Premium-free health benefits for city workers have been secured for the next five years under a new contract between the city and municipal unions establishing the NYCE PPO plan. The plan, administered jointly by EmblemHealth and UnitedHealthcare...

The UFT Pride Committee convened its first panel on the state of the LGBTQ+ community, focusing on the challenges facing New Yorkers — including educators — amid the rollback of LGBTQ+ rights under President Donald Trump.

The state’s new UFT-backed cellphone ban is getting rave reviews from educators who say students are more engaged in class — and rediscovering “old-fashioned” pastimes like reading, playing board games and simply talking to one another.

We may have differences, but we all work together on the important stuff. We put members first, and we don’t let our differences get in the way of our similarities.


UFT retirees will support our school-related professionals now more than ever. How can we do that? By keeping our union strong.

We have a lot to be happy with regarding the state of the RTC chapter. We have debates of retiree issues and an enhanced voting process. But I am concerned that Zoom is hurting the quality of our union engagement.

This year, 2025, is an election year for both our city and our union. Retired Teachers Chapter Leader Bennett Fischer encourages retirees to education themselves about all the candidates and then get out and vote.

Our country now feels like a dangerous and scary place. And yet, I don’t despair. I’m encouraged to see UFT members taking to the streets and uniting in protest with our fellow union members on a grand scale.

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...

With some reservations and a great deal of hope, I voted for the new NYCE PPO. The new city health plan includes several significant improvements over the GHI CBP plan it replaces. Most important for our pre-Medicare eligible members living outside...

November can be a time of joy, generosity and togetherness. Yet it can also arrive bundled with stress, comparison and a sense of lack — whether financial, emotional or social. Cultivating abundance thinking and gratitude can transform not only how...

Testimony of educators and community members submitted in support of the "RESPECT check" bill for New York City paraprofessionals at the Nov. 13, 2025 City Council hearing.

UFT members celebrated past, present and future union leaders on Teacher Union Day by mourning founder George Altomare on the anniversary of the union’s first strike and honoring the new school-based Contract Action Teams and others who carry on his...

Valina Vega is a UFT-represented child care provider who runs an independent day care business out of her home in Brooklyn. "No matter what these children go through, I’m there for them," she says.

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 at the Nov. 13, 2025 City Council hearing...

Anne Goldman, vice president for non-DOE and private sector members at the Federation of Nurses/UFT, delivered testimony before the City Council Committee on Hospitals.

UFT Vice President of Elementary Education Karen Alford urges members to welcome and offer their support to the 6,600 new educators hired this fall to bring more classes under the new class size limits that the union fought so hard to secure.

UFT members supported the “RESPECT check” bill on Nov. 13 by holding teach-ins, wearing blue and tagging City Council members on social media in photos of themselves holding “RESPECT for Paraprofessionals” signs.

The Committee on Political Education (COPE) is the UFT’s political action arm. Learn about its importance and how members can help support it in this Q&A.

School related professionals play an essential role in supporting the varied needs of students. Meet the chapter leaders of the UFT's functional chapters and learn more about their role.

UFT members at the six sites that make up District 31 Pre-K Centers on Staten Island are no longer staying silent in the face of mistreatment from their principal, thanks to Chapter Leader Amy Craine.

Whether you are a new member, in mid-career or close to retirement, here are steps you can take to learn about your pension benefits and stay on track as you progress down the road to a financially secure retirement.

Paraprofessionals make the case to outgoing Council Speaker Adrienne Adams to back the RESPECT check bill.

In-service TRS members can start to contribute to a Roth account in January 2026. A Roth option offers no upfront tax break, but withdrawals in retirement are generally tax-free.

A Queens teacher argues the Danielson teacher evaluation process needs an overhaul, with teachers being rated in part on how much they've grown as educators.

Paraprofessionals make the case to outgoing Council Speaker Adrienne Adams to allow the RESPECT check bill to get a vote.

The IRS has announced the amount employees can contribute to their tax-deferred annuities and Roth accounts for 2026.

I’m proud that the UFT led the charge at the bargaining table and even prouder that we modeled participatory unionism at its best in the process leading up to the Municipal Labor Committee’s final vote on the new plan on Sept. 30. From the beginning...

UFT Vice President Mary Vaccaro writes that Teacher Center specialists with extensive teaching and coaching expertise in New York City public schools offer support, professional development, collegial advice and access to resources and materials that...

UFT Vice President Anne Goldman writes that in today’s health care settings, the willingness of nurses to speak up for their patients is the essential factor in safeguarding quality care. Nurses who belong to the Federation of Nurses/UFT can advocate...

UFT Vice President for Career and Technical Education High Schools Leo Gordon writes that as the Success Via Apprenticeship program celebrates its 40th year, it is imperative that this unique pathway for new CTE teachers receive the support and...

A retired educator warns that teachers must take pains to ensure the human student-teacher relationship remains central in schools as artificial intelligence makes inroads into the pedagogical process.

UFT Vice President for Academic High Schools Janella Hinds encourages high school educators to continue to expand their own knowledge base through reading a variety of texts. Being an avid reader, she writes, helps educators better guide their...

Richard Sacher, who retired from teaching in 2005, has made acting and singing his second act.

Financial literacy is a foundational life skill, yet too many young people reach adulthood without it. Here are several comprehensive, nonpartisan resources teachers can trust.