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COVID death benefits extended
The New York State accidental death benefit for in-service UFT members and other public employees who have passed away due to COVID-19 has been extended through Dec. 31, 2024, thanks to the advocacy of the UFT and other public employee unions.
Money pit
With aggressive marketing, strong lobbying, perks like free rent and millions of dollars of contributions from billionaire investors and philanthropists, the number of Success Academy charter schools has expanded at the expense of traditional public...
Broadway-bound educators
The Broadway League on Feb. 2 kicked off the 2023 season of its Broadway Bridges program to offer $10 Broadway tickets to thousands of high school sophomores and their teachers. To mark the occasion, the league invited 500 educators to Teachers’...
Building ‘calm and focus’
About 60 schools this year joined the UFT’s pilot partnership with MindUp, an evidence-based social-emotional learning program conceived by the Goldie Hawn Foundation to support educators' and students' mental health.
Starbucks union drive marks first year
To mark the one-year anniversary of the Starbucks union movement, the company’s workers held rallies on Dec. 9 in 10 cities nationwide, including New York City. The UFT was among the unions at the City Hall rally.
School budget fight update
The city’s more than $400 million in budget cuts to schools across the city in September will stand after an appeals court ruled on Nov. 22 that the New York City Council won’t have to vote again on the education budget.
Contract gets action on class size
Just two of this school year’s grievances over excessive class sizes citywide remained unresolved by Thanksgiving — thanks to a powerful provision in the 2018 Department of Education-UFT contract.
UFT backs bill requiring city hospitals to disclose costs
UFT President Michael Mulgrew backs a City Council bill that would create an Office of Healthcare Accountability to rein in overcharges by hospitals that a study found inflated employee health care costs by up to $2.4 billion.
‘An intolerable burden’
The UFT is fighting to preserve the "unicorn" status of premium-free health care for New York City public school educators, even as most public and private sector employees have to pay hefty premiums.
‘The biggest crisis we’re facing’
UFT President Michael Mulgrew told the Delegate Assembly on Nov. 16 that the increasingly unique benefit enjoyed by New York City employees — high-quality, premium-free health coverage — is under threat unless municipal unions can find health savings...