For teachers and paraprofessionals, the first two workdays before students return are both 6 hours and 50 minutes long. For other titles, Tuesday follows regular work hours and Wednesday is six hours and 50 minutes.

A. Health Insurance The above shall apply to UFT-represented employees in TRS and BERS hired after the legislation is enacted. The Board will provide employees covered by this Agreement who regularly work 20 hours or more a week with health insurance...

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

Below is an alphabetical list of member rights. Click on the topic to view an easy-to-follow explanation of that right with links to additional resources and/or contract language.

UFT members celebrated past, present and future union leaders on Teacher Union Day by mourning founder George Altomare on the anniversary of the union’s first strike and honoring the new school-based Contract Action Teams and others who carry on his...

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.

Eighty UFT members will receive the $3,000 ratification bonus negotiated in the 2023 DOE-UFT contract after an independent arbitrator ruled in the union’s favor on Sept. 17. The decision resolves a union-initiated grievance challenging the DOE’s...

All teachers are eligible to take A+ courses for their own knowledge, development and to earn credit toward a salary differential. A+ courses may only be taken for credit by teachers. If you are a guidance counselor, paraprofessional, school...

As of Nov. 1, 2024, teachers and other pedagogues approved for this benefit receive $575 a week for up to 52 weeks, while paraprofessionals and other groups in the same salary range receive $475 per week for up to 52 weeks. Learn more about...

Pedagogues and paraprofessionals receive 24 semi-monthly checks — 20 for your service from September to June and four for July and August. To be eligible for full vacation pay, you need to have worked the entire school year. If you worked less than a...

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...

Yes. For pedagogues, there is a 28-day unpaid waiting period after your sick bank is exhausted and you have been removed from the DOE payroll. For non-pedagogical employees and paraprofessionals, there is a 14-day unpaid waiting period which begins...

Learn how much you are being charged in union dues and how they are calculated.

During a per-session summer activity, pedagogues and paraprofessionals accrue one sick day for each month of service. If you don't take a sick day in July, you can take two in August. One sick day taken during a per-session summer activity can be...

Classroom teachers, paraprofessionals, school counselors, social workers and psychologists, occupational and physical therapists, school nurses, school secretaries, lab specialists, reading coaches and single shepherds all receive funds through...

Representatives from various UFT departments are available to visit your school to speak with your members about important issues.

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.

Checks for appointed pedagogues and annualized paraprofessionals are issued on a semi-monthly basis, on the 15th and 30th of each month. You can verify your current pay by logging in to the DOE Payroll Portal: https://payrollportal.nycboe.net. For...

You can enroll in the UFT if you are a New York City Department of Education pedagogue, paraprofessional, hourly group or retiree, or if you belong to one of the charter or private schools, hospitals or non-profit organizations in which employees...

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.”

Memorandum of Agreement entered into this 29th day of June 2007, by and between the Board of Education of the City School District of the City of New York (hereinafter referred to as the “BOE”) and the United Federation of Teachers, Local 2, AFT, AFL...

Memorandum of Agreement entered into this 29th day of June 2007, by and between the Board of Education of the City School District of the City of New York (hereinafter referred to as the "BOE") and the United Federation of Teachers, Local 2, AFT, AFL...

Memorandum of Agreement entered into this 29th day of June 2007, by and between the Board of Education of the City School District of the City of New York (hereinafter referred to as the “BOE”) and the United Federation of Teachers, Local 2, AFT, AFL...

Memorandum of Agreement entered into this 29th day of June 2007, by and between the Board of Education of the City School District of the City of New York (hereinafter referred to as the “BOE”) and the United Federation of Teachers, Local 2, AFT, AFL...

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.

Classroom teachers, administrative and supervisory personnel, paraprofessionals and pupil personnel service professionals are required to hold a certificate issued by New York State in order to be employed in the state's public schools. Certificates...

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.

For Probationary Pedagogues and all other administrative titles (including Paraprofessionals), the agencies will make a recommendation to the Principal (or other supervisor for non-school based members) about potential discipline. For Tenured...

The answer to both these questions is no. The UFT is a democratic union and no one is forced to join. Nevertheless, an amazing 96 percent of all potential members choose to become UFT members. Nor is membership automatic, a frequent misconception...

Learn more about our union and the benefits and services we provide to our members.