The School Safety unit also offers a number of workshops on safety planning, the discipline code, DASA and other topics.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew joined City Council Education Committee Chair Rita Joseph and other Council members outside City Hall on Jan. 30 to announce proposed legislation that would provide a recurring annual payment of $10,000 to full-time...

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...

A new math workshop helps upper elementary school students explore the relationship between familiar shapes and the unique architecture of the Morgan Library and Museum.

The contract is only as good as its enforcement. At the school level you, the chapter leader, are the guardian of the contract.

The start of the year is a good time to consider what equipment you have on hand, what you may need to obtain, your classroom protocols related to technology, and what technology projects you’d like to pursue. Here is a framework for doing this...

Queens high school teacher Amy Matthusen explains ways to center students in creating evaluative criteria to help deepen learning.

We may have differences, but we all work together on the important stuff. We put members first, and we don’t let our differences get in the way of our similarities.


We have a lot to be happy with regarding the state of the RTC chapter. We have debates of retiree issues and an enhanced voting process. But I am concerned that Zoom is hurting the quality of our union engagement.

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...

The state's class size law is our collective opportunity to significantly enhance the quality of education for every child in our city. Yet this historic moment is at risk due to the reluctance of Mayor Eric Adams and the city Department of Education...

Veronica Herrera supports students making their postsecondary plans at Hillcrest HS in Jamaica. "High school students are discovering who they are, and it’s wonderful to be a part of that conversation," she said.

About 300 UFT members from schools across the city attended one of the union's immigration workshops in October and November. The sessions walked members through the steps to establish school-based committees to support and defend immigrant families...

At the Delegate Assembly on Jan. 14, UFT President Michael Mulgrew updated delegates on the union’s work to expand access to affordable child care and addressed a range of national, state and city issues affecting educators.


A brief overview of the Block Institute Chapter.

The workday of a substitute para is based on a workday of 6 hours and 50 minutes, inclusive of lunch. The student day ends after 6 hours and 20 minutes. The school to which the para is assigned has the discretion to decide whether the substitute must...

Mail or fax a paper stating you would like to cancel your COPE contribution. The request should include your Name, Member ID# or File# and most recent mailing address. Once we receive the request, it is processed and sent to the City. Once processed...

The workday of a substitute para is based on a workday of 6 hours and 50 minutes, inclusive of lunch. The student day ends after 6 hours and 20 minutes. The school to which the para is assigned has the discretion to decide whether the substitute must...

To be "F-status" means you are working as a per diem employee engaged for a full term but for less than five full days per week (e.g., 2 days every week). The full/part-time employee receives a salary pro-rated for the time worked at 1/200th of the...

On October 2, 2005 the following understanding was reached regarding probable cause hearings: The UFT will conduct a meeting of lawyers who represent UFT members at 3020-a proceedings to inform them about the new procedures regarding offenses...

School professionals (teachers, paraprofessionals, counselors, psychologists and social workers) who are applying for state certification must take this six-hour course. This includes members who are applying for new certificates (for example...

You should be aware that the Office of Teaching Initiatives does not endorse, pre-approve, or accredit programs or coursework completed at institutions located outside the State of New York. Information regarding colleges and universities within New...

A school social worker shares their experience with using Yondr pouches to collect cellphones.

I’m a New York City teacher working and living in Manhattan. On the morning of 9/11/01, I did ordinary things and had ordinary thoughts. I went to vote and remembered how worried I was that I was going to be late for a meeting I had to attend...

If they are the retiree's pension beneficiary, they can contact the Teachers' Retirement System (TRS) and the UFT Pension Department. A member's beneficiary (or representative) must first submit a certified or original death certificate to TRS for...

On October 2, 2005 the following understanding was reached regarding probable cause hearings: The UFT will conduct a meeting of lawyers who represent UFT members at Education Law §3020-a proceedings to inform them about the new procedures regarding...

Your evaluator must conduct an Initial Planning Conference with you no later than the last Friday in October. This in-person conversation between you and your evaluator should take place at a mutually agreed upon time. This conference is an...

UFT President Michael Mulgrew issued the following statement responding to the announcement that all DOE employees will be required to receive at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Sept. 27.

The UFT issued a response to Mayor Bill de Blasio's announcement that all city workers will be required by Sept. 13 to either be vaccinated or participate in weekly COVID-19 testing and be fully masked in the workplace.

In response to Retired Teachers Chapter Leader Tom Murphy’s column about the Inflation Reduction Act giving Medicare the authority to bargain on prescription drug prices [Nov. 2]: This legislation encourages a continuation of financing Big Pharma and...

UFT President Michael Mulgrew issued a statement regarding the report released by the New York State Education Department on mayoral control of New York City schools.

Yes. Through Feb. 1, 2024, school counselors received provisional and permanent state certification. As of Feb. 2, 2024, school counselors will be issued initial and professional certification instead. Both certifications will continue to be...

Members who receive letters of discontinuance should file an appeal through their borough office. See the hours and locations of UFT borough offices. Anyone who has been discontinued should ask to copy everything in their personnel file. Teachers are...

Wherever the term “Board” is used in the Agreement it shall mean the City Board, it being understood, nevertheless, that this contract is binding on all community school districts in accordance with Section 2590 of the Education Law. Wherever the...

Yes. The Paraprofessional Bill was signed by the Governor on Oct. 29, 2021, and paraprofessionals in the following titles are now automatically members of TRS: Auxiliary Trainer; Bilingual Professional Assistant; Educational Assistant; Educational...

If you haven't otherwise been informed, the number and type of observations you receive will change once you are tenured. If tenure was granted, you would be assigned a minimum of two informal observations as part of your yearly teacher evaluation...