Everybody got into the act at PS 209 in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, when it came to raising money to buy coats and other winter clothing items for the annual UFT Thanksgiving Luncheon for homeless students.

Teachers in Los Angeles plan to go on strike in January, barring a last-minute contract settlement. 

The UFT has formed a partnership with the National Student Debt Forgiveness Center and longtime Retired Teachers Chapter legal provider Feldman, Kramer & Monaco to help Department of Education-employed members burdened with student debt find, navigate and apply for federal debt relief or the right debt forgiveness program. The average student loan debt balance for a teacher is $40,000, according to a Federal Reserve survey.

With UFT volunteers helping power his way to victory, Andrew Gounardes on Nov. 6 defeated Republican incumbent Marty Golden to represent the 22nd New York Senate District in southern Brooklyn, opening the door for Democrats to gain control of the state Senate.

When UFT President Michael Mulgrew introduced Carmen Alvarez, the winner of the Charles Cogen Award at Teacher Union Day, he praised her passion for advocating for special needs children during her 28 years as the UFT vice president for special education.

Nearly 8,000 hospitality workers took to the picket lines at Marriott-owned hotels in nine major U.S. cities this fall — the latest coordinated multi-city strike wave to hit the country amid skyrocketing inequality.