UFT President Michael Mulgrew celebrated retirees’ lengthy service to the city and their enduring commitment to public education, their students and communities at the 59th Retired Teachers Chapter Luncheon on May 23 at UFT headquarters.

Looking out at the more than 250 UFT retirees and their guests gathered in Shanker Hall, Mulgrew said, “Think about the resilience of you as a group.” Citing decades of capricious and counterproductive decisions by the city Department of Education, he continued, “We’ve handled a lot of challenges — and with those challenges comes a lot of joy.”

RTC Chapter Leader Bennett Fischer discussed the political headwinds facing the city and the country but emphasized the durability and tenacity of UFT member activism.

“We are not going to let this moment in history thwart us, because we built this union to last,” he said.

At the luncheon, the RTC honored 15 members for 50 years of union membership and seven members for 60 years of union membership [see page 44]. David Shustak was honored for 70 years of service, starting as a teacher at Aviation HS in Queens in the 1950s and then, in 1960, as one of the first UFT members.

The retirees enjoyed a festive meal and entertainment by Jimmy Hill and the Allstarz band.

For some retirees, the day became an impromptu reunion: Three retired members from Long Island City HS ran into their former chapter leader, Ken Achiron, at the event. “The UFT was part of our lives,” said retiree Cecilia Aguilar, one of the three. “When we’re able to get together and see what’s going on with the union, we embrace that.”

Julia Easterlin, a retired paraprofessional, said she has made a point of attending union events since her retirement in 2010, both to mingle with old colleagues and to lend her support to union causes.

“We can’t forget the paraprofessionals,” Easterlin said, referring to the paraprofessional RESPECT campaign. “They have to get a fair deal.”

Erica Berger

RTC Chapter Leader Bennett Fischer emphasizes the durability and tenacity of UFT member activism.

A special feature of this year’s event was a booth where retirees were invited to record their stories of union activism for the RTC’s new Labor Solidarity Project.

Clifton Sherman, a retired speech teacher and former chapter leader from PS 306 in East New York, was the first volunteer to be filmed by the Labor Solidarity Project.

Sherman told the story of immigrating from the island of Jamaica in the 1980s and of learning new-to-him words like “pension” and “grievance” when he became a New York City public school educator.

He said he believes the suite of benefits that UFT members enjoy, from health care to a defined-benefit pension, allows teachers to teach without worries or distraction — which, in turn, means that students get a more prepared and present instructor.

“At the end of the day,” Sherman said, “the students end up being the beneficiaries.”