Retiree Advocate is running in the Spring 2025 UFT election…

as part of a coalition:   

ARISE

ARISE – the Alliance of Retired and In Service Educators – is comprised of Retiree Advocate, along with the Movement of Rank and File Educators, and the New Action Caucus, and is open to others ready to fight for a better union for all of us.

Retiree Advocate stunned the leadership of the United Federation of Teachers this past May, winning the leadership of the Retired Teachers Chapter (RTC). This was the culmination of our fight against the imposition of Medicare “Dis”Advantage. Bennett Fischer became Chapter Leader. We won 10 officers, 15 members of the RTC Executive Board, and 300 member delegates.

Most importantly, we now represent the 73,000 retired UFT members. Since coming into office, we have already begun to achieve a record fighting co-pays for our retiree and in-service members, winning the right of the Delegate Assembly to approve any changes to our healthcare, and establishing a new retiree healthcare committee and UFT/RTC Labor Solidarity Committee. It’s not all easy. Mulgrew’s Unity caucus still creates obstacles. But we are working every day.

Our overwhelming spring victory immediately pointed to the future – Retiree Advocate clearly has a major role to play in the upcoming May 2025 election. And Retiree Advocate’s role will be at the heart of ARISE. We bring knowledge and experience. We are retired chapter leaders. We are organizers. We bring votes. With 63%, we just won the biggest upset in UFT history.

Our partnership in ARISE, with MORE and NAC, is powerful. We have the potential to take leadership of this union in tumultuous times. Unfortunately, a small group has declared itself ready to run, not only against Unity, but also against the traditional caucuses: Retiree Advocate, New Action and MORE. This group, made up in part of current and former members of Unity caucus, rejects working with caucuses, and with the organizing skill and experience that comes with them. They have even suggested that division is ok. That’s not a road to victory. Our coalition, ARISE, has room for independents. We have kept the door open; we have invited them in. They have rejected us multiple times, but we will keep trying.

Our best route to victory over Unity is to build ARISE into the most powerful coalition it can be. Our best route to bringing the other group around, to getting them to join together, take their place as part as a unified slate, is to build ARISE into the most powerful coalition it can be. You can do your part.

Read the ARISE Platform

Volunteer: join our coalition of working and retired educators' campaign for the upcoming UFT Elections