The next Delegate Assembly is Nov. 15

Use the operational issues process to resolve more workplace issues

In accordance with the new DOE-UFT contract, the Paperwork and Operational Standards have been updated and expanded to include these important new rights and protections for UFT-represented educators:

• SBOs: Chapter leaders may now use the operational issues resolution process to resolve a problem with the implementation of an approved school-based option.
• Responses to texts and emails: The standards now state that educators and related service providers must have a reasonable amount of time to respond to administrative communications; educators cannot be required to respond to email/texts outside the contractual workday or during instructional time.
• Pivot to remote: The standards set limits on what administrators can require employees to do in their digital classrooms.
• Visits to evaluate a school or a principal: Educators cannot be compelled to create and prepare documents for the sole purpose of a quality review or any other school evaluative visit, such as a principal’s performance review. Also, educators cannot be required to produce documents that are not readily available for such visits.
• Functional chapter PD: Every UFT functional chapter must have a citywide functional chapter PD committee to review, consider and develop professional development programs that are relevant to the respective chapter’s duties and are reasonable to prepare and complete within the chapter’s existing workday.
• Staff Development Committee: Each school (and program functioning as a school) must form a school-based Staff Development Committee by Nov. 1 that serves as an instructional leadership team in consultation with the principal. This committee not only discusses the PD during the PD block, but all school-specific professional development conducted at the school.

See this PowerPoint presentation created by the union’s Contract Empowerment Department for a detailed account of the operational issues process and the updated standards. Here is the 2023-24 labor guidance on paperwork and operational issues that the DOE recently sent to principals. If you have questions, please contact your UFT district representative.

Using the operational issues process to quickly address school-level workplace issues is a great way to organize and empower your chapter. Go to the Chapter Leader Hub to file an operational issues complaint the day you attempt to resolve the issue with your principal through a one-on-one conversation, an email or your UFT consultation committee. From that day, your principal has five days to rectify the issue. If the issue remains unresolved, the issue may be escalated to the district committee. If unresolved at the district level, a central committee will attempt to resolve the issue.

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Contract gets results on oversized classes

Your hard work reporting oversized classes in September has paid off: The large majority of oversized classes have been brought below contractual limits and every grievance about excessive class sizes has now been resolved. These results were achieved thanks to a powerful provision negotiated as part of the 2018 DOE-UFT contract that involves the superintendent in the class-size resolution process and empowers an arbitrator to require a principal to provide relief to teachers in schools that are chronically out of compliance (defined as having not complied with contractual class size limits for at least four of the past six years).

The 198 classes at 27 schools that remained oversized on Oct. 5 (Day 20) went straight to arbitration. All but one of those 27 schools are chronically out of compliance. In accordance with the contract, arbitrators heard all the cases by Oct. 26 and had five days from the date of the hearing to issue a decision to give these teachers some relief. The final decisions were issued today. Here are some of the remedies that arbitrators imposed (or that were agreed to at the school level and the arbitrator memorialized): relief from one or two Circular 6 assignments each week, an additional prep period, an additional teacher or paraprofessional pushing into the affected classes or relief from one Monday PD per month. 

Bring joy to a child by donating a new toy

Almost 120,000 New York City public school students lacked permanent housing last year — nearly one in nine children — a record high. Share this season of joy by providing a toy to a student in need. Donate an unwrapped, new toy for newborns to children, 16 years of age. We’re offering three options to make it easier for you to donate to make sure no child goes without a gift this holiday season: 

• Donate an unwrapped, new toy at the Nov. 15 or Dec. 13 Delegate Assembly or at a UFT borough office through Dec. 15 
• Make a monetary donation via PayPal
• Select an item online while shopping and have it shipped to the UFT at:
  Elementary Schools Division
  52 Broadway, 14th Floor
  New York, NY 10004

Honoring past and future leaders at Teacher Union Day

More than 1,500 UFT members celebrated past, present and future union leaders on Teacher Union Day at the New York Hilton on Oct. 29 by mourning founder George Altomare on the anniversary of the union’s first strike and honoring the school-based Contract Action Teams, the union’s chief negotiator and other activists who are carrying on Altomare’s legacy. UFT Treasurer Debra Penny received the Charles Cogen Award, the day’s highest honor. “It’s the humanity she brings to her job at all times,” said UFT President Michael Mulgrew in presenting the award to Penny. “She’s just a person who never stops caring.” The Jules Kolodny Award went to Manhattan Borough Representative Carl Cambria for his stellar leadership of the 500-member UFT Negotiating Committee. The UFT bestowed the Ely Trachtenberg Award on 88 chapter leaders and their chapters for exemplary service. See photos from this year’s event. 

Students of NYC

We recently launched Students of NYC where New York City high school students share their stories. Across our school system, under the guidance of NYC public educators, our students are doing incredible things for themselves and their communities. We need to amplify their stories so that people know when public education is attacked, these are the young people who are affected most. Our students hold a truth that counters the narrative that others try to impose. Their stories prove that public schools, students and educators are not failing — we are succeeding despite all the challenges placed in our way. Please follow Students of NYC on Instagram and read our students’ stories. If you know a high school student you’d like us to consider, fill out this submission form for consideration. Students can be of any level of academic achievement.