Chapter Leader UpdateJune 13, 2024
BORICUAS PRESENTE!: These four in-service and retired members from District 75 were among the hundreds of UFT members who turned out on Sunday to march with their union in the Puerto Rican Day Parade.
This Week's Focus
In this final issue of the Chapter Leader Update, I offer a heartfelt thank-you for all your hard work on behalf of our members. It's a credit to you that our new contract was swiftly implemented in schools, enabling members to take advantage of the new rights and benefits we had negotiated. But a chapter leader on their own can only do so much. By activating our members and harnessing their energy and their voices, we achieved a lot in the political arena, including passing Tier 6 reform, reversing most of the mayor's threatened education cuts, and securing the city's commitment to fully fund and implement the class size law. We showed what we can accomplish when we stand together. This is what it means to be part of a union. I wish you all a restful summer break. You've earned it.
– Michael Mulgrew, UFT President
Second stipend for chapter leaders comes in late June
By the end of June, you will receive your end-of-year chapter leader stipend in recognition of all the hard work you have done to support your members this school year. Unlike your base stipend, which was calculated based on the number of members in your chapter, the amount of this second stipend will be calculated based on points you earn for performing chapter leader tasks, including enrolling nonmembers in the union, submitting your consultation notes in the Chapter Leader Hub each month, and regularly attending the Delegate Assembly and your district rep meetings. We want to give you credit for the work you have done this school year to strengthen our union. See this comprehensive list of the ways you can earn stipend points. Points were tallied on May 24. If you were elected chapter leader after Sept. 30, 2023, your stipend may be prorated.
UFT offices are open this summer
The UFT will be open to serve members on a modified schedule throughout the summer. UFT members can call the union at 212-331-6311 from 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Mondays through Fridays in July and August. UFT headquarters at 52 Broadway will be open from 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays, from Monday, July 1, through Labor Day. The Grievance Department at headquarters will be open five days a week in July and August with a reduced staff on Fridays. UFT borough offices will be open Mondays through Thursdays, from 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., from Monday, July 1, through Thursday, Aug. 8. The borough offices will be closed from Aug. 9 to 23, and will reopen on Monday, Aug. 26, on the modified summer schedule through Labor Day. All UFT offices are closed on Thursday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day, and on Monday, Sept. 2, in observance of Labor Day. Regular office hours, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., will resume on Tuesday, Sept. 3.
Access mental health support 24/7 over the summer
Mental health services are available to all UFT members and their families throughout the summer. The UFT's Member Assistance Program has teamed up with Vibrant Emotional Health to provide vital mental health support whenever a member is in need. Union-trained, licensed mental health counselors can offer immediate help to members and their families who are in crisis, experiencing emotional distress, or in need of resources or a referral. Call the UFT Mental Health Helpline at 866-UFT-FOR-U (866-838-3678) for free and confidential assistance 24/7 in multiple languages. See the helpline flier for details. The Member Assistance Program is also open Mondays through Thursdays, from 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., during the summer. To schedule a call with a MAP counselor, email mapinfo@uft.org.
Save the date for the Labor Parade on Sept. 7
Bring a group of members from your chapter to march with the UFT's large contingent in the Labor Parade on Saturday, Sept. 7. It's always a fun and inspiring day as our union joins with other city labor unions in a demonstration of the vitality and importance of the labor movement in New York City. Before the end of the school year, we will send all members an email invitation with the link to the registration form. Here's a Save the Date flier that you can share with your members or post on your bulletin board. We hope to see you there!
Chapter Leader Checklist
To Do #1
Has your school election committee submitted election results?
Remind the election committee chair for your school to fill out this chapter certification data form after tallying the results of your school chapter election. A paper copy of the form was included in the chapter election packet mailed to schools in late April.
This Thursday, the American Arbitration Association is counting the mail ballots for the following UFT functional chapters that have contested positions: attendance teachers, hospital schools, lab specialists, paraprofessionals, school counselors, sign language interpreters, social workers and psychologists, supervisors of school safety and teachers assigned. Members will be notified via email of their functional chapter's election results once the results have been certified by the AAA. See the Chapter Elections 2024 section of the UFT website for more information.
To Do #2
Staff on leave will remain in the direct deposit system
Please remind payroll secretaries that they should not remove staff from the direct deposit system when a staff member goes on leave. Secretaries must first manually stop the paychecks until the leave is processed in the system. Once the leave is processed by SOLAS, the payroll system automatically ceases to generate checks and paychecks are restored when the employee returns. This updated protocol, implemented in 2022, keeps direct deposit intact, which is particularly helpful for employees on shorter leaves.
To Do #3
Have you submitted your consultation summary for May?
Your consultation committee summary for your May meeting with your principal is due on Wednesday, June 26. Please submit your summaries via the Chapter Leader Hub.
To Do #4
Present newly designed UFT certificates to graduates
UFT officers and the chairs of the union's Professional Committees have a long tradition of supporting and rewarding graduating students by supplying certificates to recognize excellence in academic achievement. All of the union's certificates have fresh new designs and may be presented to the most deserving students in each subject area as well as our youngest students in early childhood classrooms and pre-K centers. Download the student certificates for excellent academic achievement, extraordinary effort, and outstanding growth or kindness in early childhood, among others. For more information, read the letter from UFT President Michael Mulgrew and Rashad Brown, the coordinator of the UFT Professional Committees.
