UFT History
Join us in celebration
The UFT is pleased to invite you to a celebration of our 50th Anniversary on March 25 at the New York Hilton. Join us to commemorate the heroes and events of our union's illustrious past, and look ahead to our great future. View the flier.
Your union, then and now
Read about the UFT’s history in this series of articles from the New York Teacher.
- Allies: The UFT and the civil rights movement
In January, the UFT released a report detailing how some New York City charter schools constitute what is essentially a separate and unequal public school system. This is an issue that should greatly trouble everyone who cares about the education of our children — all our children — and it is an injustice that the UFT is fighting hard to correct. We have been down similar roads before. - Albert Shanker: Prophetic reformer
If a controversial topic is dominating the education debate today, it’s probably something that Al Shanker proposed decades ago. It’s a tribute to Shanker’s forward thinking that many of the education reforms that he advocated in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s remain as cutting edge — and as contentious — today as they were when he first aired them. - Finding common cause: The early years
The irony is stunning. As the UFT prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary, the Department of Education announced its plans to close the school where the first stirrings of teacher unionism began almost a century ago. - A collective advantage
It almost sounds like a lead-in for a stand-up comedy routine: What’s the difference between a union and a professional association? But it’s no joke. The answer affects your livelihood, your day-to-day working life and your future career. - Class Struggles: The UFT Story
An award-winning series by Jack Schierenbeck that originally appeared in the New York Teacher in 1996 and 1997.
Dignity and respect. Professionalism and due process. Competitive wages and benefits.
Fifty years ago, those things didn’t exist for teachers in New York City’s public schools. The system’s structure and support were haphazard at best, and concepts such as class-size limits and career ladders were only pipe dreams.
A patchwork of more than 100 different and often competing organizations were available for educators to join, but there was no one true voice and advocate for students and teachers.
That all changed, thanks to the grit and determination of a small group of visionaries who believed that educators and their students were being shortchanged and did something about it. Together, they created the UFT.
March 2010 marks the 50th anniversary of the union’s formation, the beginning of its remarkable growth and extraordinary power and influence. Those 50 years of triumphs and advocacy have strengthened the education profession and New York City public schools.
“From the beginning, UFT members have been making positive contributions to this city,” said UFT President Michael Mulgrew. “We’ve moved the system forward during good times and bad. The profession has come so far in 50 years, and it’s important for people to know about that journey.”
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The UFT Story
