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...

In the face of the outcry against teaching the horrors of enslavement in the U.S. and the historic fight for civil rights, it’s time the country demonstrates how much civil dissent should be valued by making Aug. 28 -- the date of the 1963 March on...

The UFT supports parents and the community in their desire to advocate for their young people’s fair and just education in New York City’s public schools.

It’s good to read that teachers are once again allowed to teach phonics, so their young students have tools to build decoding and spelling skills.

Nearly two thousand educators and their students logged on for the UFT’s Future in Focus virtual college and career fair on Oct. 21 and 22, when representatives from more than 100 colleges and universities helped participants explore the...

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.

Medicare-eligible UFT retirees will remain in their current health plans for the time being after a state judge’s ruling triggered a delay in the launch of the New York City Medicare Advantage Plus Plan.

Based on current Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures, the September 2022 COLA, which retired members will see in their September pension checks, is 3.0%.

The new administration has taken a hammer to the U.S. Department of Education, wreaking destruction that is sure to hurt the nation’s public schools and students.


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.

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 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 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.

More than half — about 75,000 — of the approximately 140,000 English language learners in New York City public schools have lived in the United States for fewer than three years. They need the support of culturally attuned and linguistically diverse...

Everything you need to know about the UFT's Student Debt Relief Program and the status of federal student-debt forgiveness.

Harlem 4th-grade teachers Melody Naccarato and Pura Luna let their students get their hands dirty as they learned about plants and biodiversity during a class trip to the historic Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum in the Bronx.

The hydroponics lab at P141K at IS 71, a District 75 site that serves students with profound learning challenges, allows students to participate in gardening activities year-round. The students have the opportunity to witness the plant life cycle...

With spring’s arrival, we enter field trip season in schools. But planning a field trip in New York City is no easy feat.

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...

The following information was sent in an email from Chapter Leader Rosemarie Thompson on Sept. 28, 2022.

It was a night of food, festivity and recognition as members of the UFT African Heritage Committee gathered in Queens for the group’s 19th annual Awards Dinner Dance on Feb. 4, honoring the UFT’s Sterling Roberson with the Trailblazer Award, Queens...

This spring Mayor Eric Adams launched an ambitious $7.4 million literacy initiative targeting children with dyslexia. While it’s an admirable idea, there are still many more questions than answers.

More than 32,000 UFT members responded to an online survey commissioned by the UFT to gauge their primary bargaining goals as the union prepares to negotiate with Mayor Eric Adams and the DOE on a contract to replace the one set to expire in...

The UFT made an impassioned case for a city budget that fully meets the needs of New York City’s students at the union’s annual legislative breakfast with City Council members on April 25 at UFT headquarters.

UFT-represented employees covered by the DOE-UFT contract will see a pay raise of 3.5 percent on Sept. 15.

The UFT will work with local and international partners to support humanitarian relief efforts in Jamaica, including through donations to reputable relief organizations and the UFT Disaster Relief Fund.

The United Federation of Teachers will roll-out a “Fix Tier 6 in ‘26” campaign with action in January, February and March, both in schools and through social media, and build to a massive rally in Albany, NY, on March 8, 2026.

Beginning in March, UFT retirees can expect a partial reimbursement from the UFT Welfare Fund -- for as much as $900 for some retirees -- for the cost of an optional prescription drug rider.

The state and the city have the time in the coming months to create a thoughtful, comprehensive plan to safely reopen school buildings and bring teachers and children back together.

As a school secretary at PS 154 in Harlem, Shanick Williams provides support — and smiles — to administrators, staff and families.

Cogen Award winner Ellie Engler made a habit of keeping UFT members safe, from her work with the union’s Safety and Health Department, where she created the Health and Cancer Helpline and the Member Assistance Program, to her early warning about the...

UFT President Michael Mulgrew reminded the Delegate Assembly on May 17 that the new state class-size law will begin to be implemented in September, and that there is no excuse for schools to fail to fulfill the mandate.


After a rough start to a teaching career during the pandemic, a thrid-year educator is happy to have stuck it out and stayed in the profession.

My students can express their voices through journal writing, poetry and narrative story writing. I want my students to know their stories don’t have to be confined to their hearts.

As Gov. Kathy Hochul considers signing state legislation to reduce class sizes in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams is threatening cuts to next year’s school budgets even as he sits on billions of dollars of federal education aid.