A Federation of Nurses/UFT member — bolstered by colleagues and other union members gathered in solidarity — stood up in state Supreme Court on Staten Island on Aug. 14 and bravely described how an assault by a patient has changed her life.

The UFT, through its state affiliate NYSUT, has endorsed Public Advocate Letitia “Tish” James for state attorney general in New York’s Democratic Primary election on Thursday, Sept. 13.


The UFT in July squashed an attempt by about 120 religious schools in New York City to remove 239 members of the union's Nonpublic Schools Chapter who work in the schools and replace them with cheaper, less qualified third-party vendors. But the city DOE, the local education agency that decides how the money is spent, decided not to eliminate or reduce the number of DOE employees in those jobs for at least another year.


Voters in Missouri on Aug. 7 rejected a so-called “right-to-work” law by a 2-to-1 vote after labor unions in the state successfully organized to put the measure on the ballot as a referendum.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew blasted the state’s proposal to allow charter schools in effect to certify their own teachers with scant requirements or proof of professional expertise.

Educators who are ready to begin purchasing materials and supplies for the upcoming school year will have significantly more spending money thanks to a hard-fought increase in City Council funding for Teacher’s Choice.