Whether you need a cup or two for your favorite brew or a cute T-shirt for the weekends, the UFT Swag Shop has something for every member.
If union swag is your bag, the UFT has a store for you.
The UFT Swag Shop, an online store that offers UFT-branded merchandise, went live on Sept. 25.
“This is something our members have wanted,” UFT President Michael Mulgrew said. “Whenever I visit schools, it’s always one of the top requests I receive, and we’re thrilled our members will be able to wear their union pride — literally.”
After exploring options, the union chose to partner with All USA Clothing, a woman-owned company based in Detroit, with products made exclusively in the United States by union workers.
Among the 30 unique items you can now purchase are UFT-branded T-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, baseball caps, infant onesies, water bottles and tote bags. One particularly cool item is a $16 mug with a display of UFT political buttons from over the decades. Retirees can purchase a “happily retired” T-shirt, mug or sticker. More UFT-branded items will become available for purchase in the months to come.
You can access the UFT Swag Shop — which was announced at the citywide chapter leader meeting on Sept. 18 — from the UFT Member Hub or the UFT website.
All orders placed on Mondays through Fridays will ship within two to three business days. The items will generally be shipped by the U.S. Postal Service or UPS, but in some cases FedEx or another carrier may be used. Orders above $99 will ship free to any location in the United States.
Members will be charged wholesale prices and the union will not profit from sales through the shop.
“We compared our prices to other union sites and we’re lower by at least a couple of bucks,” UFT Chief Financial Officer David Hickey said. “And members can combine their orders in order to qualify for the free shipping.”
UFT members will be able to request custom items — for example, items for the UFT Speech Chapter — by calling the company’s call center to make a request. All USA will then bring the request to the UFT for approval, Hickey said.
“When I was the chapter leader at my school, I was always looking for UFT items that were comfortable and good-looking,” said Trisha Arnold, a UFT special project coordinator who was part of the committee that developed the store. “The UFT Swag Shop is a great option for any member who wants to show their pride in being a UFT member.”