The union and the city Department of Education held a Step 2 hearing on Sept. 28 on the union’s grievance on payment for work during the 2020 spring break. The dispute will now proceed to arbitration, with a hearing before a neutral arbitrator likely to take place in mid-December. This grievance is the first one filed after the reopening of the traditional grievance system in July to go to arbitration. The grievance argues that UFT members should be fully compensated for the extra days they were required to work during the 2020 spring break at the height of the pandemic in New York City.