MRTA has had four name changes since its inception in 1947. The original name was Retired School Employees Association(RSEA). The first meeting was held at Williamson School in Youngstown, Ohio. Dues were set at $1.00.
IN 1964, the name was changed to Youngstown Retired Teachers Association (YRTA) and the organization joined ORTA on March 10, 1964. In 1966, insurance premiums were taken out of teacher's pay for the first time.
In 1974, the name was changed to Youngstown-Mahoning County Retired Teachers Association (YMRTA).
finally, in 1980, it was changed to Mahoning County Retired Teachers Association (MRTA).
In 2013, MRTA had 968 members of which 750 also were members of ORTA. Of the 90 retired teacher's associations in Ohio, MRTA is the 6th largest chapter in the state.