Unity Caucus Announcement: Major Tier 6 Progress!
In the musical Rent, the question is asked,"How do you measure a year?" With the leadership of Unity Caucus and the collective action of UFT members, Tier 6 members are now asking a different question
An email from UFT President Michael Mulgrew sent UFT members, especially Tier 6 members, dancing into Memorial Day Weekend.
Why?
Because the latest reports indicate that the state budget includes what could become the most significant Tier 6 reform we have ever achieved in a single step.
If approved as part of the final state budget, this proposed legislation would allow UFT TRS Tier 6 members, once forced to wait until age 63 for an unreduced pension, to retire five years earlier, at age 58 with 30 years of service and no penalty.
Five years.
That number matters.
In the musical Rent, the question is asked, How do you measure a year? Thanks to the leadership of the Unity Caucus and the collective action of UFT members, Tier 6 members are now asking a different question:
How do you measure five years?
A school year is 180 days.
Five years means 900 fewer days of required work.
It means five more summers spent retired instead of reporting to work in September.
It means retired holidays. Retired birthdays. More time with family. More time actually living.
It means up to $45,000 that stays in your pocket instead of going toward pension contributions.
It means up to $425,000 in pension payments between ages 58 and 63, years members previously would have had to keep working to receive.
And based on what is currently being reported, members would give back nothing to receive these gains.
While nothing is official until the legislature passes the budget and the reforms are signed into law, this level of progress did not happen by accident.
The movement began building momentum in 2024, but in 2025 and 2026 the campaign exploded into action. It started with the statewide Day of Action on May 6, 2025, demanding Tier 6 reform. Then came monthly Fix Tier 6 actions on the 6th of each month. School by school, borough by borough, members organized, rallied, posted, called legislators, and made sure Albany could not ignore us.
Then came the defining moment of the movement, the massive Fix Tier 6 Rally in Albany on March 8, 2026.
Thousands of members gave up their Sunday, boarded buses, and filled Albany with one message:
We will not back down until we FIX TIER 6.
Albany heard us.
Loud and clear.
That one day of unity helped move a fight many said would take decades. That movement helped create the momentum for the reforms now being discussed in the state budget.
And we are not done yet.
First, the legislature must officially pass the budget before these reforms become law. But while there is every reason to feel optimistic and proud of the progress made so far, President Mulgrew’s message remains clear. This is not the finish line.
Every member who participated in this campaign, from posting on social media, to signing pledges, to distributing flyers, to getting on a bus to Albany, helped push this issue to the forefront and move one of the most dramatic pension reform proposals our union has seen in years.
Unity made fixing Tier 6 a priority. UFT members built the movement. Together, we proved that when educators organize and fight collectively, real progress is possible.
Now we keep going.
We will continue fighting until every Tier 6 member gets the retirement they deserve.