The union has negotiated and advocated strongly for many years to maintain the integrity of lesson plans as a tool created by and for teachers. Here are the rights and responsibilities that teachers have vis-a-vis lesson plans.

All eligible in-service UFT members and their dependents have prescription drug coverage through the UFT Welfare Fund. The Welfare Fund has a three-tier copay structure for generic, preferred-brand and nonpreferred-brand medications. You can save...

The educational team who make up the World Cultures and Languages Academy small learning community at John Adams HS in Queens labor daily to support the often delicate and specialized needs of their predominantly immigrant and English language...

This April, close to 90% of the more than 750 schools that applied for money to lower class sizes found out that they would receive some or all the funding they sought. It was a milestone in our years-long fight to make smaller class sizes a reality...

The new administration has taken a hammer to the U.S. Department of Education, wreaking destruction that is sure to hurt the nation’s public schools and students.


Steven Leaderman, a teacher at P370, a District 75 program in Coney Island, has created an innovative vocational program that has his students sort and deliver school supplies. The program helps the students develop key vocational and life skills...

At the Delegate Assembly on March 19, UFT President Michael Mulgrew said lawsuits filed by unions and a team of 20 attorneys general had fended off the worst cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security — but he warned that the fight was far from...

Thousands of UFT members wore blue to work in solidarity with their paraprofessional colleagues on April 2, which was national Paraprofessionals Appreciation Day and the union’s citywide Day of Action.

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.

Karina Budhu, an aspiring teacher and SVA apprentice, is a rare woman in tech and the winner of this year's Edwin Espaillat Award at the 2025 CTE Awards Recognition Ceremony.

Mohammed Hossain, a UFT CTE Award winner and engineering teacher at the High School for Construction Trades, Engineering and Architecture in Queens, found his way to a career in education after realizing he found joy in helping people have their own...

IS 383 Chapter Leader Syreeta Dixon refused to back down when her principal violated the DOE-UFT contract in multiple ways in her Bushwick school’s teacher schedule and then threatened to lay off staff when Dixon called her on it.


More than 200 religious and community leaders packed Shanker Hall for the union’s faith-based and community breakfast on March 20 to discuss how to rise to the challenges of the current political moment.

The union's third annual UFT Family Day served up a lot of "UFT love" in the form of carnival games, bounce houses, food galore and more to members and their families at a sports complex on Long Island.

School counselors focused on the work of helping children, even in challenging times, during the union's 21st annual School Counselors Conference on March 22. “Our students need us,” said School Counselors Chapter Leader Rosemarie Thompson.

Nearly 1,100 paraprofessionals and other members gathered at the New York Hilton Midtown on March 22 to celebrate the outstanding work of their colleagues, attend professional learning sessions and have fun at a carnival. City Council Education...

Nearly 300 UFT members and friends gathered on Feb. to celebrate the Year of the Snake at the UFT Lunar New Year Banquet, sponsored by the UFT Asian American Heritage Committee.

About 175 members and guests attended this year's HERstory brunch in celebration of women’s role in the UFT and the broader labor movement.

The UFT Muslim Educators Committee celebrated its second annual Iftar dinner at UFT headquarters on March 7 to break the fast during Ramadan.

More than 500 members and their guests turned out to celebrate educational excellence in the Bronx at the seventh annual District 11 Scholarship Dinner.

About 1,000 UFT members and guests attended this year's CTE Awards Recognition Ceremony where the union celebrated the 40th anniversary of Success Via Apprenticeship, a program that trains the career and technical education teachers of tomorrow.

The Labor Solidarity Project connects RTC members with opportunities to support the labor movement as a whole. Members boost unionized workers' spirits, showing up on the picket lines in support of unionized workers as varied as those for theater...

What to do after a UFT retiree dies? Here is a checklist of the steps a surviving spouse or beneficiary should take to receive all the benefits they are due.


UFT retirees who are enrolled in the union’s Supplemental Health Insurance Program (SHIP) will now enjoy improved dental benefits and some much-needed relief from health insurance plan copays.

Retired teacher David Ginsberg brings "hope to anyone and everyone" in his Asheville, North Carolina, community with the help of Chula, the 2-1/2-year-old dog he has trained since she was a puppy to be a therapy dog. The trainer and his dog are...

This year, 2025, is an election year for both our city and our union. Retired Teachers Chapter Leader Bennett Fischer encourages retirees to education themselves about all the candidates and then get out and vote.

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.

Some 500 UFT members celebrated Educators Night on Broadway on March 11 at a performance of “Sunset Boulevard” at the St. James Theatre.

Participants got to try Energetic: The Board Game, which challenges players to work together to decarbonize New York City while factoring in funding, zoning, political support and other factors.

The president is taking a wrecking ball to schools and the U.S. Department of Education, federal jobs, Veterans Affairs, Medicaid and so much more.

In the days following UFT Lobby Day in Albany, scores of UFT chapters held virtual lobby days in their schools to urge state lawmakers in emails and social media posts to fix Tier 6, update the state’s Foundation Aid formula and enact other UFT...

If you have worked the District 75/Chapter 683 summer program for the past two years, you may choose to take advantage of UFT parental leave during the summer program, or you may wait to take your leave when the school year begins.

The UFT endorses Julie Menin CD5, Carmen De La Rosa CD10, Crystal Hudson CD35 and Rita Joseph CD40 to continue their roles as City Council Members to represent their respective districts.

The UFT endorses Alvin Bragg for his re-election to the office of Manhattan District Attorney.

The UFT endorses Cliff Hagen in his special election for City Council as we believe he will be a strong ally for working people, our schools, and our community.

The UFT endorses Dermot Smyth in his primary election for City Council as we believe he will be a strong ally for working people, our schools, and our community.