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UFT Staten Island Canasta Tournament
Are you competitive? If so, join your fellow retirees at the UFT Staten Island borough office for our canasta tournament. Register with a partner to become our canasta champ! Please bring your own cards and tray. We’ll have prizes, refreshments and fun. We hope to see you there!
Teachers' Retirement System
For more than a century, the Teachers' Retirement System (TRS) has ensured that UFT members and their families have a financially secure future, and today the TRS membership includes more than 200,000 in-service members, retirees and beneficiaries.
Mercury
Information about how to prevent and address exposure to mercury.
Can I opt out of Teacher’s Choice?
If you do not wish to participate in Teacher’s Choice, you should submit a Request for Non-participation (opt-out) form to your school by the deadline indicated for that particular school year.
Measures of Teacher Practice
In the Measures of Teacher Practice component of the teacher evaluation system, teachers engage in a cycle of observation, feedback and reflection with their principal or other evaluator.
New Educator To-Do List
Here are some items to take care of right away and others that will help you prioritize and stay on track.
Article Sixteen — Leaves
Cumulative Absence Reserves and Sick Leave back to top Teachers on regular appointment reinstated after retirement will be credited with the cumulative reserves remaining to their credit upon retirement and such reserves as they accumulated as...
How do I sign up for UFT text messages?
Simply fill out the online form at www.uft.org/text or type the word " UFT" to number 86366. The UFT uses text messages to convey important information and reminders to members. Please note that this is a one-way form of communication and we are...
I had surgery and now I am being billed for the anesthesia because HIP rejected the claim. Can I file with the Fund for payment?
Yes, the Welfare Fund pays 80 percent of reasonable and customary charges when the benefit is not covered by HIP PRIME for in-service members. To file for payment, you need to complete a Welfare Fund anesthesia claim form and attach an itemized paid...
Military leaves of absence
Employees who are serving in the military or who have family members serving in the military qualify for special leaves of absence.
What to do if your LODI is medically denied
If your LODI request for 20 or more consecutive school days was denied medically (as opposed to administratively) by the doctors at the DOE, you have the option to apply for medical arbitration.
Hearing aids and exams
The UFT Welfare Fund provides a hearing aid benefit that reimburses UFT-represented employees and their dependents up to a maximum of $4,000 once every three years.
Teacher’s Choice amounts stay steady
As it has for more than 35 years, the Teacher’s Choice program will again reimburse UFT-represented educators for some of their out-of-pocket expenses for supplemental instructional supplies and materials of their choice.
Teacher’s Choice for 2022-23 school year
Thanks to the union’s advocacy, UFT-represented educators will be reimbursed for some out-of-pocket expenses through Teacher’s Choice at the same levels as the previous school year. Teachers will once again receive about $250.
How do Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers apply for salary credit for prior work experience?
To apply for salary credit for prior work experience, CTE teachers must fill out the DOE’s credit for prior experience form and email it to SalaryDifferentialApplications [at] schools [dot] nyc [dot] gov (SalaryDifferentialApplications[at]schools[dot]nyc[dot]gov) See more about salary differentials and prior work experience...
I am a GHI subscriber and I need some medical equipment (known as durable medical equipment). Can I file for reimbursement with the UFT Welfare Fund?
First, submit your claim to GHI for reimbursement. If GHI reimburses you minus the $100 deductible, in-service members can then submit a completed Welfare Fund GHI DME deductible reimbursement form, along with the GHI explanation of benefits to the...
Injuries in the line of duty
Pedagogical DOE employees who are injured or made sick on the job are covered by the Line of Duty Injury provision of the DOE-UFT contract — not workers’ compensation. The following Q&A answers some of the most frequently asked questions about Line...
Hearing aids
All eligible members and dependents, as defined in the General Information section of the Green or Red Apple guide are covered for a hearing aid benefit.
If we see or capture a suspected bed bug in a classroom, should we close the room until a Pest Management Professional inspects it?
No. If it is a bed bug, it is likely that it was unknowingly brought it into the school by someone who encountered it in another place. If you have captured it, you may have already eliminated the problem. Additionally, many suspected bed bugs are...
Nonmember report
Some of your school staffers may not yet be enrolled as members of the UFT. We have created a new online tool for you to find out at a glance who is and who is not a union member in your school.
Etching is her passion
Barbara Zietchick began taking painting lessons and learning about printmaking while she was still a kindergarten teacher on Staten Island in the 1980s. Now, 37 years after her retirement, Zietchick’s lifetime commitment to “change and growth”...
Workers’ compensation
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...
How can I talk with someone at the UFT via phone?
The UFT’s new contact center is open and can provide support with all your union rights and benefits. Call the following numbers with any questions or for assistance: DOE members, 212-331-6311 DOE functional chapter members, 212-331-6312 UFT Welfare...
Salary Upgrade Guide for Paraprofessionals
A step-by-step guide for paraprofessionals applying for salary upgrades.
Cultivating love
In this Valentine's Day season, it is worth remembering that there are various types of love around us all the time, all worthy of celebration. Rather than being dependent on a romantic partner, love is something each of us creates from within, every...
What feedback will I be receiving after an observation is conducted in my classroom?
Feedback is non-evaluative information about an observation that you should receive within ten days of an observation. The feedback can be via email, written, or face-to-face. Teachers can indicate a preference for the format of their feedback during...
Article Twenty-Six — Definitions
The Union and the Board recognize that strikes and other forms of work stoppages by school secretaries are contrary to law and public policy. The Union and the Board subscribe to the principle that differences shall be resolved by peaceful and...
Professional conciliation
What teacher, guidance counselor, social worker or school psychologist hasn’t had to confront a professional disagreement with a supervisor? Professional conciliation provides a mechanism — a professional space — for attaining a win-win solution that...