UFT members have ratified a new contract by a margin of 74.6%. The more than 95,000 votes cast was the largest in UFT history.

Educators at hundreds of New York City public schools are holding contract actions today as results from a recent survey is released that show how DOE policies and the lack of educator autonomy stand in the way of teaching and learning.

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.

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...

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.


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.

The union’s new contract with the city Department of Education was ratified with 75 percent of the vote, the union announced on July 10. The more than 95,000 UFT members who cast ballots was the largest in UFT history.

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 members showed up at five simultaneous contract rallies — one in each borough — on May 24 to turn up the pressure on the city and the Department of Education to agree to a fair contract by the end of the school year.

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 following FAQ answers some commonly asked questions about contract negotiations and how they work.

When teachers and paraprofessionals are on the same page, the classroom becomes a place of unity and students are the beneficiaries. Teachers across the city discuss the benefits of forging strong, healthy relationships with the paraprofessionals...

Paraprofessionals have the security of knowing they will receive a pension check every month for the rest of their lives after they retire as members of the Teachers' Retirement System. Learn all you need to know about this key benefit.

More than 32,000 UFT members responded to an online survey commissioned by the UFT to gauge their primary bargaining goals as the union prepares to negotiate with Mayor Eric Adams and the DOE on a contract to replace the one set to expire in...

Paraprofessionals make so many things happen seamlessly that otherwise would most likely take a huge effort, which would impede time spent on instruction, transportation and other much-needed systems.

Learn more about the tentative DOE-UFT contract.

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.

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...

Schools across the city led by Contract Action Team (CAT) members joined together during the week of Jan. 30 to hold contract teach-ins that both informed and activated our membership on a whole new level.

Nearly 1,100 paraprofessionals and other members gathered at the New York Hilton Midtown on March 22 to celebrate the outstanding work of their colleagues, attend professional learning sessions and have fun at a carnival. City Council Education...

City officials entered Shanker Hall on Oct. 13 for their first negotiating session with the UFT to face the 500 members of the union’s bargaining committee all dressed in union blue in an impressive display of solidarity and strength.

The fact is our paraprofessionals cannot survive in this city on a starting salary of just under $32,000. Without offering more money, the DOE cannot hope to retain and recruit enough paraprofessionals. 


Negotiations between the UFT and the city are expected to shift into higher gear now that the members of District Council 37, the city’s largest union, have overwhelmingly ratified a new pattern-setting five-year contract with the city.

Paraprofessionals across the city have embraced the opportunity to participate at long last in Teacher’s Choice.
After years of advocacy by the union, paraprofessionals were included in the program beginning in the 2023-24 school year. Learn how...

Paraprofessionals make the case to outgoing Council Speaker Adrienne Adams to back the RESPECT check bill.

At the first Delegate Assembly of the school year on Oct. 11, UFT President Michael Mulgrew stressed the importance of making sure all parts of the new DOE-UFT contract get implemented.


Teacher Robyn Matty speaks to the challenges teachers and students face in the wake of a severe shortage in paraprofessionals.

Paraprofessional Diana Judge advocates for City Council passage of the $10,00 "RESPECT check" for paraprofessionals.

As a retiree (still can’t believe I’m saying that — I sang at a nursing home and was older than a few there), I just wanted to congratulate the union on its well-deserved contract gains. We are all a part of a big family of educators and dedicated...

The next 3% pay increase from our 2023 contract is scheduled to take effect on Thursday, Jan. 18.

Contract enforcement all starts with understanding what the new agreement entails. Everyone should read the new contract — it’s the most important living document we as UFT members have.

Nearly 700 members of the Paraprofessionals Chapter turned out at the New York Hilton on March 23 to honor 15 of their colleagues for their heroic efforts in New York City's public school classrooms at the annual Paraprofessionals Festival & Awards...

About 60 paraprofessionals, including members in their first year and veteran paraprofessionals, gathered to network and meet their union representatives at the Manhattan Paraprofessionals Meet and Greet.

A monthslong UFT initiative to reach out to retired paraprofessionals, connect them with union services and support, and encourage them to get involved in the Retired Teachers Chapter culminated with a meet and greet at UFT headquarters on Sept. 19.

“We make a difference” was the theme at the UFT’s Paraprofessionals Festival and Awards Luncheon on March 5, celebrating paraprofessionals for rising to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last held in person in 2019, the luncheon was held at...