News Stories
Union wins spring break 2020 fight
In a decision that UFT members have been waiting for since the early days of the pandemic, an independent arbitrator ruled on Jan. 5 that members will receive a vacation day — a brand-new type of day — for each day they worked during the 2020 spring break.
Two UFT members win City Council elections
Two UFT members will sit on the New York City Council in January 2022: Rita Joseph and Eric Dinowitz.
David C. Banks to be next chancellor
David C. Banks, the founder of the Eagle Academy boys’ public schools, was named by Mayor-elect Eric Adams on Dec. 9 to be the next schools chancellor of New York City.
Leo Gordon elected VP for CTE high schools
Leo Gordon, a New York City public school teacher for more than 26 years, has been elected the UFT’s vice president for career and technical education by the union’s Executive Board.
Automatic TRS pensions won for full-time paras
Decades of UFT advocacy bore fruit for the union’s paraprofessionals on Oct. 29 as a newly enacted state law guaranteed all UFT-represented full-time paraprofessionals — on the job now and in the future — will automatically become members of the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS). After they retire, TRS members receive a monthly pension for the rest of their lives.
400-member contract team to be formed
UFT President Michael Mulgrew told delegates at the Delegate Assembly on Nov. 17 that the union plans to seek extensive member input to help shape priorities for upcoming negotiations on the next contract and health care.