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5% salary increase starts May 19

May 8, 2008 10:43 AM

UFT-represented educators will get a 5 percent raise on May 19. The salary increase will appear in the May 31 paycheck.

Since the May 31 pay period also includes May 16-18, three days before the increase takes effect, checks will indicate that the three days are paid at the old rate.

The pay increase was negotiated as part of the early two-year contract that members ratified in December 2006. Members received a 2 percent raise on the first day of that contract, last Oct. 13.

All H Bank administrative employees — nurses, therapists and other titles — will receive the increase in their May 30 check. However, since those members are paid on a different payroll, their May 30 check will reflect only the new rate.

In addition, occasional per-diem workers and substitute paraprofessionals are also getting a 5 percent increase. The new rates for per-diem teachers, as well as the new per-session pedagogic rate, will be reflected in their June 17 paycheck; for substitute paras the increase will appear in the June 15 check.

New five-year longevity

The new five-year longevity for members who have completed five years of service in the New York City school system also takes effect on May 19. Before this, members had to wait 10 years for their first longevity line to kick in.

A longevity payment is not a one-time payment. It is added to an employee’s annual salary once he or she completes the requisite number of years in the city school system and it continues each year until the member reaches the next longevity level. The five-year longevity payment — $1,000 for teachers, and other amounts for other titles — will be added to the annual salary, starting with the May 31 paycheck for those who qualify. If a member’s five-year anniversary comes in September, the longevity pay will start then.

The box shows the salary schedule for teachers as of May 19. All salary schedules are posted on the UFT Web site.