Contract 2023: Other working conditions
Basic Instructional Supplies
The contractual provision regarding the DOE’s obligation to provide basic instructional supplies and books was updated and expanded. The DOE is now obligated to provide staff with access to electronic devices, printers, copiers, ink and toner to the extent necessary based on their assignments.
Paperwork & Operational
The paperwork standard barring schools from requiring the creation of new documents or updated materials for the sole purpose of a quality review now applies to any school visit made for the purpose of evaluation.
Problems with the implementation of an approved SBO will be resolved through the Paperwork and Operational Issues process, rather than through a meeting of the district rep and the superintendent.
The paperwork standards now state that educators and related service providers will have a reasonable amount of time to respond to communications from their administration.
The UFT vice president for special education and the DOE appointee in charge of special education, or their designees, must meet at least once a year.
The DOE and the UFT issued updated paperwork standards and labor guidance on Paperwork and Operational Issues for administratorsto reflect the new agreements in this contract.
School-Based Staff Development Committee (“SDC”)
The purview of the school-based staff development committees has been expanded to include not only the professional development block but any other school-specific professional development.
The school-level committees as well as the district and functional chapter-based committees need to be formed each school year no later than Nov. 1.
Professional Development
The DOE and the UFT Teacher Center will create a catalog of professional learning options aligned with DOE initiatives that will confer CTLE hours and other required PD credits, such as CEUs. These options may be used in PD time during the workday at the school’s discretion.
Assessments
A new labor-management committee will be created to review and discuss strategic assessment planning that will support instruction and, where possible, reduce the amount of time spent on assessments.
Space
The DOE will issue an annual reminder that schools should identify space for all staff, including paraprofessionals, for lunch in buildings where there is no dedicated staff room or lounge.
At the beginning of each school year, the DOE will issue guidance regarding the need for schools to provide adequate space for UFT-represented employees to properly perform their job duties and meet the specific needs of their students.
Extension of Probation
The DOE will have to provide reasons, in writing, for the need to extend a UFT-represented employee’s probationary period if the employee makes a written request to their supervisor for an explanation. Principals can no longer extend someone’s probation without giving them any clue as to why.
Programming
The UFT and the DOE will establish a labor management committee to review and discuss programming in schools. The committee must hold its first meeting no later than Nov. 1, 2023.
H-Bank & Cybershift Access
The following changes will benefit school nurses, occupational and physical therapists, supervisors of nurses and therapists, education officers and analysts, associate education officers and analysts, administrative education officers and analysts, audiologists, sign language interpreters and any other UFT-represented employees on the H-Bank:
The DOE will provide the UFT with the same read-only access to H-Bank and Cybershift that the union now has to the Q-Bank. This new access will enable union reps to help resolve salary and payment issues more quickly for UFT-represented employees on the H-bank.
A new labor-management committee will be created to address issues of timely payment for UFT-represented employees on the H-bank, such as restoring employees to payroll following a leave of absence and the prompt payment of overtime.
Per Session
The DOE is committed to taking all reasonable steps necessary toward the creation of an electronic per session timekeeping platform with the goal of providing per session employees with the ability to track per session hours from submission through approval and payment. This system may also automatically calculate and credit CAR time derived from per session work. With the exception of summer school work, the DOE currently seldom calculates and credits CAR days earned for per session work unless the employee fills out a paper form.
The DOE will continue to discuss the method of per-session payments, including deposits, for paraprofessionals.
In the current system, employees can only see how much per-session pay they earn and when it is paid out, but they can’t see what work those payments correspond to or the status of per-session hours that have been submitted but not yet paid. Paras have their per-session pay rolled into their regular paycheck, making it even more difficult to track.
Damage or Destruction of Property
The DOE will reimburse UFT-represented employees up to $500 (an increase from $100) in any school year for loss or damage or destruction of personal property not covered by insurance, while on duty.