Skip to main content
Full Menu Close Menu

Know Your Rights

Per-session activities

Teachers, paraprofessionals, and school social workers and psychologists can apply for these “per-session” activities that are done either before or after school, on the weekend or holidays, or during the summer. This Know Your Rights column details the most important rules and procedures govering per-session work.

Resolving workplace issues

The DOE-UFT contract gives educators an expedited process for addressing many workplace problems: the operational issues resolution process. In the 2023 contract, the paperwork and operational issues process was expanded to address even more workplace issues. 


Salary, steps and longevity

In addition to the regular pay increases negotiated in each DOE-UFT contract, UFT-represented teachers and other pedagogues receive differentials, step payments and longevity increases based on their level of education and years of service.

Absences for paraprofessionals

If you are a paraprofessional, the DOE-UFT contract establishes rights and obligations in terms of when you can be absent from work. Learn about how you accumulate and can use sick days and about excused absences.

Transferring schools

All UFT pedagogues, including teachers, clinicians, school counselors and school secretaries, as well as paraprofessionals, have the opportunity to transfer to a different school under the Open Market Transfer Plan.

Cumulative Absence Reserve

Cumulative Absence Reserve (CAR) is the formal name for the bank of “sick days” earned by UFT-represented employees who work for the city Department of Education (DOE). All full-time, school-based UFT members may earn up to 10 CAR days for the full school year.