Latest News
Voucher botch in South Carolina
More than 1,200 of the roughly 3,000 South Carolina students who received school vouchers last school year later withdrew or were removed from the taxpayer-funded program due to eligibility concerns, according to state Department of Education data.
10,000 jobs at risk as judge halts layoffs
A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s plans to lay off thousands of federal workers during the government shutdown, siding with unions, which have argued that the dismissals were illegal.
Matching families with needed child care
The UFT is making it easier for NYC families to find child care. NYC Childcare Navigator is an expansion of an online tool the union launched a year ago to help members find child care options and apply for programs that could offset the cost.
Premium-free health care secured
Premium-free health benefits for city workers have been secured for the next five years under a new contract between the city and municipal unions establishing the NYCE PPO plan. The plan, administered jointly by EmblemHealth and UnitedHealthcare, will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.
Unplugged and reengaged
The state’s new UFT-backed cellphone ban is getting rave reviews from educators who say students are more engaged in class — and rediscovering “old-fashioned” pastimes like reading, playing board games and simply talking to one another.
UFT wins bonus pay arbitration
Eighty UFT members will receive the $3,000 ratification bonus negotiated in the 2023 DOE-UFT contract after an independent arbitrator ruled in the union’s favor on Sept. 17. The decision resolves a union-initiated grievance challenging the DOE’s refusal to pay the bonus to UFT-represented employees on terminal leave as of June 27, 2023.