This year marks the 60th anniversary of two milestones in the history of this union: the March 16, 1960, founding of the United Federation of Teachers and the Nov. 7, 1960, commencing of our first strike.

Here's a new word as defined by Merriam Webster:

Listicle — noun: an article consisting of a series of items presented as a list.

People look at the same things, the same event and even the same truth differently. That includes politics — and the prospect of impeachment.

Some of us feel surrounded by angry, self-proclaimed, in-your-face assertions of populous democratic rights, but too often with nary a drop to acknowledge and nurture the great tradition of enlightened democratic achievement that organized labor and its progressive political allies fought to enshrine in our social contract over the last century.

The albatross? You decide.

In reaction to one of my columns on the union’s endorsement procedure, I received a message from Ed Beller, a retiree colleague who has a different view on the politics of endorsement. It set me to thinking about the positive nature of internal union discussions on such matters.

The Retired Teachers Chapter has expanded from the handful of visionary retirees it was in the 1960s to a staggering membership approaching 70,000 activists who can tap into nearly six decades of achievement as our source of strength.