The new year brings new concerns as right-to-work laws and other anti-worker measures spread across the nation and the threats to our members’ rights multiply. In this climate, the UFT must take its rightful place in history as the protector of and provider for working people and all those whom the union serves.

We will be working hard to provide the leadership and inspiration needed to energize all our members to protect their hard-won rights and benefits as we also seek to educate, comfort, guide and support all our children, patients and the people in our communities.

The union is a critical partner for each of its members, offering guidance and assistance informed by its bird’s-eye view of their fields and career paths.

 All UFT members proudly provide their particular skills in supporting and seeking to achieve the best learning opportunities for all children, the most appropriate care for all patients and the freedom to make the professional choices needed to tailor their support to each individual they serve.

 Our team of professionals knows the unique needs of our children and strives to offer instruction based on each child’s learning style with the support of our speech teachers, occupational and physical therapists, and nursing, guidance and other team members. We know that when we use the appropriate skill mix of our team of educators, we can succeed in helping each child achieve a personal best. Our goal is to find that formula on behalf of the diverse children who await the opportunity to learn and grow as part of our communities.

 At the same time, our health care workforce is committed to achieving the optimum level of function and health for all our patients. This mission of meeting the goals of excellent patient care can only succeed when our staff has input into a patient’s care plan, as well as the union support to allow our health care professionals to advocate for each individual. 

The health care industry prescribes a system of care that expects cookie-cutter solutions. Clearly, the way one would teach a 22-year-old with a sports injury how to walk after knee surgery must differ from the approach for teaching a 50-year-old who is not an athlete, does not speak English and has no formal education. Time and strategic planning is needed to reach each patient in an appropriate way. This is why we must be loud and proud union members, using our contractual rights to support patient advocacy and excellence in patient care.

Whether our members are helping students or patients, the UFT occupies a critical position at the nexus between them and the bureaucratic systems in which they work. These bureaucratic systems are not user-friendly; they are intended to use the least amount of resources to meet the needs of children and patients. 

As union members, we have a unique opportunity to provide each child with the chance to learn in school or to help improve the health of each patient. As both education and health care underpin the well-being of our society, we cannot overstate the importance of our work.

 For each of us to be strong, we must articulate why we need resources such as appropriate staffing levels, technology, equipment and the support of our communities. We need to talk to our colleagues about the union and stay connected and organized. We need our union to be strategic and to mobilize our members in its mission to protect and serve.

Now more than ever, we must join together and support our collective voice on key issues in the political arena and in each community where we work.