Chapter Leader UpdateOct. 8, 2024
Chapter Leader UpdateOct. 8, 2024
BACKING A FELLOW EDUCATOR: Teacher Amanda Walsh, the chapter leader at PS/MS 108 in Manhattan, and her colleague Orfelina Cisneros, a school counselor, show their support for Gov. Tim Walz, a former high school social studies teacher, at a rally in front of CBS studios in Midtown Manhattan prior to the Oct. 1 vice presidential debate.
This Week's Focus
Election Day PD will be fully remote
Professional development on Election Day will be remote for all school-based staff again this school year. Principals cannot require staff to report to schools on Tuesday, Nov. 5. The workday for teachers and paraprofessionals is six hours and 50 minutes (inclusive of lunch). Please notify your UFT district representative if your principal is requiring staff to come in or offering in-person professional development as an option.
Work with a dedicated chapter organizer
The UFT is offering chapter leaders the opportunity to work with a dedicated chapter organizer this school year. Chapter organizers help school chapters pull together so they can influence decision-making, prevent harmful policies and address contractual violations by providing resources, guidance and strategic support. A chapter organizer can help you build a united and strong chapter through collective action and mutual support, and equip your chapter with the tools and strategies needed to effectively influence decisions and protect your members' rights. If you have any questions, please email Amy Arundell at aarundell [at] uft [dot] org (aarundell[at]uft[dot]org). Would your school benefit from the support of a chapter organizer? Please let us know by filling out our inquiry form.
Help get out the vote for Kamala Harris
The Nov. 5 election will have far-reaching consequences for public schools, workers' rights and benefits, and civil rights that will affect our country for years to come. We are supporting Kamala Harris because she is pro-public education and pro-union. You and your chapter's members can help get out the vote by volunteering at a union phone bank at your UFT borough office. Some UFT district reps are organizing a phone-banking day in the district for UFT members who work in that district. Please reach out to your district rep to see if they are organizing a districtwide event. Let us know if you would like to knock on the doors of union households in Pennsylvania, one of eight battleground states that will decide this election. In-service UFT members will be going by bus to Pennsylvania on Saturday, Oct. 19 (bus leaves from 52 Broadway), and on Saturday, Oct. 26 (bus leaves from the UFT’s Brooklyn borough office).
81 school chapters will be honored at Teacher Union Day
Over the past year, our school chapters have mobilized members in the fight for their union rights and benefits and to improve teaching and learning conditions in New York City public schools. On Teacher Union Day, we celebrate this union work. Seventy-four chapter leaders and their chapters will be recognized with the Ely Trachtenberg Award, named for a teacher whose rank-and-file organizing skills were critical to building the union. Five school chapters will receive Collective Action Awards. And two school chapters will receive the Audrey Chasen Award for their heroism in an emergency. Tom Murphy, the former Retired Teachers Chapter leader, will receive the Charles Cogen Award, the day's highest honor, in recognition of nearly 60 years of activism and leadership at the UFT. See all of this year's honorees. We invite you to join us for this year's special event at the New York Hilton Midtown. There will be a continental breakfast and post-awards reception. The cost is $50.
Now you can wear your union pride!
The UFT Swag Shop, your go-to source for official UFT apparel and accessories, went online in late September. Among the 30 unique items you can now purchase are UFT-branded T-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, baseball caps, infant onesies, water bottles, mugs and tote bags. All items are union-made in the USA by a clothing manufacturer dedicated to outfitting the nation's union workers for over 40 years. All items in our new shop are being sold at cost. Orders placed on Mondays through Fridays will ship within two to three business days. Orders above $99 will ship free to any location in the United States.
Chapter Leader Checklist
To Do #1
Ask your colleagues to wear pink on Oct. 16
On Wednesday, Oct. 16, the same day as the first Delegate Assembly of the school year, your chapter can show its support for breast cancer awareness by wearing pink. Post photos of your members wearing pink on your own social accounts and tag @uftny on Instagram and @UFT on X so we can reshare your post. Please send your best photo (large size, with caption information) that day to uftphotos [at] gmail [dot] com (uftphotos[at]gmail[dot]com). You can submit a request for a UFT photographer to take photos at your school, and we'll let you know if one is available.
To Do #2
Organize a Thanksgiving coat drive at your school
Let's make sure students in need have new apparel to stay warm this winter. Consider organizing a winter clothing drive at your school to collect NEW winter coats, sweaters, scarves, mittens, gloves and hats ranging in size from toddler to adult. Members can also make a monetary donation toward the purchase of winter apparel for New York City public school students living in temporary housing. You can drop off donations at your UFT borough office or bring items to either the Oct. 16 or Nov. 13 Delegate Assembly. If your school or worksite has collected many items, we can also arrange to pick them up. If you have any questions, please contact Jeannette Noriega at JNoriega [at] uft [dot] org (subject: ) (JNoriega[at]uft[dot]org).
To Do #3
Share photos of your team at Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
Will your chapter have a team at a Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk on Sunday, Oct. 20, in Manhattan, Queens or Long Island, or on Sunday, Oct. 27, in Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island? Raise awareness about breast cancer by sharing your photos on social media and tagging the UFT. Send your best photo to uftphotos [at] gmail [dot] com (uftphotos[at]gmail[dot]com).
