Thanks to the advocacy of labor unions, including the UFT, each year retired public employees in New York State receive an adjustment to their pensions linked to an increase in the cost of living.

From Si Beagle courses and social services to legal advice and supplemental health care, membership in the Retired Teachers Chapter offers many benefits. But membership is not automatic: You must enroll in the UFT’s Retired Teachers Chapter after you retire to remain a UFT member.


Retired special education teacher Patricia Garone took her athleticism to a whole new level after she retired in 2016 at age 59. Since then, she has completed eight Half Ironman triathlons, two Full Ironman triathlons and dozens of other races.

The UFT has initiated an outreach program to determine how the union can best support retired paraprofessionals. The Retired Teachers Chapter includes approximately 7,600 paraprofessionals.

The city’s roughly 250,000 Medicare-eligible retirees will remain in their current health plans with the same benefits this fall after a trial court judge this summer blocked the city from moving ahead with the Aetna Medicare Advantage PPO Plan. The city is appealing the decision.


Leo Hoenig, a founder of the UFT and longtime active member of the Retired Teachers Chapter, died on June 3 at age 86.