Retired member Neal Last (center) says interacting with people while canvassing in Philadelphia was “almost like teaching.”
From calling NYSUT retirees on Long Island to knocking on union members’ doors in eastern Queens and southeastern Pennsylvania, UFT retirees have turned out to help elect Kamala Harris for president and other union-endorsed candidates down the ballot.
RTC Chapter Leader Bennett Fischer said many UFT retirees are experienced campaigners who have more flexible hours and are eager to get involved. “I’d say that out of the retirees, we just have a really big pool of people who always look forward to big elections, and it’s not hard to get them to come out and campaign,” he said.
At the first RTC phone bank at union headquarters, participants urged NYSUT retirees in Nassau County to elect Democrat Laura Gillen to represent the 4th Congressional District. It is one of four GOP seats that Democrats want to flip in New York State come Election Day on Nov. 5.
UFT retiree Paul Schickler, who taught in Brooklyn schools, was at the Oct. 3 phone bank and also signed up to travel on the RTC bus on Oct. 26 to help get out the vote in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
“We’re in a state which is pretty much guaranteed for Harris, but what else can we do? That’s why I’m going to Pennsylvania and that’s why I volunteered for this phone bank,” he said.
RTC Chapter Treasurer Bobby Greenberg said retirees have a lot to contribute to political advocacy and are imbued with a sense of history that younger people do not have.
“I just feel that I have to do something to prevent the worst from happening and to provide space for people I love, for my family, for whatever they want in their lives — the same chance that I had,” he said before making his calls.
Retired Bronx elementary school teacher Karen Peterson-Buchanan wore a T-shirt to the Oct. 3 phone bank that read, “Kamala. If that’s too hard to pronounce, try Madam President.”
“I would like to keep myself busy, give back, and I’m really enthusiastic about having a female candidate of color,” she said of her motivation for volunteering.
Neal Last, a retired middle school math teacher in Brooklyn, knocked on doors in Philadelphia on Sept. 21 with in-service UFT members and Philadelphia teachers. Some residents were not home, but the voter at the last house he visited was happy to chat and even offered him water.
“I enjoy talking to people. I enjoy interacting,” Last said. “It’s almost like teaching to me.”