UFT President Michael Mulgrew encourages members to get ready for the start of the union's most crucial campaign: the fight for a new DOE-UFT contract. With a record 750 members, the union's contract negotiation team is getting a head start on...

The UFT explains paraprofessionals' rights and obligations in terms of being absent from work.

The UFT vows to continue fighting tooth and nail to get paraprofessionals the RESPECT they deserve. RESPECT check legislation providing paraprofessionals with a $10,000 payment became law in August, but the battle continues as the city has taken the...

Some 750 members — the union’s largest bargaining committee ever — gathered at UFT headquarters for their first in-person meeting to start the work of crafting demands and negotiating a new DOE-UFT contract.

The UFT's 1,600 school-based union leaders held "teach-ins" across the city this week to engage educators in upcoming contract negotiations.

Union membership has changed what it means to have a voice and protection at work. Since the UFT’s start in 1960 and ratifying its first contract with the city in 1962, members have fought for and won better working conditions, stronger workplace...

Chapter Leader Maia Baumgarth of Alfred E. Smith Career and Technical HS in the Bronx strives to educate herself and her colleague on the ins and outs of the DOE-UFT contract under which they all work, ensuring students receive the services they need...

The salaries of UFT-represented employees will increase by 3.5% effective Sept. 14 as part of the 2022-2027 DOE-UFT contract that was ratified in 2023.

The UFT shall educate its members about the significant implications of the Paraprofessionals and Education Support Staff Bill of Rights and the Preparing and Retaining All (PARA) Educators Act, emphasizing the potential benefits for...

The United Federation of Teachers will testify today in support of the City Council's proposed "RESPECT check" legislation that would provide every New York City paraprofessional an annual $10,000 payment in addition to their regular salary.

Paraprofessionals play an instrumental role in schools as part of a team providing educational and support services to children. Here are some of the rights and responsibilities that paraprofessionals should know about.


In the last Delegate Assembly speech of the 2025-26 school year, UFT President Michael Mulgrew extolled union victories on Tier 6 reform, Foundation Aid funding gains and more, while warning members about a coming battle over federal tax credits for...

By accumulating college credits, paraprofessionals can significantly increase their pay. Whether your career path as a paraprofessional leads you to earn a bachelor’s degree or to earn a master’s degree and become a certified teacher, several UFT...

At the March Delegate Assembly. UFT President Michael Mulgrew said significant progress had been made toward passage of the RESPECT check bill during a report where he also provided updates on the impact of the state's increased funding for 3K and 2K...

Find out about excused absences — occasions aside from personal illness — when UFT members (teachers, appointed pedagogues and other titles, such as paraprofessionals) are entitled to be absent from work but still get paid without using their CAR, or...

Learn all the rules and know your rights with regard to "per-session" activities done outside regular classroom hours.

The UFT launched a television ad campaign calling on members of the New York City Council to pass legislation aimed at providing paraprofessionals an additional $10,000 annually.

United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew and New York City paraprofessionals joined City Council Education Committee Chair Rita Joseph and other council members as Joseph announced proposed legislation designed to reduce the income gap...

More than 1,600 members of the United Federation of Teachers rallied outside City Hall Wednesday, calling on the City Council to support legislation to provide paraprofessionals with an additional $10,000 annually.

Teacher’s Choice, initiated by the UFT over 30 years ago, allows school staff members to exercise their professional judgment to purchase supplementary supplies and materials to improve the educational experience for their students. Here are answers...

More than 70 educators gathered at union headquarters for the union’s Middle Schools Conference, gaining professional development and key insights on meeting the challenge of supporting students at a uniquely challenging age.

School related professionals play an essential role in supporting the varied needs of students. Meet the chapter leaders of the UFT's functional chapters and learn more about their role.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew is calling on the city to fill vacant school-related professional positions in order to fulfill the special education requirements of at least 9,000 students across the city.

Ready to apply for a new opportunity or wish to transfer to a new school? This Q and A explains what educators need to know about the Open Market Transfer Plan.

About 1,700 UFT members and guests marked the union’s 65th anniversary at this year’s observance of Teacher Union Day on Nov. 2 by honoring union members past and present for their efforts to improve working conditions and strengthen members’ rights...

At their 41st annual Paraprofessionals Festival & Awards Luncheon on March 25, members celebrated the many rights they have gained since their chapter's founding and the trailblazers who led the way while acknowledging there is much more to do.

Paraprofessionals perform vital work in schools. There are career ladder positions available for paras as well as opportunities for educational advancement for paras interested in becoming teachers, school counselors, psychologists or other titles.

UFT Vice President MaryJo Ginese writes that a half-century after the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which required an "appropriate education" for students with disabilities, the city DOE still has work to do.

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

UFT President Michael Mulgrew writes that we will see meaningful improvements in our working conditions — and our students’ learning conditions — this school year as a result of fights we undertook as a union for the changes we need. 


UFT-represented employees covered by the DOE-UFT contract will see a pay raise of 3.5 percent on Sept. 15.

If you feel your contractual rights have been violated, it’s time to speak up and seek a fair resolution. If informal measures don’t fix your issue, your chapter leader can assist you in preparing and filing a grievance, which is the formal way that...

UFT members had the rare opportunity to hear a first-hand account of the creation of the Paraprofessionals Chapter more than 50 years ago from Velma Murphy Hill, the chapter’s founder and first chair, and her husband Norman Hill.


We have big news. Our 2026 version of the RESPECT check bill has been introduced in the City Council! We knew we would make it happen with this new administration, and now we are on the way to finally taking this over the finish line and giving every...

The DOE’s failure to adequately staff our schools is unacceptable. We have long known that our related service providers were stretched thin, but the numbers from the survey show how untenable the DOE has let the situation become.

Curious if you’re being paid what you deserve? Check out the new UFT Salary Checkup tool in the UFT Member Hub.