Michael Mulgrew
UFT President
This year, we start on one of the most crucial campaigns we have as a union: our contract campaign. With our contract set to expire in November 2027, we are getting a head start on negotiations so that we have plenty of time to prepare our demands. We have already assembled our biggest-ever contract negotiation team, with 750 UFT members representing all titles, divisions, boroughs and districts preparing to meet at the table with the city to express our needs and make our demands known.
This massive group of members is broken down into smaller bargaining units that will meet directly with the city to work out specific demands that pertain to their title or division.
Paraprofessionals, for example, will work on crafting and presenting priorities that relate to their roles, while occupational and physical therapists will have a group representing their interests. In addition, there are larger groups composed of multiple titles that work on overarching contract demands.
It is a complex system that ensures all our members are represented and have a say at the bargaining table.
Having rank-and-file members in these negotiations is not something all unions do, but we know how important it is. When city officials don’t understand why an elementary school teacher should not teach four periods in a row, we have an elementary school teacher to explain it to them. When they don’t see the need for a paraprofessional to receive due process rights, we have paraprofessionals tell them why it is the correct thing to do.
The city hears about the rationale behind our demands directly from people doing the work. Who better to tell the employer about the conditions in our schools than those who are there every day working with students across the city?
We represent a large and diverse group of members, and contract negotiations are never easy. It will be a fight to get the things we want, and just like with all our past fights, we will need everyone to participate. However, before we get to that point, we will need to solidify what it is we are fighting for.
This fall, we will be sending out a survey to all UFT members. It is critical that you take the time to add your voice to our next contract by taking the survey and letting us know what your priorities are.
Every member brings a unique perspective to the work we do, and we want to make sure that your point of view is included. Every response counts.
The survey is given by a third-party company. Your survey responses are confidential and will not be shared. Once the survey results are aggregated, they will be used by all the different groups on our 750-member negotiating team to inform the demands they will be developing and presenting to the city.
This survey will be the first step in our journey to a strong new contract.
From there, we will work together to stand strong in a campaign the city won’t be able to ignore and win the best contract we’ve had yet.
We are not the same as we were three years ago. Over the last few years, our collective action has reverberated across the city, and we’ve been redefined as a union that works together to get results.
From lowering the retirement age for Tier 6 members by five years to reducing class size in our schools and getting our RESPECT check legislation passed into law, we have fought together to achieve great things.
This contract campaign will be no different; if we stand together, we will get results.
I look forward to fighting alongside you and creating the future we want to see for ourselves, our schools and our profession.