With this school year's final issue of the Chapter Leader Update, I want to thank you for your hard work staying informed and activating members. Your voice is a crucial part of wins we've made this year, like improvements to Tier 6. Likewise, your voice will be a crucial part of wins we see on the horizon, like the RESPECT check for paraprofessionals and full compliance with the class size law. Your compassion, know-how and resilience uphold our shared values and keep us united as one union. Have a restful summer break. You deserve it.
- Michael Mulgrew, UFT President
Chapter Leader UpdateJune 18, 2026
Image
Jonathan Fickies
¡Viva Puerto Rico!: UFT members celebrate pride, solidarity and culture at the annual Puerto Rican Day Parade on June 14.
This Week's Focus
UFT offices are open this summer
The UFT will be open to serve members on a modified schedule throughout the summer. UFT members can call the union at 212-331-6311 from 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, in July and August. For more complex questions, it's best to call Monday through Thursday during the summer since the union operates with a reduced staff on Fridays. UFT headquarters at 52 Broadway will be open from 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays, from Monday, June 29, through Labor Day. The Grievance Department at headquarters will be open five days a week in July and August with a reduced staff on Fridays. UFT borough offices will be open Mondays through Thursdays, from 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., from Monday, June 29, through Thursday, Aug. 13. The borough offices will be closed from Aug. 17 to Aug. 27 and will reopen on Aug. 31, on the modified summer schedule through Labor Day. All UFT offices are closed on Friday, July 3, in observance of Independence Day, and on Monday, Sept. 7, in observance of Labor Day. Regular office hours, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., will resume on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
Time for RESPECT
The UFT has been meeting with the city and working through the issues. The costing of the bill has now been finalized and more meetings are scheduled to move this legislation across the finish line.
We have been in a similar place before and it may feel frustrating, but we are closer than ever. We had to school the city on what we do, and now it's the city's turn to DO.
This week's action:
Social media profile pic challenge time! As we turn up the heat for our bill to move forward, let's flood social media with support. Use one of the graphics as your profile picture and tag your City Council member. Encourage your colleagues, friends and family to do the same.
How to change your profile picture
Facebook:
- Download one of the profile picture graphics.
- Go to your profile in Facebook.
- Click on the small camera icon next to your profile picture.
- Select the graphic you just downloaded as your new picture.
Instagram:
- Download one of the profile picture graphics.
- Go to your page and click the Edit profile button on top of your grid.
- Click Edit picture or avatar under your profile picture.
- Select the graphic you just downloaded as your new picture.
As the school year winds down, we are still heating up for this RESPECT check. Let's create a sea of profile pictures reminding people that it's #TimeforRESPECT.
Resources:
- Use these profile picture graphics on your social media.
- Check out our RESPECT campaign toolkit for a printable sign and more.
- Find answers to your questions about the proposed legislation in our RESPECT check FAQ.
- Learn more on our RESPECT campaign page.
Gearing up for contract negotiations
The current DOE-UFT contract is set to expire on Nov. 28, 2027, so preparations are underway for negotiating the next one. The UFT Contract Negotiation Committee, which will convene for the first time this cycle in June, is more than 700 members strong, up from 500 members for the 2022-2027 contract.
Keep an eye out in the fall for all-member contract negotiation surveys. The committee will survey all DOE-employed members and members in each bargaining unit to assess priorities for the next contract.
Chapter Leader Checklist
To Do #1
Staff on leave will remain in the direct deposit system
Please remind payroll secretaries that they should not remove staff from the direct deposit system when a staff member goes on leave. Secretaries must first manually stop the paychecks until the leave is processed in the system. Once the leave is processed by SOLAS, the payroll system automatically ceases to generate checks, and paychecks are restored when the employee returns. This updated protocol, implemented in 2022, keeps direct deposit intact, which is particularly helpful for employees on shorter leaves.
To Do #2
Identify yourself as a chapter leader when you call
Tell us you are a chapter leader when you call the union. That way, our team of trained UFT staffers will be able to immediately direct your call to the appropriate department or staff member. As a chapter leader, you have more direct access to union departments.
To Do #3
Fill out a survey about the status of the library in your school
Last year, the UFT joined with students and students' families to push the City Council to pass Int. 1125, a law that requires the Department of Education to produce an annual report on the status of libraries within our city's public schools.
