Teacher Union Day 2023
About 1,500 UFT members, family and friends gathered at the New York Hilton Midtown on Oct. 29 to honor the brave educators who put everything on the line in the 1960 strike that forged the union and the UFT activists who follow in their footsteps. This year, Teacher Union Day was dedicated to the Contract Action Teams.
![teacher union day 2023 teacher union day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/teacher-union-day-2023-047_GSC_0235_1.jpg?h=4ce75b44&itok=mqX5p9Th)
Trisha Arnold (left) and Emily James, who received the Backer/Scheintaub Award for their work lifting up member and student voices and assisting Contract Action Teams.
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-Union-Day-15A.jpg?h=c8a2a69e&itok=-8-kDP9s)
Teacher Union Day attendees hold up cell phones with flashlights activated at the end of the awards ceremony as they sing “Solidarity Forever,” led by a video of union founder George Altomare, who died in August, in one of his many performances of the song.
![Teacher_Union_Day_2023 Teacher_Union_Day_2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher_Union_Day_2023_Union_Day_07_0.jpg?h=3a9847cd&itok=UoFnpd-F)
Elementary school chapter leaders gather on the stage after receiving Ely Trachtenberg Awards for their exemplary service.
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-Union-Day-14A.jpg?h=c343f7d5&itok=YojMdrrL)
UFT Treasurer Debra Penny (third from left) is flanked by UFT President Michael Mulgrew (second from left) and UFT Secretary LeRoy Barr, with Paraprofessionals Chapter Chair Priscilla Castro (far left), as she receives the Charles Cogen Award — the union’s highest honor — for her fierce advocacy and compassion in her union work.
![Teacher_Union_Day_2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher_Union_Day_2023_Union_Day_08.jpg?h=8c78abd8&itok=7GgNokQ2)
Middle school chapter leaders gather on stage after receiving Ely Trachtenberg Awards.
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-Union-Day-09A.jpg?h=4bd411ac&itok=f9NjgJv1)
High school chapter leaders gather for a photo after receiving Ely Trachtenberg Awards.
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-Union-Day-13A.jpg?h=4e81f859&itok=9b20E3Yt)
Manhattan Borough Representative Carl Cambria, the UFT’s chief contract negotiator, accepts the Jules Kolodny Award for his leadership of the 500-member Negotiating Committee.
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-Union-Day-12A.jpg?h=67c3ac55&itok=b5YYZhnM)
The ballroom at the Hilton is packed with 1,500 union members, family and friends for the event.
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-Union-Day-03A.jpg?h=9573f464&itok=NRWRrxTk)
Raul Garcia (at right), the chapter leader of the School Social Workers and Psychologists Chapter and the winner of the Sidney Harris Award, gathers for a photo with (from left) psychologists Ana Cifuentes, Nancy Levine, Carmen Riera and Roberto Collado. The award honors an outstanding leader in special education.
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-Union-Day-01A.jpg?h=4056164a&itok=mDRU0yPo)
UFT members from PS 72 in Manhattan and District 4 Representative Servia Silva (middle, standing) support their Ely Trachtenberg Award winner Fernando Alvarez (seated, second from right).
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-Union-Day-10A.jpg?h=6b05a3bc&itok=EEGEsryL)
Teachers’ Retirement System Board Trustee Victoria Lee, accompanied by her daughter, accepts the David Wittes Award, named for the pioneer of the UFT pension, from Mulgrew (at left), UFT Assistant Treasurer Tom Brown and Staff Director LeRoy Barr (at right).
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-Union-Day-02A.jpg?h=c8a2a69e&itok=lzdeeclW)
Staff from PS 306 in Brooklyn and the UFT Teacher Center gather for a photo at the awards ceremony.
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Union Teacher Union Day 2023 Union](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-Union-Day-04A.jpg?h=a6d0e4a4&itok=Wnn3pS-H)
UFT President Michael Mulgrew introduces Teacher Union Day by talking about the importance of remaining true to the union’s foundational beliefs and mission, and celebrating the members who have gone above and beyond to accomplish great things.
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-GSC-0256A.jpg?h=6bfce994&itok=62ZL7rQj)
Member Representatives Trisha Arnold (left) and Emily James are congratulated by Mulgrew and Barr after receiving the Backer/Scheintaub award for their work lifting up member and student voices and assisting Contract Action Teams.
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-2023-GSC-0147-1A.jpg?h=c8a2a69e&itok=_C-ezV0o)
Six UFT members receive Marsh/Raimo Awards recognizing their political activism.
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-DSC-0271A.jpg?h=065f5d0d&itok=hYad0HN0)
Rashad Brown, the assistant to the staff director, says a few words after receiving the Audrey Chasen Award.
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-GSC-0129A.jpg?h=6bfce994&itok=L7JUG7Rz)
UFT President Michael Mulgrew (at left) and LeRoy Barr (at right) stand with members who took home Albert Lee Smallheiser Awards for their efforts at improving working conditions for their colleagues.
