Labor Issues

The UFT vows to continue fighting tooth and nail to get paraprofessionals the RESPECT they deserve. RESPECT check legislation providing paraprofessionals with a $10,000 payment became law in August, but the battle continues as the city has taken the City Council to court, alleging its vote was illegal.

More than 100 paraprofessionals at an Extended School Year program in Queens who went without pay for five weeks banded together, and with the help of the UFT, finally received the pay due to them. Find out what to do if you suspect your salary is not what it should be.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew encourages members to get ready for the start of the union's most crucial campaign: the fight for a new DOE-UFT contract. With a record 750 members, the union's contract negotiation team is getting a head start on preparing demands ahead of the current contract's scheduled expiration in November 2027.

Union membership has changed what it means to have a voice and protection at work. Since the UFT’s start in 1960 and ratifying its first contract with the city in 1962, members have fought for and won better working conditions, stronger workplace protections and greater support. This timeline winds its way through bargaining achievements by the UFT throughout the years.

A record 750 members have volunteered to help negotiate the next DOE-UFT contract, which is set to expire on Nov. 28, 2027. Planning for the upcoming rounds of bargaining is already underway.

Chapter Leader Maia Baumgarth of Alfred E. Smith Career and Technical HS in the Bronx strives to educate herself and her colleague on the ins and outs of the DOE-UFT contract under which they all work, ensuring students receive the services they need and teachers are fully supported.