UFT members supported the “RESPECT check” bill on Nov. 13 by holding teach-ins, wearing blue and tagging City Council members on social media in photos of themselves holding “RESPECT for Paraprofessionals” signs.

As a paraprofessional in the Vision Education Services Chapter, which serves about 900 blind and visually impaired students citywide, Lucio Medina acts as a guide and advocate for the students he supports.

As a one-on-one paraprofessional in a third and fourth grade DHHES classroom at PS 333 in the Bronx, William Valentin supports Deaf and hearing impaired students with their communication, educational and behavioral needs.


Teaching artists at Lincoln Center, who are represented by the UFT, have reached agreement on a new five-year contract with significant economic gains and more input to help shape the type of education they provide.

Federation of Nurses/UFT members employed by NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn on Feb. 24 overwhelmingly ratified a three-year contract that provides solid salary increases while making inroads in addressing the universal problem of staffing shortages.

Federation of Nurses/UFT members employed by NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn on Feb. 24 overwhelmingly ratified a three-year contract that provides solid salary increases while making inroads in addressing the universal problem of staffing shortages.

Thirty-five members donated at the March 13 blood drive sponsored by the UFT Paraparofessionals Chapter and the union's Staten Island Borough Office.

Marian Thom, a dynamic force for Asian American causes and a founding member of the UFT Paraprofessionals Chapter, died on Sept. 4 after a nine-month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 88.

The following notification was emailed to all members as part of the UFT Update on June 11, 2025.

Administrative tasks get in the way of their students’ learning, according to 87% of educators in the union's new survey of its school-based members, who handed out a leaflet with the poll results across the five boroughs during a Week of Action in...

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.

Testimony of educators and community members submitted in support of the "RESPECT check" bill for New York City paraprofessionals at the Nov. 13, 2025 City Council hearing.

Testimony of educators and community members submitted in support of the "RESPECT check" bill for New York City paraprofessionals before the City Council Committee on Civil Service and Labor.

Thousands of UFT members wore blue to work in solidarity with their paraprofessional colleagues on April 2, which was national Paraprofessionals Appreciation Day and the union’s citywide Day of Action.

More than a year into its operation, the Retired Paraprofessional Support line has proved more successful than anticipated — both for those calling in and for those answering the phones. 


Federation of Nurses/UFT members at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn on Feb. 26 overwhelmingly ratified a contract that provides a 15.8% raise compounded over two years and includes new commitments from the hospital to address the chronic shortage of...

UFT President Michael Mulgrew, UFT officers, educators and elected officials called on City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams to schedule a public hearing on the proposed "Paraprofessional Respect" bill.

More than 1,600 paraprofessionals and fellow UFT members came together from across the city on April 2 to call on the New York City Council to pass legislation to give paraprofessionals an annual “RESPECT check” of $10,000.

Paraprofessionals fanned out across the city in January to sit down with City Council members to urge them to support a revised "RESPECT check" bill that would provide an annual check of no less than $10,000 to the educators whose ranks are suffering...

This school year, PS 133 in Harlem has three newly minted teachers who were employed as paraprofessionals at the school the previous year. The three, who have fashioned a mini support group for one another, are grateful for the help of the union and...

Federation of Nurses/UFT members, who are registered professional nurses with VNS Health, overwhelmingly approved a new 2-year contract that provides a 12% compounded salary increase over the course of the agreement, preserves healthcare benefits and...

Members of the Federation of Nurses/UFT ratified a new contract that raises nurses' salaries at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn by a compounded 15.8 percent and requires the hospital to hire 100 nurses to address chronic understaffing.

The UFT Paraprofessionals Chapter launched a new RESPECT campaign at its Nov. 21 paraprofessional representatives meeting to demand that the Department of Education pay paraprofessionals more, value their work and uphold their rights.


The UFT has created a new telehealth benefit for members who are not eligible for city health insurance. UFT members who are substitute paraprofessionals, per-diem teachers and members of the union’s ADAPT Community Network Chapter can now access...

Federation of Nurses/UFT members who are registered professional nurses employed by VNS Health overwhelmingly ratified a contract on Jan. 27 that provides a 12% compounded pay increase over two years, money for experience and certification...

Teachers in over 1,000 New York City public schools will lead labor “Teach-Ins” for fellow educators to brainstorm ways to fight for a fair contract for members of the United Federation of Teachers.

These salary schedules are connected with the tentative DOE-UFT contract agreement announced on June 13, 2023.

Paraprofessional Unique Robinson of Murrow HS in Brooklyn acted quickly to advocate for a solution when presented with the need to safely and comfortably meet the toileting needs of her paraplegic student.

UFT educators across the city took part in "Grade-Ins" to fight for more autonomy during the workday and to call out the amounts of irrelevant administrative tasks they are forced to do that don’t serve their students.

Paraprofessionals at P256 in Queens, a District 75 school for high-school-age boys, pooled their Teacher's Choice funds to refresh a key space used by their students to calm themselves and reflect on their emotions. They celebrated the grand opening...

This Q&A answers many common questions regarding IEP planning and meetings, including updates from the 2023 DOE-UFT contract.

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

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.


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.

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...