A big shout-out is due to NCCFT retirees politically active in our Retiree Chapter—and to those active in the Nassau NYSUT retiree Councils in general — because their active engagement with our political process paid off in wins for public K-12 and higher education in the last election! NYSUT President Melinda Person noted its impact in Nassau.
We are happy to see Cynthia Nunez elected to the Nassau Legislature; Ms. Nunez fought hard to bring back quality programming at her children’s high school when she saw it stripped away. We hope she will similarly support NCC, where programs such as theater and dance, creative writing, biology, nursing, cybersecurity, etc. do not enjoy the support they had —- having faced pressure to deactivate, loss release time for administration, loss of faculty lines, or – as is the case with cybersecurity and computer animation, have never really received funding to develop and grow to meet demand.
NYSUT retirees, which of course NCCFT retirees are welcome to join, meet together to dine and phone bank and generally have an extremely convivial time. Snowbird retirees can join in the action remotely from Florida or whatever warm location they have settled in. Also, if you move to another NY state location, it is possible to transfer affiliation to another NYSUT Retiree council in that area — just one of the interesting facts in the NYSUT Retiree Activist Handbook.
NYSUT retirement resources can be accessed through the Resources page of our NCCFT website or by going directly to the NYSUT site: https://www.nysut.org/members/retirees. The Handbook also includes: the NYSUT Retiree Services Consultants by geographic area; descriptions of the financial, legal, and emotional support services available to NYSUT retirees, and the Retiree Council Presidents Directory; (Former SCC President Kevin Peterman is the President for ED 39, the community college retiree council.)
Another NYSUT resource that both members and retirees should acquaint themselves with is the online planning guide, Your Blueprint for a Successful Retirement. (You will need to login with your NYSUT ID to access the full guide.) It presents a wealth of NYSUT financial and legal support resources (estate planning, wills, long-term care, etc.), general information about health insurance and social security, reflective questions to assist in determining one’s needs and wants, a retirement checklist, the Retiree Council Presidents’ Directory, and a list of national organizations relevant to matters such as health, quality of life, and retirement living.
NCCFT members also should be sure to check out the retirement guide created by our own NCCFT Retirement Committee. (Thank you to Margaret Toomey and Valerie Lagakis who revised it last in October 2024!) The NCCFT Retirement Guide is also accessed on the Resources page of the NCCFT blog. The NCCFT Retirement Guide includes contacts specific to NCC, information specific to our contract as it pertains to termination pay, health insurance in retirement, and dental benefits; information regarding Medicare, and a to-do checklist.
One Response
Thanks for the note of appreciation! Community college retirees belong to RC 39, which covers the entire state. Kevin Peterman, Suffolk CC retiree is the President of RC 39. If you are not on the contact list for RC 39, I encourage you to register for it. There are no dues – just an optional participation fee. To get on the list for RC 39, contact our Past President (and newsletter editor) Pete Herron at rc39pete@optonline.net. There is a quarterly newsletter and we try to have quarterly Zoom meetings as well. BTW, you might think about contributing an article for the newsletter, something I have enjoyed doing.