![teacher union day 2023 teacher union day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/teacher-union-day-2023-047_GSC_0302_1.jpg?h=558a5af4&itok=O0UcuRk7)
![teacher union day 2023 teacher union day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/teacher-union-day-2023-047_GSC_0235_1.jpg?h=4ce75b44&itok=mqX5p9Th)
Trisha Arnold (left) and Emily James, who received the Backer/Scheintaub Award for their work lifting up member and student voices and assisting Contract Action Teams.
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-Union-Day-15A.jpg?h=c8a2a69e&itok=-8-kDP9s)
Teacher Union Day attendees hold up cell phones with flashlights activated at the end of the awards ceremony as they sing “Solidarity Forever,” led by a video of union founder George Altomare, who died in August, in one of his many performances of the song.
![Teacher_Union_Day_2023 Teacher_Union_Day_2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher_Union_Day_2023_Union_Day_07_0.jpg?h=3a9847cd&itok=UoFnpd-F)
Elementary school chapter leaders gather on the stage after receiving Ely Trachtenberg Awards for their exemplary service.
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-Union-Day-14A.jpg?h=c343f7d5&itok=YojMdrrL)
UFT Treasurer Debra Penny (third from left) is flanked by UFT President Michael Mulgrew (second from left) and UFT Secretary LeRoy Barr, with Paraprofessionals Chapter Chair Priscilla Castro (far left), as she receives the Charles Cogen Award — the union’s highest honor — for her fierce advocacy and compassion in her union work.
![Teacher_Union_Day_2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher_Union_Day_2023_Union_Day_08.jpg?h=8c78abd8&itok=7GgNokQ2)
Middle school chapter leaders gather on stage after receiving Ely Trachtenberg Awards.
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-Union-Day-09A.jpg?h=4bd411ac&itok=f9NjgJv1)
High school chapter leaders gather for a photo after receiving Ely Trachtenberg Awards.
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-Union-Day-13A.jpg?h=4e81f859&itok=9b20E3Yt)
Manhattan Borough Representative Carl Cambria, the UFT’s chief contract negotiator, accepts the Jules Kolodny Award for his leadership of the 500-member Negotiating Committee.
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-Union-Day-12A.jpg?h=67c3ac55&itok=b5YYZhnM)
The ballroom at the Hilton is packed with 1,500 union members, family and friends for the event.
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-Union-Day-03A.jpg?h=9573f464&itok=NRWRrxTk)
Raul Garcia (at right), the chapter leader of the School Social Workers and Psychologists Chapter and the winner of the Sidney Harris Award, gathers for a photo with (from left) psychologists Ana Cifuentes, Nancy Levine, Carmen Riera and Roberto Collado. The award honors an outstanding leader in special education.
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-Union-Day-01A.jpg?h=4056164a&itok=mDRU0yPo)
UFT members from PS 72 in Manhattan and District 4 Representative Servia Silva (middle, standing) support their Ely Trachtenberg Award winner Fernando Alvarez (seated, second from right).
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-Union-Day-10A.jpg?h=6b05a3bc&itok=EEGEsryL)
Teachers’ Retirement System Board Trustee Victoria Lee, accompanied by her daughter, accepts the David Wittes Award, named for the pioneer of the UFT pension, from Mulgrew (at left), UFT Assistant Treasurer Tom Brown and Staff Director LeRoy Barr (at right).
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-Union-Day-02A.jpg?h=c8a2a69e&itok=lzdeeclW)
Staff from PS 306 in Brooklyn and the UFT Teacher Center gather for a photo at the awards ceremony.
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Union Teacher Union Day 2023 Union](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-Union-Day-04A.jpg?h=a6d0e4a4&itok=Wnn3pS-H)
UFT President Michael Mulgrew introduces Teacher Union Day by talking about the importance of remaining true to the union’s foundational beliefs and mission, and celebrating the members who have gone above and beyond to accomplish great things.
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-GSC-0256A.jpg?h=6bfce994&itok=62ZL7rQj)
Member Representatives Trisha Arnold (left) and Emily James are congratulated by Mulgrew and Barr after receiving the Backer/Scheintaub award for their work lifting up member and student voices and assisting Contract Action Teams.
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-2023-GSC-0147-1A.jpg?h=c8a2a69e&itok=_C-ezV0o)
Six UFT members receive Marsh/Raimo Awards recognizing their political activism.
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-DSC-0271A.jpg?h=065f5d0d&itok=hYad0HN0)
Rashad Brown, the assistant to the staff director, says a few words after receiving the Audrey Chasen Award.
![Teacher Union Day 2023 Teacher Union Day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/Teacher-Union-Day-2023-GSC-0129A.jpg?h=6bfce994&itok=L7JUG7Rz)
UFT President Michael Mulgrew (at left) and LeRoy Barr (at right) stand with members who took home Albert Lee Smallheiser Awards for their efforts at improving working conditions for their colleagues.
![teacher union day 2023 teacher union day 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_3x2_scale_and_crop_330x220/public/photos/teacher-union-day-2023-047_GSC_0302_1.jpg?h=558a5af4&itok=O0UcuRk7)