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Jan. 23, 2025

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Snapshot
Erica Berger

THE BREADTH OF OUR UNION: Among the functional chapter leaders attending the Jan. 16 launch of the UFT's new initiative to support and showcase the work of members in the diverse job titles and collective bargaining units under the UFT umbrella were (from left) Hospital Schools Chapter Leader John Cooper, School Nurses Chapter Leader Cynthia Bennett and Speech Improvement Chapter Leader Caroline Murphy.

This Week's Focus

Get training on how to support your undocumented students and families

This week, the Trump administration rescinded a longstanding federal policy that made schools, hospitals and other sensitive locations off-limits with respect to immigration enforcement. The DOE instructed principals that its directive remains the same: "The DOE does not consent to non-local law enforcement accessing school facilities in any circumstances, and principals and other school personnel may not give consent." We have compiled a resources page to keep members informed about immigrant rights, the threat of deportation and how educators can support our immigrant students and their families. We will regularly update this page as new information becomes available. We are offering a one-hour online workshop for members to learn ways they can support students and families who are facing the threat of deportation. They will gain tools and resources to use in the classroom, to share with families and to include in a schoolwide plan. Members can take this workshop, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., on one of three dates: Tuesday, Jan. 28; Tuesday, Feb. 4; or Thursday, Feb. 6.

Register now

Does your school have a shortage of substitutes? Push your principal to develop a plan

Your consultation committee summaries show that many schools are regularly pulling ICT teachers or English as a New Language teachers to do coverages when teachers call in sick. It’s clear that many schools have not assembled an adequate pool of substitute teachers they can call on — and calling DOE’s SubCentral is not the answer. If the lack of substitute teachers is an ongoing problem at your school, we advise you to raise the issue at your next UFT consultation committee and/or special education committee meeting and prod your principal to develop a plan. Report the outcome in your next consultation committee summary. Many schools have done a good job of developing a pool of substitutes they can call on, which proves it can be done. If we don’t make the substitute shortage an issue, the DOE will continue to say substitutes just aren’t available, which is unacceptable.

Work with your para rep to welcome and enroll paraprofessionals in the union

The first focus of our RESPECT campaign is to build the power of paraprofessionals through union enrollment. The DOE stepped up its hiring after we spotlighted the paraprofessional staffing shortage using the results of the chapter leader survey. Thanks to the union’s help navigating the DOE’s complicated hiring process, some 1,600 new substitute paraprofessionals have been cleared and are available to work in our schools. Please welcome them! Substitute paraprofessionals deserve the rights and protections of union membership for the important work they do. We are offering a new telemedicine benefit for substitute paraprofessionals who join the union since they do not have city health benefits. Check your school’s member report in the Chapter Leader Hub to determine which paraprofessionals in your school are not yet UFT members and share that information with your paraprofessional rep. We have prepared a tool kit (including a flyer about the telehealth benefit) to better equip you, your paraprofessional representative and members of your school’s chapter action team to have conversations with paraprofessionals and sub paraprofessionals about the benefits available to them if they enroll in the UFT. Increasing the number of paraprofessionals in our union builds our strength for the fight ahead to win the rights and compensation that paraprofessionals deserve.

ACTION YOU CAN TAKE: Coordinating with your school's paraprofessional rep, you should reach out to nonmember paraprofessionals in your school and invite them to join the UFT so they can access the union benefits they deserve.

BERS members should attend an info session before transferring to TRS

Thanks to a years-long fight by the union, a new state law gives UFT members enrolled in the Board of Education Retirement System (BERS) the choice to transfer to the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS). The UFT Pension Department is holding in-person information sessions in all five boroughs to guide school nurses, occupational and physical therapists, and other BERS members through the decision-making and transfer process. We strongly advise all BERS members not to take any action until they have attended a UFT information session and understand how a transfer may affect them. BERS members have until Dec. 11 to request a transfer.

ACTION YOU SHOULD TAKE: At your next membership meeting, please advise school nurses, occupational and physical therapists and any other BERS members at your school to attend a UFT Pension Department information session before requesting a transfer to TRS.

Celebrate the Success Via Apprenticeship program at this year’s UFT CTE Awards

UFT educators in career and technical education programs and schools are invited to attend this year’s UFT CTE Awards Ceremony, which will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel. This year's ceremony will be extra special as we commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Success Via Apprenticeship (SVA) program, which combines college courses with apprenticeships in classrooms and in each student’s chosen industry to prepare them to teach in CTE programs. The doors will open at 4 p.m., with a networking reception beginning at 5 p.m. The awards reception will start immediately afterward.

Register now

Chapter Leader Checklist

To Do #1

Post the UFT Election Notice on your UFT bulletin board

We want all UFT members to know about the upcoming union elections and the opportunity they have to run for union office and to vote in the election. Please print out and post the 2025 UFT Election Notice on your bulletin board.

To Do #2

Amplify member voice with school-based committees

School-based committees ensure that UFT members have a voice in decision-making at the school level and that all the work does not fall on the chapter leader's shoulders. Make sure that you have the following active committees at your school:

  • A consultation committee that meets monthly with the principal to discuss and attempt to resolve issues at the school level before they escalate.
  • A professional development committee to plan and review the professional learning that is offered during the time set aside for professional learning in the contract.
  • A school safety committee that meets monthly to address safety-related violations and issues such as crisis response, student removal procedures and fire drills.
  • A school leadership team that develops the school's comprehensive educational plan and makes sure it is aligned with the school-based budget.
  • A special education committee that meets at least twice a year to address schoolwide special education compliance issues.

