While many people were in the midst of holiday preparations or celebrations on Dec. 23, UFT retiree Theresa Hambel was taking a course on changes to federal tax law. It was part one of her annual training as a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program tax preparer.

The UFT Florida Center in Boca Raton is now open each weekday, and members can stop by any time from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Supplemental Health Insurance Program’s 2024 premium notices will be sent in early January to retirees who have not elected to pay premiums via automatic pension deduction.


Most UFT retirees elect TDA deferral status when they first retire. But when they reach age 73, retirees must withdraw a set percentage of their funds from their tax-deferred annuity – called the required minimum distribution (RMD) — each year.


When Roy Fialkow retired in 2019 after a 29-year career as an adaptive physical education teacher, his life came full circle: He returned to Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, where he had been a dancer in his 20s, as the nonprofit’s education manager.

While the national union may seem distant from our activist local in New York City, we are, in fact, an integral part of the AFT. The AFT’s bird’s eye view keeps us involved in national issues and policies that affect the wider labor movement and working families.