Community Partners

The UFT works with literally dozens of parent and community organizations in its work as an advocate for New York City students and schools.

Abyssinian Development Corporation: A leading non-profit community development corporation dedicated to building the human, social and physical capital of Harlem, the Abyssinian Development Corporation has partnered with the UFT to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and to rally on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday to call attention to educational justice issues.

Alliance for Quality Education (AQE): A diverse coalition of over 230 organizations committed to a quality education for every child in New York State, AQE has worked with the UFT on lawsuits for fair funding and smaller class sizes and has joined us in rallies against budget cuts. The group’s participation was instrumental in the success of the Middle School Initiative, which secured greater funding for middle school science labs.

A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI): Named for the great African-American labor leader, APRI is one of several AFL-CIO constituency groups and a staunch ally of the UFT in our struggle for an equal education for all our children. APRI has stood by our union in fights against co-location of charter schools, for humane immigration reform and to preserve free student Metrocards for New York Citystudents.

ARISE Coalition: An invaluable advocate for New York City schools’ special education population, the ARISE Coalition has partnered with the UFT on our There Is No Excuse campaign to defend students’ special education services and IEPs and in our efforts to protect whistleblowing teachers who reveal that special education students in their schools are not receiving necessary services.

Class Size Matters: A non-partisan clearinghouse for information on class size and the proven benefits of smaller classes, Class Size Matters has been a valuable ally to the UFT in the fight for smaller classes in New York City’s overcrowded public schools. The group brought a lawsuit on this issue together with the union.

Coalition for Educational Justice (CEJ): A citywide coalition of community-based organizations and unions, CEJ has fought alongside the UFT to preserve free student Metrocards and fend off cuts to the city’s education budget. CEJ also participated in the Middle School Initiative, the Brooklyn Education Collaborative that also fought for greater funding for middle school science labs, and the CC9 Project, which led to the creation of the Lead Teacher mentoring program now enshrined in our contract with the DOE.

Every Person Influences Children (EPIC): An important parent advocacy and leadership training group in New YorkState, EPIChas worked with the UFT to provide workshops for parents of children in the New York Citypublic school system.

Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition: New York City’s local affiliate of the Labor-Religion Coalition of New York State, the Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition brings together progressive people of faith in support of worker justice. They have partnered with the UFT to fight for humane immigration reform, good jobs for working New Yorkers, and DOE recognition of important Muslim holidays in the New York Citypublic school calendar.

Harlem Week, Inc.: The sponsors of Harlem Week, Harlem Week, Inc., works with a wide variety of groups in the Harlem community to put on its wonderful annual celebration of Harlem’s rich history and culture. The UFT has worked with Harlem Week, Inc., on a wide range of issues and, for the past 25 years, has proudly participated in the Harlem Week festivities.

Hispanic Federation: A network of Latino non-profit organizations throughout the northeast, the Hispanic Federation is an important UFT ally in the fights for fair immigration reform and smaller class sizes in city public schools. The federation also stood by us in our Keep the Promises and Put the Public Back in Public Education campaigns against school budget cuts.

Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA): One of several AFL-CIO constituency groups, LCLAA represents the interests of Latinos in the American labor movement. An important partner of the UFT in the fight for humane immigration reform, members of LCLAA and of our union have together participated in civil disobedience to protest Arizona’s anti-immigrant profiling legislation.

Make the Road New York (MRNY): An important member organization in the CEJ, MRNY supports primarily immigrant workers in their struggle for economic justice, equity and opportunity. The group has worked with the UFT in support of humane immigration reform and on our Keep the Promises campaign against budget cuts.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP): America’s premier civil rights organization, the NAACP is a powerful ally of the UFT in the greatest civil rights struggle of our time: the fight for the right to a decent education for all our children, regardless of class, color, creed or national origin. To this end, the Association has partnered with the UFT on a wide variety of campaigns including landmark lawsuits against school closings and for fair funding for city schools and smaller class sizes. The NAACP has also joined us for innumerable rallies against budget cuts and for good jobs, and has assisted in our charter school campaign. We were proud to present the Association with our union’s highest honor, the John Dewey Award, at our 2010 Spring Conference.

New York Civic Participation Project (NYCPP): A project of the community-labor umbrella organization La Fuente, NYCPP supports grassroots community and labor efforts in diverse neighborhoods across the city. The Project has partnered with the UFT to fight for fair immigration reform.

New York Communities for Change (NYCC): A vibrant community organization of working New Yorkers united for social and economic justice, NYCC has worked with the UFT on several organizing and social justice initiatives, including our historic campaign to organize New York City’s 28,000 family child care providers and our ongoing effort to bring charter school teachers into the union. NYCC also took up the fight against school closings and co-location of charter schools.

New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC): An umbrella policy and advocacy organization of more than 200 immigrant and refugee rights groups across New York State, NYIC has fought alongside the UFT for a more just and humane immigration policy and against anti-immigrant legislation like Arizona’s SB 1070.

Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC): A vibrant community-clergy partnership, NWBCCC has fought alongside the UFT to preserve free student Metrocards, secure humane immigration reform, and protect our schools and our children from debilitating budget cuts. The coalition has also stood shoulder-to-shoulder with our union at many different rallies for jobs and against Wall Street profiteering.

Time Out from Testing: A statewide coalition of parent, educator, business, community and civil rights organizations committed to a “time-out” from excessive and high-stakes exams, Time Out from Testing has partnered with the UFT to oppose testing in the earliest grades in New York City elementary schools and to propose alternatives to testing, especially for kindergartners. The group also protests the pressure placed on teachers to “teach to the test,” which they argue stifles real early childhood education.

Urban Youth Collaborative: Committed to building a strong youth voice in New York City public education, the Urban Youth Collaborative brings city youth together to fight for change through local and citywide organizing strategies. The collaborative has worked with the UFT on the campaign to preserve free student MetroCards.