Cara Matthews
New York Teacher Senior Editor/Reporter
Making it her mission in LYFE
Marjorie Wilson, the first chapter leader of the UFT's LYFE chapter and the teen parenting program's first social worker at LYFE's start 42 years ago, has been honored by the Retired Teachers Chapter for her decades of service.
Rules governing work after retirement
Here's what you need to know about making extra income after retirement from the New York City DOE.
Retired teacher becomes a Dragon Sister
Retiree Rita Kelly is setting the world ablaze in her second act as a Dragon Sister, one of an all-woman crew of dragon boat racers in Florida, where she and her teammates brave the waters in a thousand-year-old sport of endurance and speed.
Tier 6, class size wins rally NYSUT
The 52nd NYSUT Representative Assembly on May 3-4 was a celebration of recent victories, including Tier 6 pension reform, and a rallying cry for the battles ahead.
Mixed results for UAW as it pushes south
The attempt by the United Auto Workers union to gain a stronger foothold in the politically conservative South faltered in mid-May when workers at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance, Alabama, voted against joining the union.
Disneyland Resort actors vote union
Performers who play characters like Mickey Mouse and Goofy at the Disneyland Resort in Southern California voted overwhelmingly in May to join the Actors’ Equity Association.
School segregation on the rise
School segregation has been rising over the past three decades, with the greatest increase in large school districts, according to new research from Stanford University and the University of Southern California.
UFT solidifies class size funding
The push to ensure New York City implements the state class size law gained new momentum this spring after state lawmakers included a provision in the state budget requiring the city Department of Education to fund class size reduction in individual schools so every school can meet the law’s requirements by 2028, the law’s deadline.
UFT efficiently tackles issues through consultation process
The UFT consultation committee, led by the school chapter leader, meets monthly with the principal to discuss and attempt to resolve issues at the school level. As of May 7, more than 14,000 issues were raised in consultation committee meetings this school year, 539 of which were escalated to the district because they were not resolved at the school level, according to the consultation notes submitted by chapter leaders.
UFT seeks City Council support
The UFT welcomed City Council members to its annual legislative breakfast on May 9 to educate them about union programs and initiatives that need funding in the upcoming city budget.