NYSUT welcomes nearly 7,000 new retirees

oe DiTucci retired this past June after a career as a high school special education teacher in Spencerport schools.

“Spencerport has a pretty active retiree association. I go to some of the events when they come around just to try to stay connected,” he said.

DiTucci points to his area retiree services consultant, Peter Randazzo, as a wealth of knowledge. “They do a pretty good job of trying to keep people involved … socially, politically. There’s a lot of benefits and services that the union offers.”

Retirees make up nearly 270,000 of the statewide union membership. And NYSUT is committed to making sure they stay informed — and connected.

Are you a recent retiree? If so, you should have received a packet in January welcoming you to the next phase of your post-career life.

“This is an opportunity for us to say thank you for your service and thank you for continuing to be part of our union,” said NYSUT Second Vice President Ron Gross.

The retiree mailing went out to 6,900 newly minted retirees. The mailing included a retiree contact card with important contact information for NYSUT Program and Retiree Services; a Retiree Connected brochure with information on the 11 retiree services consultants, online resources including helpful publications, and information on retiree council newsletters.

Beginning in September, NYSUT will only send printed RC newsletters to retirees who request a hard copy. Retirees are encouraged to visit nysut.org/rcnewsoptin to select their preferred delivery method. This does not apply to UFT and UUP retirees. If you’ve already submitted your preferences, your request has been processed.

If you retired in 2024 and you have not received the January mailing, visit nysut.org/retirees.

DiTucci is enjoying retirement, but hasn’t strayed too far from his helper roots. A delegate for the state Teachers’ Retirement System for more than 10 years, DiTucci now serves as a NYSUT ERS consultant.

“This is another service that NYSUT offers that’s helpful for retirees and inservice members,” he said, encouraging fellow retirees to take advantage of the available services.

“When things come your way — emails or mailings — take a few minutes to read them. You might be surprised at all the union offers.”