Hub Highlights
View all your consultation notes in one place
You told us that having a record of all your consultation meeting notes at your fingertips was important to you, so we built a feature in the Chapter Leader Hub so you can do just that. You can see when you first raised an issue in a consultation meeting and track your progress in resolving it. Remember, you can access the hub using your UFT website username and password.
Work in progress
The UFT is tackling the following issues with the DOE and other city, state or federal entities as appropriate:
- The DOE, the principals' union and the UFT are working together to create a September training session for school administrators on how to implement the class size law both next fall and in the years ahead. The training will focus on what the law requires, how schools can use their new funding earmarked for class size reduction and the exemption process.
- Correcting the formula that the DOE used to pay per-diem teachers their portion of the retention bonus. Those per-diem teachers who received the bonus will receive additional funds on July 3.
- Finalizing the process for the DOE to implement an optional ninth session for OTs and PTs next school year.
You Should Know
Contract Empowerment & Enforcement
Summer school/Chapter 683 grievance procedures
The online grievance process will be suspended after the last day of school on Wednesday, June 26. All summer school per session grievances and Chapter 683 per session grievances must be filed in person at your UFT borough office. Grievances relating to the regular school year can be filed only once members return in september. Chapter leaders may again file step 1 grievances online from the Chapter Leader Hub starting on Tuesday, Sept. 3, the first day that educators report back to work. If you have any questions, please call the UFT at 212-331-6311. For UFT borough office summer hours, see the item in This Week's Focus.
Instruction
Teacher Center summer courses on the new reading curricula
The UFT teacher center invites elementary school teachers to register for two summer courses about implementing the new reading curricula. These courses examine the nyc literacy shifts curriculum guide and the new york state literacy briefs and how they connect to the components of the new reading curricula. Participants will develop an understanding of the instructional practices, structures and routines that they will be using when implementing the new curricula. They will have opportunities to examine the curriculum, build presentation skills and use digital tools. In addition, participants will examine and engage in practices that address issues of inclusivity and equity and enhance the social emotional well-being of students. The teachers who attended last year's summer courses told us they were invaluable, and we are confident that this year's program will be even better.
The two courses cover similar subject matter, but Building Strong Readers is more introductory while Deeper Dive Into Building Strong Readers is more in-depth. Teachers may take either or both. Each course requires four in-person days at UFT headquarters in Manhattan, one virtual/synchronous day and some separate, asynchronous work due after the course concludes. See the registration form for the dates for each course. Participants will earn 45 CTLE hours and 3 A+/P credits. The cost for each course is $10.
Tell us about an interesting classroom at your school
Is there a classroom in your school you admire for its unique décor, innovative organization or creative visual projects? We want to highlight these classrooms for the New York Teacher's Inside My Classroom feature in the paper's Building Your Career section for newer teachers. If a teacher in your school has done something special with their classroom or inspires student learning in a way that can be captured in a photo, use this online form to tell us about it or submit a photo. Here's the Inside My Classroom archive so you can see what we've highlighted in the past.
Political Action
Early voting for primary day starts this Friday
Primary day is Tuesday, June 25. Early voting begins on Friday, June 15, and ends on Sunday, June 23. On Primary day, the polls will be open from 6 a.m. To 9 p.m. Use this search tool to find your polling site and times for early voting and for primary day. See the NYSUT-endorsed candidates on the ballot.
Salary & Personnel
DOE's payroll protocols for the summer
The DOE's Office of Payroll Administration remains open for the summer, which means UFT members employed by the DOE may enroll in the direct deposit program and/or update their choices throughout the year. Members who receive paper paychecks will have their summer checks mailed to the address on file with the DOE on the regularly scheduled pay dates.
Everything Else
Join us in the NYC Pride March on June 30
Join the UFT at the 2024 New York City Pride March on Sunday, June 30. With escalating rhetorical, legislative and even violent attacks on the LGBTQIA+ community, it's absolutely vital to reflect, empower and unite. Whether you're a member of the community or an ally, we need your feet on the street at the march, which begins at noon. The march organizers have not yet given us our assembly location. Prior to the day of the march, we will tell registrants where and when the UFT contingent will meet.
UFT movie tickets temporarily on hold
Due to a significant backlog of orders, the UFT is currently unable to accept new movie ticket orders. We are working hard to fulfill all existing orders, and once we've caught up, we will resume sales. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to the union at 212-331-6311.
Register for the UFT Invitational Golf Outing
Tell your members they can register now for the UFT's annual golf outing on Monday, Oct. 14, to benefit the UFT Disaster Relief Fund. This year, the event is at the Silver Lake Golf Course on Staten Island. You can register as an individual, a twosome or a foursome. In addition to a hot breakfast and a gala luncheon, we'll have competitions, raffles and a hole-in-one challenge worth $25,000! Golfers receive a limited-edition polo shirt, branded bags, beverages throughout the day and much more.
Save the date for Teacher Union Day on Nov. 3
Save Sunday, Nov. 3, for Teacher Union Day. Our annual awards ceremony offers an opportunity to celebrate our union's most recent accomplishments while remembering the brave educators who put everything on the line in the 1960 strike that forged our union. Registration will open and this year's award winners will be announced after school resumes in September.
Recent Guidance and Agreements
- DOE guidance on paperwork and operational issues 2023-24 (October 2023)
- DOE Personnel Memo, No. 1 2023-24 (July 2023)
- DOE-UFT Memorandum of Agreement (June 2023)
Contact the UFT
- DOE members, call 212-331-6311.
- DOE functional chapter members, call 212-331-6312.
- A health benefit question? Call the Welfare Fund at 212-539-0500.