Registration for intersession 2026 Si Beagle classes begins on Oct. 14, 2025.

The September 2025 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), which retired members will see in their September pension checks, is 1.2%. Eligible retirees will receive up to $216 -- or $18 per month -- before taxes from the COLA.

The UFT Welfare Fund Retiree Legal Plan with Elder Law Supplement offers many benefits, but the five that UFT retirees use the most are assistance with estate planning, elder law, civil litigation, real estate and matrimonial law.

Retired teacher Luann Martin gives back to her community by volunteering with the Feeding with TLC soup kitchen operated by Trinity Lutheran Church on Staten Island.

In July, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced a plan to import the worst part of Medicare Advantage — prior authorizations — into traditional Medicare. Prior authorization requirements will be established for certain traditional fee-for-service Medicare services in six states starting in January 2026. 


Our country now feels like a dangerous and scary place. And yet, I don’t despair. I’m encouraged to see UFT members taking to the streets and uniting in protest with our fellow union members on a grand scale.