President
MICHAEL MULGREW became the fifth president of the UFT in August 2009 and was elected in a landslide victory by the UFT membership in April 2010, winning 91 percent of the vote. A Staten Island native, Michael attended CUNY’s College of Staten Island where he graduated with a B.A. in English literature and a master’s degree in special education.
Michael began his teaching career as a substitute at South Richmond High School IS/PS 25, instructing students with special needs, while volunteering weekends at CUNY, teaching at-risk high school students creative writing.
He became a full-time teacher at Brooklyn’s William E. Grady HS in 1993 and served as the school’s chapter leader from 1999 to 2004. Under his stewardship, Grady High School emerged as one of the UFT’s strongest and most unified chapters, winning the UFT’s Eli Trachtenberg Award in 2002.
From his election as vice president for career and technical education high schools in 2005 and subsequent appointment as chief operating officer in 2008, Michael has spearheaded the UFT’s engagement in a wide range of successful advocacy campaigns on behalf of students and members.
A firm believer in building alliances and creating opportunities for collaboration, Michael prides himself on his work with parent, civic and community groups. He was instrumental in organizing the Keep the Promises, One New York: Fighting for Fairness, and For Our Kids coalitions between 2008 and 2010 that led to the restoration of hundreds of millions of classroom dollars and city services as well as preventing layoffs.
As UFT president, Michael has advanced the union position as a proactive change agent committed to transforming education in New York City.
In 2010, Michael reached a landmark agreement with the Department of Education to close the Teacher Reassignment Centers (rubber rooms) and led lawsuits with parents and community education advocates against the DOE for failing to reduce class size and for wrongfully closing 19 schools.
Affirming that educators need to find new ways to validate what they know to be true about the complexities of teaching and learning and to bring their voice to the reform debate, Michael negotiated a new teacher evaluation agreement with the New York State Education Department and the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) that includes multiple evaluation measures and provides teachers with opportunities and supports to improve their skills.
A staunch advocate for equality in education, Michael led the charge for needed charter school reforms to improve access for all students, as well as transparency and oversight. In addition to his UFT responsibilities, Michael is a vice president of the American Federation of Teachers and an executive board member of NYSUT, chairing its statewide committee on CTE programs. Michael also sits on the boards of the Council for Unity, CUNY’s Joseph S. Murphy Center for Labor, Community, & Policy Studies, and New Visions for Public Schools.
