New Teacher Advisory Committee

The UFT New Teacher Advisory Committee is comprised of teachers who are committed to helping new teachers become experienced teachers in New York City public schools. Committee members from every borough work with UFT leaders to ensure that the union is in touch with the needs of new teachers.
The committee focuses on:

Updating this New Teacher Handbook.
Launching exciting and interesting programs so new teachers have more opportunities to interact with fellow union members, both socially and in seminars and workshops designed specially for them.
Advocating for new teachers both within the union and in the community.
Hosting a vibrant series of events where new teachers can socialize with one another (see uft.org/new_teacher). Recent events have included not only gatherings in restaurants, but also a rendezvous in the New York Botanical Garden and more serious sessions on school safety and handling stress.
Hosting a summer information series for teachers who will begin teaching in the fall.

If you want to make a difference in new teachers’ lives, join the New Teacher Advisory Committee by e-mailing: Co-chair Jeannette Downes at jdownes@ufttc.org and Co-chair Analia Gerard at agerard@ufttc.org. Contact your borough office for the name of your New Teacher Advisory Committee leader.

Political Action and Cope

At a time when those who don't like teacher unions and public education have great influence around the country, it is especially important that educators and those concerned about the future of public education make our voices heard.

Promoting our educational agenda and reinforcing a pro-public education, pro-labor political atmosphere while safeguarding the professional and economic interests of UFT members, children and working people takes money. That's why the UFT has COPE, its Committee on Political Education.

Federal law restricts how the UFT can use dues money to engage in the political process and that's why your voluntary COPE funds are so important. Only with member contributions to COPE can the union make its voice heard in shaping the laws, budgets and protections our members and our public schools need to succeed.

Most of the issues UFT members face arise from the political environment— the No Child Left Behind law is just one example. That's why:

We lobby state and city legislators for the resources you'll need to ensure your students receive a quality education.
We forge alliances with community groups to mount public pressure, such as in our campaign for smaller class size and adequate funding to our schools.
We support elected officials who stand with us on education, labor and human rights.

The simplest way to support your union's political action is through voluntary contributions to COPE. See your chapter leader to sign up for COPE. Most members contribute just $5 per pay check to support activities such as lobbying, printing and mailing of literature, campaign support for endorsed candidates, rallies, voter registration drives, on-line informational campaigns and phone banks.

Your COPE dollars at work
Some victories:

• Secured pension reforms enabling educators to retire earlier without any monetary penalties.

• Fought off attempts by Chancellor Klein to grant tenure to teachers based upon the inappropriate use of student scores on a single standardized math or English/language arts exam.

• Maintained the Teacher’s Choice Program to help defray the cost of other-than-basic classroom supplies you purchase.

• Convinced the governor and the state legislature to provide a more equitable portion of state funding for our city's schools through our involvement in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) lawsuit. The result has led to new school construction, the first steps toward real class-size reduction in all grades; and other educational improvements.

• Won whistleblower protection that will shield educators from retribution for reporting conduct that could harm schoolchildren.

• Required the Board of Education to pay interest on late salary payments.

• Secured legislation that makes assaults on teachers a felony and that allows teachers to remove disruptive students from their classrooms.

• Gained collective bargaining rights for 28,000 home daycare providers who work with many of our pre-school children.

In the future we'll be using our COPE dollars to (among other goals):

• Stop budget cuts to our schools.

• Revamp No Child Left Behind.

• Ensure the right of all workers to organize as a union.

• Protect Social Security and your pension benefits.

• Maintain and improve healthcare benefits.

• Develop a school governance program that meets the needs of teachers, parents and students.

Whether it's is yet another attack on teachers and their unions or a push for private-school vouchers, a cut to the education budget or attempts to make student test scores or a principal's whim the basis for how much you'll be paid, your COPE dollars will be there to fight it off.

ASK YOUR CHAPTER LEADER FOR A COPE CARD AND DONATE TO YOUR FUTURE AND THAT OF YOUR STUDENTS.

One example of what COPE has done for YOU.

• As a new teacher, you automatically belong to Tier IV of the pension system. Thanks to UFT political action, you are no longer required to contribute 3 percent of your salary toward your pension after 10 years of service.

• Over the course of your career, this will save you tens of thousands of dollars.

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