To Do #4
Flyers to share with your members
Here are flyers you can print and distribute in member mailboxes or post on your school's UFT bulletin board.
Hub Highlights
File your consultation meeting summaries from the hub
File your consultation meeting summaries quickly and easily in our Chapter Leader Hub. Go to the Forms section and select "Upload Consultation Committee Notes." By filing a summary each time your school consultation committee meets with your principal, you will create a record of the topics discussed, and the union can escalate unresolved issues where it finds several schools confronting the same issue. Remember, you can access the Chapter Leader 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 and federal-level entities as appropriate:
- Pushing the DOE to make Monday, Dec. 23, part of the winter recess.
- Working with the DOE and the principals' union to organize a training session for chapter leaders, principals and school leadership team members on class size implementation at the school level.
- Pushing the DOE to find money in its budget to pay OT/PTs for a ninth session by eliminating outsourcing.
You Should Know
Contract Empowerment & Enforcement
The role of your school-based PD committee
The 2023 DOE-UFT contract gives educators more voice in their professional learning. Each school now has one committee — called "the staff development committee" in the contract — to serve as an instructional leadership team that plans all school-based professional learning. The deadline for activating this committee is Friday, Nov. 1. As chapter leader, you are automatically a member of this committee, and you and the principal each choose an equal number of members to serve with you. When deciding which UFT members to invite to serve on your school's committee, please consider UFT Teacher Center staff and teacher leaders and recruit some members who are not teachers. The 2023 contract also says that school-based professional development must not be one-size-fits-all; instead, all UFT members must receive professional learning opportunities that are directly related to the work they do. Having paraprofessionals and members in other job titles on your staff development committee will help ensure that all titles receive relevant professional learning. Review guidance from the Teacher Center on creating a strong staff development committee.
ACTION YOU NEED TO TAKE: Once your staff development committee for the 2024–25 school year is in place, schedule your October meeting.
Contract's expanded definition of basic instructional supplies
Schools have long had a contractual obligation to provide appropriate and sufficient basic instructional supplies and books to deliver an effective educational program. Under the contract, basic instructional supplies and books are defined as "those that must be provided for use by students without which classroom instruction will be impaired." They include but are not limited to paper, textbooks, testing materials and assessments.The 2023 DOE-UFT contract expanded the basic instructional supplies provision to also include staff access to electronic devices, printers, copiers, ink and toner to the extent necessary based on their assignments. If UFT members in your school have not received basic instructional supplies, you can use the paperwork and operational issues resolution process to address the issue. Speak to your district representative about initiating a complaint.
Bulletin boards and student privacy guidance
In April, the DOE issued guidance on bulletin boards in response to concerns we raised at our monthly consultation meeting with the chancellor after chapter leaders reported these issues in their school consultation summaries. In the new guidance, school supervisors were reminded that they cannot require a bulletin board format, that there should be a reasonable amount of time between bulletin board updates and that hallway bulletin boards are not part of a teacher's evaluation. School supervisors were also told there should be no evaluative bulletin board rubrics, checklists or feedback forms. The DOE also updated its student privacy guidelines relating to bulletin boards and specified what is not allowed to be included on bulletin boards. Please share this information with your chapter. If your principal is not following this guidance, discuss your concerns and attempt to resolve them at your next consultation committee meeting with your principal.
Medical & Wellness
Mental health helpline now has text and chat feature
UFT members now have access to mental health support by phone, text or online chat, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in multiple languages. The new mental health helpline (1-866-UFT-FOR-U for phone calls or texts) is an initiative of the union's Member Assistance Program in partnership with the mental health service Vibrant. The helpline is staffed by licensed counselors who have been trained to understand the needs of UFT members and the mental health resources available to them. UFT members and their families can contact the helpline if they need a referral to mental health providers and resources within their insurance plan or if they need support with issues such as eating disorders, substance use, domestic violence, or grief and loss, to name a few. Trained counselors can assist in managing difficult emotions or provide crisis interventions. All helpline conversations are confidential. To contact the helpline via phone or text, members should have their UFT member ID number ready. To use the chat function online, they must log in to the UFT website.
Free COVID-19 tests
Every U.S. household can again order four free COVID-19 at-home tests from the federal government. The tests will be delivered directly to your home. Before you throw out any "expired" COVID-19 tests you might have, check if the expiration date is extended.
Everything Else
Delegate Assembly and Executive Board meetings for the 2024–25 school year
Did you know that you can find the dates for UFT Delegate Assemblies and Executive Board meetings for the 2024-25 school year on the UFT website? Member representatives play a significant role in the union's governance. The Delegate Assembly is the union's highest decision-making body, with elected representatives from every school. The elected UFT Executive Board, which meets twice a month on Mondays, sets policy on a variety of education, labor and union issues.
Recent Guidance and Agreements
- DOE Perkins School Allocation Memo for Career and Technical Education (September 2024)
- DOE Personnel Memo, No. 1 2024–25 on lactation accommodation policy (August 2024)
- DOE Personnel Memo, No. 2 2024–25 on teacher shortage areas (September 2024)
- DOE 2024-25 Guidance for Library Programs and Library Teachers (September 2024)
- DOE Personnel Memo, No. 1 2023–24 on COVID days (July 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.