The law was passed; however, some of the data from a preliminary report that the DOE released in December 2025 was inconsistent with information that we have about school libraries, such as the hours they are open and their staff. With another report released this month, we need to know for sure if their information matches with the reality on the ground.
As UFT members, you know firsthand what is happening in your schools, so we're asking you to help us to set the record straight when it comes to the actual status of school libraries and librarians.
To Do #4
Be mindful of timelines for appeals of final ratings
The UFT Grievance Department is processing rating appeals for the 2025-26 school year and will be filing them with the DOE in the fall. If members of any UFT-represented titles in your school have been rated Unsatisfactory under the S/U rating system, they need to bring their Unsatisfactory rating form to their UFT borough office within three weeks of receipt. Probationary teachers who have been discontinued or denied tenure may also file an appeal if they wish. Any teachers who are rated overall Ineffective under the APPR rating system in September should call their UFT borough office as soon as possible to make an appointment with a rating appeal adviser. APPR rating appeal paperwork should be submitted by Oct. 15.
To Do #5
Flyers to share with your members
Here are flyers you can print and distribute in member mailboxes or post on your school's UFT bulletin board.
Hub Highlights
Access all the DOE and union forms you need
When a member asks you for the form to enroll in the UFT Welfare Fund or the form to apply for a FMLA leave of absence, visit the Chapter Leader Hub. We've assembled the forms you most often need in one easy-to-access location. Remember: You can access the hub using your UFT website username and password.
You Should Know
Contract empowerment & enforcement
Summer school/Chapter 683 grievance procedures
The online grievance process will be suspended after the last day of school on Friday, June 26. All summer school per-session grievances and Chapter 683 per-session grievances must be filed in person at your UFT borough office Monday through Thursday. Grievances relating to the regular school year can be filed only after members return in September. Chapter leaders may file Step 1 grievances online from the Chapter Leader Hub starting on Tuesday, Sept. 8, the first day that educators report back to work. If you have any questions, please call the UFT at 212-331-6311. For UFT borough office summer hours, see the item in This Week's Focus.
Health & safety
New Know Your Rights comic to available start conversations about immigration
The DOE has published a comic with a series of vignettes that illustrate the rights and protections available to all New Yorkers, including immigrants. These stories can help guide classroom conversations about knowing your rights and being prepared for encounters with non-local law enforcement. The comic is available in English and Spanish, with other languages forthcoming. There's also a poster, a lesson plan and a resource guide to support instruction.
You can find more immigrant student and families resources on the UFT website.
Medical & wellness
Mental health support throughout the summer
Mental health services are available to all UFT members throughout the summer, courtesy of the UFT Member Assistance Program. Members are invited to participate in MAP's summer grief and loss support group, which meets on Tuesdays at 11 a.m. from July 7 to Aug. 18. Each week, peers who are navigating loss will discuss a different grief-related topic. MAP's licensed clinicians will offer practical tips, strategies and support. Members can come for every session or drop in for the topics that mean the most to them. For more summer offerings, see the MAP section of the UFT website.
Members also have access 24/7 all summer long to the UFT Mental Health Helpline at 866‑UFT‑FOR‑U (866‑838‑3678). Union-trained, licensed mental health counselors can offer immediate and confidential help to members and their families who are in crisis, experiencing emotional distress or in need of resources or a referral. The Member Assistance Program is open Mondays through Thursdays, from 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., during the summer. To schedule a call with a MAP counselor, email mapinfo [at] uft [dot] org (mapinfo[at]uft[dot]org).
Political action
Early voting has begun
Early voting for the June 23 primary began on Saturday, June 13, and runs through Sunday, June 21. Find your polling site and its hours for early voting. See the union's political endorsements on the UFT website. For complete New York City voter information, visit the NYC Board of Elections website.
Salary & personnel
DOE's payroll protocols for the summer
The DOE's Office of Payroll Administration remains open for the summer, which means UFT members employed by the DOE may enroll in the direct deposit program and/or update their choices throughout the year. Members who receive paper paychecks will have their summer checks mailed to the address on file with the DOE on the regularly scheduled pay dates.
Please also note that the DOE has notified us of an unexpected processing issue for some direct deposit payments. As a result, those per-session checks were mailed. The issue should be resolved for the July 1 payment.
