UFT, NYSUT and AFT experts and advocates joined hundreds of educators from across the state for NYSUT's 'Unplugged" conference. There, they discussed how to tackle deficits educators are seeing due to overreliance on technology, and ways to ensure...

All you need to know about the high-quality health benefits and supplemental coverages you enjoy as a UFT member or retiree.

A new District 75 teacher in Queens reveals the beauty of working in a 12:1:1 setting, and shares the importance of pivoting when needed – over forcing a lesson – to allow for structured student self-regulation like deep breathing, calming music or...

RTC Chapter Leader Bennett Fischer tells retirees of two wins in the October DA impacting securing retiree benefits: the UFT will campaign to improve the annual pension Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) and a resolution supporting a City Council bill...

UFT President Michael Mulgrew extols the fact that members' hard work has resulted in the city being in 70% compliance with the state's class-size law. But he warns getting to full, 100% compliance will be difficult. He invites members to join the...

Nearly 1,900 video game workers at Microsoft-owned Blizzard Entertainment won their first union contracts in September, a significant win in an industry that has been hammered with layoffs.


The Teachers’ Retirement System issues 1099 tax forms each January to people who received distributions from TRS in the previous year.

TRS may ask retirees to complete a Retirement Allowance Verification Form annually. If you receive such a letter, don't ignore it.

Learn about the benefits of the UFT's Victim Support Program. Co-sponsored by the UFT’s Safety and Health Department and the city Department of Education, the Victim Support Program is the place for members to turn for support when tragedy strikes...

The UFT explains paraprofessionals' rights and obligations in terms of being absent from work.

The Teacher’s Choice program will again reimburse UFT-represented educators for some of their out-of-pocket expenses for supplemental instructional supplies and materials of their choice.

Historically, New York City coverage for the GHI Senior Care Medicare Part D prescription drug rider and the 365-day hospitalization have been a combined rider. Now, retirees can decide whether to decouple the two benefits when the annual Health...

More than 100 paraprofessionals at an Extended School Year program in Queens who went without pay for five weeks banded together, and with the help of the UFT, finally received the pay due to them. Find out what to do if you suspect your salary is...

UFT members have valuable rights and a voice in their professional lives. This FAQ provides important information about how to utilize UFT membership to its fullest.

Arranging your classroom in a way that works for you and your students is an important first step toward a successful year. Veteran teachers share ideas and tips on help you set up your classroom — whether for the very first time or as part of a...

For over 100 years, New York State law has required elementary schools to teach students about the humane treatment and protection of animals, but many teachers are unaware of the legislation.
The UFT Humane Education Committee is working to change...

UFT members who have requested to transfer from the Board of Education Retirement System to the Teachers’ Retirement System must complete and notarize a key form by Dec. 10 for their transfer to be finalized.

The UFT's 1,600 school-based union leaders held "teach-ins" across the city this week to engage educators in upcoming contract negotiations.

Find out about excused absences — occasions aside from personal illness — when UFT members (teachers, appointed pedagogues and other titles, such as paraprofessionals) are entitled to be absent from work but still get paid without using their CAR, or...

UFT members share first-person accounts recounting their success resolving issues through the special education complaint process. The process is a powerful tool to safeguard students' welfare as well as members' workplace rights and members should...

A recent class action settlement with the city and EmblemHealth will give Medicare-eligible retirees in GHI Senior Care a reimbursement for copays they paid between January 2022 and February 2023. We wanted to follow up with you to let you know more...

The Teachers’ Retirement System has moved up the timeline to October for when required minimum distributions from tax-deferred annuities will be paid.

In the last Delegate Assembly speech of the 2025-26 school year, UFT President Michael Mulgrew extolled union victories on Tier 6 reform, Foundation Aid funding gains and more, while warning members about a coming battle over federal tax credits for...

Three teachers in Queens — the New York City borough with the most overcrowded classrooms — drive home the benefits of the state's class size law, which mandates smaller numbers of students per class, by sharing their experiences from the front lines...

Find out how to cultivate joy on a daily basis and create an antidote to feeling miserable.

UFT members at PS 35 in Hollis, Queens, won a hard-fought arbitration decision against a principal engaging in union animus. The decision confirms members’ rights to conduct union activity without interference or retaliation.

What Medicare-eligible UFT retirees need to know about Medicare Part B and IRMAA 2025 reimbursements.

Whether it's creating a dance troupe of educators at JHS 157 in Rego Park, Queens, or a walking club at PS 4 on Staten Island, teachers are creating opportunities for joy and self-care for themselves and their colleagues.

The UFT Contract Negotiating Committee, made up of over 600 members, will begin in June to chart union strategy for negotiating the next DOE-UFT contract.

Ready to apply for a new opportunity or wish to transfer to a new school? This Q and A explains what educators need to know about the Open Market Transfer Plan.

Educators at Flushing High School called on the UFT and took a stand when the principal initiated a program that resulted in isolating ELL students. Instead addressing students' learning and language issues, they were isolated in two windowless...

The UFT Welfare Fund offers dental benefits through two programs: the Scheduled Benefit Plan, which provides services through either a designated panel of dentists or a dentist of your choice, and Dentcare, a no-cost dental HMO.

Whatever the reason a retiree may decide to take a job after retirement, they need to follow specific rules to avoid jeopardizing their pension or Social Security benefits.

STEM has a long history of being exclusionary, and some students have a hard time imagining themselves in such roles. Bringing real scientists into the classroom, especially ones who share students’ backgrounds, helps expand that vision, middle...

There are many reasons to seek counseling. But no matter what is motivating you to seek support, here are things to consider when finding a counselor who fits.