In my career, I have shared my classroom with the most wonderful assistants imaginable.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew won his sixth term as the union’s president. Mulgrew and the Unity Caucus candidates received 54% of the vote.

Third-year special education teacher Britni Maddocks takes a strengths-based approach to assessing her students’ needs in her NEST classroom at PS 59 on Staten Island to help build students’ confidence and assure them that the classroom is a safe...

More than 400 students, parents and community members filled the school yard at United Community School PS 19 in Queens on Sept. 27 for a full day of live music, food, and dance performances in a celebration of Hispanic heritage and health.

The Federation of Nurses/ UFT sent a 10-day strike notification to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn on Tuesday night, Feb. 18. The Federation of Nurses/UFT's contract with NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn ends at midnight on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025.

Some 200 nurses and their families filled Shanker Hall for the Federation of Nurses/UFT’s annual Nurse Recognition Day dinner on May 8 to honor members for their union activism and patient advocacy.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew lauded Gov. Kathy Hochul’s state budget proposal, telling the Delegate Assembly on Jan. 19 that “the starting place for the budget is the best I have ever seen since I’ve been president.”

Spring was in the air on March 19 at the UFT’s 14th annual Early Childhood Conference, where laughter, play and learning emerged after a difficult winter for nearly 400 educators — a blend of in-person participants at UFT headquarters and remote...

The third annual retention bonus negotiated as part of the 2023 DOE-UFT contract will be paid in May. All UFT-represented employees who worked full-time during the 12 months leading up to April 1, 2026, will receive $1,000 as a supplemental check.

I felt guilty that I was not able to understand or communicate with my pre-verbal students in District 75. I was pouring my heart and soul into lessons, only to be met with silence. The weight of these challenges pressed down on me, and depression...

The garden at PS 146 in Howard Beach, Queens, is a place of learning and encourages gratitude, and therefore responsibility, for the natural world.

The following email was sent to DOE-employed UFT members and pre-Medicare-eligible retirees on June 2, 2025, from Geof Sorkin, Executive Director of the UFT Welfare Fund.

UFT Vice President Anne Goldman, the head of the Federation of Nurses/UFT, writes that city hospitals are not required to have adequate staffing. The game of health is allowed to proceed knowingly shorthanded, without economic penalty and at risk to...

The United Federation of Teachers supports the TWU as they negotiate on behalf of their members and supports a fair contract for transit workers.

Premium-free health benefits for city workers have been secured for the next five years under a new contract between the city and municipal unions establishing the NYCE PPO plan. The plan, administered jointly by EmblemHealth and UnitedHealthcare...

With some reservations and a great deal of hope, I voted for the new NYCE PPO. The new city health plan includes several significant improvements over the GHI CBP plan it replaces. Most important for our pre-Medicare eligible members living outside...

In-service UFT members have the protection of a short-term disability plan that can provide valuable income when personal illness renders them temporarily unable to work.

Four UFT fall parent conferences in October and November, held virtually for the second consecutive year, drew nearly 350 parents and featured workshops, speakers, resources and surprises.

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...

Former paraprofessional Sherwin Persaud made the transition to teacher last school year, finding his niche working with autistic children and those with behavioral issues in the early grades at P233 in Forest Hills, Queens.

Workers’ compensation is insurance paid for by the employer. It covers medical costs associated with an on-the-job injury or illness, and it pays a portion of lost salary if you miss work. Full- or part-time paraprofessionals, occupational and...

Former Brooklyn elementary school teacher Andy Pallotta, who led the New York State United Teachers for six years, stepped down as union president at the annual Representative Assembly in Albany in April, while the convention honored UFT members with...

Dual-language pre-K teacher Gema Campusano of the District 25 Pre-K Center in Queens has found that bilingual education not only supports students' language development but also builds their confidence and a strong sense of identity.


The UFT’s New Member Initiative and Member Assistance Program welcomed new educators this school year with activity-based events in all five boroughs to foster fun, community and learning. 


The UFT-DOE contracts contain protections against a wide range of discriminatory or harassing behaviors, including sexual harassment. Federal, state and city laws also provide protections. Here is what you need to know.


UFT President Michael Mulgrew issued a statement in response to news that educators in two schools had tested positive for COVID-19.

The school-based special education committee — created as part of the 2023 DOE-UFT contract — gave Naing the tool she needed to fight to ensure special education students in her school receive the services they are entitled to.

The following email was sent to DOE-employed UFT members and pre-Medicare-eligible retirees on April 29, 2025, from Geof Sorkin, Executive Director of the UFT Welfare Fund.

Three New York City public school educators jumped into action when they saw their students in distress, and their help made the difference in each life-threatening situation.

Jennifer Figueroa believes that anyone can be an artist. And the Bronx native, now in her third year of teaching art at PS 178 in Co-op City, knows that an expansive definition of "artist" helps kids take pride in all kinds of creativity.

Jermaine Coley's warm, hands-on approach has made the second-year school counselor a respected and beloved figure at PS 284 in Brownsville, Brooklyn.

About 300 Retired Teachers Chapter members and guests attended the RTC Luncheon, which featured performances by the New York City Labor Chorus, and Jimmy Hill and the All-starz Band, whose blues, soul and funk music got attendees dancing.
The RTC...

Congratulations to PS 35 in Queens. This is union power. Thank you for fighting to uphold our contractual rights. We all should be proud of the staff of PS 35, their chapter leader, their district representative, the UFT Grievance Department, the UFT...

We can all agree that our health benefits need a reset. For the past two years, the city and the MLC have been involved in a negotiated acquisition process for a new in-service and pre-Medicare retiree health care plan, which we hope will be the...

The Federation of Nurses/UFT is in a pitched battle with NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn over short staffing that the union contends is putting patients at risk.


The provisions in the DOE-UFT contract regarding program preferences and professional activity assignments give teachers a voice about which classes they will teach the following year and which professional activities they are assigned.