DOE employees must give 30 days' notice before resigning
DOE employees must give at least 30 calendar days' notice of their intention to resign, according to the Chancellor's Regulations. Therefore, if a UFT member wants to resign (not retire) effective Tuesday, Sept. 8, the first day of work in the 2026–27 school year, that member must submit a letter of resignation by Sunday, Aug. 9. Principals are not permitted to ask UFT members to add the word "irrevocable" to their letters of resignation because UFT-represented educators have a contractual right to withdraw their resignation at a later date should they want to return to the DOE. According to the DOE, employees who resign without providing 30 days' notice will receive a problem code in their personnel file that will flag them for review should they wish to return in the future. On a related note, while there is no requirement to give notice for retirement, DOE employees who wish to take terminal leave prior to retirement must also give 30 days' notice.
Webinar on June 24 about the changes to Tier 6
We made it visible, made it human, made it loud – and then we made it real. Improvements to Tier 6 of the TRS pension system are here. Tier 6 members are now eligible to retire with an unreduced pension at 58 with 30 years of service instead of 63, five years earlier than before. While the fight for 55 continues, this is a major step forward. If you are a Tier 6 member and want to understand all the details, join a webinar to learn the practical implications of this victory and what it could mean for your retirement benefits.
- Date: Wednesday, June 24
- Time: 4:15 to 5:15 p.m.
- Where: Online
Special education
Posting for Centrally Funded Intervention Teacher has been released
The School Allocation Memorandum (SAM), guidance and job posting for the Centrally Funded Intervention Teacher (CFIT) position are now available. To ensure the position is filled by the end of the school year and students can receive services once school opens in September, we agreed to an expedited five-day posting. Schools posted the position on June 17 and emailed it to every special education teacher at their school. Please confirm with us that this process occurred successfully at your school.
To support the implementation of this position, please familiarize yourself with the following documents:
- School Allocation Memorandum (SAM) No. 16, FY 2027 provides an overview of the position and eligibility. It specifies how principals must use funding in alignment with program requirements, and it details criteria for retaining the position. The SAM lists the schools currently receiving funding, and the overwhelming majority of them also received funding last cycle.
- CFIT Implementation Guidance 2026-27 covers hiring, staffing, job duties and responsibilities. It includes a new section with procedures for addressing CFITs on leave.
- CFIT job posting, which schools must use exactly as is. No changes, additions or deletions to create an internal posting on school letterhead are permitted.
All of the above information is available on the UFT's Teaching Students with Disabilities hub. Contact MaryJo Ginese, the UFT vice president for special education, or the UFT liaison to the Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning for your borough if you have questions or concerns.
Everything else
Gear up on summer favorites at the UFT Swag Shop
The UFT Swag Shop, your go-to source for official UFT apparel and accessories, has great deals this summer. You can shop now for UFT-branded basketball shorts, denim jackets, union proud T-shirts, crewneck and zip-up sweatshirts, polo shirts and backpack coolers for your summer picnics. You can save by buying several items at once in our summer bundle deals. There is free shipping on orders over $99. All items are proudly union made.
March with the UFT at NYC Pride
The UFT will once again be showing up in force in the New York City Pride March — and we want you to join us!
In partnership with Heritage of Pride, we march toward a future without discrimination, where all people have equal rights under the law. Through powerful Pride Month events, we come together to inspire, educate, commemorate and celebrate the rich diversity of our LGBTQ+ community. Let's unite in support of our students, colleagues, families and friends. Together, we show what solidarity looks like — loud, proud and unstoppable.
Space is limited, so register early.
- Date: Sunday, June 28
- Time: March begins at noon, but we will assemble at 1:30 p.m. because there are many sections ahead of us in the procession.
- Where: Please meet us in section M5 on West 27th Street between Sixth and Fifth avenues. Approach from Sixth Avenue, as you will not be able to cross Fifth Avenue.
Recent Guidance and Agreements
- Payroll Administrative Memorandum: New Direct Deposit Enrollment Policy for Per Session Pay (April 2026)
- Supporting Latino Multilingual and Immigrant Students and Families, Educator Resource Guide (February 2026)
- Payroll Administrative Memorandum: Tax Changes Effective Jan. 1, 2026 (January 2026)
- Payroll Administrative Memorandum: Commuter Benefits Programs Update (December 2025)
Key Events & Deadlines
Contact the UFT
- DOE members, call 212‑331‑6311.
- DOE functional chapter members, call 212‑331‑6312.
- A health benefit question? Call the Welfare Fund at 212‑539‑0500.
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Look for your next Chapter Leader Update in September