As UFT President Michael Mulgrew said at the New Retiree Luncheon on Nov. 20, when the UFT was able to lead the fight against holding a New York State constitutional convention last year, “that was your work.”

And when the UFT landed squarely on its feet following the verdict in the Janus v. AFSCME case last spring, as Mulgrew told us, we did so with “the lowest number of nonmembers in the history of the UFT. And that was your work, too.”

So if you recently retired, I’m going to repeat the message Michael and I delivered at the luncheon.

What do you do now that you’re retired? This is a time for you to do the things you want to do, and you can also join us. The Retiree Programs have so much to offer. But you can also work with us in our political fights. We are activists.

Michael calls us the daytime union or the daytime army. I’m not asking you to commit every day of your life all the time to this union. You have your lives to live and you have to enjoy them.

But when we need you to help us fight, please join us. I look forward to you being involved and staying involved.

Make sure to read all about the New Retiree Luncheon.