UFT honors its own at Teacher Union Day

UFT Assistant Secretary Bob Astrowsky won the Charles Cogen Award, the union’s most prestigious award.

A sense of continuity and pride pervaded the UFT’s annual Teacher Union Day on Nov.1 as more than 1,200 union activists – including members present at the union’s founding – celebrated the UFT’s nearly 50 years of struggle for teachers’ dignity and students’ rights.

The event commemorates the union’s Nov. 7 1960 strike for union recognition, and when UFT President Michael Mulgrew asked how many in attendance had been present at the big fight, some 30 veterans stood to thunderous applause.

Mulgrew drew the connection between the battles fought by these union founders and the battles to protect public education being fought by today’s union activists.

Robert Astrowsky, the UFT assistant secretary, who began his career 46 years ago as a guidance counselor and subsequently served in numerous leadership roles, was honored with the Charles Cogan Award, the union’s most prestigious award, given to those who do exceptional work over the lifetime with the union.

Evelyn DeJesus, a one-time chapter leader at PS 216 and the current Manhattan borough representative, was given the Jules Kolodney Award.

Other honors went to members for their work in health and safety, political action, service to special needs children and for working to improve conditions for colleagues. Awards also singled out a principal and chapter leader in each borough who modeled collaboration. Chapters and chapter leaders who were outstanding examples of how to defend both teachers’ jobs and students’ rights were also recognized.