The benefits of 3-K are solid, with the youngest students gaining the foundation they need to succeed in pre-K and beyond as educators engage them in hands-on activities and play-based learning crucial to developing their young minds.


School-related professionals play an essential role in supporting the varied needs of students. This issue of the New York Teacher is dedicated to these UFT members. They number more than 46,000 in total in the New York City public school system and...

Why it's important to designate beneficiaries, keep your beneficiary designations current after life-changing events and ensure the latest contact information for your beneficiaries is on file with your pension system.


The UFT will promote and advocate for practices in our school communities that support children of asylum seekers in adapting to their new language and educational environment.

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.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew submitted testimony before the City Council Committees on Education and Civil and Human Rights on diversity and equity in our city's public schools.

The United Federation of Teachers' Delegate Assembly, the union's highest decision-making body, on Monday evening overwhelmingly endorsed a proposed health care plan for 750,000 city employees, in-service, pre-Medicare retirees, and their families.

In the RTC's Ocala section in Florida, members new to retirement connect with those in their 70s and 80s, who are the majority in the section and have been enjoying life after school for many years.

Italian cuisine and culture were on the menu when the UFT Italian American Heritage Committee hosted its annual fall dinner on Oct. 22 at Mario’s Restaurant in the Bronx.

Testimony of Michael Mulgrew, UFT President, Priscilla Castro, Chairperson of the UFT Paraprofessionals Chapter, and others delivered in support of the "RESPECT check" bill for New York City paraprofessionals before the New York City Council.

The UFT will initiate coordination, collaboration, member-to-member education and dialogue, and other joint initiatives with AFT and NEA local and national bodies to defeat the attacks of the federal government on public education.

The United Federation of Teachers will testify today in support of the City Council's proposed "RESPECT check" legislation that would provide every New York City paraprofessional an annual $10,000 payment in addition to their regular salary.

Chapter Leader Stephanie Isidore of FDNY Captain Vernon A. Richard HS in Brooklyn was an impactful source of comfort and information to her member colleagues in helping them navigate having three different principals over the course of nine months.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew issued a statement in response to Mayor Bill de Blasio's announcement regarding changes to the COVID-related school building closure policy.

The UFT launched a radio ad campaign on April 30, 2020, to raise awareness that school buildings should not re-open unless there are aggressive testing protocols and procedures in place to ensure the safety and the health of students, educators...

A capacity crowd attended the UFT Asian-American Heritage Committee’s annual Lunar New Year Banquet at House of Joy restaurant in Chinatown on March 10 to mark the Year of the Rabbit.

As UFT members employed by the city Department of Education, it is important to understand the crucial role pension plans play in attracting and retaining talented educators and other school staff and ensuring financial security in retirement.

As a math coach, Beverly Greene knows every problem has a solution. And that’s been her motto in her role as the chapter leader at PS 55 in the Bronx.

FAQ for UFT members employed in the DOE’s Division of Early Childhood Education

UFT President Michael Mulgrew testified before the New York City Council Committee on Education regarding Fall 2021 school reopening protocols

School social worker Maureen Eigenfeld has made art the cornerstone of her therapeutic work with students at the Bronx Writing Academy, a United Community School in Concourse Village.

Students in the Career and Technical Education dance program at Talent Unlimited HS in Manhattan learn not only technique and performance but also how to choreograph, produce and direct.

The Harbor Defense Museum at Fort Hamilton, with its collections of weaponry, uniforms and memorabilia from the American Revolution to World War II, is an interesting destination for a class trip.

New pension plan tiers come into existence when the state Legislature enacts new laws that change benefits, contribution rates and service requirements. But a pension tier is never set in amber. Over the past 40 years, legislative amendments to each...

If you are planning to retire in the next year or two, now is the time to start preparing. It may seem early, but trust us, it’s not. 
The UFT Pension Department is here for you to assist in your transition to retirement.


Bringing the staff “together” has been the main objective of Nicole Keaster since becoming chapter leader at IS 5 in Queens three years ago. “If you have a strong community of respect, you can do all of the other things,” she said. 


Art teacher Dan Wever said he ran for chapter leader at Sunset Park HS in Brooklyn in 2021 knowing that at some point the union chapter would have to organize to demand the removal of the school’s longtime principal, Victoria Antonini.
 Less than two...

When PS 315, the East Village Community School, moves on Sept. 8 into the First Avenue building that houses PS 19, the chapter leaders for the two Manhattan schools can take a bow for their work in ensuring a smooth merger that meets the needs of...

Thanks to vigorous lobbying by members from the UFT, its state affiliate NYSUT and other public employee unions in New York state, state lawmakers approved a change in the final average salary calculation for members of Tier 6 of the pension system...

Decades of UFT advocacy bore fruit for the union’s paraprofessionals on Oct. 29 as a newly enacted state law guaranteed all UFT-represented full-time paraprofessionals — on the job now and in the future — will automatically become members of the...

The state budget adopted on May 2 includes a substantial increase in state aid for New York City schools. City schools will receive an additional $525 million, a 4.2$ increase over last year.

Si Beagle trips make a seamless transition from in-person walking tours to virtual excursions for Retired Teachers Chapter members.



Michael Mulgrew gained his fifth term as UFT president with 66% of the vote. He carried with him most of his slate, with the exception of high school executive board positions.

"I got a scarf!" 6-year-old Daisy exclaimed to her friends as she excitedly pulled a pink knitted scarf out of her bag. The scarf matched her new winter coat and the pink heart painted on her face by a Queens Technical HS cosmetology student.

About 70 people learned about online student safety, special education resources and more at the UFT's Staten Island Family Partnership Summit held on Nov. 9 at PS 20 on Staten Island.