Gloria Brandman is a retired Special Education teacher, former chapter leader, and union activist with 34 years of service in NYC public schools. Currently active in Retiree Advocate/UFT, Gloria was at the forefront of alerting UFT retirees to the clandestine negotiations to privatize their Medicare benefits. Her leadership in that grassroots campaign helped delay the implementation of the Medicare privatization plan and helped Retiree Advocate/UFT win an unprecedented 30% of the vote in the recent UFT Retired Teachers Chapter elections, in which Gloria was the RA candidate for RTC chapter leader.

Ever the organizer and coalition builder, Gloria worked with the Independent Community of Educators, was a founding member of GEM (Grassroots Education Movement), organized with MORE (Movement of Rank-and-File Educators) and has always been an outspoken opponent of charter schools and mayoral control. Since her retirement in 2015, Gloria has continued the struggle of moving the UFT towards a more inclusive democracy. She is excited to be part of the United for Change coalition and looks forward to helping to build a better union for retirees as well as in-service members.