UFT membership entitles retirees to discounts on everything from clothing, restaurants and Broadway shows to travel, financial services and sports clubs.

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.

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...

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...

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. 


If you have a concern that goes beyond your child's school or if you want to influence educational policy, there are several different avenues you can take.

When I began my career as a high school social studies teacher four years ago, I knew I wanted my classroom management to be dramatically different from the “reward and punishment” style.

About three-quarters of UFT members participate in the Tax-Deferred Annuity program. Retirees who are 73 or older must withdraw a certain percentage of funds – known as required minimum distributions (RMDs) — from the tax-deferred annuity each year...

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...

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. 


Learn about your pension benefit distribution options.

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.

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 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 basic unit of the union is the chapter, which is composed of all the UFT members at a school or worksite.

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.

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we have compiled high-quality classroom resources to help teachers explore and celebrate these diverse cultures with their students.

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.

Learn how to file a rating appeal and the process for review.

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...

About the UFT's Retired Teachers Chapter, a dynamic organization committed to protecting the intellectual, physical and economic wellbeing of its members.

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.

Representing approximately 5,000 nurses, the Federation of Nurses/ UFT is among New York City’s leading unions of healthcare professionals.

It's your typical August day in Washington, D.C.: One of those patented pool-of-sweat afternoons when most people have peeled off as much clothing as good taste — or at least the law — allows. But here in his small Georgetown apartment, propped up in...

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.