Born ‘leaders’
Three current UFT chapter leaders in District 22 in Brooklyn follow in the footsteps of family members whose dedication and hard work as chapter leaders inspired the next generation.
Kudos to Alaa Yousef, Park Slope Collegiate
Alaa Yousef was elected chapter leader at Park Slope Collegiate in Brooklyn this October, and in her first action in that role, she used the operational issues complaint process to get her members paid for instructional lunch periods. When those payments stopped, she resumed her fight.
Trevor Stokes, Midwood HS, Brooklyn
Midwood HS Chapter Leader Trevor Stokes used the leverage of the union’s operational issues complaint process to make sure every classroom and office at his school has an air purifier.
Spring break pay grievance
The dispute between the UFT and the DOE over spring break pay in 2020 will now proceed to arbitration, with a hearing before a neutral arbitrator likely to take place in mid-December.
Kudos to Gloria Castillo, PS 11, Manhattan
When PS 11 Chapter Leader Gloria Castillo began to think about retirement, she also began to plan for a seamless transition in union leadership at her Chelsea school.
Right to unionize will be on Illinois ballot
Voters in Illinois will determine in 2022 whether collective bargaining is a constitutional right.
Amazon union drive fails
Workers at the giant Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, declined to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union in a historic vote.
Chicago teachers' broad bargaining rights restored
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation on April 2 restoring the Chicago Teachers Union's ability to bargain with the city on a broader range of issues, including class size, layoffs and the duration of the school year
Hunts Point Market workers win big raise
A weeklong strike at the Hunts Point Produce Market in the Bronx ended on Jan. 23 with workers winning their largest pay raise in decades and more money for health coverage. More than 1,400 workers, who have been working through the pandemic to help supply produce to New York City, has voted to strike.
Amazon workers hold first union vote
Amazon warehouse workers in Alabama began holding the corporation’s first union vote in the United States on Feb. 8. Amazon does not employ any union labor in the country and the approximately 5,800 fulfillment center employees are facing stiff opposition from the tech giant.