, that is fear. And fear has no place in a union that is supposed to fight for its members, not just for its insiders.

As this election unfolds, the UFT stands at a crossroads. One path leads to renewed trust, vibrant debate, and a union that represents all its members. The other leads to doubt, division, and decay. A Better Contract (ABC) is committed to the former.

Unity Caucus must decide and declare which path they will take. Will they honor the vote or try to erase it?

Will they prioritize the union’s collective integrity over maintaining longstanding control?

Will they even answer before the count begins?

The stakes are simple: no true union without true democracy. And democracy demands that when the people speak, even the powerful must listen.