In a widely expected result, United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew was re-elected to a third term as head of the city’s teachers union, according to results released Friday.
Though he cruised to victory with 76 percent of the vote, his vote share dropped from the 84 percent that he earned in 2013. His main opponent, Jia Lee of the MORE caucus, earned just over 20 percent of union support.
The results indicate that Mulgrew has both ample support and growing competition. He won his first union election in 2010 with 91 percent of the vote.
Mulgrew can point to several successes under his tenure such as increasing the number of union members and securing a new contract that included a raise for teachers. Yet opposition groups argue that the union has not done enough to improve the everyday lives of teachers.
Participation also rose in this election. Approximately 53,000 ballots were cast this year compared to 41,000 in 2013.
The teacher advocacy group Educators 4 Excellence praised both Mulgrew’s election and the increased voter turnout.
“The 2016 election comes with even greater momentum than previous years,” said Maryanne Kiley, executive director of Educators 4 Excellence-New York.