The Supplemental Health Insurance Program (SHIP), created by the UFT Retired Teachers Chapter to help members pay for out-of-pocket medical costs, continues to grow in enrollment and to enhance its reimbursement for benefits such as private-duty...

The UFT fought alongside our state affiliate, NYSUT, for amendments to some of the state regulations that govern certification so that educators are not penalized by the interruptions caused by the pandemic.

New York State United Teachers’ Representative Assembly in Albany on April 1-2 was a celebration in more ways than one. The delegates commemorated 50 years of working together to elevate educators and healthcare professionals, and they reveled in...

Creating video projects with students is a way to bring the impact and allure of video into the classroom while modeling for them how the medium can be used for teaching and learning.

Chester “Chet” Edwards, a retired New York City public school teacher and decorated veteran, volunteers his time helping his fellow veterans return to civilian life after serving in the U.S. military.

The UFT and other education advocates are applying pressure on the Adams administration to have a viable plan for implementing the state’s class-size reduction law. The mayor’s midyear budget cuts and his comments about how he doesn’t believe the...

At the Delegate Assembly on March 19, UFT President Michael Mulgrew said lawsuits filed by unions and a team of 20 attorneys general had fended off the worst cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security — but he warned that the fight was far from...

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...

UFT Vice President Leo Gordon writes about the importance of fostering industry partnerships, like this year's $6.1 billion in funding to tech giant Micron as part of a collaborative effort by the UFT and parent union AFT. These partnerships provide...

The Edmund O’Neal Middle School of Excellence in Albany has joined the United Community Schools initiative, a network providing school-based educational, emotional, health and social services to children and their families.

Instead of spending hours searching for teaching resources, writing parent communications or creating presentations from scratch, AI can help teachers perform these tasks in a few clicks. 


Assistive technology can be a game changer for special needs students. The following resources can supplement any assistive technology you may already use in your classroom.

If you are planning to create lesson plans related to the DOE's Climate Action Days or want to integrate the topic of climate change more regularly in your classroom, there are many high-quality materials online. 


Strategies such as journaling, reader’s notes and social-emotional prompts can help students make the leap to making inferences from the fiction and non-fiction they read.

A weekly Proofreading Puzzle gives you another opportunity to check in with your students, makes learning visible and develops some of the same skills needed for close reading.

If you are a member of TRS or BERS, you have a voluntary, supplemental savings plan in addition to your define benefit pension. This savings plan with low fees allows you to build personal savings on a tax-deferred basis. 


Learn about your pension benefit distribution options.

UFT members can save money by taking advantage of these discounts on merchandise and services that the union has negotiated on their behalf.


RTC Chapter Leader Bennett Fischer looks back on the year that is closing, taking pride in a vibrant chapter that advocates for every member and supports both labor and the community. He reminds retirees of the tangible, bread-and-butter improvements...

RTC Chapter Leader Bennett Fischer hails the power of unionists like those of the UFT to preserve democracy and stand up to tyranny in the wake of the killings of laborers Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.

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...

In the months leading up to November's momentous presidential election, we can remain on the sidelines and let the bad guys make the decisions, or we can enter the political fray, enlist our friends and allies in the battle and forge victories.

Are UFT retirees missing out when they attend union events and courses remotely? The Si Beagle Learning Center now offers remote courses, activities and seminars that were only available in person before the pandemic. But there is growing pressure to...

The DOE’s failure to adequately staff our schools is unacceptable. We have long known that our related service providers were stretched thin, but the numbers from the survey show how untenable the DOE has let the situation become.

Nearly 300 UFT members and friends gathered on Feb. to celebrate the Year of the Snake at the UFT Lunar New Year Banquet, sponsored by the UFT Asian American Heritage Committee.

Having a warm and inviting learning environment will help you connect with your students, especially those who are new to the school or even the country. Here are some suggestions for how to make your students feel welcome in your classroom from the...

UFT Vice President for Middle Schools Richard Mantell writes that one of the most concrete ways schools can help prepare middle school students to take on more adultlike behavior is in how they manage class transitions. The best instructional models...

In 2000, after several frustrating years, the UFT, NYSUT and the rest of the state’s labor movement convinced New York State to provide an annual, permanent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to retiree pensions.

City Council Member Carmen De La Rosa introduced legislation on Jan. 4 to amend Section 12-126 of the city’s administrative code to preserve health care choices for city retirees. The proposed amendment adds a clause that reaffirms the Municipal...

Response to the death of UFT founder and former vice president George Altomare.

The United Federation of Teachers will support our national affiliates, the NEA and AFT, in their lawsuits against the illegal actions taken by the administration and mobilize its members to lobby the governor, state legislators and city...

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

Retirees at the Staten Island Borough Office knit and crochet stuffed animals, blankets and other goods to support the UFT's Making Strides against breast cancer efforts, while other retirees joined members in various walks throughout the city and...

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.

Retirees will see a 1.8% increase in their UFT pension checks due to the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) that was hard fought by the union and the rest of New York State's labor movement.

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.