FAQ for UFT members employed in the DOE’s Division of Early Childhood Education

A. Schedule of Hours Psychologists and social workers shall have a continuous workday of six hours and fifty minutes exclusive of lunch, which shall be not less than thirty minutes per day and no longer than the lunch period at the school or facility...

A. Annual Leave Nurses and therapists (full-time and part-time) shall no longer accrue or be permitted to use annual leave time starting September 1, 2005, except as authorized below. All annual leave accruals to the credit of nurses and therapists...

Read testimonials from teachers who have participated in the union's Peer Intervention Program.

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.

Students in the Career and Technical Education dance program at Talent Unlimited HS in Manhattan learn not only technique and performance but also how to choreograph, produce and direct.

The Harbor Defense Museum at Fort Hamilton, with its collections of weaponry, uniforms and memorabilia from the American Revolution to World War II, is an interesting destination for a class trip.

Ninth-graders at NEST+m, a gifted and talented K-12 school on Manhattan's Lower East Side, took their science lessons to new heights during a class trip to the Intrepid Museum.

About 250 UFT members from the city's academic high schools gathered on April 25 at union headquarters to honor outstanding educators and schools and to celebrate 10 years since the UFT's first Academic High Schools awards.

New pension plan tiers come into existence when the state Legislature enacts new laws that change benefits, contribution rates and service requirements. But a pension tier is never set in amber. Over the past 40 years, legislative amendments to each...

If you are planning to retire in the next year or two, now is the time to start preparing. It may seem early, but trust us, it’s not. 
The UFT Pension Department is here for you to assist in your transition to retirement.


The decision to transfer to a new school is personal and may be based on a variety of reasons. If you wish to transfer, there are more opportunities available to you now than ever before.

If you want a new opportunity, wish to work closer to home or have been placed in excess, the Open Market Transfer Plan gives you the chance to apply for a position at another school. This Q&A addresses the most commonly asked questions about the...

Some 300 members joined the UFT's Academic High Schools division to celebrate a broad spectrum of contributions across the city’s public school system. Excellence in Education awards honored teachers recognized for innovative pedagogy, while...

All A+ courses are aligned with the Chancellor's priorities and meet high-quality standards. Teachers may take any A+ class they wish.

No, the format and organization, including which elements are to be included, and whether to write the plan digitally or on paper, are up to the teacher’s discretion.

Art teacher Dan Wever said he ran for chapter leader at Sunset Park HS in Brooklyn in 2021 knowing that at some point the union chapter would have to organize to demand the removal of the school’s longtime principal, Victoria Antonini.
 Less than two...

"I got a scarf!" 6-year-old Daisy exclaimed to her friends as she excitedly pulled a pink knitted scarf out of her bag. The scarf matched her new winter coat and the pink heart painted on her face by a Queens Technical HS cosmetology student.

Performers and instructors at the New York City location for Second City, the renowned comedy theater group that has launched the careers of many famous comedians and actors, have chosen the UFT as their bargaining agent, the union announced in May.

Hundreds of families packed the schoolyard at PS 21 on Staten Island for the UFT's third annual back-to-school backpack giveaway, where children received needed backpacks and school supplies, served alongside food and fun.

Si Beagle trips make a seamless transition from in-person walking tours to virtual excursions for Retired Teachers Chapter members.



When PS 315, the East Village Community School, moves on Sept. 8 into the First Avenue building that houses PS 19, the chapter leaders for the two Manhattan schools can take a bow for their work in ensuring a smooth merger that meets the needs of...

See contact information pertinent to UFT Retirees.

Energized UFT members paired up with their fellow union members from the Philadelphia Teachers Union and AFT Pennsylvania on Sept. 21 to get out the vote for Kamala Harris in the battleground state.

Thanks to vigorous lobbying by members from the UFT, its state affiliate NYSUT and other public employee unions in New York state, state lawmakers approved a change in the final average salary calculation for members of Tier 6 of the pension system...

Pension and TRS membership for paraprofessionals

The UFT Welfare Fund Retiree Social Services' Nationwide Telephone Reassurance Program offers support for retirees that is just a phone call away. Retirees can chat for as long as they need about whatever issue they may wish to discuss or may be...

Union members in Minneapolis–St. Paul recently issued a call to show nationwide solidarity on Jan. 23 after a brutal ICE operation led to the killing of Renee Nicole Good and the targeting of students, educators and immigrant communities.

We all came together as a family. This is one of the many times I was proud to be a New York City teacher.

The Pre-K Center Handbook recommends that the school programmer stagger the teachers’ and paras’ lunches so that one of them can be present during lunch.

Topic/Theme/Duration Essential Question(s) Standards Key Students Learning Objectives Sequence of Key Learning Activities Text(s) and Materials to be Used Assessment(s)