City and DOE faced a sea of blue on Oct. 13

We want to thank all the chapter leaders who organized their members to wear blue to work last Thursday as the union kicked off what will likely be a difficult fight for a fair contract. City and DOE officials entered Shanker Hall that afternoon for their first negotiating session with the UFT to face the 500 members of the UFT Negotiating Committee all dressed in union blue in an impressive display of solidarity and strength. “We are united, prepared and ready to fight for the contract we deserve,” said UFT President Michael Mulgrew. Our new Q&A on contract negotiations will help you answer questions from your members about contract negotiations and how they work. 

Read our contract FAQ

Rising health costs pose a challenge

The escalating cost of health insurance, prescription drugs and medical care across the country has created a national crisis. The UFT and its fellow unions in the Municipal Labor Committee (MLC) have been a shield for in-service and retired members from these escalating costs, but it is an issue that must be addressed since pressure is growing on the city and the MLC to add health care premiums. There is a better solution: aggressively leverage the size of New York City’s municipal workforce to battle insurance companies and get medical providers to deliver services more efficiently and at a lower cost. It’s the approach we have taken over the past decade, and it has yielded results. The MLC continues to look for ways to bring down costs that don’t affect quality of care. City officials told the UFT during the first bargaining session on Oct. 13 that before any contract agreement is finalized, the city and the municipal unions would need to be on the path to a health care agreement that offered major savings. The city took the same stance with District Council 37, the city’s largest union, at their first bargaining session. We created a new FAQ on health care to answer some of the most common questions that members ask. 

Read our health care FAQ

Help get out the vote in Pennsylvania

Of all the elections taking place in the United States on Tuesday, Nov. 8, two of the most pivotal are in Pennsylvania: a gubernatorial race and a U.S. Senate race. The race for governor pits a moderate Democrat against a far-right candidate running on the Republican line. Pennsylvania is one of three U.S. Senate races most likely to decide which party holds the majority in the Senate come January 2023. UFT members led by UFT President Michael Mulgrew will be knocking on doors in Philadelphia with union members from local AFT affiliates on Saturday, Oct. 29, to help elect Josh Shapiro for governor and John Fetterman to the U.S. Senate. You can take a bus from UFT headquarters in Manhattan or the union’s Staten Island borough office. You can also drive your own car to Philadelphia and meet up with the volunteers there.

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Thank you for helping to raise awareness about breast cancer

We want to thank all the chapter leaders who asked their members to come to school in pink on Oct. 12 and organized teams for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walks on Oct. 9, Oct. 16 and this coming Sunday, Oct. 23, in the Bronx. These activities enabled our members to pay tribute to lost loved ones, honor survivors and celebrate their commitment to fighting for a cure to breast cancer. We also want to thank all of you who sent photos or tagged the union on posts to their own social media accounts. You can see Making Strides Against Breast Cancer photos and Go Pink photos on the UFT website. Check out the UFT’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts for many more. Be on the lookout for articles in the next New York Teacher.