A monthslong UFT initiative to reach out to retired paraprofessionals, connect them with union services and support, and encourage them to get involved in the Retired Teachers Chapter culminated with a meet and greet at UFT headquarters on Sept. 19.

It’s unclear whether the pharmaceutical corporations like being called Big Pharma. Nicknames for monopolies, such as Ma Bell for AT&T, were comforting in an earth mother sort of a way. But in senior circles, Big Pharma is uttered with contempt.

About 150 RTC members spent a Day at the University on Sept. 8 at UFT headquarters. They were treated to Lou Del Bianco singing Frank Sinatra songs; Barry Joseph chronicling the history and popularity of seltzer; and workshops on New York City public school memorabilia, politics and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Over the summer, RTC members helped their teachers union colleagues in Florida reach new state-mandated union enrollment thresholds and helped the United Farm Workers union organize migrant farmworkers in New York State.

Thanks to the advocacy of labor unions, including the UFT, each year retired public employees in New York State receive an adjustment to their pensions linked to an increase in the cost of living.

Retired special education teacher Patricia Garone took her athleticism to a whole new level after she retired in 2016 at age 59. Since then, she has completed eight Half Ironman triathlons, two Full Ironman triathlons and dozens of other races.

The UFT has initiated an outreach program to determine how the union can best support retired paraprofessionals. The Retired Teachers Chapter includes approximately 7,600 paraprofessionals.

The city’s roughly 250,000 Medicare-eligible retirees will remain in their current health plans with the same benefits this fall after a trial court judge this summer blocked the city from moving ahead with the Aetna Medicare Advantage PPO Plan. The...

Leo Hoenig, a founder of the UFT and longtime active member of the Retired Teachers Chapter, died on June 3 at age 86.