If you need support, please contact your district representative.

To Do #3

Purchase order available for Paraprofessionals Awards Luncheon

This year's annual Paraprofessionals Awards Luncheon will take place at the New York Hilton on Saturday, March 22. School chapter leaders, in conjunction with their school leadership team, can use this purchase order to buy a table for paraprofessionals at their school. The purchase order deadline is Friday, March 14. Regular registration will open shortly.

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

Check COPE membership on the hub

Find out which members at your school contribute to our Committee on Political Education (COPE) in the Chapter Leader Hub. Members' voluntary contributions to COPE — not union dues — fund the union's political work. By contributing to COPE each month, UFT members ensure their voices are heard by lawmakers on the issues that matter to us. It is especially important now as we call on state lawmakers to fix Tier 6 of the pension system. Remember, you can access the Chapter Leader Hub using your UFT website username and password.

Enter the hub

Work in progress

The UFT is tackling the following issues with the DOE and other city, state and federal-level entities as appropriate:

  • Continuing to review school applications for class size funding along with the DOE and the principals' union.
  • Working to fix the process that occupational and physical therapists must use to transfer schools.
  • Continuing to push the DOE to address algebra teachers' concerns with the Illustrative Math curriculum.

You Should Know

Contract Empowerment & Enforcement

Determine if PROSE is right for your school

If you work in a highly collaborative school with innovative practices, you may be interested in applying to become one of the Progressive Redesign Opportunity Schools for Excellence. PROSE schools can change the DOE-UFT contract and DOE regulations to create educator-led, community-driven innovations. The UFT is now accepting applications from schools interested in joining PROSE next school year. If your school is considering applying, please register for a virtual information session on Thursday, Feb. 6, at 4 p.m. A PROSE school liaison would also be happy to set up a meeting with your school. Contact PROSE@uft.org to request a visit or ask questions. The earlier your application is received, the sooner it will be reviewed by PROSE panel, which reviews and approves applications on a rolling basis. The deadline to submit an application is March 28. Applications are reviewed and approved on a rolling basis by the PROSE panel. Here are the application template, rubric and program brochure.

Nine NYU-Langone nurses fully vindicated after firings

This week, the UFT won one of the biggest arbitration victories that it has ever achieved for unlawful terminations. Two years ago, an expectant mother and father entered NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn. They were sent to Labor & Delivery — unescorted and unannounced — and soon became lost. The mother gave birth spontaneously in the hallway. Not long after, NYU Langone fired the nine Labor & Delivery nurses — all members of the Federation of Nurses/UFT — on duty that night, claiming these accomplished professionals failed to meet their duty of care. NYU Langone also accused the nurses of having no remorse. We knew these firings were wrong, so the union filed grievances and brought the nurses' cases before a neutral arbitrator. On Jan. 22, the arbitrator ruled that the hospital did not have cause to fire the nine nurses and that they must be reinstated with full back pay. As to the claim that the nurses showed no remorse, the arbitrator called the hospital "misguided."

Instruction

CTE educators can earn CTLE hours at the Jan. 27 day of online professional learning

High school educators in career and technical education programs are invited to register for the CTE Impact on Achievement Conference, a full day of online professional learning this coming Monday, Jan. 27, starting at 8 a.m. This interactive conference, organized by the UFT, the DOE and the state CTE Technical Assistance Center, promises to inspire and empower participants to think bigger and dream beyond, with expert instructors, dynamic sessions and practical, hands-on activities focused on career and technical education. Special guest Rachael Mann, an author and veteran educator, will speak about disruptive technology, AI, CTE, STEM and careers. Participants will earn six CTLE credits.

Register now

Salary & Personnel

3% pay increase will appear in Feb. 14 paychecks 

The third 3% pay increase from our 2023 contract took effect on Jan. 18. The increase will first be reflected in the Feb. 14 paycheck for all pedagogues, paraprofessionals, H-bank employees and hourly administrative employees. Pedagogues who work per diem or per session will see the 3% pay increase in their Feb. 18 paychecks. These February paychecks will include money owed retroactive to Jan. 18. See our Contract 2023 FAQs on pay increases for answers to common questions about eligibility, pensionability and taxes related to this money.

Everything Else

Register for our Black History Month film series

As we commemorate Black History Month in February, the UFT invites you to virtual film screenings and discussions at 4 p.m. on four Thursdays in February and March. You can register for a single film or as many as you'd like.

  • Little White Lie (Jan. 30) — Lacey Schwartz's personal story navigating dual race and identity.
  • Luther: Never Too Much (Feb. 6) — Exploring the life and career of the beloved singer Luther Vandross.
  • Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power (Feb. 27) — Showcasing community organizing and the fight for civil rights in this Alabama county.
  • Fundi: The Story of Ella Baker (March 6) — Celebrating the leadership of Ella Baker in the Civil Rights Movement.

Register now

Recent Guidance and Agreements

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