Technically, he’s retired, but Mark Chaykin has not been one to stay inactive.
A few years ago, around the time he moved to New Jersey, Chaykin — who in his career was a teacher in Queens, New York, and director of field services for New York State United Teachers — became more involved with the retired teachers chapter of the United Federation of Teachers.
“It’s a way for me to keep busy, keep my fingers in it, keep active and work some causes I want to work for,” he says.
One of those causes is the 2020 election: Chaykin is among 15 or so UFT retirees in New Jersey who are making calls to union members residing in the Garden State as part of the AFTvotes virtual phone bank.
“Our first goal is to reach out to UFT members, both retired and those still in service,” he explains. “There are a great many UFT members in the northern part of New Jersey, especially around the George Washington Bridge, who still travel into the city every day to teach. We’re reaching out to them and the hundreds of retirees who mostly live either in [Northern] New Jersey or Central Jersey.”
For about a week, Chaykin says he and his fellow UFT retirees have made calls to UFT members in New Jersey’s 2nd, 3rd, 7th and 11th congressional districts, and in other parts of the state as well. He expects the calls in New Jersey to continue through the end of October.
“Our retirees are terrific, and our members are very aware of the election,” Chaykin says.
