The United Federation of Teachers has withdrawn its support for New York City's plan to shift 250,000 retirees to a Medicare Advantage health program, a move that has been tied up in the courts for nearly two years.

The UFT and other unions initially supported the switch, but now the UFT said it is withdrawing its support because union members want to have a choice in selecting a plan.

“Why are we going to keep dragging this on when we're not going to have Medicare Advantage?” UFT President Michael Mulgrew said in an interview with NY1 on Sunday. “Why are we putting, you know, some of my retirees — 80, 90 years old — when they just want to know that they're still going to have access to their coverage?”

Mulgrew expressed frustration with the city's handling of negotiations, saying the relationship has turned adversarial.

“At this point, I don't want to be part of a process with the city where they're not working with us on behalf of the workers,” he said. “They're working, really in a much more negative way and just coming after us.”

The city's law department said that it stands by the current plan because it will save the city $600 million a year.