If I didn't have a union, I wouldn't be working today.
I became a paraprofessional because I just love helping people. Then I came to work one day and all of a sudden got a call to come down to the office. They told me I had to leave the school premises immediately. Then I found out there were accusations that I had touched students.
I was shocked, dumbfounded and angry at the same time. I was getting blamed for something I would never do.
I was suspended without pay while there was an investigation. The investigator found that the kids were lying. But my principal went ahead with termination.
I filed a grievance to get my job back. Michael Herron in the UFT’s Grievance Department listened to me. He knew I didn’t do anything wrong, and I trusted him. I felt like he was going to bat for me and that’s why I stuck with it.
The arbitrator found that my termination was not warranted. He reinstated me and awarded me full back pay. It felt great. My new school is treating me well and I’m starting all over again.
The people at the union worked hard on my case. They rooted for me. I’m just glad to have a union.
— Brett Picou, paraprofessional, PS 270, Queens
You cannot lose your job at management's whim.
As a union member, you have access to these important job protections:
Tenure: We fought for New York State laws that protect tenured teachers from termination without due process. This means that you cannot be fired for arbitrary or capricious reasons or for speaking out about troubling matters. The union also fought for a fair process of hearings and appeals.
Union representation: You are entitled to a UFT representative if you are summoned to speak with a supervisor or an investigative office for an interview that may lead to disciplinary action. All you need to do is ask for one.
Legal representation: You are entitled to legal representation in work-related disputes involving the Department of Education. You can count on UFT attorneys and grievance staff who are experts in education law and the UFT contract.
Collective voice: You are not alone. UFT members have a strong voice because we fight together — 200,000 of us — for our schools, our students and our profession.
The UFT has staved off these threats to its members’ jobs:
6,000 teaching jobs saved: In 2011 Mayor Michael Bloomberg threatened to lay off 4,200 teachers and eliminate 1,600 more positions through attrition, but after marches, rallies and other union-organized actions, not a single teacher lost his or her job.
4,000 paraprofessional jobs saved: The Department of Education was threatening to fire 4,000 paraprofessionals in 2014 because they did not meet certification requirements. The UFT quickly responded, providing not only the information paraprofessionals needed on how to become credentialed, but also the required workshops for accreditation.
Teaching Fellows granted reprieve: The UFT won a preliminary injunction in state court in December 2008 to prevent the Department of Education from firing Teaching Fellows hired over the summer who had not secured full-time school assignments by Dec. 5.
